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 THE LIFE, ADVENTURES, 
 
 AND PYRACIES OF THE 
 
 FAMOUS CAPTAIN SINGLETON 
 
 Daniel Defoe 
 
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 kx 
 
 UNIVERSITY MICROFILMS, INC. 
 
 A Subsidiary of Xerox Corporation 
 Ann Arbor 
 
 
SO/Sl 
 
This "0-P Book" is an Authorized Reprint of the 
 Original Edition, Produced by Microfilm-Xerography 
 by University Microfilms, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 1967 
 
MK^uiMmriMMMnmuiaii i iit i mihwii 
 
 r- 
 
 THE 
 
 II % 
 
 ADVENTURE'S, 
 
 AND . 
 
 PYRACIE S, 
 
 Of the Famous 
 
 Captain SINGLETON: 
 
 Containing an Account of his 
 
 being fet on Shore in the Ifland of 
 Mniitg^fcitr^ his Settlement there, with a De- 
 fcription of the Place and Inhabitants: Of his 
 PafTage from thence, in a Paraguay, to the 
 main Land of Africa^ with an Account of the 
 Cufcoms and Manners of the People: His 
 great Deliverances from the barbarous Na- 
 tives and wild Beads : Of his meeting with 
 an Etiglifmim t a Citizen of Loudon, among the 
 ImliaiS) die great Riches he acquired, and his 
 Voyage Home to England; As alfo Captain 
 ShigUtorfs Return to Sea, with an Account of 
 his many Adventures and Pvracies with the 
 famous Captain Avery and others. 
 
 I Ujy o tf : Printed for 7. Brotbtrton, at the Black Bu2 
 in CerrJjiU t J, Graves in St. J&iUiH Street, A. Dodd t at 
 the Peacock without Tetnflc bar, and T. Warncr % at the 
 HUck Eij in Pjter.Koftcr-Rw. 1 7 20. 
 
LOAN STACK 
 
 REPRODUCED FROM THE COPY IN THE 
 
 HENRY E. HUNTINGTON LIBRARY 
 
 ! 
 
 FOR REFERENCE ONLY. NOT FOR REPRODUCTION 
 
ADVENTURES 
 
 V - ;;',.'.; and..- ., -. 
 
 P YRACIES, ^r.' 
 
 S it is ufual for great Perform 
 whole Lives have been remar- 
 kable, and whole Actions de- 
 lerve Recording to Pofterity, 
 to infift much upon their" Ori- 
 ginals, give full Accounts of 
 their Families, and the Histo- 
 ries of their Anceftors: So, that 
 f T may be methodical, I flmtt do the fame, tho* 
 I can look but a very little Way into my Pe- 
 digree as you will fee prefently. 
 1 If I may believe the Woman, whom I was 
 taught to' call Mother, 1 was a little Boy, ot 
 *about two Years old, very well drefsM, had a 
 Kurfery Maid to tend me, who took me out 
 >'- Vi ' B on 
 
(O 
 
 on a Hne Summer's Evening into the Fields to- 
 wards Ijlivgtcn % as fhe pretended, to give the | 
 Child lome Air, a little Girl being with her of 
 Twelve or Fourteen Years old, that lived in the 
 Xeighbourhood. The Maid, whether by Ap- 
 pointment or otherwife, meets with a Fellow, 
 her Sweet-heart, as I fuppofe \ he carries her 
 into a Publick-Houfe, to give her. a Pot and a 
 Cake*, and while they were toying in the Houfe, 
 the Girl plays about with me in her Hand in 
 ' the Garden, and at the Door, fometimes in Sight, 
 fometimes out of Sight, thinking no Harm. 
 
 At this Juncture comes by one of thofe Sort 
 of Peop'e, who, it feems, made it their Bufmefs 
 to Spirit away little Children. This was a Hel- 
 jifh Trade in thole Days, and chiefly praftifed 
 where they found little Children very well dreft, 
 or for bigger Children , to fell them to the 
 Plantations. \ - - 
 
 The Woman pretending to take .me up in her 
 
 Arms and kils me, and play with me, draws 
 
 - the. Girl a good Way from the Houfe , till at 
 
 . laft fhe makes a fine Story to the Girl, and 
 
 -. bids her go back to the Maid, and tell her where 
 
 fhe was with the Child; that a Gentlewoman 
 
 ! had taken a Fancy to the Child, and was kifllng 
 
 ' of it, but flie fhould not be frighted, or to that 
 
 . Purpofe-, for they were but juft there; and Co 
 
 while the Girl went, fhe carries me quite away. 
 
 From this time it leems I was difpofed of to 
 .a Beggar- Woman that wanted a pretty little 
 Child to iet out her Cafe, and after that to 
 . ; a Gypfiy, under whole Government I continued 
 till I was about Six Years old -, and this Woman, 
 tho* I was continually dragged about with her, 
 from one Part of the Country to another, yec 
 
 never 
 
- ! 
 
 (i) . 
 
 r.cvcr let me wnnt f r an Y Atng, and I {fatted: 
 her Mother; tho' ihe told ms at laft, ihe was. 
 not my Mother , but that (he tough: me for 
 Twelve Shillings of another Woman, who told 
 her. how (he came by me, and told her that: my* 
 Name was Bob S'ngUtov^ not Robert , but plain Boby 
 for it feems they never knew by what Name I 
 was Chriften'd. 
 
 It is in vain to reflet here, what a terrible 
 Fright the carelefs Bully, was in, that loft me; 
 what Treatment (he received from ray juftly 
 enraged Father and Mother, . and the Horror 
 th?fe muft.be in at the Thoughts of their Child 
 being thus carryM away - 7 for as I never knew 
 any thing of the Matter, but juft what I have 
 related, nor who my Father and Mother were ; 
 fo it would make but a needlefs DigreiHon to talk, 
 of it here. 
 
 My pood Gypfiy Mother^ for feme of her wor- 
 thy A&ions no doubt, happened in Procefs of Time 
 to be hang'd ; and as this fell out fomething too 
 foon for me to- be perfe&ed in the Strolling 
 Trade, the Parifh where I was left, which for my 
 Lifel can't remember, took fbme Care of me to 
 be fure ; for the firft thing I en remember of my 
 (elf afterwards, was, that I went to a Pariih- 
 School, and the Minifter of the Pari/h ufed to 
 talk to me to be a good Boy \ and that tho' I was 
 but a poor Boy, if I minded my Book, and fer- 
 ved God, I might make a good Man. 
 I believe 1 was freciuently removed from one 
 Town to another, pernaps as the Pariihes difpu- 
 tedmy fuppofed Mother's laft Settlement. Whe- 
 ther I was fo fhifted by Paffes, or otherwife, I 
 know not \ but the Town where I laft was kept, 
 whatever its Name was, muft be not far off from 
 
 B2 the 
 
the Sea Side-, for a Matter of a Ship who tool: 
 a Fancy to me, was the firtt that brought me 
 to a Place not far from Southampton, which I af- 
 terwards knew to he Bujfelcon, and there I tended 
 the Carpenters, and iuch People as were em- 
 ploy M in Building a Ship for him ; and when it 
 was done, tho' I was not above Twelve Years 
 old, he carried me to Sea with him, on a Voyage 
 to Newfoundland. 
 
 I lived well enough, and pleated my Matter 
 lb well, that he called me his own Boy ; and I 
 would have called him Father, but he would not 
 allow it, for he had Children of his own, I went 
 three or four Voyages with him, and grew a great 
 tturdy Boy, when coming Home again from the 
 Banks of Newfoundland, we were taken by an AU 
 gcrine Rover, or Man of War , which, if my Ac- 
 count ttands right, was about the Year i<Sp5, 
 for you may be fure I kept no Journal. 
 
 I was not much concerned at the Difatter, tho* 
 I faw my Mafter, after having been wounded by a 
 Splinter in the Head during the Engagement, ve- 
 ry barbarotifly ufed by the Turks; I fay, I was 
 not much concerned, till upon fbme unlucky 
 thing I fa id, which, as I remember, was about 
 abufing my Matter, they took me and beat me 
 inott unmercifully with a flat Stick on. the Soles 
 of my Feet, fb that I could neither go or ttand 
 foz feveral Days together. 
 
 But my good Fortune was my Friend upon 
 this Occafion ; for as they were failing away 
 with our Ship in Tow as a Prize, tteering 
 for the Streights, and in Sight of the Bay of 
 Cadiz, the Turkijb Rover was attack'dby two 
 great Portvgucfe Men of War, and taken and car- 
 ried into Lisbon. 
 : ; ; .- As 
 
'''( 5 ) 
 
 As I was not much concerned at my Captivity, 
 not indeed underfhnding the Confequences of it, 
 if it had'continued} fb I was not fuitably fenfible 
 of my Deliverance: Kor indeed was it fb much 
 a Deliverance to me, as it would otherwife ha*. 
 been; for my Mafter, who was the only Friend I 
 had in die World, died at Lisbon of his Wounds ; 
 and I being then almoft reduced to my primitive 
 State, viz* of Starving, had this Addition to it, 
 that it was in a foreign Country too, where I 
 knew no body, and could not fpeak a Word ot 
 their Language. However, I fared better here 
 than I had Reafon to expecV, for when all die reft 
 of our Men had their Liberty to go where they 
 would, I that knew not whither to go, ffaid in 
 the Ship for feveral Days, till at length one of 
 the Lieutenants feeing me, enquired what that 
 young Englljl} Dog did there, and why they did 
 not turn him on Shore? 
 I heard him, and partly underftood what he 
 meant, tho' not what he laid, and began then to 
 be in a terrible Fright , for I knew not where to 
 get a Bit of Bread , when the Pi\ot of the Ship; 
 an old Seaman, feeing me look very dull, came to 
 ' me, and fpeaking broken E?igltfi to me, told me, 
 \ mufl be gone. Whither mufl I go (faid I ?) 
 Where you will, (laid hej, Home to your own 
 Country, if you will. How mufl I go duther 
 (faid I ? ) Why have you no Friend (faid he ?) 
 No, (faid I) not in the World, but that Dog, 
 pointing to the Ship's Dog, (who having flole 
 t a Piece of Meat jufl before, had brought it clofe 
 by me, and I had taken it from him, and eat 
 it) for he has been a good Friend, and brought 
 me my Dinner. 
 
Welly rvfB y fays he, j<w wa# *t* jwr Dinner \ 
 Will you go with me ? Yes, fays I, with all my Heart. 
 In fhort, the old Piloc took me ..Home with him, 
 and uied me tolerably well, tho' I fared hard' 
 enough, and I lived with him about two Years,; 
 during which time he was foil ic icing his Bufmels, 
 and at length got to be Mafter or Pilot under 
 Den Oar eld de Vimcntefia dc CarravallaSy Captain of 
 a Tortuguefe Gallion, or Carrack, which was bound 
 to Gca in the Eaft- Indies ; and immediately ha- 
 ving gotten his CommifTion, put me on Board 
 to look after his Cabbin, in which he had fto- 
 red h'mfelf with Abundance of Liquors, Sue- 
 cades, .Sugar, Spices, and other things for his 
 
 ' Accommodation in the Voyage, and laid in af 
 terwards a considerable Quantity of European 
 Goods, fine Lace, and Linnen -, and alio Bays, 
 Woollen, Cloath, Stuffs, &c* under the Pretence 
 of his Clothes. -: ; 
 
 I was too young in the Trade to keep any 
 Journal of this Voyage, tho' my Mafter, who 
 was for a Tortuguefe a pretty good Artift, prompted 
 me to it : But my not underftanding the Lan- 
 guage, was one Hindrance } at lea ft, it ferved 
 me for an Excufe. However, after fbme time- 
 1 began to look into his Charts and Books , and 
 as I could write a tolerable Hand, underftood 
 ibme Latin, and began to have a Smattering of 
 the Tortuguefe Tongue , lb 1 began to get a little 
 
 fuperficial Knowledge of Navigation, but not 
 fuch as was likely to be fuflicient to carry me 
 thro* a Life of Adventure, as mine was to be. 
 In fnorty I learnt feveral material Things in.this 
 Voyage among the Tortuguefe : I learnt particu- 
 larly to be an errant Thief and a bad Sailor ; 
 nd I think 1 may fay they are the beft Ma- 
 
 / iters 
 
..... . (O .... ..- 
 
 flers for Teaching both thefe, of any Nation in 
 the World. ; 
 
 We made our Way for the EaSl-Indies, by the 
 Coaft of Braftl \ not that it is in the Courfe of. 
 Sailing the Way thither , but our Captain, ei- 
 ther on his own Account, or by the Direction of the 
 Merchants, went thither firft, where at All Smms 
 Bay> or as they call it in Portugd y the Rio de T^hs 
 losSantosy we aelivered near an Hundred Ton of 
 Goods, and took in a confiderable Quantity of 
 Gold, with fbme Chefts of Sugar, and Seventy ; 
 or Eighty great Rolls of Tobacco, every Roll ' 
 weighing at leaft ico Weight. 
 
 Here being lodged on Shore by my Matter's 
 Order, I had the Charge of the Captain's Bufi- 
 nefs, he having fcen me very diligent for my 
 own Matter ; and in Requital for his mittaken 
 Confidence, I found Means to fecure, that is to 
 fay, to tteai about twenty Moydores out of the 
 Gold that was Shipt on Board by the Merchants, 
 and this was my fir ft Adventure. 
 
 We had a tolerable Voyage from hence to 
 the Cape it bona, S$er<wzjt\ and I was reputed 
 as a mighty diligent Servant to my Matte** , 
 and very faithful ( 1 was diligent indeed," 
 but I was very far from honett \ however , 
 they thought me honett, which by the Way,, 
 was their very great Mittake) upon this very * 
 Miftake , the Captain took a particular Li- 
 king to me, and employ'd me frequently on 
 his own Occattons -, and on the other Hand, in 
 Recompence for my Officious Diligence, 1 re* 
 ceived feveral particular Favours from him \ ' ' 
 particularly, I was by the Captain's Command, 
 made a kind of a Steward under the Ship's. 
 Steward, for fuch Provifions as the Captain de- 
 
 B 4 manded 
 
( I) 
 
 mar.ded for his own Table. He had another 
 Steward for his private Stores befides, but my- 
 O/Hce concerned only what the Captain called 
 tor of the Ship's Stores , for his private? 
 Ufc. 
 
 However, by tins' Means I had Opportunity 
 particularly to take Care of my Maker's Man, 
 mid to furniih my fell* with flifncient Provifions 
 to make me live much better than the other*. 
 People in the Ship \ for the Captain feldom or-, 
 ciered any thing out of the Ship's Stores , a$. 
 above, but I fiiipt force of it for my own Share.. 
 We arrived at Cja in the Eaft-Indtes^ in about fe-/ 
 ven Month.*, from Lisbon, and remained there 
 eight more; during which Time I had indeed 
 nothing to do, my Matter being generally on 
 Shore, but. to learn every thing that is wicked 
 among the ?orngurft y a Nation the moft peril-, 
 dious and the moft debauch'd, the moft intblent 
 and cruel, of any that pretend to call them- 
 felvcs Chriftians, in the World. . 
 
 Tlreving , Lying , Swearing , Forfwearing, 
 jo'r.ed to the moft abominable Lewdnefs, was 
 the fiated Prnfcice of the Ship's Crew, adding, 
 to it y that with the mod unfufferablc Boafts of 
 their r.ew Courage, they were generally fpcaking 
 the moft compleat Cowards that I ever met with} 
 and the Confequence of their Cowardice was 
 evident* upon many Cccafions. However, there' 
 was here and there one among them that 
 was not fo bad as die reft , and as my Lot fell 
 among them, it made me have the moft con- 
 temptible Thoughts of the reft, as indeed they 
 deferved. , 
 
 I was exaftly fitted for their Society indeed; 
 
 &r I had no Senfe of Virtue or Religion upon 
 
 : . .* . * me. 
 
V (90; 
 
 me. I had never heard much of either, except 
 what a good old Parfbn hadfakl to me when I. 
 was a Child of about Eight or Nii}e Years old, 
 nay, 1 was preparing, and growing up apace, 
 to be as wicked as any* Body could be, or per- 
 haps ever was. Fate certainly thus dire&ed my 
 Beginning, knowing that I had Work which I 
 had to do in the World, which nothing but one 
 
 hardened againft all Senfe of Honefty or Reli- 
 gion, could go thro' , and yet even in this State 
 of Original Wickednefs, I entertained fuch a 
 fettled Abhorrence of the abandoned Vilcnefs of 
 the Portuguefe, that I could not but hate them 
 raofl heartily from the Beginning, and all my Life 
 afterwards. They were lb brutiihly wicked, fo 
 bafe and perfidious, not only to Strangers, but 
 to one another \ fo meanly fiibmiiTive when fub- 
 jetted ; fo infolent, or barbarous and tyrannical 
 when fuperiour, that I thought there was Ibme- 
 thing in them that fhock'd my very Nature. 
 Add to this, that 'tis natural to an Engliflman 
 to hate a Coward, it all joined together to make 
 the Devil and a Portuvuefe equally my Avei fion. 
 
 . However, according to the -Englifii Proverb, 
 Jit that is Shipped with thtf Devil vtusl foil with the 
 Devil y I was among them, and I managed my 
 ielf as well as I could. My Mafter had con- 
 fented that I mould affift the Captain in the 
 Office as above ; but as I underftood afterwards, 
 that the Captain allowed my Mailer Half a 
 
 Moydore a Month for my Service, and that 
 he had my Name upon the Ship's Books alio, 
 I expe&ed that when the Ship came to be paid 
 four Months Wages at the Indies^ as they it feems 
 always do, ray Mailer would let me have fome- 
 ting for my ielf. 
 
 But 
 
But I was wrong in my Man j for . he was 
 none of that Kind :- He had taken me up as in 
 Diftrefs, and his Bufinefs was to keep me fb, ' 
 and make his Market of me as well as he could 
 which I began to think of after a different 
 Manner than I did at firft ; for at firft I thought - 
 he had entertained me in meer Charity, upon 
 feeing my diftreft Circumftances, but did not 
 doubt, but when he put me on Board the Ship, 
 I ihould have fbme Wages for my Service. 
 
 But he thought, it feems, quite otherwife; and ! 
 when I procured one to fpeak to him about it 
 when the Ship was paid at Goa y he Hew into the 
 greateft Rage imaginable, and called me Engllfo - 
 Dog, young Heretick, and threatened to put; 
 me into the Inquifition. Indeed of all the Names 
 the Four and Twenty Letters could make up,; 
 he ihouid not have called me Heretick-, for as . 
 I knew nothing about Religion, neither Protefiant 
 from Ptfisty or either of them from a Mahomc- 
 tan 7 I could never be a Heretick. However, it 
 pafs'd but a little, but as young as I was, I had : 
 been carried into the Inquifition*, and there, if 
 they had ask'd me, if I was a Protcftant or a Catho- 
 I'dy I mould have faid Yes to that which came 
 firft. If it had been the Protefiant they had ask'd 
 firft, it had certainly made a Martyr of me for 
 I did not know what. 
 
 But the very Prieft they carried with them, or 
 Chaplain of the Ship, as we call him, faved me ; 
 for feeing me a Boy entirely ignorant of Religion, 
 and ready to do or fay any thing they bid me, 
 he ask'd me ibme Queftions about it, which he 
 found I anfwered fb very fimply, that he took it 
 upon him to tell them, he would anfwer for my 
 being a good Catholickj and he hoped he fhould 
 
 be 
 
("V 
 
 he the Means'of faving my Soul ; and he pleafed 
 himfelf, that it was to be a Work of Merit to 
 him v fo he made me as good a Papift as any of 
 them in about a Week's Time. 
 
