Note 24 — Chapter IV
Reading edition
Oldmixon, in his History of St Christopher’s, speaking of this circumstance, says—“They (the Caribs) were willing enough to live peaceably with the Europeans who first landed there, and were upon the place when D’Esnambuc came thither; but, upon his landing, their boyez, or conjurers, telling them, in a general assembly met on purpose, that the foreigners were come to take away their country from them, and destroy them root and branch, it was resolved to massacre the English.” He goes on to state, that the English and French, having gained intelligence of the Caribs’ design to cut their throats, “fell upon the most factious of the natives by night, killed them, and drove the rest out of the island.”