firelock and a cutlass, with some pistols, three halberds or half-pikes,
and good store of powder and ball, without any provision but about half a
hundred of bread, but with all their chests and clothes, tools,
instruments, books, &c., embarked themselves so silently, that the captain
got no notice of it till they were gotten half the way on shore.

As soon as the captain heard of it he called for the gunner's mate, the
chief gunner being at the time sick in his cabin, and ordered to fire at
them; but, to his great mortification, the gunner's mate was one of the
number, and was gone with them; and indeed it was by this means they got so
many arms and so much ammunition. When the captain found how it was, and
that there was no help for it, he began to be a little appeased, and made
light of it, and called up the men, and spoke kindly to them, and told them
he was very well satisfied in the fidelity and ability of those that were
now left, and that he would give to them, for their encouragement, to be
divided among them, the wages which were due to the men that were gone, and
that it was a great satisfaction to him that the ship was free from such a
mutinous rabble, who had not the least reason for their discontent.

The men seemed very well satisfied, and particularly the promise of the
wages of those who were gone went a great way with them. After this, the
letter which was left by the men was given to the captain by his boy, with
whom, it seems, the men had left it. The letter was much to the same
purpose of what they had said to the mate, and which he declined to say for
them, only that at the end of their letter they told the captain that, as
they had no dishonest design, so they had taken nothing away with them
which was not their own, except some arms and ammunition, such as were
absolutely necessary to them, as well for their defence against the savages
as to kill fowls or beasts for their food, that they might not perish; and
as there were considerable sums due to them for wages, they hoped he would