 I >then told him my Cafe about my Mailer ' 
 how, it is true, he had taken me up in a mile" 
 rable Cafe, on Board a Man of War at Lisbon* 
 and I was indebted to him for bringing me on 
 Board this Ship ; that if 1 had been left at 
 Lisbon, I might have ftarv'd, and the like: And 
 therefore I was willing to ferve him-, but that I 
 hop'd he would give me fbme little Confidera- 
 tion for my Service, or let me know how long 
 he expe&ed I mould ferve him for nothing. 
 
 It was all one , neither the Prieft or any one 
 elfe could prevail with him, but that I was not 
 his Servant but his Slave ; that he took me in 
 the Algcrine \ and that I was a Turh y only preten- 
 ded to be an Englifi Boy, to get my Liberty, and" 
 he would carry me to the Inquifition as a Turk. 
 
 This frighted me out of my Wits , for I had no 
 body to vouch for me what I was, or from whence 
 I came \ but the good Padre Antonio, for that was 
 his Name, cleared me of that Part by a Way I 
 did not understand : For he came to me one 
 Morning with two Sailors, and told me they 
 mud fearch me, to bear Wit.iefs that I was not 
 a Turh I was amazed at them, and frighted \ and 
 did not underfland them \ nor could I imagine 
 what they intended to do to me. However, 
 Gripping me, they were fbon fatisfy'd*, and Fa- 
 ther Anthony bad me be eafy, for they could all 
 Witnefs that I was no Turh So I efcaped that 
 Part of my Mailer's Cruelty. 
 
 And now I refolveii from that time to run 
 
 away from him if I could - 7 but there was no 
 
 - " ' . * doing 
 
doing of it there \ for there were not Ships of 
 any Nation in the World in that Port, except, 
 two or three{perjian VefTels from Ormus fb that 
 if I had ofTer r d to go away from him, he would 
 have had me feized on Shore-, and brought on 
 Board by Force. So that 1 had ho Remedy but 
 Patience, and this he brought to an End too 
 as foon as he could , for after this he began to 
 ufe me ill, and not only to ftraiten my Provifi- 
 ons, but to beat and torture me in a barbarous 
 Manner for every Trifle ; fo that in a Word my 
 Life began to be very miferable. 
 
 The Violence of this Ufage of me, and the 
 ImpofTibility of my Efcape from his Hands, fet 
 my Head a-working npcn all Sorts of Mifchief ; 
 and in particular, I refolved, after ftudying all 
 other Ways to deliver my felf, and finding all 
 ineffectual; I fay, I refolved to murther him. 
 With this Hellifh Refolution in my Head, I fpent 
 whole Nights and Days contriving how to put it 
 in Execution , the Devil prompting me very 
 warmly to the Fatt. I was indeed entirely at a 
 Lofs for the Means -, for I had neither Gun or 
 Sword, nor any Weapon to alTault him with. 
 Poilbn I had my Thoughts much upon, but knew 
 not where to get any *, or if I might have got 
 it, I did not know the Country Word for it, or 
 by what Name to ask for it. 
 
 In this Manner I quitted the Fal intentio- 
 nally a Hundred and a Hundred Times-, but 
 Providence, either for his fake, or for mine, al- 
 ways fruftrated my Defigns, and I could never 
 bring it to pafs - 7 fb I was obliged to continue 
 in his Chains till the Ship, having taken in hec 
 Loading, fet Sail for Portugal. 
 
 I can 
 

 C *11 
 
 ' I; 'can fay nothing^ here, to the Manner of our 
 Voyage v for .as I faid, I kept no Journal; but 
 this I can give an Account of, that having been 
 once as high as the Cape of Goo A Hope, as we call 
 it \ or Cabo dt bona Speranxjt, as they call it, we 
 were driven back again by a violent Storm from 
 the W. S. W. which held us^ fix Days and 
 Nights, a great Way to theEaf?ward; ard after 
 that {landing afore the Wind for feveral Days 
 more, we at Lift came to an Anchor on the 
 Coaft of Madagascar. 
 
 The Storm had been lb violent, that the Ship 
 had received a great deal of Damage, and it 
 required fome time to repair her ; lb {landing 
 in nearer the Shore, the Pilot, My Mafter, 
 brought the Ship into a very good Harbour, 
 where we rid in Twenty fix Fathom Water, 
 about Half a Mile from the Shore. 
 
 While the Ship rode here, there happen'd a 
 mofl defperate Mutiny among the Men, upon 
 Account of fome Deficiency in their Allowance, 
 which came to that Height, that they threatened 
 the Captain to fet him on Shore, and go back 
 with the Ship to Goa. I wifVd they would, with 
 all my Heart, fori was full of Mifchief in my 
 Head, and ready enough to do any. So, tho* 
 I was but a Boy, as they called me, yet I prom- 
 pted the Mifchief all I could, and embarked in 
 it fo openly, that I efcap'd very little being 
 hang'd in the firft and mofl early Part of my 
 Life ; for the Captain had fome Notice, that 
 there was a Defign laid by fome of the Com- 
 pany to murther him*, and having partly by 
 Money and Promifes, and partly by Threatning 
 and Torture, brought two Fellows to confefs the 
 Particulars, and the Names of the Perfbns con- 
 - '* cerned, 
 
( ! 4 ) 
 
 cerned, they were prefently apprehended, til! one 
 accufing another, no lefs than sixteen Men were 
 fl'ized, and put into Irons, whereof I was one. 
 
 The Captain, who was made defperate by his 
 Danger, refblving to clear the Ship of his Ene- 
 nres, try'd us all, and we were all condemned 
 to die. The Manner of his Procefs I was too 
 young to take Notice of*, but the Purfer ' and 
 one of the Gunners were hang'd immediately, 
 and I expelled it with the reft. I do not remem- 
 ber any great Concern I was under about it, on- 
 ly that I cry'd very much ; for I knew little 
 then of this World, and nothing at all of the 
 next. 
 
 However, the Captain contented himfeif with 
 executing thele two , and fbme of the reft, up- 
 on their hmble Submifllon, and Promife of fu- 
 ture good Behaviour, were pardoned; but five 
 .were ordered to be let on Shore on the Ifland, 
 and left there, of which I was one. My Mafter 
 ufed all his Intereft with the Captain to have 
 'me excufed, but could not obtain it - y for fbme- 
 body having told him that I was one of them, 
 ".who was Tingled out to have killed him, when 
 my Mafter defired I might not be fet on Shore, 
 the Captain told him, 1 mould flay on Board 
 if he defired it, but then I mould be hangM; 
 lb he might chule for me which he thought 
 beft: The Captain, it feems, was particular- 
 ly provokM at my being concerned in the Trea- 
 chery, becaule of his having been fb kind to me, 
 .and of his having fingled me me out to ferve him, 
 as I liave faid above \ and this perhaps obliged 
 him to give my Mafter fuch a rough Choice, 
 either to let me on Shore, or to have me hang'd 
 on Board: And had my Mafter indeed known 
 
 what 
 
< '5 > 
 
 .what good Will I had for htm, he would not 
 . ha* been long in chufing for me ; for I had cer- 
 tainly determined to* do him a Mifchief the 
 firft Opportunity I had had for it. This was 
 . therefore a good Providence for me, to keep 
 jjne from dipping my Hands in Blood, and it 
 " made me more tender afterwards in Matters of 
 . Blood, than I believe I ihould otherwile have 
 ; been. But as to my being one of them that was 
 to kill the Captain, that I was wrong'd in, for I 
 j was not the Perfon ^ but it was really one of them 
 that were pardoned, he having the good Luck 
 
 not to have that Part difcovered. 
 
 I I I was now to enter upon a Part of indepen- 
 . dent Life, a tiling 1 was indeed very ill prepared s 
 .to manage , for I was perfectly loo (e and dilfolate 
 t in my- Behaviour, bold and wicked while I was 
 
 under Government, and now perfectly unfit to be 
 ' .trufted with Liberty - 7 for I was as ripe for any 
 
 : Villainy , as a young Fellow that had no lblid 
 /Thought ever placed in his Mind could be fuppo- 
 . .fed to be. Education, as you have heard, I had 
 . t none-, and all the little Scenes of Life I had 
 pafs'd thro', had been full of Dangers and de- 
 sperate Circumflances } but I was either fb 
 .young, or fo ftupid, that I efcaped the Grief and 
 'Anxiety of them, for want of having a Senle of 
 , their Tendency and Confequences. 
 < j This thoughtlcfi, unconcernM Temper had 
 t one Felicity indeed in it} that it made me daring 
 . and ready for doing any Mifchief, and kept off 
 - ,the Sorrow which otherwile ought to have atten- 
 ded me when I fell into any Mifchief-, that this 
 
 Stupidity was inftead of a Happinefs to me, for 
 
 it left my Thoughts free to aft: upon Means of 
 ,-Efcape and Deliverance in my Diflrefs, how- 
 *.-, . ever 
 
(16) 
 
 ever great it might be; whereaj my Compani- 
 ons m the Mifery, were fo funk by their Fear 
 and Grief, that they abandoned themfelves to 
 the Mifery of their Condition, and gave over all 
 Thought but of their perifhing and ttarving, 
 'being devoured by wild Beatts, murthered, and 
 ' perhaps eaten by Cannibals, and the like. 
 
 I was but a young Fellow abont 17 or ift; 
 but hearing what was to be my Fate, I received it . 
 -with no Appearance of Difcouragement; but I 
 asked what my Matter faid to it, and being told 
 that lie had ufed his utmott Intereft to five me, 
 but the Captain had anfwered I fhould either 
 go on Shore or be hanged on Board, which he 
 'pleafed; I then gave over all Hope of being re- * 
 xeived again: I was not very thankful in my 
 Thoughts to my Matter for his fblliciting the 
 Captain for me, becaule I knew that what he did 
 Xvas not in Kindnefs to me, fo much as in Kind- 
 nefsto himfelf; I mean to prefer ve the Wages 
 which he got for me, which amounted to above' 
 ;flx Dollars a Month, including what the Cap- . 
 tain allowed him for my particular Service 
 to him. ; J " '- ; ... - 
 
 When I underttood that my Matter was fo 
 'apparently kind, I asked if I might not. be ad- 
 -mitted to fpeak with him, and they told . 
 .me I might, if my Matter -would come down to 
 me, but I could, not be allowed to come up to 
 him- fo'then I defired my Matter might be 
 fpoketo to come to me, and he accordingly 
 came to me; I fell on my, Knees to him, and 
 beggM lie would forgive me what I had done to 
 diipleale him; and indeed the Refolutionl had 
 taken to murther him, lay with fome Horrour ' 
 upon my Mind juft at that Time, Co that I was 
 
 once 
 
I'M:. 
 
 once juft a-going to corifefe It, and beg h'm\ to 
 forgive me, but I kept it in x He told me he had 
 done all he could to obtain my Pardon of the 
 Captain, but could not-, and he knew no Way 
 for me but to have Patience, and fubmit to my 
 Fate-, and if they came to fpeak with any Ship 
 of their Nation at the Gape, he would endea- 
 vour to have them ftand in, and fetch us off 
 again if we might be found. "'".* 
 
 r Then I begg'd I might have my Clothes on- 
 shore with me. He told me he was afraid I 
 fhould have little Need of Clothes, for he did 
 not fee how we could long fubfift on the lfland, 
 and that he had been told that the Inhabitants 
 were Cannibals or Men-eaters (tho' he had no Rea- 
 fon for that Suggeftion) and we fhould not be 
 able to live among them. I told him I was not 
 fo afraid of that, as I was of flarving for want 
 of Vi&uals- and as for the Inhabitants being' 
 CannibaUy I believed we fhould be more likely 
 to eat them, than they us, if we. could but get 
 at them: But I was mightily concerned, I laid," 
 we fhould have no Weapons with us to defend 
 our felves, and 1 begg'd nothing now, but that he 
 would give me a Gun and a Sword, with a little 
 Powder and Shot. 
 
 He fmiied and faid, they would fignify no- 
 thing to us, for it was impoflible for us to pretend 
 to preferve our Lives among fuch a populous 
 and defperate Nation as the People of the lfland 
 were. I told him, that however it would do* 
 ; us this Good, for we ihould not be devoured or 
 dcftroyM immediately ; fb I begged hard for the 
 Gun. At laft he told me, he did not know whe- 
 ther the Captain would give him Leave to give 
 *ne a Gun, and if not, he durir not do it , but 
 . i C he 
 
(r8>, 
 
 he promifed to ufe his Intereft to obtain it forme,' 
 which he did, and the next Day he lent me a Gun, 
 with Tome Ammunition, but told me, the Gap- 
 tain would not fuller the Ammunition to be given 
 us,.till we were fet all on Shore, and till he was juft 
 going. to fet Sail. He alio fent me the few 
 Clothes I had in the Ship, which indeed were 
 not many. ' . .- . * : < 
 
 Two Days after this we were all carried on 
 Shore together; the reft of my Fellow-Criminals 
 hearing I had a Gun, and fome Powder and Shot, 
 follicited for Liberty to carry the like with them, 
 which was alfo granted them , and thus we were 
 fet on Shore to fliift for our felve. c . 
 
 At our Jirft coming into the Ifland, we were 
 terrified exceedingly with the Sight of the bar- 
 barous People*, whole Figure was made more 
 terrible to us than really it was, by the Report 
 w'c.hadof them from the Seamen; but when we 
 came toconvcrfe wich them a while, .we found 
 they were not Cannibals^ as was. reported, or 
 iiteli as would fall immediately upon us and eat 
 lis up y but they came and fat down by us, and 
 wondered much, at our Clothes and Arms, and 
 made Signs to give us.ibme Victuals, fuch as 
 they had, which was only Roots and Plants dug 
 out of the Ground, for "the prefent, but they 
 brought us Fowls and Flefli afterwards in good 
 Plenty. 
 
 .This encouraged the other four Men that 
 were with me very much, for they were quite 
 dejelcd before ; but now they began to ba very fa- 
 miliar with them, and made Signs, that if they 
 would ufe us kindly, we would (lay and live 
 with them; which they feemed glad of, tho' 
 they knew litcleof the Kcceffiry we were under 
 
 to 
 
- : I c? % 
 
 to ,do lo, or now much j we were- .\fraid of 
 them.' % .' . ., " ". . \ r ' ' tt' Sir: " . 
 [However, upon other Thoughts, werefolved 
 that we would only flay in that Part fo long 
 as the Ship rid in the Bay, and then making 
 'them believe we were gone with the Ship, we 
 would go andjlace our felves, if.pofuble, where 
 there were no Inhabitants to be i'een, and So 
 Uveas we could, or perhaps watch ! for a Ship 
 that might be driven upon the Coaft, as we were. 
 . The Ship continued a Fortnight in the . Road 
 repairing fbme Damage which had been done 
 her in the late Storm, and taking in Wood and 
 Watery and during this time the Boat coming 
 often on Shore, the Men brought us feveral 
 Refreshments, and the Natives believing we only 
 belong'd to the Ship, were civil enough. . We 
 lived- in a kind of a Tent on the Shore, or rather 
 a Hut, which we made, with the Boughs of 
 Trees, and fometimes in the Night retired 
 to a Wood a little out of their Way r to let them 
 think we were gone on board the* Ship. How- 
 ever, we found them barbarous, treacherous, . 
 and villainous enough in their Nature, only civil 
 for Fear, and'therefore concluded we.fhould foon 
 fall into their Hands when the'Ship was gone. 
 
 The Senfe of this wrought upon my Fellow- 
 Sufferers even to Diftra&ion \ . and one of them, 
 being a Carpenter, .' in his ; mad Fit* sfwam off 
 to the Ship in the Night, tho 15 me layi then a 
 League to Sea, and made fuch' pitiful Moan to 
 
 - he taken in, that the Captain was prevailed 
 with at laftto take him in, tho' they, let him 
 lye fwimming three Hours in the Water before 
 heconfentedtoit. 
 
 C a Upon 
 
( 3Q ) 
 
 Upon this, and his humble Submi/fion,.the Cap^ 
 tain received him, and, in a word, the Importu- . 
 nitv of this Man (who for fome time petition'd 
 to be taken in ? tho' they hanged him as fbon as 
 they had him) was fuch as could not be refifted^ 
 for^ after he had fwam fo long about the Ship, 
 he was not able to have, reached the Shore again ^ 
 and the Captain faw evidently that the Man 
 mull be taken on Board, or fufered to drown, 
 and the whole Ship's Company offering to be 
 bound for him for his good Behaviour, the Cap- 
 tain at laft yielded > and he was taken up, but 
 almoft dead with his being fo long in the 
 Water. 
 
 When this Man was got in, he never left Im- 
 portuning the Captain and all the red of the' 
 Officers in Behalf of us tha,t were behind, 
 but to the very ktfl Day the Captain was in- 
 exorable ^ when, at the time their Preparations 
 were making to fail, and Orders given to hoifi 
 the Boats into the Ship, all the Seamen in a Body 
 came up to the Rail of the Quarter-Deck, where 
 the Captain was wa\king with fome of his Of* 
 ficers, and appointing the Boatfwain to fpealc' 
 for them, he went up, and falling on his Knees, 
 to the Captain, begged of him in the humblefl 
 manner poiTible, to receive the four Men on 
 Board again, offering to anfwer for their Fide~ 
 lity, or to have them kept in Chains till they, 
 came to Lisbon, and there to be delivered up 
 to Juftice, . rather than, as they faid, to have 
 them left to be murthered by Savages, or de*r 
 voured by wild Beafts. It was a great while e'er. 
 the Captain took any Notice pf them, but when ho 
 did he ordered the Boatfwain tcx be feized> and. 
 
 , threat- 
 
threatned to bring him to the Capfterh for 
 fpeaking for them. 
 
 Upon this Severity, one of the Seamen, bolder 
 than the reft, but ftill With all poiTible Refpeft 
 to the Captain, befought his Honour, as he cal- 
 led him, that he would give Leave to fbme more 
 of them to go on Shore, and die with their 
 Companions, Or, if poJTible, to aflift them to 
 refift the Barbarians. The Captain, rather pro- 
 voked thancowd with this, came to the Barricado 
 of the Quarter-Deck, and fpeaking very prudent- 
 ly to the Men, (for, had he fpoken rougftly, 
 two Thirds of them Would hive left: the Ship, 
 if not all of them) he told them, it was for their 
 Safety as well as his own, that he had been obli- 
 ged to that Severity ; that Mutiny on board a 
 Ship was the fame tiling as Treafbn in the King^s 
 Palace, and he could not anfwer it to his Owners 
 and Employers to truft the Ship and Goods Com- 
 mitted to his Charge, with Men who had enter- 
 tained Thoughts or the worft and blacked Ka- 
 'ture-, that he wiihed heartily that it had been 
 any where elfe that they had been fet on Shore, 
 where they might have been in lefs Hazard 
 from the Savages ^ that if he had defigned they 
 ftouldbe deftroyed, he <ould as well have exe- 
 cuted them on board as the other two*, that he 
 wiihed it had been in fome other Part of the 
 World, where he might have delivered them 
 up to the Civil Juftice, or might have left: them 
 ! among Chriftians ; but that it was better their 
 , Lives were put in Hazard, than his Life, and the 
 ] Safety of the Ship-, and that tho' he did not 
 know that he had deferved fo ill of any of them, 
 as that they mould leave the Ship, rather than 
 do their Duty , yet if any of them were refoived 
 
 C 3 to 
 
to do (6 unlefs he would ccmfent to take a Gang o 
 Traytors on board, who, as he had proved be- 
 fore them all, had confpired to murther him, 
 he would not hinder them, nor, for the prelent, 
 would he refent their Importunity , but if there 
 was no body left in the Ship but himfelf, he 
 would never confent to take them on board. 
 
 This Difcourfe was delivered fo well, was in 
 it felf lb reafonable, was managed with lb much 
 Temper, yet fo boldly concluded with a Nega- 
 tive, that the greateft Part of the Men were ia- 
 tisfied for the prefent : However, as it put the 
 Meii into Junfto's and Cabals, and they were not 
 competed for fome Hours; the Wind alio flacken- 
 ing towards Night, the Captain ordered not to 
 weigh till next Morning. 
 
