As the Spanish vessel was in his way, he would attack her and get her out of his way if the thing could be done.
In this new state of affairs he was obliged to use stratagem, and he also needed a larger force than he had with him, and he therefore captured some men who were fishing along the coast and put them into his canoes to help work the oars.

Then by night he proceeded slowly in the direction of the Spanish vessel.

The man-of-war was anchored not very far from the town, and when about two o'clock in the morning the watch on deck saw some canoes approaching they supposed them to be boats from shore, for, as has been said, such vessels were continually plying about those shallow waters.

The canoes were hailed, and after having given an account of themselves they were asked if they knew anything about the pirate ship upon the coast.

L'Olonnois understood very well that it would not do for him or his men to make answer to these inquiries, for their speech would have shown they did not belong to those parts.
Therefore he made one of his prisoner fishermen answer that they had not seen a pirate vessel, and if there had been one there, it must have sailed away when its captain heard the Spanish ship was coming.