A. E. Verrill — The Bermuda Islands. IIS 



her meale, numbers of ratts (which wer the first that the Hands ever 

 sawe), being received with-all and on a sondaine multiplyinge them- 

 selves by an infinite increase (for ther is noe place in the world so 

 proper for them), within the space of one only yeare they became so 

 terrible to the poore inhabitants, as that (like one of Pharaoths 

 plagues) the whole plantation was almost utterly subverted therby ; 

 and so farr gone it was at last, that it proved Captaine Tucker's 

 masterpiece all his time (which was not long after) to devise trapps 

 and stratagems to conquer and destroye them, though indeed all of 

 them proved to noe purpose (as you shall see hereafter) untill after- 

 wards, one moneth of cold and wett weather [probably March, 1618] 

 did the deed." 



In a later chapter he gave many additional details. He, like 

 Hughes, attributed the death of the rats mainty to a spell of cold 

 rainy weather, but this was, of course, derived from the statements 

 of others, for it happened before his arrival there. Other writers 

 denied that the weather had been any colder than on various other 

 occasions. His fuller account is as follows : 



"Sone after the conclusion of this assize [March, 1618] came 

 a hotte alarme from Sands his tribe, of a fierce assault made by 

 the ratts upon their new sette corne, who scratched it out of 

 the ground in the night as fast as they put it in in the day; 

 thes race of ratts being (as } t ou have heard) first brought in by the 

 "runne away frigate from the West Indies, in Mr. Moores time, began 

 presently so sylently and sodainely to encrease (ther being noe place 

 of the world more apt to nourish them, partly by reason of the sweet 

 temper of the aire, but especially through the general shelter and 

 covert that it affords them) that they then became felt before they 

 wer feared, and yet not so duely feared as befitted ; so that little or 

 noethinge being done against them at that time, and lesse in the 

 lazie dayes of the six Governours [1615-16], they wer by this time 

 gotten to so ranck a head that swimeinge in huge troupes from 

 iland to iland (for fishes have bin taken three leagues of at sea with 

 whole ratts in their bellyes), they eate up the whole country before 

 them, wheresoever they went, utterly devoureinge all the corne they 

 mett with all in an instant ; so that, in despight of all the catts sent 

 from out of England, and the layeinges of poyson, the Governours 

 often fireinge of the whole ilands, to the huge waste and spoyle of 

 much excellent credar timber, or whatsoever els could be devised 

 against them, they every day more and more so multiplied and grew 

 upon the poore amazed people, as that it very little wanted that the 