 The fame "Might 23 of the Men, among whom 
 was the Gunner's Mate, the Surgeon's Aififtant, 
 and two Carpenters, applying to the Chief Mate, 
 told him, that as the Captain had given them 
 Leave to go on Shcre to their Comerades, they 
 begged, that he would (peak to the Captain not 
 to take it ill that they were defirous to go and 
 die with their Companions ; and that they 
 thought they could do no lefs in fuch an Ex- 
 tremity, than go to them-, becauieif there was 
 anyway to fave their Live.*, it was by adding 
 to their Numbers, and making them Itrong- 
 enough to affift one another in defending them- 
 . {elves agamft the Savages, till perhaps they might 
 one time or other find Means to make their 
 Efcape, and get to their own Country again. 
 
 The Mate told them in fo many Words, that 
 he durft not fpeak to the Captain upon any fuch 
 Defign, and was very forry they had no more 
 J\eipeb for him ; than to defire him to go of 
 
 fuch 
 
fuch an Errand ; but if they were refolded up- 
 on fuch an Enterprise, he would advife them to 
 take the Long-Boat in the Morning betimes, and 
 go off, feeing the Captain had given them Leave, 
 and Jeave a civil Letter behind them to the 
 Captain, and to defire him to fend his Men on 
 Shore for the Boat, which mould be delivered 
 very honeftly, and he promifed to keep their 
 Counfel fo long. 
 
 Accordingly an Hour before Day, thofe 23 
 Men, with every Man a Fire-lock and Cutlafi, 
 with fome Piftols, three Halbards or Half-Pikes, 
 and good Store of Powder and Ball, without any 
 Provifion but about Half an Hundred of Bread, 
 but with all. their Chcfts and Clothes, Tools, 
 Inftruments, Books, &c. embarked themlelves fo 
 filently, that the Captain got no Notice of it till 
 they were gotten half the Way on Shore. 
 
 As foon as the Captain heard of it, he called 
 for the Gunner's Mate, the Chief Gunner being at that 
 time ftck in his Cabbln y '^nd ordered to fire at them ; 
 but, to his great Mortification, the Gunner's 
 Mate was one of the Number, and was gone with 
 them \ and indeed it was by his Means they 
 got fo many Arms, and fo much Ammunition. 
 When the Captain found how it was, and that 
 there was no Help for it, he began to be a little 
 appealed, made light of it, and called up the 
 Men, Ipoke kindly to them, and told them he 
 was very well fatisfred in the Fidelity and Abi- - 
 Hty of thofe that were now lefc -, and that he 
 would give to them, for their Encouragement, 
 to be divided among them, the Wages which was 
 due to die Men that were gone ; and that it was a 
 great Satisfaction to him that the Ship was freed 
 
 C 4 from 
 
from fuch a mutinous Rabble, who had not the 
 leafr Reafon for their Difcontent. 
 # The Men feemed very we!) fatisfied, and par* 
 ticularly the Promife of the Wages of thofe that 
 were gone, went a great way with them. After - 
 this the Letter which was left by the Men was 
 given to the Captain, by his Boy, with whom, 
 it feems, the Men had left it. the Letter was 
 much to the fame Purpofe of what they had laid 
 to the Mate, and which he declined to fay 
 for them , only that at the End of their Letter 
 they told the Captain, that as they hadnodif- 
 honeft Defign, fo they 'had taken nothing away 
 with them which was not their own, except 
 iome Arms and Ammunition, fuch as were ab- 
 solutely neceifary to them, as well for their De- 
 fence againft the Savages, as to kill Fowls or 
 Bealts for their Food, that they might not pe- 
 nfli ; and as there were confiderable Sums due 
 to them for Wages, they hoped he would al- 
 low the Arms and Ammunition upon their Ac- 
 counts. They told him, that as to the Ships 
 Long-Boat whr'ch they had taken to bring them 
 on Shore, they knew it was neceifary to him, 
 and they were very willing to reftore "it to him ; 
 and if he pleafed to fend for it, it mould be very 
 boneftly delivered to his Men, and not the leaft 
 injury offered to any of thofe who came for it, 
 nor the leaft Perfwafion or Invitation made ufe 
 of to any of them to flay with them-, and at 
 the Bottom of the Letter they very humbly be* 
 fought him, that for their Defence, and for the 
 batetyoi their Lives he would be pleafed to fend 
 them a Barrel of Powder, and fome Ammuni- 
 tion, and give them Leave to keep the Maft 
 
 and 
 
(>5) ;;'.:. 
 
 and Sail of the Boat, that if it waspoffible for 
 them to make themfeives a Boat of any kind, 
 they might ihift off to Sea to fave themfeives in 
 fucn Part of the World as their Fate fliould dv 
 reft them to. 
 
 Upon this the Captain, who had won much 
 upon the reft of his Men by what he had laid 
 to them, and was very eafy as to the General 
 Peace , (for it was very true, that the moft mu- 
 tinous of the Men were gone) came out to the 
 Quarter-Deck, and calling th Men together, 
 let them know the Subftance of the Letter , and 
 told the Men, that however they had not de- 
 ierved fuch Civility from him, yet he was not 
 willing to.expofe them more than they were wil- 
 ling to expofe themfeives, he was inclined to 
 fend them fbme Ammunition ; and as tliey had 
 defired but one Barrel of Powder, he would fend 
 them two Barrels, and Shot, or Lead, and 
 Moulds to make Shot in proportion: and, to 
 let them fee that he was civiller to them than 
 they defcrved, he ordered a Cask of Arrack, 
 and a great Bag of Bread to be fcnt them for 
 Subfiftence, till they mould be able to furnllli 
 themfeives. 
 
 The reft of the Men applauded the Captain's 
 Generofity, and ever/ one of them lent us 
 fome thing or other; and about three in the Af- 
 ternoon the Pinnace came on Shore, and brought 
 us all thefe things, which we were vcrv glad 
 of, and returned the Long-Boat accordingly; 
 and as to the Men that came with the Pinnace, 
 as the Captain had Tingled out fuch Men as he 
 knew would not come over to us, fb they h:\d 
 pofitive Orders not to bring any one of us on. 
 : board again, upon Pain of Death , and indeed 
 
 both 
 
both were (b true to our Points, that we neither 
 asked them to flay, nor they us to go. . 
 
 We were now a good Troop, being in all 27 ! 
 Men, very well armed and provided with every, 
 thing but Vi&uals-, we had two Carpenters', 
 among us, a Gunner, and, which was worth all 
 the reft, a Surgeon or Do&or, that is to fay, lie , 
 was an Affiftant to a Surgeon at Goa i and was ' 
 entertained as Supernumerary with us: The, 
 Carpenters 'had brought all their Tools, the. 
 Dottor all his Inftruments and Medicines, and. 
 indeed we had a great deal of Baggage, that is 
 to fay, in the whole, for fomc of us had little , 
 jnorethan the Clothes' on our Backs, of whom 
 I was one} but I had one thing which none of, 
 them had viz,, 1 had the 22 Moydorcs of Gold, 
 which I ftole at the Brafils, and two Pieces of 
 Eight. The two Peices of Eight I ilicwed, and 
 one Moydore, but no more-, and none of them ever, 
 fufpe&edthat I had any more Money in the World, 
 having been known to be only a poor Eoy taken up 
 in Charity, as you have heard, and uied like a 
 Slave, and in the worft Manner of a Slave, by 
 my cruel Ma fie r the Pilot. 
 
 It will be eafy to imagine we four, that. were, 
 left at firfl, were joyful, nay, even furpri/ed 
 with Joy, at the coming of the red, tho* at firfl. 
 we were frighted, and thought they came to fetch 
 us back to hang us; but they took ways quick- 
 ly to fatisfy us that they were .in the fame Con- 
 dition with us, only with this additional Cir- 
 cumftance, that theirs was voluntarily, and ours 
 by Force. 
 
 The firft Piece of News they told us after the 
 fhort Riftory of their coming away, was, that 
 our Companion was on board, but hew he got 
 
 thither 
 
( *7 ) 
 
 thither we could not imagine \ for he had given us 
 the Slip, and we never imagined he could fwira 
 id well as to venture off to the Ship, which lay 
 at fo great a Diftance; nay, we did not fo much 
 as know that he could fwim -at all, and not 
 thinking any thing of what really happenM, we 
 thought that he muft have wandered into the 
 Woods, and was devoured, or was fallen into the 
 Hands of the Natives and was murthered-, and 
 thefe Thoughts filled us with Fears enough, and 
 of feveral kinds, about its being ibme time or 
 other our Lot to fall into their Hands alfo. 
 
 -But hearing how he had with much Difficulty 
 been received on board the Ship again, and par- 
 doned, we were much better fatisfied than 
 before. 
 
 Being now, as I have find, a confiderable Num- 
 ber of us, and in Condition to defend our felves, 
 the firft thing we did was to give every one his 
 Hand, that we would not feparate from one 
 another upon any Occafion whatfbever, but that 
 we would live and die together; that we would 
 kill no Food, but that we would diftribute it in 
 publick-, and that we would be in all things 
 guided by the Majority, and not infiftupoit 
 our own Refblutions in any thing, if the Majority 
 were againft it-, that we would appoint a Cap- 
 tain among us to be our Governour or Leader 
 during Pleafure-, that while he was in Office, we 
 would obey him without Referve, on Pain of 
 Death ^ and that every one mould take Turn, 
 but the Captain was not to aft: in any particular 
 thing without Advice of the reft, and by the 
 Majority. 
 
 Having eftabliflied thefe Rules, we refblved to 
 enter into fome Meafures for our Food, and for 
 . < couver- 
 
( if) 
 
 converfmc with the Inhabitants or Natives of 
 the Ifland, for our Supply 5 as for Food, they 
 were at firft very ufeful' to us, but we fbon grew 
 weary of them, being an ignorant, ravenous^ 
 brutUli fort of People, even worfe than the Na- 
 tives of any other Country that we had feen , 
 and we Coon found that the principal Part of our 
 Subfiftar.ee was to be had by our Guns, moot- 
 ing of Deer and other Creatures, and Fowls of 
 all other Sorts, of which there is Abundance. 
 
 We found the Natives did not difturb or con* 
 cern them fe Ives much about us } nor did they 
 enquire, or perhaps know whether we ftay'd 
 among them or not, much "left that our Ship 
 was gone quite away, and had caft us off, as 
 was our Cafe-, for the next Morning after we 
 had fent back the Long-Boat, the Ship flood 
 away to the South- Eaft, and in four Hours time 
 was out of our Sight. 
 
 The next Day two of us went out into the 
 Country one Way, and two another, to fee what 
 kind o( a Land we were in , and we loon found 
 the Country was very pleatant and fruitful, and 
 a convenient Place enough to live in , but as be- 
 fore, inhabited by a Parcel of Creatures fcarce 
 human, or capable of being made fbciable On any 
 Account whatfbever. 
 
 We found the Place full of Cattle and Pro- 
 vifions \ but whether we might venture to take 
 them where we could find them, or not, we 
 did not know - 7 and tho' we were under a Necefli- 
 ty to get Provifions, yet we were loath to bring 
 down a whole Nation of Devils upon us at once, 
 and therefore fbme of our Company agreed to 
 try to (peak with fbme of the Country, if we 
 could, that we might fee what Courfe was to be 
 
 taken 
 
(*9) 
 
 taken with them. Eleven of our ^ Men- went of 
 this Errand, well armed, and furniihed for De- 
 fence. They brought Word, that they had 
 feen fome of the Natives, who appeared very 
 civil to them, but very fhy and afraid, feeing 
 their Guns , for it was eafy to perceive, that 
 the Natives knew what their Guns were, and 
 what Ufe they; were of. 
 
 They made Signs to the Natives for fbme FoocL 
 and they went and fetched feveral Herbs and 
 Roots, and fbme Milk; but it was evident 
 they did not defign to give it away, but to fell, 
 making Signs' to know what our Men would 
 give them. ; 
 
 Our Men were perplexed at this, for they 
 had nothing to Barter ; however, one of die 
 Men pulled out a Knife and fliewed them, and 
 they were fo fond of it, that they were ready 
 to go together by the Ears for the Knife: Tfe 
 Seaman feeing that, was willing to make a good 
 Market of his Knife, and keeping them chaffer* 
 ing about it a good while, iume offered him 
 Roots, and others Milk \ at lafl one offered him 
 a Goat for it, which he took. Then another 
 of our Men fticwcd them another Knife, but 
 they had nothing good enough for that , where- 
 upon one of them made Signs that he would 
 EO and fetch fbmething , fo our Men ftay'd three 
 Hours for their Return, when they came back 
 and brought him a fmall fized, thick, fhort 
 Cow. very fat, and good Meat, and gave him 
 tor his Knife. 
 
 This was a good Market, but our Misfortune 
 v/as we had no Merchandize \ for our Knives 
 were as needful to us as to them, and but that 
 vvc were in Diftrefs for Food, and muft of Ne- 
 
 . . ceffity 
 
C3) 
 
 ceillty have feme, thefe Meri would not have 
 pur ted with their Knives. "\ '* 
 
 However, in a little time more we found that 
 the Woods were full of living Creatures which 
 we might kill for our Food, and tint without 
 giving Offence to them , fo that our Men went 
 daily out a Hunting,' and never failed to kill 
 fbmething or other \ for as to the Katives, we 
 had no Goods to Barter; and for Money, all 
 the Stock among us would not have fubfifled 
 us long-, however, we called a general Council 
 to fee what Money we had, and to bring it 
 all together, that it might go as far as po/fible \ 
 and when it came to my Turn, I pulled out * 
 a Moydore and the two Dollars 1 fuoke'of 
 before. 
 
 This Moydore I ventured to flicw, that they 
 might not defpite me too much for adding too 
 little to the Store, and that they might not 
 pretend to fearch me *, and they were very ci-i 
 vii to me upon the Prefumption that I had been 
 {b faithful to them as not to conceal any thing 
 from them. 
 
 But our Money did us little Service, for the 
 People neither knew the Value or the Uft of 
 it, nor could they juftly rate the Gold in Pro- 
 portion with the Silver \ fo that all our Moneys 
 which was not much when it was all put to- 
 gether, would go but a little way with us, that 
 is to fay, to buy us Provifions. ' 
 
 Our next Confidcration was to get away from 
 this curled Place, and whether to go , when my 
 Opinion came to be asked, I told them I would 
 Jeave that all to' them, and 1 told them I had 
 rather they would let me go into the Woods 
 to get them fome Provifions, than confult with 
 
 me* 
 
(30 
 
 me, for 1 would agree to whatever, they did; 
 but they would not agree to that, for they 
 would not conient that any of us Should go into 
 the Woods alone , for tho' we had yet feen no 
 Lions or Tygers in the Woods, we were affurecl 
 there were many in the I (land, befides other 
 Creatures as dangerous, and, perhaps worle, 
 as we afterwards found by our own Experience. 
 . Wo had many Adventures in the Woods for 
 our Provifions, and often met with wild and 
 terrible Beafls, which we could not call by their 
 Karnes, but as they were like us feeking their 
 Prey, but were themfelves good for nothing, 
 fb we difturbed them as little as poffible. 
 
 Our Confutations concerning our Efcape from 
 this Place; which as 1 have Hud, we were now 
 upon, ended in this only, that as we had two 
 Carpenters among us, and that they had Tools 
 almoft of all Sorts with them, we ftiould try 
 to build us a Boat to go off to Sea with, and that 
 then perhaps we might find our way back to 
 Coit y or land on Tome more proper Place to make 
 our Efcape. The Counlels of this Ailembly 
 , were not of great Moment, yet as they feeni 
 to be introductory of many more remarkable 
 Adventures which happened under my Con- 
 duct hereabouts many Years after, I think this 
 Miniature of my future Enterprizes may not be 
 unp lea (lint to relate. 
 
 To the Building of a Boat I made no Ob- 
 jection, and away they went to work imme- 
 diately, but as they went on, great Difficulties 
 occurred, itich as want of Saws to cut out Plank; 
 Kails, Bolts, and Spikes, to fatten the Timbers, 
 Hemp, Pitch and Tar v to Caulk and Pay her 
 Seams, and the like: At length one of the Com- 
 pany 
 
(3*) 
 
 pany propofed, that inilead of building a Bark 
 or Sloop, or Shalloup, or whatever they would 
 call it, which they found was fb difficult, they 
 mould rather make a large PtrUgua, or Canoe, 
 which might be done with great Eafe. 
 
 It was prefently obje&ed, that we could never 
 make a Canoe large enough to pafs the great:. 
 Ocean, which we were to go over, to get to 
 the Coaft of Malabar, that it not only would 
 not bear the Sea, but it would never bear the 
 Burthen-, for we were not only Twenty feven 
 Men of us, but had a great deal of Luggage 
 with us, and muft, for our Provifion, take in a 
 great deal more. 
 
 I never propofed to fpeak in their General 
 Consultations before -, but rinding they were at 
 fome L.ofs about what kind of Veifei they fhould 
 make, and how to make it*, and what would be 
 fit for our Ufe, and what not , I told them I 
 found they were at a full Stop in their Couniels 
 of every kind-, that it was true we could never 
 pretend to go over to Goa, or the Coaft of 
 Mal.ibxr in a Canoe, which tho' we could all 
 get into it, and that it would bear the Sea 
 well enough, yet would not hold our Provi- 
 fions, and efpecially we could not put freilt 
 Water enough into it for the Voyage -, and to 
 make fuch an Adventure would be nothing but 
 meer running into certain Deftru&ion, and yet 
 that neverthelefs I was for making a Canoe. 
 
 They anfwered, that they under ilood all I had' 
 laid before well enough, but what I meant by 
 telling them firft how dangerous and impo/Tible- 
 it was to make our Efcape in a Canoe, and yet 
 then to advife making a Canoe/ that they could, 
 not underftand. . 
 
 To 
 
To this 1 anfwer'd, that I conceived our Bufi- 
 nefs was not to attempt our Efcape in a Canoe,* 
 but that as there were other Vefiels at Sea be- 
 sides our Ship, and that there were few Nations 
 that lived on the Sea-Shore that werefb barba- 
 rous, but that they went to Sea in fome Boats 
 or other,, our Buflnefs was to cruife along the 
 Coaft of the Ifland, which was very long, and 
 to feize upon the firft we could get that was bet- 
 ter than our own, and fb from that to another, 
 till .perhaps we might at laft get a good Shig 
 to carry us whither ever we pleafed to go. 
 
 Excellent Advice, fays one of them, admira- 
 ble Advice, fays another. Yes, yes, fays the 
 third, which was the Gunner, the Engijjlj Dog 
 has given excellent Advice} but it is juft the 
 way to bring us all to the Gallows , the Rogue ; 
 has given Deviliih Advice, indeed, to go a 
 Thieving, till front a little Veflel we come to a 
 great Ship, and fo we mull turn downright 
 Pyrates, the End of which is to be hanged. 
 
 You may call us Pyrates, fays another, if you 
 will, and if we fall into bad Hands, we may be" . 
 ufed like Pirates-, but I care not for that, Pit 
 be a Pyrate, or any thing, nay, 1*11 be hang'd 
 for a Pyrate, rather than flarve here ; and there-^ 
 fore I think the Advice is very good ; and fo 
 they cry'd all, Let us have a Canoe. The Gun- 
 ner over-ruled by the reft, fubmitted - y but as 
 we broke up the Council, he came to me, takes 
 me by the Hand, and looking into the Palm of 
 my Hand, and into my Face too, very gravely, 
 IVIy Lad, fays be\ thou art born to do a World 
 of Mifchief ; thou haft commenced Pyrate very, 
 young, but- have' a Care" of the Gallows, young- 
 
 D Man j* 
 
( 34 ) 
 
 Man; have a Care, I fay, for thou wilt be an 
 
 eminent Thief. ~~-' 
 
 I laugh'd at him, and told him, I did not 
 know what I might come to hereafter ; but as 
 our Cafe was now, I fhould make no Scruple to 
 take the firfl Ship I came at, to get our Liber- 
 ty : I only wifh'd we could fee one, and come 
 at her. Juft while we were talking, one of our 
 Men that was at the Door of our Hutt, told us, 
 that the Carpenter, who, it feems, was upon a 
 Hill at a Diftance, cried out, a Sail, a Sail. 
 
