rales A. E. Verrill— The Bermuda Islands. 301 
her meale, numbers of ratts (which wer the first that the ilands ever 
sawe), being received with-all and on a soudaine 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 mainly 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 you 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 firemge of the whole ilands, to the huge waste and spoyle of 
much excellent cedar 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 
