fetched them all aboard, to their great comfort and our content: they
rejoicing that they should have some fit opportunity to wreak their
wrongs on the Spaniards; we hoping that now our voyage should be
bettered.

At our first meeting, when our Captain had moved them, to shew him the
means which they had to furnish him with gold and silver; they answered
plainly, that "had they known gold had been his desire; they would have
satisfied him with store, which, for the present, they could not do:
because the rivers, in which they sunk great store (which they had taken
from the Spaniards, rather to despite them than for love of gold) were
now so high, that they could not get it out of such depths for him;
and because the Spaniards, in these rainy months, do not use [are not
accustomed] to carry their treasure by land."

This answer although it were somewhat unlooked for, yet nothing
discontented us, but rather persuaded us farther of their honest and
faithful meaning toward us. Therefore our Captain to entertain these
five months, commanded all our ordnance and artillery ashore, with all
our other provisions: sending his pinnaces to the Main, to bring over
great trees, to make a fort upon the same island, for the planting of
all our ordnance therein, and for our safeguard, if the enemy, in all
this time, should chance to come.

Our Cimaroons (24th September) cut down Palmito boughs and branches, and
with wonderful speed raised up two large houses for all our company.
Our fort was then made, by reason of the place, triangle-wise, with main
timber, and earth of which the trench yielded us good store, so that we
made it thirteen feet in height. [Fort Diego.]