 We all turn'd out immediately , but tho' it 
 was very clear Weather, we could fee nothing , 
 but the Carpenter continuing to holloo to us, a 
 Sail, a Sally away we run up the Hill, and there 
 we faw a Ship plainly *, but it was at a very great 
 Diftance, too far for us to make any Signal to 
 her.. However, we made a Fire upon the Hill, 
 with 1 all the Wood we could get together, and 
 made as much Smoke as pofllble. The Wind 
 , was down, and it was almofl calm; but as we 
 "thought by a Perfpe&ive Glafs which the Gun- 
 ner had in his Pocket, her Sails were full, 
 and fhe ftood away large with the Wind at 
 E. N. E. taking no Kotice of our Signal, 
 but making for the Cape it bcna Spenjuzjt\ Co 
 we had no Comfort from her. 
 . We went therefore immediately to Work about 
 Our intended Car.ce, and having flngled out a ve- 
 \ ry large Tree to our Mind, we fell to Work with 
 her ; and having three good Axes among us, we > 
 got it down, but it was four Days time firft, tho\ 
 we worked very hard too. I do not remember 
 what Wood it was, or exaflly what Dimenfl- 
 ons ; but I remember that it was a very large one,, 
 and we we?e as much encouraged when we laun- 
 ched 
 
, C 35 > . . ..;.. 
 
 ched it, and' found it fwam upright and fteady/ 
 as we would have been at another time, if we 
 had a good Man of War at our Command. 
 
 She was fb very large, that me carried us alf 
 very eafily, ana would have carried two or 
 three Ton of Baggage with us ; So that we began 
 to confult about going to Sea direttlv to Goa \ but 
 many other ConfiderationfcheckM that Thought, 
 cfpecially when we came to look nearer into it ^ 
 fuch asWant of Provifions, and no Casks for frefh 
 Water ; no Compafs to fleer by , no Shelter from 1 
 the Breach of the high Sea, which would cer- 
 tainly founder us , no Defence from the Heat of 
 the Weather, and the like ^ fo that they all came 
 readily into my Project, to cruife about where 
 we were, and lee what might offer. 
 
 Accordingly, to gratify our Fancy, we went 
 one Day all out to Sea in her together, and we . 
 were in a very fair Way to have had enough of 
 it ; for when me had us all on Board, and that 
 we were gotten about Half a League to Sea, there 
 happening to be a pretty high Swell of the Sea,- 
 tho' little or no Wind, yet 4he wallowM fb in 
 the Sea, that we all of us thought me would' 
 at laft wallow her felf Bottom up \ fo we fee 
 all to Work to get her in nearer the Shore, and^ 
 giving her frefh Way in the Sea, me ftvam more' 
 fteady, and with fome hard Work we got her 
 under the Land again. 
 
 We were now at a great Lofs-, the Natives 
 .were civil enough to, us, and came often to dif- 
 courfe with us; one time they brought one whom 
 they fhew'd Refpeft to as .a King, with them, 
 and they fet up a long Pole between them and 
 tt$, with a great Tolfel of Flair hanging, not on 
 the Top, but fomething above the Middle of it,-. 
 
 D 2' adorn'd 
 
adorn'd with little Chains, Shells, Bits of Brate, 
 and the like ; and this we underload afterwards 
 was a Token of Amity and Friendfhip, and they 
 brought down to us Vi&uals in Abundance, Cat- 
 tel, Fowls, Herbs, Roots, but we were in the 
 utmoft Confufion on our Side } for we had no- 
 thing to buy with, or exchange for \ and as to 
 giving us things for nothing, they had no No- 
 tion of that again. As to our Money, it was 
 meer Trafh to them, they had no Value for it , 
 fb that we were in a fair Way to be ftarved. 
 Had we had but fome Toys and Trinckets, Brafs 
 Chain?, Baubles, Glafs Beads, or in a Word, the 
 verieft Trifles that a Ship Loading would not have 
 been worth the Freight, we might have bought 
 Cattel and Provifions enough for an Army, or 
 to Visual a Fleet of Men of War, but for Gold 
 or Silver we could get nothing. 
 
 Upon this we were in a ftrange Confternati- 
 on. I was but a young Fellow, but I was for 
 falling upon them with our Fire Arms-, and 
 taking all the Cattel from them, and lend them 
 to the Devil to (lop their Hunger, rather than 
 be ftarved our felves ; but I did not confider 
 that this might have brought Ten Thoufand of 
 them down upon us the next Day *, and tho' 
 we might have killed a vail Number of them, 
 and perhaps have frighted the reft, yet their 
 own Delperation, and our fmall Number, would 
 have animated them 1<>, that one time or other . 
 they would have deitroy'd us all. 
 
 In the Middle of our Confultation , one of 
 our Men who had been a kind of a Cutler, or 
 .Worker in Iron, ihrted up, and ask'd the Car- 
 penter, if among all his Tools. he could not help 
 him to a File. Yes, fays the Carpenter, I can, 
 
 out 
 
(17) 
 
 but it is a fmali one. The fmaller the better, 
 fays the other. Upon this he goes to Work, 
 and firft by heating a Piece of an old broken 
 ChifTel in the Fire, and then with the Help of 
 his File, he made himfelf feveral Kinds of Tools 
 for his Work -, and then he takes three or four 
 Pieces of Eight, and beats them out with a Ham- 
 mer upon a Stone, till they were very broad and 
 thin, then he cut them out into the Shape of 
 Birds and Beafts , he made little Chains of them 
 for Bracelets and Necklaces, and turned them in- 
 to fb many Devices, of his own Head, that it is 
 hardly to be expreft. 
 
 When he had for about a Fortnight exercifed 
 his Head and Hands at this Work, we try'd the 
 Effect of his Ingenuity ; and having another Mee- 
 ting with the Natives, were furprized to fee the 
 Folly of the poor People. For a little Bit of 
 Silver cut out in the Shape of a Bird, we had 
 two Cows *, and, which was our Lofs, if it had 
 been in Brafs, it had been ft* 11 of more Value. 
 For one of the Bracelets made of* Chain-work, 
 we had as much Provifion of feveral Sorts, as 
 would fairly have been worth in England, Fifteen 
 or Sixteen Pounds , and fb of all the reft. Thus, 
 that which when it was in Coin was not worth 
 Six-pence to us, when thus converted into Toys ' 
 and Trifles, was worth an Hundred Times its 
 real Value, and purchafed for us any thing we 
 had Occafion for. 
 
 In this Condition, we lived upwards of a Year, 
 but all of us began to be very much tir'd of it, and 
 whatever came of it, refbl v'd to attempt an Efcape. 
 We had furnilhed our felves with no lefs than 
 three very good Canoes , and as the M<wfoones, 
 or Trade-Winds, generally affeft that Country, 
 D 3 blowing 
 
( 3* ) 
 
 ilowing in jnoft Parts of thislfland one fix Months 
 of a Year one Way, and the other fix Months 
 another Way, we concluded we might be able 
 to bear the Sea well enough. But always when 
 we came to look nearer into it, the Want of 
 frefh Water was the thing that put us off from 
 fuch an Adventure, for it is a prodigious Length, 
 and what no Man on Earth could be able to 
 perform without Water to drink. 
 
 Being thus prevailed upon by our own Rea- 
 fon to fet the Thoughts of that Voyage afide, 
 we had then but two things before us \ one was, 
 to put to Sea the other Way, viz* Weft, and go 
 away for the Cape of Good Hope, where firft or 
 Jaft we mould meet with lbme ot our own Coun- 
 try Ships, or elfe to put for the main Land of 
 yjfrica } and either travel by Land, or fail along 
 die Coaft towards the Red Sea, where we mould 
 firft or lad find a Ship of lbme Nation or other, 
 that would take us up, or perhaps we might tako 
 them up } which, by the bye, was the thing that 
 always run in my Head. 
 
 It was our ingenious Cutler, whom ever after 
 , we called Silver- Smith, that propofed this-, but 
 the Gunner told him, that he had been in the 
 Red Sea, in a Malabar Sloop, and he knew this, 
 that if we went into the Red Sea, we mould 
 either be killed by the \v\\& jfrabs 7 or taken and 
 made Slaves of by the Turks j and therefore he 
 was not for going that Way. 
 
 Upon this I took Occafion to put in my Vote 
 again. Why> Hv'd I, do ire talk of bcin% killed by the 
 Arabs, or made Slices of by the Turks'? Are we not 
 able to board a! mo Ft any Viffel we full meet with in 
 thofe Seas \ and in/lead of their taking us y we to take 
 them? Well done, Fyratc, fa id the Gunner, he 
 
 that 
 
(39) 
 
 that had look'd in my Hand, and told me I 
 fliould come to the Gallows \ Til fay that for 
 him, fays he, he always looh the fame Way. But I 
 think o* my Confcience, 'tis our only Way now. Don't 
 tell me>faysly of being a Pyrate, we muTl bePyrates, 
 or any thing, to vet fairly cut of this curfed Place. 
 
 In a Word, they concluded all by my Advice, 
 that our Bufinefs was to cruize for any thing 
 we could fee. Why then, faid I to them, our 
 firft Bufinefs is to fee, if the People upon this 
 Ifland have no Navigation, and what Boats they 
 ufe , and if they have any better or bigger than 
 ours, let us take one of them. Firfl indeed all 
 oar Aim was to get, if poflible, a Boat with a 
 Deck and a Sail , for then we might have faved 
 our Provifions, which otherwife we could not. 
 We had, to our great good "Fortune, one Sailor 
 ; among us, who. had been Afliftant to the Cook, 
 | he told us, that he would find a Way how to 
 preferve our Beef, without Cask or Pickle \ and 
 I this lie did effectually by curing it in the Sun, 
 I with the Help of Salt-Petre, of which there 
 was great Plenty in the Ifland } fo that before 
 \ we found any Method for our Efcape, we had 
 \ dry\l the Fleih of fix or feven Cows and Bui- , 
 ; locks, and ten or twelve Goats, and it relilhed fo 
 ; well, that we never gave our felves the Trou- 
 ble to boil it when we eat it, but either broiled 
 it, or eat it dry : But our main Difficulty about 
 freih Water fti'll remained , for we had no Vef- 
 m to put any into, much lefs to keep any for 
 our going to Sea. 
 
 But our firfl Voyage being only to coaft the 
 Ifland, we refolved to venture, whatever the 
 Ha/ird or Confequence of it might be^ and in 
 order to preferve as much frelh Water as we 
 
 D 4 could, 
 
( 4 ) 
 
 could, pur Carpenter made a Well thwart the | 
 ^Middle of one of our Canoes, which he fepa- I 
 jrated from the other Parts of the Canoe, fo as to 
 jnaks it tight to hold the Water, and cover'd 
 lb as we might ftep upcrn it-, and this was (b 
 large, that it held near a Hogfhead of Water 
 very well.' I cannot better defcribe this Well, 
 than by the fame Kind which the final! Fifher- 
 Eoats in England have to preferve their Fifh alive 
 in ; only, that this, inftead of having Holes to 
 let the Salt Water' in, was made found every 
 ,\Vay to keep it out} and it was the iirft Inven- 
 tion, I believe, of its Kind, for fuch an Ufe : 
 But Neceflity is a Spur to Ingenuity, and the 
 Mother of Invention. 
 
 " It wanted but a little Confutation to refolve 
 r.ow upon our Voyage. The firft Defign was only 
 to coaft it round the Ifland, ns well to fee if we 
 con If] fei/.e upon any VefTel fit to embark our felv<;s 
 an, as alfo to take hold of any Opportunity which 
 might prefent for our patting over to die Main*, 
 and therefore our Refolution was to go on the 
 Infide, or Weft Shore of the Ifland, where at 
 leaft at one Point, the Land ftretching a great 
 Way to the North-Weft, the' Diftance is nQt 
 extraordinary great from the Ifland to the Coajt 
 bt Afrkh 
 
 Such a Voyage , and with fuch a defperate 
 Crew, I believe was never made-, for it is cer- 
 tain we took the worft Side of the Ifland to look 
 for any Shipping, efpecially for Shipping of other 
 Kations, this being quite out of the Way : How- 
 ever, we put to Sea, aftpr taking all our Provifi- 
 Ons and Ammunition, Bag and Baggage on Board \ 
 we had made both Maft and Sail for our two 
 large Pcriagua'.s, and the other we paddi'd along 
 
 as 
 
(V) 
 
 ne well as we could i but when a Gale iprung up,* 
 we took her in Tow. 
 
 We fail'd merrily forward for feveral Days, 
 meeting with nothing to interrupt us. We faw 
 feveral of the Natives in fmall Canoes, catching 
 JFiih, and fometimes we endeavoured to come near 
 enough to fpeak with them, but thejr were al- 
 ways mye, and afraid of us, making in for the 
 Shore, as foon as we attempted it ^ till one of our 
 Company remembered the Signal of Friendfhip 
 which the Natives made us from the South Part of 
 the Ifland, -viz.. of fetting up a long Pole, and put 
 us in Mind, that perhaps it was the fame thing 
 to them as a Flag of Truce was to us : So we 
 refolved to try it ^ and accordingly the next time 
 we few any of their Fifhing Boats at Sea, we put 
 up a Pole in our Canoe that had no Sail, and 
 rowed towards them. As foon as they law the 
 Pole, they ftaid for us, and as we came nearer, 
 paddl'd towards us. When they came to us, 
 they ihewed themfelves very much pleafed, and 
 gave us fome large Fifh, of which we did not 
 know the Names, bnt they were very good. It 
 was our Misfortune ftill, that we had nothing to 
 give them in Return \ but our Artift, of whom 
 I fpoke before, gave them two little thin Plates 
 of Silver, beaten, as I faid before, out of a Piece 
 of Eight ; they were cut in a Diamond Square, 
 longer one way than t'other, and a Hole punched 
 at one of the longeft Corners. This they were 
 fo fond of, that they made us flay till they had 
 caft their Lines and Nets again, and gave us as 
 many Fifh as we cared to have. 
 
 AH th'S while we had our Eyes upon their 
 Boats, view'd them very narrowly, and exami- 
 ned whether any of them were fit for our Turn ; 
 
 but 
 
~Z3^ 
 
 ( 4* ) 
 
 but thejr were poor forry things , their Sail was 
 made or a large Matt, only one that was of a 
 Piece of Cotton Stuff, fit for little, and their 
 Ropes were twifled Flags, of no Strength , fo we 
 concluded we were better as we were, and let 
 them alone. We went forward to the North,! 
 keeping the Coaft clofe on Board for twelve Days 
 together -, and having the Wind at Eaft, and 
 E. S. E. we made very frefhWay. We faw no 
 Towns on the Shore, but often faw fome Hutts 
 by the Water Side, upon the Rocks, and always 
 Abundance of People about them, who we could 
 perceive run together to flare at us. 
 
 It was as odd a Voyage as ever Men went : 
 We were a little Fleet of three Ships, and an 
 Armyof between Twenty jandThirty as dangerous 
 Fellows as ever they had among them', and had 
 they known what we were they would have com- 
 pounded to give us every thing we defired, to 
 be rid of us. 
 
 On the other Hand, we were as miferablc as 
 Nature could well make us to be , for we were 
 upon a Voyage and no Voyage, we were bound 
 fomc where and no where , for tho* we knew 
 what we intended to do, we did really not know. 
 ' what we were doing : We went forward and for- 
 ward by a Northerly Courfe , and as we advan- 
 ced, the Heat increased, which began to be into- 
 lerable to us who were upon the Water, with- 
 out any Covering from Heat or Wet ^ befules 
 we were now in the Month of ORdcr, or there- 
 abouts, in a Southern Latitude, and as we. went eve- 
 ry Day nearer the Sun, the Sun came alio eve- 
 ry Day nearer to us, till at laft we found our 
 ftlvesin the Latitude of zo Degrees, and havfng 
 pail theTropick about five or fix Days before that, 
 
 in 
 
-a 
 
 ( 43 ) 
 
 in a few -Days more the Sun would be in the 
 Zenith, juft over our Heads. 
 
 Upon thefe Confiderations we refolved to fecit 
 far a good Place to go on Shore again, and pitch 
 our .Tents till the Heat of the Weather abated. 
 We had by this time meafured Half the Length 
 .of the Ifland, and were come to that Part where 
 the Shore tending away to the North- Weft, pro- 
 mifed fair to make our Paffage over to the main 
 Land of j4frick) much fhorter than we expected. 
 But notwithstanding that, we had good Reafbn 
 to believe it was about 1 20 Leagues. 
 
 So, the Heats confider'd, we refolved to take 
 Harbour i befides* our Provifions were exhau- 
 fled, and we had not many Days Store left. 
 Accordingly, putting in for the Shore early in 
 the Morning, as we ufually did once in three 
 or four Days, for freih Water, we fat down 
 and confidered, whether we ihould go on, or talce 
 up our Standing there , but upon feveral Con- 
 fiderations too long to repeat here, we did not 
 like the Place, fo we refolved to go on for a few 
 Days longer. 
 
 After Sailing on N. W. by N. with a freih Gale 
 at S. E. about fix Days, we found at a great Di- 
 stance, a Jarge Promontory, or Cape of Land, 
 pufhing out a long Way into the Sea , and as 
 we were exceeding fond of feeing what was be- 
 yond the Cape, we refolved to double it before 
 .we took into Harbour \ lb we kept on our Way, 
 the Gale continuing, and yet it was four Days 
 more before we reached the Cape. But it is 
 not poffible to exprefs the Difcouragement and 
 Melancholy that feized us all when we came 
 thither; for when we made the Head Land 
 of the Cape, we were furprized to fee the Shore 
 
 fall 
 
< (44-9 
 
 fall away on the other Side, as much as it had 
 advanced on this Side, and a great deal more ; 
 and that, in fhort, if we would adventure over 
 to the Snore of Africlt, it muft be from hence ; 
 for that if we went further, the Breadth of the 
 Sea flill increafed, and to what Breadth it might 
 increafe, we knew not.- 
 
 While we mufed upon this Dilcovery, we were 
 furprized with very bad Weather, and efpccially 
 violent Rains, with Thunder and Lightning moft 
 xmufually terrible to us. In this Pickle we run 
 for the Shore, and getting under the Lee of the 
 Cape, run our Frigates into a little Creek, where 
 we faw the Land overgrown with Trees, and 
 made all the Hafle poffible to get on Shore, be- 
 ing exceeding wet, and fatigued with the Heat 3 
 the Thunder, JLightning and Rain. 
 
 Here we thought our Cafe was very deplora- 
 ble indeed, and therefore our Artift, of whom 
 I have fpoken Co often, fet up a great Crofs oi 
 Wood on the Hill, which was within a Mile ol 
 the Head Land, with thefe Words, but in the 
 Tortuguefe Language, 
 
 Point Defter at Ion. Jefus have Afercy ! 
 
 We let to work immediately to build us fom< 
 Hutts, and fo get our Clothes dry'd, and tho' 
 was young, and had no Skill in fuch Things 
 yet I fliall never forget the little City we built 
 for it was noJefs^ and we fortify'd it accordingly 
 and the Idea is fo frefh in my Thought, that I can! 
 not but give a fhort Defcription of it. 
 
