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Show 382 THE I.ILY A:O.'D TIIF. TOTEM. precaution&, a proper courage, and :mn.~ in our hands, we sllall mock at tlJCir wanJcring bands, whose attacks arc inconstant, and upon whom the caprice of the seasons is forever working such evil as will prevent them always from bringing large number" to~cther, or keeping tlJCm long in one organization. But, hold the samgcs to be fill terrible as you may, they arc surely lcs.q to be feared, arc Jess faithles~ and less hostile, than these sanguinary Spaniards. Do not, at ull cv!'nts, deliver yourselves, bound hand and foot, in petty numbers, to be butchered in detail, by this monstrous cutthroat!" His counsels prevailed with the greater number. They left tl1c camp of Ribault at midnight, and commenced their silent march along till' coast, m:tking for the bleak shores which had seen their vcKSclil stranded. Hero they arrived after much toil nnd pl'ivn~ tion, and, cheered by the manly courage of D'l~rlach, they pro~ cceded zlt once to build thcmseh·es a vess~l which should suffice for their escape from the country, or enable them to pcnctr·ate without difficulty to regions not yet under the control of the Spaniards. For the work before them they possessed the prop:!r fhcilitirs. TIJC fragments of their shattered navy \l'Crc within their reach. The expedition had been prop2rly pro,,ided with cnrp('ntcr>;: and laborers ; and in tl1at day every mariner was some~ tl.ing of a meclmnic. They ndvanced rapidly \vitl1 their work, but at the end of three \Vecks the cloudi gathered once more nbout thci~ heads. Once more the haughty bann,~ra of the Spaniurd were behelt.l, the Yindictivc enemy being rcsoh•ed to give them no respite, to allow of no refuge upon tho soil, to afford them no prosp2ct of escape from the country. Advised by the Indiuns that th ~ survivin; Frenchmen were at work at Carnavcrcl, building themselves both fortresses aud ves~ THE FORTUNES OF RIBAULT. 383 sels, Melendez sent an express to the Governor of San Mntheo, late La. Caroline, with orders to send him instantly one lmndred and fifty of his men. Th,.sc arrived at St. Augustine on the 23d of October, under the conduct of .Don Andres Lopez Patino, and of .Don J ean Velez de Medrano. To tl1ese troops i\lclcndcz added a like number from l1is own gnrri~on, and on the 26th or the month, they commenced their march to tho south, on foot. His provisions and munitions wore sent in two shallops along the shore, and each nigl1t they came to ancllOr opposite his camp. On the first day of No,'cmbcr, they came in sight of tho French. These, immediately abandoned their work, and seizing their arms retired to a small sandy elevation which they had previously solcctcd as a place of refuge against attack, and which they had strengthened by some slight defences. Here they prepared for a. desperate and deadly struggle. The force of their assailants was ono·thi1·d stronger th<m their own. They had the advantage, also, of supplies and mu,Jitions, in which the Frenchmen were dcficitmt; but a sense of desperation increased their eourn.!!c, and they showed no disposition to entreat or parley. liut l\Iclcndcz had no desire b compel them to a strugq:lc in which even success would probably be fatal ultimately to himsclr. His main strength was with him, but should he suffer greatly in the a~sault, as it was very evident he must, the French being in a good position, and showing the most determined front, llis army would b::~ too greatly weakened, perhaps, even for tl1cit· safe return to St. Augustine, through a country filled with hostile Jndians, whom, as yet, he had neither conquered nor conciliated. Ha\·ing reconnoitred the position taken by the Frenchmen, he geuerously made them overtures of safety. He proposed not only to spare. |
