XX MEMOIR OF COLONEL 



Articles of agreement to this purpose being sign- 

 ed on both sides, the English for their true performance, 

 demanded and had the Governor of the island, and the 

 Spanish Commissioners for hostages; and so they 

 seemed to be in a fair way of settlement, with little ado. 

 Yet after this, a colonel among the Spaniards, who had 

 no good will to the governor, and was a man of inte- 

 rest among the commonalty, persuaded them to drive 

 all the cattle away to the mountains, and thereby starve 

 out the English. Which being understood, one of the 

 Spanish Commissioners, Don Acosta, a Portuguese, sent 

 his priest, an understanding negro, to dissuade them 

 from their purpose. But they being resolute, and in- 

 stigated by the colonel, hanged the negro, which en- 

 raged Acosta, and to be revenged on them for the death 

 of his priest, whom he loved, advised the English that 

 the cattle must necessarily, in a while, come down into 

 the plains to drink. And by his direction, the English 

 recovered the cattle, and prevented their mischief. 



After this an order was published, that no private 

 soldier should go out to shoot cows, which was done for 

 two reasons ; first, because the soldiers straggling about 

 and going single, were often knocked on the head ; and 

 next, because they maimed and marred more than they 

 killed ; for it being a very woody country, unless a beast 

 was shot dead, which was but seldom done, it escaped 

 Its pursuer, though it often died of its wounds 5 and many 

 hundreds were found in the woods that had been so slain, 

 and very many running about hurt and wounded. Thus 

 great destruction was made of them, to no bodies advan- 