 Our Camp was on the South Side of a littl* 
 
 Creek on the Sea, and under the Shelter of a fleej 
 
 Hill, which lay, tho' on the other Side of th< 
 
 f Creek, yet' within a Quarter of a Mile of u 
 
 N. W. by N. and very happily intercepted tin 
 
 Hea 
 
( 45 ) 
 
 rleat of the Sun all the after Part of the Dayv 
 rhe Spot we pitched on had a little freih Water, 
 3rook, or a Stream running into the Creek by 
 js, and we (aw Cattle feeding in the Plains and 
 ind low Ground, Eaft and to the South of us a 
 great Way, '?-- 
 
 Here we fet up twelve little Hutts, like Sol- 
 diers Tents, but made of the Boughs of Trees 
 ftuck into the Ground, and bound together on 
 tho Top with Withes, and fuch other things 
 as we could get; the Creek was our Defence on 
 the North, a little Brook on the Weft, and . 
 the South and Eaft Sides we fortifyM with a 
 Bank, which entirely covered our Hutts; and 
 being drawn oblique from the North Weft to 
 the South Eaft , made our City a Triangle. 
 Behind the Bank, or Line, our Hutts ftood, ha- 
 ving three other Hutts behind them at a good 
 Diftance. In one of thefe, which was a little one, 
 and ftood further off, we put our Gun-powder, 
 and nothing elfe^ for fear of Danger ; in the 
 other, which was bigger, we dreft our Vi&uals, 
 and put all our Neceffaries ; and in the third, 
 which was biggeft of all, we eat our Dinners, 
 called our Councils, and fat and diverted our 
 felves with fuch Converfation as we had one 
 with another, which was but indifferent truly at 
 that time. 
 
 Our Correfpondence with the Natives was ab- 
 folutely neceilary, and our Artift, the Cutler, * 
 having made Abundance of thofe little Diamond 
 cut Squares of Silver, with thefe we made Shifc 
 to TrafHck with the black People for what we 
 wanted; for indeed they were pleafed wonder- 
 fully with them: And thus we got Plenty of 
 Provifions. At firft, and in particular, we got 
 
 about 
 
 . - 
 
about fifty Head of Black Cattel and Goats, and 1 
 6ur Cook's Mate took care to cure them, and dry 
 them, Hilt and prefer ve them for our grand 
 Supply j nor was this hard to do, the Salt and 
 Salt-Petre being very good, and the Sun ex- 
 ceffively hot-, and here we lived about four 
 Months. 
 
 The Southern Solftice was over, and the Sun 
 gone back towards the Equinottialy when we con- 
 sidered of our next Adventure, which was to go 
 over the Sea of Ztwquebar, as the Portuguefe 
 call it: y and to land, if poifible, upon the Conti- 
 nent of Africa. 
 
 We talked with many of the Natives about 
 
 it, fuch as we could make our felves intelligible 
 
 to; but all that we could learn from them- was^ 
 
 that there was a great Land of Lions beyond 
 
 the Sea, but that it was a great Way off-, we| 
 
 knew as well as they that it was a long Way, but 
 
 bur People differed mightily about it : Some 
 
 iaid it was 150 Leagues, others not above 
 
 ioc. One of our Men that had a Map of the 
 
 World ihewed us by his Scale, that it \vas 
 
 ^ot above So Leagues. Some laid there were 
 
 Iflands all die Way to touch at *, lome that there 
 
 were no Iflands at all: For my Part, I knew 
 
 nothing of this Matter one way or another, but 
 
 heard it all without Concern,' whether it was 
 
 near or far off*, however, this we learned from 
 
 an old Man who was blind, and led about by a 
 
 Boy, that if we ftay'd till the End of ylugujl y we 
 
 iliould be fure of the Wind to be fair, and the 
 
 Sea fmooth all the Voyage. 
 
 This was lbme Encouragement, but flaying' 
 again was very unwelcome News to us, becaulc 
 that then the Sun .would b^ returning again 
 
to the South, which was what our Men were 
 very unwilling to. At laft we called a Council of 
 our whole Body ; their Debates were too tedi- 
 ous to take Notice of, only to note, that when it 
 came to Captain Bob, (for fb they called me ever 
 fmce I had taken State upon me before one of 
 their great Princes) truly I was on no Side, 
 it was not one Farthing Matter to me, I told 
 them, whether we went or flayed, I had no home, 
 and all the World was alike to me; folleft it 
 entirely to them to determine. 
 
 In a Word, they faw plainly there was nothing 
 to be done where we were, without Shipping; 
 that if our Bufmefs indeed was only to eat and 
 drink, we could not find a better Place in the 
 World , but if our Bufmefs was to get away, and 
 get home into our own Country, we could not 
 find a Worfe. 
 
 I confefs, I liked the Country wonderfully, 
 and even then had ftrange Notions of coming 
 again to live there-, andlufed to lay to them 
 very often, that if I had but a Ship of 20 Guns, 
 md a Sloop, and both well Manned, I would not: 
 defire a better Place in the World to make my 
 felf as rich as a King. * 
 
 But to return to the Confultations they were, 
 in about going : Upon the whole, it was refolved 
 -o venture over for the Main *, and venture we 
 iid, madly enough, indeed*, for it was the r 
 vrong time of the Year to undertake fuch 
 1 Voyage in that Country; for, as the Winds 
 iang Eafterly all the Months from September- 
 March y fo they generally hang Wefterly alV 
 he reft of the Year, and blew right in our* 
 Teeth, fo that as foon as we had, with a kind 
 if a Land Breeze, ftretched over about 15 or 20 
 
 Leagues, 
 
(48) 
 
 Leagues, fcnd, as I may fay, juft enough to lofd 
 our ielves, we found die Wind fee in a Heady 
 frefh Gale or Breeze from the Sea, at Weft 
 W. S. W. or S. W. by W. and never further 
 from the Weft ; fb thaty in a Word we could 
 make nothing of it. 
 
 On the other Hand, the VefTel, fucfr as we had 
 would not lye clofe upon a Wind-, if lb, we 
 might have ftretched away N. N. W. and have 
 met with a great many Iflands in our Way, as* 
 we found afterwards; but we could make no- 
 thing of it, tho' we tried, and by the trying had 
 almoft undone us all; for, ftretching away to* 
 the Korth, as near the Wind as we could, we* 
 had forgotten the Shape and Pofition of the Ifland 
 of MsAagafcar it felf ; how that we came off at 
 the Head of a Promontory or Point of Land 
 that lies about the Middle of- the Ifland, and 
 that ftretches out Weft a great way into the Sea; 
 and that now being run a Master of 40 Leagues* 
 to the Korth, the Shore of the Ifland fell 
 off again above 200 Miles to the Eaft, fb that' 
 we were by this Time in the wide Ocean, be-" - 
 tween the Ifland and the Main, and almoft 1 ocr 
 Leagues from both. 
 
 Indeed as the Winds blew frefh at Weft, as 
 before, we had a fmooth Sea, and we found it' 
 pretty good going before it, and lb taking our 
 fmalleft Canoe in Tow, we flood in for the Shore 
 with all the Sail we coufd make. This was a 
 terrible Adventure ; for if the lea it Guft of Wind 
 had come, we had been all loft, our Canoes b^- 
 ing deep, and in no Condition to make Way in a' 
 high Sea. 
 
 This Voyage, however, held us eleven Days' 
 in all, and at length having fpent moft of our > 
 
 Provi-\ 
 
VnfA'JT, 
 
 (49 'J 
 
 Provifions, and every Drop of Water wfc had^* 
 we fpied Land, to our great Joy, tho-' at the Dift- 
 ance of ten dr elevdn Leagues^ and as under; ., 
 the Land, the Wind iame on like a Land Breeze, 
 and blew hard againft us, we were tvyo Days 
 more before we reached the Shore, having 
 all that while exceUive hoc Weather, and not a 
 Drop of Water, or any other Liquor, except 
 fome Cordial Waters, which one of our Com* 
 pany had a little of left in a Ca:e of Bottles* 
 
 Thte gave us a Tafte of what we fhould have 
 done, if we had ventured forward with a {cant 
 Wind and uncertain Weather, and gave us a 
 Surfeit of our Defign for the Main, atleaft 'till we 
 might have fome better Veffels under us; fb 
 we went dn Shore again, and pitched our Camp, 
 as before, in as convenient Manner as we could, 
 fortifying our lelves againft any Surprize; but . 
 the Natives here w6re exceeding courteous, and 
 much civiller than on the South Part of the* 
 Ifland; and tho* we could not under ftand what 
 they faid, or they us, yet we found Means to 
 make them underftand that we were Sea-faring 
 Men, and Strangers ; and that we were in Di* 
 ftrefs for want of Provifions. * 
 
 The flrft Proof we had of their Kindnefs was, 1 
 that, as foon as. they faw us come on Shore, and 
 begin to make our Habitation, one of their Cap- 
 tains or Kings, for we knew not what to call 
 them, came down with five or fix Men and fome* 
 Women, and brought us five Goats and two' 
 young fat Steers, and gave them to us for no- 
 thing; and when we went to offer them any 
 thing, the Captain, or the King, would not let? 
 any of them touch it, or take anything of us* 
 About two Hours afcor came another King or Cap- 
 
 E tan\ 
 
( 5o) 
 
 tain^ with forty or fifty Men after , him; we 
 began to be afraid of him, and laid Hands upon 
 our Weapons; but he perceiving it, caufcdtwo 
 Men to go before him carrying two long Poles 
 in their Hands, which they held upright, as 
 high as they could, which we prefently per- 
 ceiv'd was a Signal of Peace, and thefe two Poles 
 they let up afterwards {licking them up in the 
 Ground; and when the King and his Men came 
 to thefe two Poles, they ftuck all their Lances 
 up in the Ground, and came on unarmed, lea- 
 ving their Lances, as alio their Bows and Arrows 
 behind them. 
 
 This was to fatisfy us, that they were come as 
 Friends, and we were very glad to fee it; for 
 we had no Mind to quarrel with them, if we 
 could help it. The Captain of this Gang feeing 
 fome of our Men making up their Hutts, and 
 that they did it but bunglingly, he bqcken'd 
 to fbme of his Men to go and help us. Immedia- 
 tely 15 or 1 6 of them came and mingled a- 
 mong us, and went to Work for us; and, in- 
 deed, they were better Workmen than we were, 
 for they run up three or four Hutts for us 
 in a Moment, and much handfomer done than 
 ours. 
 
 ^ After this they fent us Milk, Plantanes, Pump- 
 kins, and Abundance of Roots and Greens that 
 were very good, and then took their Leave, 
 and would not take any thing from us that we 
 had. One of our Men oifer'd the King or Captain 
 of thefe Men a Dram, which he drank, and was 
 mightily pleafed with it, and held out his 
 Hand for another, which we gave him; and, in 
 a Word, after this, he hardly" failed coming to 
 us two or three times a Week, always bringing. 
 
 US 
 
t mr mmmJsfr~ - . .^^Mffff^MMMM<MMI!MliaJLiJUSLag-.'y.HJi.--V l 
 
 u$ fcmething, or 'Other, apdone tifhe -{entiW 
 feven Head of Black Cattle, Comet of winch w 
 cured and dried as before.* J "'- \ : - '/ '''*} r f l V- : r 
 And here I cannot but remember one ' thing** 
 which afterwards flood iis in great flea:L tn&a 
 that the Flefh of their Goats and their Beet alfo* 
 but efpscially ' the former, when we had dried 
 and cured it, looked red, and eat hard and firm; 
 us dry'd Beef in Holland \ they were (b pleafed 
 with Jt, find it wad fuch a Dainty to them, that 
 at any time after they v/guld' Trade wjth us 
 for it, not knowing, or fo much as imagining, 
 What it was^ fo that for Ten or TwelvelPound 
 Weight of fmoked dry'd Beef, they would 
 give us a whole Bullock, or 1 Cow, or any* thing 
 elfe we could defire. '' ' "' l .' 
 
 . Here we obferved two Things that were very 
 material to us, even eiTentially fo\ firft^ we 
 found they had a great deal or Earthen- Ward 
 here, which they make ufe ofmany ivays, as 
 we did : Particularly they had long deep Eartherj 
 Pots, which they ufed to fink into the Ground 
 to keep the Water which they drank cool arid 
 pleaiant} and the other was, that they hadljr r 
 ger Canoes than their Neighbours had. .'"*' 
 . By this we were prompted to enquire if they 
 had no larger VefTels than thofewe (aw there^ 
 or if any other of the Inhabitants had not fuch. 
 They fignified prefently, that they had no larger 
 
 ^Boats than that they fhewed us^ but that on the- 
 ,>ther Side of the lfland they had larger Boats, 
 and that with Decks upon them, and large Sails ; 
 and this made us reloive to Coaft round the 
 whole lfland to fee them^ fb we prepared and 
 
 | victualled our Canoe for the Voyage, and, in a 
 Word,.went to Sea for the third time. 
 
 * It 
 
( V ) 
 
 . Itcoftus a Month or fix Weeks time to per- 
 form this Voyage, in which time we went on 
 Shore feveral times for Water and Provifions, and 
 found the Natives always very free and cour- 
 teous , but we were furprizedone Morning early, 
 being at the Extremity of the Northermoft Part of 
 the I (land, when one of our Men cried out a Sail, 
 a Sail: We prefently faw a Velfe! a great Way 
 out at Sea \ but after we had looked at it with 
 our Perfpe&ivo Glaffes, and endeavoured all we 
 could to make out what it was, we could nos 
 tell what to think of if, for it was neither Ship, 
 Ketch, Gaily, Galliot, or like any thing that 
 we .liad ever icon before : All that we could 
 make of it was, that it went from us {landing 
 out to Sea. In a Word, we loon loft Sight of it, 
 for we were hi no Condition to chafe any thing, 
 and we never law it again, but by all we could 
 perceive of it, from what we faw of fuch things 
 afterwards, it was fome Arabian VelTel which 
 had been. trading to the Coaft of Mofamblquc, or 
 Zavgutbar^ the fume Place where we afterwards 
 went, as you fhall hear. 
 
 .1 kept no Journal of this Voyage, nor indeed 
 did I all this while under ftand any thing of Na- 
 vigation, more than the common Bufinefs of a 
 Fore-matt Man-, fol can (ay nothing to the La- 
 titudes, or Diftances of any Places we were at, 
 how long we were going, or how fir we foiled 
 in a Day \ but this I remember, that being now 
 come round the Ifland, we tailed up the liafterr'^ 
 Shore due South, as we had done down the We>* 
 ftern Shore due North before. 
 
 Nor do I remember that the . Natives differed 
 much from one another , either in Stature or 
 Complexion, or in their Manners, their Habits 
 
 their 
 
^B 
 
 their* Weapons, or indeed in any thing; and yet f 
 wc could not perceive that they had any Intelli- 
 cence one with another , but they were extreme- 
 ly kind and civil to us on this Side, as well as. 
 on the other. . . ' 
 
 We continued our Voyage South for many, 
 Weeks, tho' with feveral Intervals of going on . 
 Shore to get Provlfions and Water. At length, ' 
 coming round a Point of Land which layabout'- 
 a League farther than ordinary i n to the Sea, we 
 were agreeably furprizcd with a Sight, which, 
 no doubt, had" been as difagreeable t0 Aofe con-., 
 cern'd, as it was pica font to us. This was the 
 Wreck of an European Ship > which had been caft , 
 away upon the Rocks, which in that Place run a 
 great Way into the S e a. 
 
 We could fee plainly at Low Water, a great 
 deal of the Ship lay dry , even at High Water, 
 ilie was not entirely covered ^ and that at moft 
 fiie did not lye abov e a League from the Shore. , 
 It will eafily be believM, that our Curiofity led'* 
 us, the Wind and Weather alfo permitting, to go 
 ' dire&ly to her, which we did without any Diffi- 
 culty, "and prefently found that it was a Dutch- 
 built Ship, and that fiie could not have been very 
 long in that Condition, a great deal of the upper ; 
 Work of her Stern remaining firm , with the 
 Mizen Maft (landing. Her Stern feern'd to be . 
 Jaum'd in between" two Jlidges of the Rock, 
 )d fo remained fad, all the Fore-part of the Ship 
 leaving been beaten to Pieces. 
 
 We could fee nothing to be gotten out of. 
 the Wreck that was worth our whiles but we 
 refolvM to go on Shore, and flay fbmetime there- 
 abouts, to fee if perhaps we might get any .-Light, 
 into the Story of her, and we were not without' 
 
 E 3 Hopes 
 
((54>\ 
 
 Hopes that we might hear fomething more part}-* 
 cular about her Men, and perhaps find feme of 
 them on Shore there, in the fame Condition that 
 we were in, and o might encreafe our Com* 
 pany. 
 
 It was a very pleaftnt Sight to us, when co- 
 ming on Shore, we faw all the Marks and To* j 
 kens of a Ship-Carpenter's Yard t as a Launch 
 Block and Cr addles, Scaifolds ana Planks, and 
 Pieces of Planks, the Remains of the Building a 
 Ship or Veifel \ and, In a Word, a great many 
 things that fairly invited us to go about the 
 fame Work, and we loon came to underftand, that, 
 the Men belonging to the Ship that was loft, had 
 .laved themfelves on Shore, perhaps in their Boat >; 
 and had built themfelves a Bark or Sloop, and fo 
 were gone to Sea again*, and enquiring of the' 
 Natives which Way they went, they pointed ta 
 the South and South- We ft, by which we could 
 eafiiy underftand that they were gone away to th<> 
 Ctfe of Good Hope. 
 
 No body will imagine we could be lb dull as not 
 to gather" from hence, that we might take the ; 
 lame Method for our Efcapes , lb we refolded firft 
 in general, that we would try, if pofTible, to. 
 build us a Boat of one Kind* or other, and go 
 to Sea as our Fate fhould direcTr. 
 
 In Order to this, our firft Work was to. have 
 the two Carpenters fearch about to fee what Ma- 
 terials the Dutchmen had left behind them thar 
 might be of TJfe; and in particular, they fouifu, 
 one that was very ufeful, and which I was much em* 
 ploy'd about, and that w^s a Pitch-Kettle, and a 
 little Pitch in it. 
 
 When we came to fet clofe to this Work, we 
 pundit very laborious and difficult-, having, bud 
 
 few 
 
MUHWMWl'A.KM: 
 
 (55Ji 
 
 few Tools* no Iron Work, no Cordage, no Sails ; 
 ib that, in fhort, whatever we built, we were 
 oblig'd to be our own Smithy Rope-Makers, 
 Sail-Makers, and indeed to pra&ife twenty Trades 
 that we knew little or nothing of: However, Ne- 
 ce/IIty was the Spur to Invention, and we did ma- 
 ny things which before we tnought impracticable, 
 tnat is to fay, in our Circumfhnces. 
 
 After our two Carpenters had refblved upon 
 the Dimcnfions of what they would build, tney. 
 fet us all to Work, to go oiF in our Boats, and 
 fplit up the Wreck of the old Ship, and to bring 
 away every thing we could ; and particularly, 
 that, if poffible, we fhould bring away the Mi- 
 zen Matt, wliich was left (landing, which with 
 much Difficulty we effected, after above twenty 
 Days Labour of fourteen of our Men. 
 
 At the fame time we got out a great deal of 
 Iron-Work , as Dolts, Spikes, Nails, &c. all which 
 ourArtift, of wliom I havefpoken already, who 
 was now grown a very dexterous Smith, made us 
 Kails and Hinges for our 'Rudder, ajid Spikes 
 fuch as we wanted. 
 
 But we wanted an Anchor, and if we had had 
 an Anchor, we could not have made a Cable ; 
 fo we contented our felves with making lome 
 Ropes with the Help of the Natives, of fuch Stuff 
 as they made their Matts of, and with thefe 
 we made fuch a kind of cable or Tow IJm 7 as 
 was fufficient to faften our Veflel to the Shore, 
 which we contented our felves with for that 
 time. 
 
