Encouraged thus, they never stood to
parley, but fell on pell-mell upon the English, and killed some, and
wounded a great many they having recourse to their whips, as the
best of their weapons. And as they observed no order, they perplexed
the enemy so sorely, with lashing 'em in the eyes; and the women and
children seeing their husbands so treated, being of fearful cowardly
dispositions, and hearing the English cry out, "Yield, and live! Yield
and be pardoned!" they all run in amongst their husbands and
fathers, and hung about them, crying out, "Yield! and leave Caesar
to their revenge"; that by degrees the slaves abandoned Caesar, and
left him only Tuscan and his heroic Imoinda, who, grown big as she
was, did nevertheless press near her lord, having a bow and a quiver
full of poisoned arrows, which she managed with such dexterity that
she wounded several, and shot the Governor into the shoulder; of which
wound he had like to have died, but that an Indian woman, his
mistress, sucked the wound, and cleansed it from the venom: but
however, he stirred not from the place till he had parleyed with
Caesar, who he found was resolved to die fighting, and would not be
taken; no more would Tuscan or Imoinda. But he, more thirsting after
revenge of another sort, than that of depriving him of life, now
made use of all his art of talking and dissembling, and besought
Caesar to yield himself upon terms which he himself should propose,
and should be scarcely assented to, and kept by him.
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