 To be fliort, we Ipent four Months here, and 
 work'd very hard too , at the End of which 
 time we launch'd our Frigate, which, in a few 
 Words, had many Dcfefts, but yet, all things 
 
 Ei conft- 
 
(56) 
 
 confidered, it was as well as we could cxpeft 
 it to be. ' 
 
 In fhort, it was a kind of a Sloop, of the 
 Burthen of near i 8 or 20 Ton, and had w6 
 had Mafb and Sails*, landing, and running Rig-* 
 ging, :s is ufual in fuch Giles, and other Con- ' 
 veniences, the VefTel might have carry'd us 
 wherever we could have had a Mind to go \ but 
 of all the Materials we wanted, this was the 
 worft, a//*., that we had no Tar or Pitch to pay the 
 Seams, and fecure the Bottom , and tho' we did 
 what we could with Tallow and Oil, to make 
 a Mixture to fupply that Part, yet we could not 
 bring it to anfwer our End fully , and when 
 we launch'd her into the Water, me was fo 
 leaky, and took in the Water fo faft, that wq 
 thought all our Labour had been loft, for we 
 had much ado to make her fwim ; and as for 
 Pumps, we had none, nor had we. any Means 
 to make one. 
 
 But at length one of the Natives, a black 
 Ntgro-numy iliewed us a Tree, the Wood of which 
 being put into the Fire, fends forch a Liquid 
 that is as glutinous, and almoft as ftrong as Tar, 
 and of which, by boiling, we made a Sort of 
 Stuff which fervM us for Pitch, and this anfw e - 
 ied our End effe&ually , for we perfectly ma de 
 our VefTel found and tight, fo that we wanted no 
 Pitch or Tar at all. This Secret has flood me 
 in ftead upon many Occasions fmce that time 
 in the fame Place. ' ' 
 
 Our VefTel being tlms finifhed, out of the Mfl 
 - zen Maft of the Ship, we made a very good 
 Maft to her, and fitted our Sails to it as well as 
 we could- then we made a Rudder and Tiller^ 
 .and, in a Word, every thing that our ' pre fent; 
 
 Neceffi* 
 
Kcccflity called upon us for ; and having vi&t 
 ailed her, and pvtt as much frefh Water on Board 
 a* we thought 'we wanted, or as we knew how 
 to flow (for jtic were yet without Casks) we put 
 to Sea with' a fair Wind. 
 
 We-had fpent near another Year in thefe 
 Rambles, and in this Piece of Work; for it was 
 now, as our Men faid, about the Beginning of 
 our February, and the Sun went from us apace 
 which was much to our Satisfaftion, for the 
 Heats were exceeding violent. The Wind as 
 I faid, was fair, for as I have fince learnt, the 
 Winds generally fpring up to the Eaftward. as 
 the Sun goes from them to the North. 
 
 Our Debate now was, which Way we fliould 
 go, and never were Men fo irrefolute , fome were 
 for going to the Eaft, and ftretching away dire- 
 ctly for the Coaft of Malabar \ but others who 
 confideredmoreierioufly the Length of that Voy- 
 age, fhook their Heads at the Propofal, knowing 
 very well, that neither our Provifions, eftedally 
 of Water: or our Veflel, were equal to fuch a 
 Run as that is , of near aoco Miles, without 
 any Land to touch at in the Way. 
 
 J^fe Men too had all along had a great 
 Mind to a Voyage for the main Land of AfiidL 
 where they faid we fliould have a fair Caft for 
 
 " L ?' and mIght be fure t0 make 0ur felv es 
 rich which Way foever we went, if we were but 
 
 ablet* make our Way through, whether by Sea 
 or by Land. * 
 
 Befides, as the Cafe flood with us, we had 
 not much Choice for our Way ; for if we had 
 refolv d fjr the Eaft, we were at the wrong Sea- 
 
 w [ r Year > and mufl have ftaid till April or 
 jig before we had gone, to Sea. At length, as 
 
 we 
 
H B MTtrrarrt^ffmrr 
 
 (58> 
 
 we Lid the Wind at S. E. and E. S. E. and fine 
 promifing Weather, we came all into the firft 
 Propofal, and refolved for the Coaft of Africa^ 
 nor were we long in disputing as to our Graft- 
 ing the Ifland , which we were upon \ for we 
 were now on the wrong Side of the Ifland for 
 the Voyage we intended^ So we flood away to; 
 the Korth, and having rounded the Cape, we 
 hall'd away Southward under the Lee of the 
 Ifland, thinking to reach the Weft Point of Land, 
 which, as I obferved before, runs out fo far 
 towards the Coaft of Africa, as would have fhor- 
 ten'd our Run almoft 100 leagues. But when 
 we had failed about thirty Leagues, we found 
 the Winds variable under the Shore, and right 
 againft us^ fb we concluded to ftand over di- 
 rectly, for then we had the Wind fair, and our 
 VefTel was but very ill fitted to lye near the 
 Wind, or' any Way indeed but j.uft afore it. 
 
 Having refolvM upon it therefore, we put 
 in to the Shore, to furnifh our felves again 
 with frefh Water and other Provifions, and about 
 the latter End of March, with more Courage than 
 Difcretion, more Refolutipn than Judgment, we 
 Iaunch'd for the main Coaft of Africa. 
 
 As for me,. I had no Anxieties about it*, fo that 
 we had but a View of reaching fome Land or 
 other, I cared not what or where it was to be, 
 having at this time no Views of what was before 
 me,, nor much Thought of what might, or might 
 notbefalme^ but with as little Confide ration as 
 any one can be fuppofed to have at my Age, I 
 confented to every thing that was propofed, 
 however hazardous the thing it felf, however 
 improbable the Succels. 
 
 The 
 
mmKmKmeammmaBBammKaKmamBaanaammamma 
 
 The Voyage, as it was undertaken with a great 
 deal of Ignorance and Defperation, fb really it 
 was not carryM on with much Refolution or 
 Judgment , for we knew no more of the Caurfe 
 we were to fteer , than this, that it was any 
 where about the Weft, within two or three 
 Points N. or S. and as we had no Compafs with 
 us, but a little Brafs Pocket Compafs, which one 
 of our Men had more by Accident than other- 
 wife, fb we could not be very exaft in ouc 
 Courfe. 
 
 However, as it pleafed God that the Wind 
 continued fair at S. E. and by E. we found that 
 N. W. by W. which was right afore it, was as 
 good a Courfb for us as any we could go, and 
 thus we went on. 
 
 The Voyage was much longer than we expe- 
 fted , our Veifel alio, which, had no Sail that 
 was proportidn'd to her, made but very little < 
 Way in the Sea, and fail'd heavily. We had 
 indeed no great Adventures happened in this 
 Voyage, being out of the Way of every thing 
 that could offer to divert us^ and as for feeing 
 any VelTel, we had not the leaft Occafion to hail 
 any thing in all the Voyage , for we faw rot 
 one Velfel (mall or great, the Sea we were upon 
 being entirely out of the way of all Commerce ; 
 for the People of Madjgafcor knew no more of 
 the Shores of jifrich than we did, only that 
 there was a Country of Lions, as they call >, 
 that IVav. 
 
 We had been eight or nine Days under Sail,' 
 with a fair Wind, when, to our great Joy one 
 of our Men cry'd our, Land. We had great 
 Reafon to be glad of the Difcovery ; for we had 
 pot Water enough left for above' two or three 
 
 Days 
 
(6o) 
 
 Days more, tho* at a fhort Allowance.' Howe*. 
 ver, tho' it was early in the Morning when we 
 difcoverM it, we maie it near Kight before we' 
 reached it, the Wind flackening almoft to a Calm, 
 
 \and our Ship being, as I faid, a very dull Sailer, 
 
 We were ladly baulk'd upon our coming to the 
 Land, when we found, that inftead of the. main 
 Land of jffrtch, it was only a little Ifland, with 
 no Inhabitants upon it, at leaft, none that we 
 could find ; nor any Cattel, except a few Goats, " 
 of which we killed three only. However, the/ 
 ferved us for frefh Meat, and we found very 
 good Watery and it was fifteen Days more be- 
 fore we reach'd the Main, which, however, at 
 laft we arriv'd at , and which was moft elfen- 
 tial to us, we came to it juft as all our Provi- 
 iions were (pent. Indeed we may fay they were 
 fpent firft ; for we had but a Pint of Water a 
 Pay to each Man for the laft two Days, But 
 to our great Joy, we faw die Land, tho'at a great 
 Diftance, the Evening before, and by a pleafant 
 Gale in the Kight, were, by Morning, within 
 two Leagues of the Shore. 
 
 We never fcrupled going afhore at the firft 
 Place we came at , tho* had we had Patience, 
 we might have found a very fine River a little 
 farther Korth. However, we kept our Frigate 
 on Float by the Help of two great Poles which 
 
 . we faften'd into the Ground to More her, like 
 Piles; and the little weak Ropes, which, as I faid, 
 we had made of Matting, ferved us well enough- 
 to make the Veffel faft. 
 
 ' As fbon as we had viewed the Country a little, 
 go: frefhWarer, and furnifhedour (elves with fome' 
 -Vittuals, which we found very (carce here, we 
 went onboard again with our Stores. All wegot for 
 < . Provi- 
 
provlfion, was'fbme Fowls that we killed, and a 
 kind of wild Buffloe, or Bull, very (mall, but good 
 Meat: 1 fay r having got thefe things on Board, 
 we revived to fail on along the Coaft, which lay 
 away N. N. E. till we found fome Creek or River 
 that we might run up into the Country, or fome 
 Town or People \ for we had Reafon enough to 
 know the Place was inhabited, becaufe we feve- 
 ral times law Fires in the Night, and Smoke in 
 the Day, every way at a Diflance from us. 
 
 At length we came to a very large Bay, and in 
 
 it feveral little Creeks or Rivers emptying them- 
 
 felves into the Sea, and we run boldly into the 
 
 firfl Creek we came at; where feeing fome Hutts 
 
 and wild People about them, on the Shore, we run 
 
 our VefTel into a little Cove on the North. Side 
 
 of the Creek, and held up a long Pole with a 
 
 white Bit of Cloatli on it, for a Signal of Peace 
 
 to them.. We found they underflood us pre- 
 
 iently, for they came flocking to us both Men, 
 
 Women, and Children, moft of them of both 
 
 Sexes flark naked. At firfl they flood wondering 
 
 and flaring at us, as if we had been Monflers, 
 
 and as if they had been frighted \ but we found 
 
 they inclined to be familiar with us afterwards. 
 
 The firfl thing we did to try. them, was, we 
 
 held up our Hands to our Mouths, as if we were 
 
 to drink, fignifying that we wanted Water. This 
 
 they underflood prefently, and three of their 
 
 Women and two Boys ran away up the Land, and 
 
 came back in about Half a Quarter of an Hour, 
 
 with feveral Pots made of Earth pretty enough, 
 
 and bak'd, I fuppofe, in the Sun \ thefe they 
 
 brought us full of Water, and fet them down 
 
 ear the Sea-fhore, and there left them, go- 
 
 ing 
 
ing^ ba<k a little, that we might fetch the/rtj 
 which we did. j 
 
 Sometime after this, they brought us Roots 
 and Kerbs, and fome Fruits which I cannot re- 
 member, and gave us ; but as we had nothing to . 
 give them, we found them not lb free as the 
 People in Mad^afcar were. However, our Cut- 
 ler went to Work, and as he had faved lomelroh 
 out of the Wreck of the Slip, he made Abun* 
 dance of Toys, Birds, Dogs, Pins, Hooks, and 
 Rings, and we helped to file them, and make 
 them bright for him ; and when we gave them 
 ibme of thefe, they brought us all the Sorts of* 
 Provisions they had, fuch as Goats, Hogs, and 
 Cows, and we got Victuals enough. 
 
 We were now landed upon the Continent of 
 'Africa^ the mod defblate, defart, and unhofpittu* 
 ble Country in the World, even Greenland and 
 Nova Zcmbla it felf not excepted; with this 
 Difference only, that even the worft Part of it 
 we found inhabited , tho' taking the Nature and 
 Quality of ibme of the Inhabitants, it might 
 have been much better to us if there had been 
 none* 
 
 And, to add to the Exclamation I am making 
 on the Nature of the Place, it was here, that we 
 took one of the raiheft and wildcft, and moft 
 clefperate Refolutions that ever was taken by 
 Man, or any Number of Men, in the World; 
 this was, to travel over Land through the Heart 
 of the Country, from the Coaft of Mozambique, 
 on the Eaft-Ocean to the Coaft of Angola or Cut* 
 vca> on the Weftern or j4tlantick Ocean, a Con- 
 tinent of Land of at leaft i8no Miles-, in which 
 Journey we had exceflive Heats to fupport, un- 
 paffable Delarts to go over, no Carriages, Camels 
 
 or 
 
( 3 5 
 
 or Beafts of any kind to <arry our Baggage^ 
 innumerable Numbers of wild and ravenous 
 Beafts to encounter with, fuch as Lions, Leo- 
 pards, Tigers, Lizards, and Elephants; we hid 
 the Equinoctial Line to pafs under, and conS* 
 quently were in the very Center of the Tor- 
 rid Zone; we had Nations of Savages to en- 
 counter with, barbarous and brutifii to the lajj 
 Decree, Hunger and Thirft to ftruggle with; 
 and, in one Word, Terrors enough to have 
 daunted the ftouteft Hearts that ever were placed 
 inCafesofFlefhand Blood 
 
 Yet, fearlefs of all thefe, we refblved to ad- 
 venture, and accordingly made fuch Preparation 
 for our Journey, as the Place we were in 
 would allow us, and fuch as our little Experience 
 of the Country feemM to diftate to us. 
 
 It had been feme time already that we had 
 been ufed to tread bare-footed upon die Rocks, 
 the Gravel, the Grafs and the Sand on the Shore; 
 but as we fouud the worft thing for our Feet 
 was, the walking or travelling on the dry burn- 
 ing Sands, within the Country ; fo we provided 
 our felves with a fort of Shoes made of the Skins 
 of Wild Beafts, with the Hair inward, and being 
 dryed in the Sun, the Out-fide were thick and 
 hard, and would laft a great while. In fliort, 
 as I called them, lb I think the Term very pro- 
 per ftill, we made us Gloves for our Feet, 
 and we found them very convenient and very 
 comfortable. 
 
 W T e converted with fbme of the Natives of 
 the Country who were friendly enough. What 
 Tongue they fpoke, I do not yet pretend to 
 know. We talked as far as we could mike them 
 
 iunderftand us, not only about our Provifions, 
 *': v but 
 
(*4) 
 
 but alfd about our Undertaking ; and asfc\j them 
 v/hat Country lay that Way, pointing W^ft with 
 cur Hands. They told us but little to' our Pur* 
 pofe, only we thought by all their Diftourfe, that 
 there were People to be found of one Sort or 
 other every where ; that there were many great 
 Rivers, many Lions and Tygers, Elephants, and 
 furious wild Cats (which in the End we found to 
 be Civet Cats) and the like. 
 
 When we ask'd them, if any one had ever tra- 
 velled that Way, they told us Yes, fome had 
 gone to where the Sun deeps, meaning to the 
 Weft \ but they cduld not tell us who they were. 
 When we ask'd for fome to guide us, they ihrunk 
 lip their Shoulders as Frenchmen do when they are 
 afraid to undertake a thing. When we ask'cl 
 thern about the Lions and wild Creatures they 
 iaught, and let us know they would do us no 
 Hurt, and dire&ed us to a good way indeed to 
 deal with them, and that was to-make fome Fire, 
 which would always fright them away, and fb 
 indeed we found it. 
 
 Upon thefe Encouragements we refblved upon 
 our Journey, and many Confiderations put us 
 upon it, which, had the thing it felf been pra- 
 cticable, we were not Co much to blame for, 
 as it might otherwife be fuppofed , I'll name lome 
 of them, not to make the Account too tedious. 
 
 Firft, We were perfectly deftitute of Means 
 to work about our own Deliverance any 
 other way } we were on fhore in a Place perfect- , 
 iy~ remrre from all European Navigation , lb that 
 we could never think of being relieved, and 
 fetched off by any of our own Country-men in 
 that Part of the World. Secondly, If we had , 
 adventured to have failed on along the Coaft of 
 
(*5> 
 
 Mozambique, and the defolate Shores of Africa^ to 
 the Nortn, till we came to the Red Sea, all we 
 could hope for there, was to be taken by the 
 Arabs, and be fold for Slaves to the Turks, which 
 to all of us was little better than Death. We 
 could not build any thing of a Veifei thac 
 would carry us over the great Arabian Sea 
 to India, nor could we reach the Cape it Bona 
 Sftranzjt, the Winds being too variable, and. the ' 
 Sea in that Latitude too tempeftuous^ but we all 
 knew, if we could crofs this Continent of Land, ^ 
 we might reach fome of the great Rivers thac 
 run into the Atlantkk Ocean, and that on -the 
 Banks of any of thofe Rivers we might 
 there build us Canoes which would carry us 
 ; down, if it were Thoufands of Miles-, lo that 
 ! we could want nothing but Food, of which we 
 | were affured we might kill fufficient with our 
 I Guns : And, to add to the Satisfaction of our 
 Deliverance, we concluded we might every one 
 of us get a Quantity of Gold, which, if we came 
 fafe, would infinitely tecompence us for our Toil. 
 , 1 cannot fay, that in all our Confutations I 
 ever began to enter into the Weight and Merit 
 of^any Enterprise we went upon till now. My 
 View before was, as I thought, very good, viz* 
 that we mould get into tjie Arabian Gulph, 
 or the Mouth of the Red Sea, and waiting for 
 Tome VefTel pafllng, or repa/ling there, of which 
 there is Plenty, have feized upon the firft 
 we came at, by Force, and not only have 
 enriched our felves with her Cargo, but have 
 carried our felves to what* Part of the World we 
 had ple,ifed: But when they came to talk to 
 me of a^ March of 2 or 3000 Miles on Foot, of 
 Wandering in Defarts, among Liens and Tygers, 
 
 F Icon- 
 
(66) 
 
 I confefs my Blood run chill, and t ufkl all the 
 Arguments I could to perfwade them aga : nft it* 
 
 But they were all pofitive, and I might as 
 well have neld my Tongue*, Co 1 fubmifed, and 
 told them, I would keep to our firft Law,' to be' 
 governed by the Majority, and we refolved upon 
 our Journey. The firft thing we did. was to 
 take an Obfcrvation, and fee whereabouts m 
 the World we were, which we did, and found 
 wc were in the Latitude of 12 Degrees, 35 
 Minutes South of the Line. The next thing was 
 to look on the Charts, and fee the Coaft of 
 tlie Country we aimed at, which we found to 
 be from 8 to 1 1 Degrees South Latitude, 
 if we went for the Coaft of Jv^oU^ or in 12 
 to ip Degrees North Latitude, if we made for 
 the River Niger, and the Coaft of Gufaey. 
 
 Our Aim was for the Coaft of JngoU, which 
 by the Charts we had, lying very near the fame 
 Latitude we were then in, our Courfe thither 
 was due Weft; and as we were allured we 
 ihould meet with Rivers, we doubted not, but 
 that by their Help we might eafe our Journey, 
 efpecially if we could find Means to crofs the 
 great Lake, or Inland Sea, which the Natives 
 call Coalnnicost, out of which it is laid the River 
 Nile has its Source or Beginning; but we reck- 
 oned without our Hoft, as you will fee in the 
 Sequel of our Story. 
 
 irhe next thing we had to confider was, how 
 to carry our Baggage, which we were firft of all 
 determined not to travel without*, neither indeed 
 was it pofllble for us to do lb, for even our Am- 
 munition which was abfolutely necelfary to us, 
 and on which our Subfiftence, I mean for Food, as 
 well as our Safety *, r.nd particularly our Defence 
 
 againft 
 
againft wild Beafo, and wild Men depended: I fajr, % 
 even our Ammunition was a Load too heavy for 
 us to carry in a Country where the Heat were 
 
 I fuch, that we fhould be Load enough for our (elves. 
 
 |;.iWo enquired in the Country, and found there 
 was no Bead of But then known among them; 
 that is to fay, neither Horfcs or Mules or Aifes, 
 Camels or Dromedaries; the only Creature tiicy 
 had, was a kind of BuiHoe, or tame Bull, fuch a 
 one as we had killed : and that fome of thefe thsy 
 had brought fo to their Hand, that they taught 
 them to go and come with their Voices,* as they 
 called them to them, or fentthem from them; 
 that they made them carry Burthens, and parti- 
 cularly^ that they would fwim over Rivers 
 ftnd Lakes upon them, the Creatures fwimming 
 very high and ftrong in the Water. 
 
 But we underftood nothing of the Manage- 
 ment or Guiding fuch a Creature, or how to bind 
 a Burthen upon them; and this laft Part of: 
 our Confultation puzzled us extremely : At lafl 
 I propofed a Method for them, which after 
 fome Confideration, they found very conveni- 
 ent; and this was to quarrel with fome of the 
 Negro Natives, take ten or twelve of them 
 Prifoners, and binding them as Slaves, caufe 
 them to travel with us, and make them car- 
 ry our Baggage; which I alledged would be 
 convenient and ufeful many ways, as well to 
 fhew us the Way, as to converfe with other 
 Katives for us. 
 
 This Counfel- was not accepted at firft, but 
 the Natives fbon gave them Reafon to approve 
 t;and alfp gave them an Opportunity to put 
 it in Pra&tce; for as our little TrafHck with 
 the^ Natives was hitherto upon the Faith of 
 their firft Kindnefs, we found "fome Knavery. 
 
 / F 2 among 
 
( 68 ) 
 
 among them at Lift -, for Living bought fbme 
 Cattel of them for our Toys, which, as I faid, 
 our Cutler had contrived, one of our Men 
 dhfering with his" Chapman, truly they hufPd 
 him in their Manner, and keeping the things 
 he had offered them for the Cattel, made their 
 Fellows drive away the Cattel before his 
 Face, and laugh at him; our Man crying out 
 loud of this Violence, and calling to fbme of us, 
 who were not far off, the Negro he was dealing 
 with threw a Lance at him, which came fd 
 true, that if he had not with great Agility 
 jumped afide, and held up his Hand alfo to 
 turn the Lance as it came, it had ft ruck through 
 his Body, and, as it was, it wounded him in 
 the Arm -, at which the Man enraged took up 
 his Fuzee, and fhot the Negro through the 
 Heart. 
 
 The others that were near him, and all thofe 
 that were with us at a Diftance, were fo ter- 
 ribly frighted-, firft, at the Flafli of Fire; fe- 
 condly, at the Noife : And thirdly, at fee- 
 ing their Countryman killed, that they flood 
 like Men ftupid and amazed, at firft, for fome 
 time: But after they were a little recovered 
 from their Fright, one of them, at a good Di- 
 ftance from us, fet up a fudden fcreaming Noife, 
 which, it feems, is the Noife they make when 
 they go to Fight , and all the reft underftanding 
 what he meant, anfwered him, and run to- 
 gether to the Place where he was, and we not 
 .knowing what it meant, flood ftill looking upon 
 one another Jike a Parcel of Fools. 
 
 . But we were prefently undeceived, for irt 
 two or three Minutes more we heard the lcream- 
 ing roaring Noife go on from one Place to a- 
 mother, through all their little Towns-, nay, 
 
 even' 
 
 x 
 
even over the Creek to the other Side; and, on 
 a fudden we faw a naked Multitude running 
 from all Parts to the Place where the firftMan 
 began it, as to a Rendezvous; and, in lefs than 
 an Hour, I believe there was near 500 of them 
 gotten together, armed fbme with Bows and 
 Arrows, butmoft with Lances, with which they 
 throw, at a good Diftance, lb nicely, that they 
 willftrike a Bird flying. 
 
 We had but a very little time for Confutation, 
 for the Multitude was* encreafmg every Mo- 
 ment; and I verily believe, if we had fhyM long, 
 they would have been 10000 together in a lit- 
 tle time. We had nothing to do therefore, but 
 to fly to our Ship or Bark, where indeed we 
 could have defended our felves very well, or 
 to advance and try what a Volley or two of 
 final J Shot would do for us. 
 
 We refblved immediately upon the latter, de- 
 pending upon it, that the Fire and Terror of 
 our Shot would foon put them to Flight; fo 
 we drew up all in a Line, and marched boldly 
 up to them ; they flood ready to meet us, de- ' 
 "pending, I fuppofe, to deftroy us all with their 
 Lances; but before we came near enongh for 
 them to throw their Lances, we halted, and land- 
 ing at a good Difhnce from one another, to 
 ftretch our Line as far as we could, we gave 
 them a Salute with our Shot, which befides what 
 we wounded that we knew not of, knocked 
 fixteen of them down upon the Spot, and 
 three more were fo lamed, that they fell about 
 20 or 30 Yards from them. 
 m As foon as we had fired, they fet up the hor- 
 rideft Yell, or Howling, partly raifed by thofe 
 that were wounded, and partly by thofe that 
 
i( 70 ) 
 
 pitied and condoled the Bodies they faw lye 
 dead, that I never heard any thing like it be- 
 fore or fince. 
 
 We flood Stock ftill after we hnd fired, to 
 load our Guns again, and finding they did not! 
 ftir from the Place, we fired among them again ;| 
 we killed about nine of them at the fecond Fire; 
 but as they did not ftand fb thick as before, all 
 our Men did not fire, feven of us being or r 
 dered to referve our Charge, and to advance as 
 ibon as the other had fired, while the reft loaded 
 again , of which I fhall fpeak again prefently. 
 
 As loon as we had fired the fecond Volley we 
 ill ou ted as loud as we could, and the feven Men 
 advanced upon them, and, coming about 20 Yards 
 nearer, fired again, and thofe that were behind 
 having. loaded again, with all Expedition, fol- 
 lowed but when they faw us advance, they run 
 fcreaming away as if they were bewitched. 
 
 When we came up to the Field of Battle, we. 
 faw a great Number of Bodies lying upon the. 
 Ground, many more than we could fuppole were 
 killed or wounded, nay more than we had Bul- 
 lets in our Pieces when we fired-, and we could 
 not tell what to make pf it; but at length, we 
 found how it was viz,, that they were frighted 
 out of all manner of Senfe; nay, 1 do believe fe- 
 veral of thofe that were really dead, were frighted 
 to Death, and had no Wound about them. 
 
 Of thofe that were thus frighted, as 1 have faid, 
 feveral of them, as they recovered themfelves, 
 came and worfliipped us (taking us for Gods 
 or Devils, I know not which, nor did it much 
 matter to us) fome kneeling, fome throwing 
 tfiemfelves flat on the Ground, made a Thoufand 
 antick Geftures, but all with Tokens pf the moft 
 * ' * " P r0 "! 
 
(7' ) 
 
 profound SubmuTion. It prefently came into my 
 Head, that we might now by th: Law of Arms 
 take as many Prifoners as we would, and make 
 them travel' with us, and carry our Baggage: 
 As foon as I propofed it, our Men were all of my 
 Mind} and accordingly we fecured about 60 luft/ 
 young Fellows, and let them know they muft 
 go with us} which they feemed very willing to 
 do: But the next Queftion we had among our 
 felves, was, how we mould do to truft them, for 
 we found the People not like thofe of Aladagnf^ 
 but fierce, revengful and treacherous, for which 
 Reafon we were fure, that we mould have no 
 Service from them but that of meer Slaves, no 
 Subjection that would continue any longer than 
 theFear of us was upon them, nor any Labour 
 but by Violence. 
 
 Before I go any farther, I muft hint to the 
 Reader, that from this time forward I began to 
 enter a little more ferioufly into the Circum-' 
 fiance I was in, and concerned my felf more in 
 the Conduct of our Affairs-, for, tho* my Come- 
 rades were all older Men, yet I began to find them 
 void of Counfel, or, as 1 now call it, Pre fence of 
 Mind, when, they came to the Execution of a 
 thing. The fir ft Occafion I took to obferve this, 
 ^as in their late Engagement with the Natives, 
 when, tho > they had taken a good Refolution to 
 attack them, and fire upon them, yet when 
 they had fired the firft time, and found that the 
 Negroes did not run as they expefred, their 
 Hearts began to fail, and I am perfwaded if their 
 Bark had been near Hand, they would every 
 Man have runaway. 
 
 Upon this Occafion, I began to take upon 
 
 nie a little to hearten them up, and to call upon 
 
 F 4 them 
 
 / 
 
them to load again, and give them another Vol fey, 
 telling them that I would engage, if they would be 
 ruled by me, I'd make the Negroes run fa ft enough. 
 I found this heartned them, and therefore, when 
 they fired a iecond time, I defired them to re- 
 ierve fome of their Shot to an Attempt by it 
 felf, as I mentioned above. 
 
 Having fired a fecond time, I was indeed for- 
 ced to command, as I may call it. Now, Seignior s> 
 laid 1, let us give them a Chear - 7 fb I open'd my 
 Throat, and fhouted three times, as our EngUJJi 
 Sailors do on like Occafions*, and ndw follow me, 
 laid I to the (even that had not fired, and fit warrant 
 you we will mule Work with them \ and. lb it proved 
 indeed: For as loon as they law us coming, away 
 they run as above. 
 
 From this Day forward they would call me no- 
 thing but Seignior Cafitanio ; but I told them, I 
 would not bo called Seignior. Well then, laid 
 the Gunner, who fpoke good Englijl), you fhali 
 be called Captain Bob, and (b they gave me my 
 Title ever after. 
 
 Nothing is more certain of the Portuguese than 
 this, take them nationally or perfbnally , if 
 they are animated and hearten'd up by any body 
 to go before, and encourage them by Example, 
 they will behave well enough , but if they have 
 nothing but their own Meafures to follow, they 
 link immediately : Thele Men had certainly 
 fled from a Parcel of naked Savages, tho* even* 
 by flying they could not have faved their Lives, 
 if I had not fhouted and hallooM, and made ra- 
 ther Sport with the tiring, than a Fight, to keep 
 up their Courage. 
 
 Nor was there lefs need of it upon ioveral 
 Occafions hereafter - 7 and 1 do confete, I have of- 
 ten 
 
(73) 
 
 ten wonderM how a Number of Men, who, whegt 
 they came to the Extremity, were fo ill Suppor- 
 ted by their own Spirits," had at nrft Courage 
 to propofe, and to undertake the moft defperate 
 and impracticable Attempt that ever Men went 
 about in the World. 
 
 There were indeed two or three indefatigable 
 Men among them, by whole Courage and Indu- 
 ftry all the reft were upheld , and indeed thole 
 two or three were the Managers of them from the 
 Beginning ; that was the Gunner, and that Cutler 
 whom I call the Artift*, and the third, who was 
 pretty well, tho* not like either of them, was one 
 of the Carpenters. Thefe indeed were the Life 
 and Soul of all the reft, and it was to their Cou-' 
 rage that all the reft ow'd the Relblution they 
 fhewd upon any Occafion. But when thofe faw 
 me take a little upon me, as above, they em- 
 braced me, and treated me with particular Af- 
 feftion ever after. 
 
 This Gunner was an excellent Mathematici- 
 an, a good Scholar, and a compleat Sailor } and 
 < it was in converfing intimately with him, that 
 I learnt afterwards the Grounds of what Know- 
 ledge I have fince had in all the Sciences uleful 
 for Navigation, and particularly in the Geogra- 
 phical Part of Knowledge. 
 
 Even in our Conversation, finding me eager 
 to underftand and learn, he laid the Foundation of 
 a general Knowledge of things in my Mind, gave 
 me juft Ideas of the Form of the Earth and of 
 the Sea, the Situation of Countries, the Courfe 
 of Rivers, the Do&rine of the Spheres, the Mo- 
 tion of the Stars } and, in a Word, taught me a 
 kind of Syftem of Aftronomy, which I after- 
 wards improv'd. 
 
 V 
 
r 74 ) 
 
 In efpcclal Manner, he filled my Head with* 
 alpiring Thoughts, and with an earned Defire 
 after learning every thing that could be taught 
 me , convincing me, that nothing could qualify 
 me for great Undertakings, but a Degree of 
 Learning fuperior to what was ufual : n the Race 
 of Seamen ^ he told me, that to he ignorant, was 
 to be certain of a mean Station in the World, but " 
 that Knowledge was the firft Step to Preferment. 
 He was always flattering me with my Capaci- 
 ty to Learn-, and tho' that fed my Pride, yet 
 on the other Hand, as 1 had a fecret Ambition 
 which juft at that time fed it felf in my Mind, 
 "It prompted in me an infatiable Thirifl: after 
 Learning in general, and I refblved, if ever I 
 came back to Europe, and had any thing left to 
 purchafe it, I would make my felf Mafter of all 
 the Parts of Learning needful to the making of 
 me a compleat Sailor ; but I was not Co juft to my 
 felf afterwards, as to do it when I had an Op- 
 portunity. 
 
 But to return to our Bufmefs the Gunner, 
 when he faw the Service I had done in the Fight, 
 and heard my Propofal for keeping a Number, 
 of Prifoners for our March, and for carrying 
 our Baggage, turns to me before them all, Cap- 
 tain Bcbyfays he, I think you mud be our Lea-- 
 der, for all the Succefs of this Enterprize is 
 owing to. you. No, no , fatd I, do not compliment- 
 me, you fhall be our Seignior Capitanio, you fhall 
 be General, I am too young for it , fo in fhort, 
 we all agreed he fhouli be our Leader , but he 
 would not accept of it alone, but would have 
 me join'd with him, and all the reft agreeing, 1 
 was oblig'd to comply. 
 
 The 
 
(T>) 
 
 The firft Piece of Service they put me up- 
 on in this .new Command , was as difficult as 
 any they could think of, and that was to ma- 
 nage the Prifoners , which however I chearfully 
 undertook, as you lhall hear prefently : But the 
 immediate Confutation was yet of more Confe- 
 quence , and that was, Firft> Which Way we 
 ihould go, and&cW/y, How to furnifh bur felves 
 for the Voyage with Provifions. 
 
 There was among the Prifoners one tall, well- 
 fhap'd, handfom Fellow, to whom the reft feemM 
 to pay great Refpeft, and who, as we underflood 
 afterwards, was the Son of one their Kings, his 
 Father was, it feems, killed at our firft Volley, . 
 and he wounded with a Shot in his Arm, and 
 with another juft on one of his Hips or Haun- 
 ches. The Shot in his Haunch being in a flefhy 
 Part, bled much , and he was half dead with 
 the Lofs of Blood. As to the Shot in his Arm, 
 it had broke his Wrift , and he was by both 
 thefe Wounds quite difabled, fo that we were once 
 going to turn him away, and let him die } and 
 if we had, he would have died indeed in a few 
 Days more : But as 1 fouud the Man had fome 
 Refpeft ihewM him, it prefently occurred to my 
 Thoughts, that we might bring him to be ufefui 
 to us, and perhaps make him a kind of Com- 
 mander over them. So I caufed our Surgeon to 
 take him in Hand, and gave the poor Wretch 
 good Words, that is to fay, I fpoke to him as well 
 as I could by Signs, to make him underfland that 
 \ve would make him well again. 
 
 This created a new Awe in their Minds of us, 
 believing that as we could kill at a Diftance by 
 fomething invifible to them (for fo our Shot was 
 fo be fure) fb we could make them well again 
 
 too. 
 
 i 
 
(7<U 
 
 too. Upon this the young Prince (for fb we 
 called him afterwards) culled fix or {even of the 
 Savages to him , and laid fomething to them ; 
 what it was we knew not , but immediately 
 all. the (even came to me, and knecl'd down 
 to me, holding up their Hands, and making 
 Signs of Entreaty, pointing to the Place where 
 or.e of thofe lay wliom we had killed. 
 
 It was a long time before I or any of us could 
 tmderfland them , but one'of them run and lifted 
 up a dead Man, pointing to his Wound, which 
 was in his Eye, tor he was fhot into the Head at 
 one of his Eyes. Then another pointed to the 
 Surgeon, and at lafl we found it out, that the 
 Meaning was, that he fhould heal the Prince's 
 Father too, who was dead, being ihoc thro' the 
 Head, as above. 
 
 We prefently took the Hint, and would not 
 fay we could not do it, but let them know, the 
 Men that were kilfd were thofe that had firft 
 fallen upon us, and provoked us, and we would by 
 no Menus make them alive again , and that it any 
 other did lb, we would kill them too, and never 
 Jet them live anymore: But that if he (the Prince) 
 would be willing to go with us, and do as we 
 fbould direct him, we would not let him dye, and 
 would make his Arm well. Upon this he bid his 
 Men go and fetch a long Stick or Staff, and lay 
 on the Ground. When they brought it, we faw 
 it was an Arrow , he took it with his left Hand, 
 (for his other was lame with the Wound) and 
 pointing up at the Sun, broke the Arrow in two, 
 and fet the Point againft his Breaft, and then 
 gave it to me. This was as 1 underftood after- 
 wards, winVng the Sun, whom they worfhip, 
 might flioot him into the Breaft with an ArrowJ 
 
 if 
 
*V (77); 
 
 if c/er he failed to be my Friend , and giving 
 the Point of the Arrow to me, was to be a Tcfti- 
 mony, that 1 was the Man he had fworn to; and 
 never was Chriftian more punctual to an Oath, 
 than he was to this, for he was a fworn Servant 
 to us for many a weary Month after that. 
 
 When I brought him to the Surgeon, he im- 
 mediately drefs'd the Wound in his Haunch or 
 Bottock, and found the Bullet had only grazM 
 upon the Flefli, and pafs'd, as it were, by it, 
 but it was not lodg'd in the Part , fo that it was 
 foon healed and well again : But as to his Arm, 
 he found one of the Bones broken, which are in 
 the Fore-part from the Wrift to the Elbow ; and 
 this he fet, and fplinter'd it up, and bound his 
 , Arm in a Sling, hanging it about his Neck, and 
 making S'gns to him that he mould not ftir it ; 
 which lie was fo Arift an Obferver of, that he fet 
 him clown, and never mov'd one Way or other, 
 but as the Surgeon gave him Leave, 
 
 I took a great deal of Pains to acquaint this 
 Negroe what we intended to do, and what Ulb 
 we intended to make of his Men ; and particu- 
 larly, to teach him the Meaning of what we faid: 
 Efpecially to teach him fome Words, fuch as fet 
 tpdNoy and what they meant, and to innure him 
 to our Way of Talking, and he was very willing 
 and apt to learn any thing I taught him. 
 
 It was eafy to let him fee, that v/e intended 
 to carry our Provifion with us from the firfr Day ; 
 but he made Signs to us to tel> us we need not, 
 for that we mould find Provifions enough every 
 where for fourty Days. It was very difficult for 
 xis to underftand how he exprcfVd Forty ; for he 
 knew'no Figures, but fome Words they ufbJ to 
 one another that they undcrftood it by. At lafr, 
 
 f . . one 
 
 / - 
 
(7?) ' ; r 
 
 cnfc of the Negroes, by his Order, laid fourty 
 little Stones one by another, to fliew us how 
 many Days we fhould travel, and find Provisions 
 futficient. 
 
 Then I fhew'd him our Baggage, which was 
 very heavy, particularly our ^Powder and Shot, 
 Lead, Iron, Carpenters Tools, Seamens Inftru- 
 ments, Cafes of Bottles, and other Lumber, He 
 took ibme of the things up in his Hand to iee 
 the Weight, and fhook his Head at them - 7 fb 
 told our People, they mult refolve to divide their 
 Things into fmall Parcels, and make them porta- 
 ble - y and accordingly they did fb, by which means 
 we were fain to leave all our Chefts behind us, 
 which were Eleven in Number. 
 
 Then he made Signs to us, that he would pro- 
 cure fbme BulHoes, or young Bulls, as I edict 
 th(ntj to carry things for us, and made Signs too, 
 that if we were weary, we might be carry'd too ; 
 but that we flighted, only were willing to have! 
 the Creatures, becaufe at'laft, when they could 
 ferve us no farther for Carriage, we might eaC 
 them all up if we had any Occafion for them. 
 
 I then carry'd him to our Bark, and /hewed 
 him what things we had there; he feem'd 
 amaz'd at the Sight of our Bark, having never 
 feenany thing of that Kind before, for their Boats 
 are moid wretched things, fuch as I never faw be- 
 fore, having no Head or Stern, and being made 
 only of the Skins of Goats fewed together with 
 dried Guts of Goats and Sheep, and done over 
 with a kind of flimy Stuff like Rofm and Oil, 
 but of a mod naufeous, odious Smell, and they 
 are poor miferable things for Boats, the worft 
 that any Part of the World ever law ; a Canoe is 
 an excellent Contrivance compared to them. 
 
 But 
 
 i 
 
(79) . 
 
 But to return to our Boat : We carried our 
 new Prince into it, and help'd him over the Side, 
 bccaufe of his Lamenefs. We made .Signs to him, 
 that his Men muft carry our Goods for us, and 
 (hewed him what we had ; he anfwerM, Ce Seigmor, ' 
 or, Tes Sir, (for we had taught him that Word, 
 and the Meaning of it) and taking up a Bundle, 
 he made Signs to us, that when his Arm was well, 
 he would carry fome for us. 
 
 I made Signs again, to tell him, that if he 
 would make^his Men carry them, we would not 
 let him carry any thing. We had iecured all the 
 Prifoners in a narrow Place, where we had bound 
 them with Matt Cords, and fet up Stakes like 
 a Palifiido round them} fo when we carry'd the 
 Prince on Shore, we went with him to them, and 
 made Signs to him, to ask them if they were wil- 
 ling to go with us to the Country of Lions. Ac- 
 cordingly he made a long Speech to them, and 
 we could understand by it, that he told them, if 
 they were willing, they muft lay, Ce Seignior, tel- 
 ling them what it fignifyM. They immediately 
 anfwered, Ce Seignior, and clapt their Hands, 
 looking up to the Sun, which the Prince figni- 
 fy'd to us, was Swearing to be faithful. But 
 as foon as they had faid fo, one of them made a 
 long Speech to the Prince, and in it, we percei- 
 ved by hisGeftures, which were very antick, that 
 they defired fomething from us, and that they 
 were in great Concern about it. So I ask'd him 
 as well as I could, what it was they defired of us; 
 he told us by Signs, that they defired we ftould 
 clap our Hands to the Sun (that was to fwear) 
 that we would not kill them , that we would 
 give them Ctriaruck, that is to fay, Bread, would 
 not ftarve them, and would not let the Lions eat 
 
 * them. 
 
 / 
 
(8o> 
 
 them. I told him we would promlte all that; 
 then he pointed to the Sun, and clapc his 
 Hands, finning to me, chat 1 ihould do ib too, 
 which I did', at which all the Prifbners fell fiat 
 on the Ground, and riling up again, made the 
 oddeft, wildeft Cries that ever I heard. 
 
 I think it was the firft time in my Life that 
 ever any religious Thought affettcd me; but 
 I could not refrain lome Refle&ions, and almofl 
 Tears, in confidering how happy it was, that 
 I was not born among fuch Creatures as thefej 
 and was not lb ftupidly ignorant and barbarous: 
 But this fbon went off again, and I was not 
 troubled again with any Qualms of- that Sort 
 for a long time after. 
 
 When this Ceremony was over, our Concern 
 was to get lbme Provisions, as well for the pre- 
 fent Subuftence of our Prifbners, as our felves; 
 and making Signs to our Prince, that we were 
 thinking upon that Subject, he made Signs to 
 me, that if I would let one of the Prifoners go 
 to h : s Town, he Ihould bring Provifions, and 
 fho'uld bring lbme Beads to carry our Baggage. 
 I feemed loath to truft him, and fuppofmg that: 
 he would run away, he made great Signs of Fi- 
 delity, and with his own Hands tied a Rope 
 about his Keck, offering me one End of it, inti- 
 mating, that 1 Ihould hang him, if the Man did 
 not come again. So 1 confented, and he gave him 
 Abundance of Inftru&ions, and lent him away, 
 pointing to the Light of the Sun, which it feems 
 was to tell him, at what time he muft be back. 
 
 The Fellow, run as if he was mad, and held 
 it till he was quite out of Sight, by which I 
 fbppofed he had a great Way to go. The next 
 Morning, about two Hours before the Time 
 
 appoin- 
 
 S 
 
'appointed, the Black Prince, for To I always 
 called him, beckoning with his Hand to me, 
 and hollooing after his Manner, defired me to 
 come to him, which I did, when pointing to a little 
 Hill about two Miles oif, I few plainly a little 
 Drove of Cattel, and feveral People with them-; 
 thofe he told me by Signs were the Man he had 
 &nt, and feveral more with him, and Cattel for us. 
 
 Accordingly by the time appointed, he came 
 quite to our Hutts, and brought with him a great 
 manyCowys,oung Runts, about 1 6 Goats, and,fourr 
 young Bulls, taught to carry Burthens. ; 
 
 This was a Supply of Provjiions fufHcient; as 
 for Bread we were obliged to ihifc with fome 
 Roots which we had made ufe of before. We 
 then began to confider of making fome large 
 Bags like the Soldiers Knapfacks, *br their Men 
 to carry our Baggage in, and to make it eafy 
 to them; and the Goats being killed; I ordered 
 the Skins to be fpread in the Sun, and they 
 were as dry in two Days as could be defired ; ib 
 we found means to. make fuch little Bags as we 
 wanted, and began to divide our Baggage into 
 them : When the Black Prince found what 
 they were for, and how eafy they, wore of Car- 
 riage when we put them on, he fmiled a lit- 
 tle, and fent away the Man again, to fetch 
 Skins, and he brought two Natives more 
 with him, all loaded with Skins better cured 
 than ours, and of other kinds, fuch as we could 
 Rot tell what Names to give them. 
 
 ThefetwoMen brought the Black Prince two 
 Lances of the fort they ufe in their Fights, but 
 finer than ordinary, being made of black fmooth 
 Wood, as fine as Ebony, and headed -at the Point 
 *vith the End of a long Tooth of fome Creature, 
 
 G " ve 
 
 / 
 
< * ) 
 
 we 'could not tell of what Creature; the Head 
 was fb firm put on, and the Tooth fo flrong, 
 rho* no bigger than my Thumb, and fharp at 
 the End, that I never faw any thing like it 
 in any Place in the World. 
 
 The Prince would not take them till I gave 
 him Leave, but made Signs that they fhould 
 give them to me-, however I gave him Leave 
 to take them himfelf, for I faw evident Signs of 
 an honourable juft Principle in him, 
 , We now prepared for cur March, when 
 the Prince coming to me, and pointing to- 
 wards the feveral Quarters of the World, made 
 Signs to know, which way we intended to go; 
 and when 1 fhewed him pointing to the Weft, 
 he prefently let me know, there was a great 
 Hiver a little further to the Korth, which was 
 .able to carry our Bark many Leagues into the 
 Country due Weft. 1 prefently took the Hint, 
 :md enquired for the Mouth of the River, which 
 I understood by him was above a Day's March, 
 and by our Eftjmation we found it about {even 
 Leagues further-, I take this to be the great 
 River marked by our Chart-Makers at the 
 Korthmoft Part of the Coaft of Mowmbiquc y and 
 called there Qjiilloa. 
 
 Confulting thus with our felves, we refblved 
 
 to take the Prince, and as many of the Prifoners 
 
 as we could flow in our Frigate, and go about 
 
 'by the Bay into the River; and that eight of us 
 
 'with our Arms fhould march by Land, to meet 
 
 f them on the River-fide; for .the Prince carrying 
 
 .us to a rifing Ground, had fhew'd us the River 
 
 >ery plain a great Way up the Country, 
 
 land m one Place it was not above fix Miles 
 
 to it* * 
 
 ; * ;: I 
 
(H) 
 
 It was my Lot to* march by Land, and be 
 Captain of tie whole Carravan: I had eight of. 
 our own Men with me, and Seven and Thirty 
 of our Prifoners, without any Baggage, for all 
 our Luggage was yet on board. We drove the" 
 young Bulls with us*, nothing was ever lb 
 tame, fo willing to work, or carry any thing. 
 The Negroes would ride upon them four at a 
 Time, and they would go very willingly-, they 
 would eat outof our Hand, lick our Feet, and 
 were as tradable as a Dog. 
 
 We drove with us fix or feven Cows for 
 Food \ but our Negroes knew nothing of curing 
 the Flefti by faking and drying it, till we 
 phew'd them the Way, and then they were 
 mighty willing to do fo as long as we had any 
 Sift to do it with, and to carry Salt a great 
 Way too, after we found we mould have no more. 
 
 It was an eafy March to the River Side for us 
 that went by Land, and we came thither in a 
 Piece of aDay, being as above not above fix Engllfa 
 Miles-, whereas it. was no lefs than five Days 
 before they came to us by Water, the Wind in 
 the Bay having failed them, and the Way, by 
 Reafon of a great Turn or Reach in the River 
 being above fifty Miles about. 
 
 We fpent this time in a thing which the 
 
 two Strangers, which brought the Pp nee the 
 
 two Lances, put into the Head of the Prifoners ^ 
 
 (?/&) to make Bottles of the Goats-Skins to carry 
 
 frcih Water in, which it feems they knew we 
 
 * fliould come to want \ and the Men, d ; d it fo dex- 
 
 teroufly, having dried Skins fetched them by 
 
 tTiofe two Men, that before our Veiiel came up, 
 
 they had every Man a Pouch like a Bladder, to 
 
 carry frefh Water in, hanging over their Shoulder 
 
by a Thong made of other Skins, about three IiW 
 ches broad, like the Sling of a Fuzee. 
 
 Our Prir.ee, to allure us of the Fidelity of the 
 Men in this March, had ordered them to be 
 tied two and two by the Wrift, as we handcuff 
 Prifoners in England \ and made them fo fenfible 
 of the Reafbnablenefs of it, that he made them 
 do it themfelves, appointing four of them, to 
 bind the reft ; but we found them fo honeft, and par- 
 ticularly Co obedient to him, that after we were 
 gotten a little further off of their own Country, 
 we fet them all at Liberty, tho* when he came 
 to us, lie would have them tied again, and they I 
 continued fb for a good while. 
 
 All the Country on the Bank of the River was 
 at high Land, no marfhy fwampy Ground in it, I 
 the Verdure good, and Abundance of Cattel feed- I 
 ing upon it, wherever .we went, or which I 
 Way ibever we look'd \ there was not much 
 Wood indeed, at leaft not near us, but further up 
 we law Oak, Cedar, and Pine Trees, fbme of which 
 were very large. 
 
 The River was a fair open Channel about asi 
 broad as the Humes below Gravefend, and a 
 flrong Tide of Flood, which we found held us 
 about 60 Miles, the Channel deep*, nor did we 
 find any Want of Water for a great Way. In 
 ihort, we went merrily up the River with the 
 Flood, and the Wind blowing ftill frefh at E. and 
 E. N. E, we ftemm'd the Ebb eafily alfo,efpecially 
 while the River continued broad and deep-, but 
 when we came paft the Swelling of the Tide, 
 and had the natural Current of the River to go 
 againft, we found it too ftrong for us, and began 
 to think of quitting our Bark; but the. Prince 
 would by no means agree to that, for finding we 
 
 hac 
 
U*5) 
 
 had on board pretty good Store of Roping made 
 of Matts and Flags, which I defcribed before, 
 he ordered all the Prifbners which were on ihore, 
 to come and take hold of thofe Ropes, and tow 
 us along by the Shore Side-, and as we hoifted 
 our Sail too, to eafe them, the Men run along 
 with us at a very great Rate. 
 
 In this Manner the River carry'd us up by our 
 Computation near 200 Miles, and then it narrow- 
 ed apace, and was not above as broad as the Tljames 
 is at Wind/or, or thereabouts-, and after another 
 Day, we came to a great Water-fall or Cataraft, 
 enough to fright us, for 1 believe thewhole 
 Body of Water fell at once perpendicularly down 
 a Precipice, above fixty Foot high, which made 
 a Noife enough to deprive men of their Hearing, 
 and we heard it above Ten Miles before we came 
 to it. 
 
 Here we were at a full Stop, and now our Prifbi- 
 ners went firft on Shore , they had worked very 
 hard, and very chearfully, relieving one another, 
 thofe that were weary being taken into the Bark. 
 Had we had Canoes, or any Boats which might 
 have been carried by Mens Strength, we might 
 have gone 200 Miles more up this River in fmall 
 Boats, but our great Boat could go no farther. 
 
 All this Way the Country looked green and 
 pleafant, and was full of Cattel, and fome Peo- 
 ple we faw, tho' not many ; but this we obferv'd 
 now, that the People did no more underfland our 
 Prifoners here, than we could underfland them; 
 being it feems of different Nations, and of diffe- 
 rent Speech. We had yet fcen no wild Beafts,or at 
 Jeaft none that came very near us ; except two 
 Bays before we came at the Water- fall, when we 
 ft\v three of the moft beautiful Leopards that ever 
 i% G 3 were 
 
I^r^s- 
 
 were feen, landing upon the Bank of the River 
 on the Korth-fide, our Prifoners being all on the 
 other Side of the Water. Our Gunner efpy'd 
 them firft, and ran to fetch his Gun, putting a 
 Ball extraordinary in if, and coming to me, 
 now Captain Bob, fays he, where's your Prince, 
 fo I called him out, now, fays he, tell your 
 Men not to be afraid, tell them they mall fee 
 that Thing in his Hand, fpeak in Fire to one 
 of thofe BeaASjandmakcit kill it felf. 
 
 The poor Keg roes looked as if they had 
 been all going to be killed, notwithstanding > 
 what their Prince laid to them, and flood fta-j 
 ring to expect the Iffuc, when on a fuddcn the' 
 Gunner fired , and as he was a very good Marks- 
 Man, he fliot the Creature with two Sluggs juft 
 in the Head. As foon as the Leopard felt her 
 ielf ftruck, me rear'd up on her two hind Legs 
 bolt upright, and throwing her Fore-Paws about 
 }n the Air, fell backward, growling and ftrug? 
 gling, and immediately died*, the other two 
 frighted with the Fire and the Noife,(led, and 
 were out of Sight in an Inflant. 
 
 But the two frighted Leopards were not in 
 half the Confternation that our Prifoners m were r, 
 four or five, of them fell down as if they had 
 been mot, feveral others fell on their Knees, and 
 Jifred up their Hands to us;, whether to wor- 
 ship us, or pray us not to kill them, we did 
 not know , but we made Signs to their Prince 
 to encourage them, which he* did, but in was 
 ^vith much ado that he brought them to their 
 Senfev nay, the Prince, notwithftanding all tha 
 was faid to prepare him for it, yet "when the 
 piece went olF, he gave a Start as if he .\vqul " 
 hav leap'd into the River, 
 
 '* Wh<m 
 
 - 
 
 i 
 
mggmim 
 
 IHHHV 
 
 (87 ) 
 
 When we law the Creature .killed, I had a 
 great Mind to have the Skin of her, and made 
 Signs to the Prince, that he fbould fend fbme 
 of his Men over to take the Skin off . As Icon 
 as he fpoke but a Word, four of them that 
 offered themfelves were untied, and immediately 
 they jump'-d into the River, and fwam over, 
 and went to work with him: The Prince ha- x 
 ving a Knife that we gave him, made four wood- 
 en Knives fo clever, as 1 never faw any thing 
 like them in my Life, and in lefs than an Hour's 
 time, they brought me the Skin of the Leopard, 
 which was a monflrous great one, for it was 
 from the Ears to the Tail about feven Foot, 
 and near five Foot Broad on the Back, and moft 
 admirably fpotted all over , the Skin of this 
 Leopard I brought to London many Years after. 
 
 We were now all upon a Level, as to our 
 travelling \ being unihipp'd, for our Bark would 
 fwim no farther, and (he was too heavy to carry 
 on our Backs-, but as we found the Courfe of the 
 River went a great Way farther, we confulted 
 our Carpenters, whether we could not pull the 
 Bark in Pieces, and make us three or four fmall 
 Boats to go on with. They told us, we might do 
 fo, but it would be very long a-doing ; and, that 
 when we had done, .we had neither Pitch or 
 Tar to make them found, to keep the Water 
 out, or Kails to fallen the Plank; but one of 
 them toldus, that as ibon as lie could come at any 
 largeTree, near the River he would make us a 
 Canoe or two in a Quarter of the Time, and 
 which would ferve us as well for all the Uies we 
 could have any Occafion for as a Boat; and 
 fuch, that if we came to any Water-falls, we 
 . j might take them up, and carry them for a Mile' 
 .Or two by Land, upon our Shoulders. 
 I G 4 Upon 
 
( 88 ) 
 
 Upon this we gave over the Thoughts of our 
 Frigate, and hauling her into a little Cove, or 
 Inlet, where a fmall Brook came into the main 
 River, we laid her up for thofe that came next, 
 and marched forward. We fpent indeed two 
 Days dividing our Baggage, and loading our 
 tame Buffioes and our Kegroes: Our Pow- 
 der and Shot, which was the thing we were 
 moft careful of, we ordered thus: Firft the Powder 
 we divided into little Leather Bngs, that is 
 to fay, Bags of dried Skins with the Hair in- 
 ward, that the Powder might not grow damp*, 
 and then we put thole Bogs into other Bags 
 made of Bullocks Skins, very thick a nd hard, 
 with the Hair outward, that no Wet might come 
 in-, and this l'uccccded ib well, that in the 
 greateft Rains we had, whereof fome were very 
 violent and very long, we always kept our Pow- 
 der dry. Befides "thefe Bags which held our 
 chief Magazine, we divided to every one a 
 Quarter ofa Pound of Powder, and Haifa Pound 
 of Shot to carry always about us-, which as it 
 was enough for our prefent Ufe, Co we were 
 willing to have no Weight to carry more than 
 was absolutely necellary, becaufeof the Heat, 
 
 We kept (till on the Bank of the River, and 
 for that Kcafbn had very Little Communication 
 with the People of the Country , fbr, having alfo 
 our Park ftorcd witli Plenty of Provifions, we. 
 had had no Occafion to loofc abroad for ti Sup- 
 ply, hut now we came to march on Foot, we 
 were obliged often to feek out for Food. The 
 firft Place we came toon the River that gave us 
 Any Stop, was a little Negro Town, contain- 
 ing about 50 Hutts, and there appeared about 
 400 Feopie, for they all came out to fee us, 
 
 and 
 
p 
 * 
 
 <8 9 ) 
 
 *nd wonder at: 'ink When our Negroes appea- 
 peared, the Inhabitants began to fly to Arms, 
 thinking there had been Enemies coming upon 
 them^ but our Negroes, tho' they could not 
 (peak their Language, made Signs to them, that 
 they had no Weapons, and were tied two and two 
 together, as Captives , that there were People 
 behind who came from the Sun, and that could 
 kill them all, and make them alive again, if they 
 plea fed \ but that they would do them no Hurt, 
 end came with Pence. As foon as they underftood 
 this, they laid down their Lances, and Bows and 
 Arrows, and came and fhick twelve large Stakes 
 in the Ground, as a Token of Peace, bowing 
 themfelvesto us in Token of Submifilon. But as 
 foon as they faw white Men with Beards, that 
 is to fay, Muflachoes, they run fcreaming away 
 as in. a Fright. 
 
 We kept at a Diftance from them, not to be 
 too familiar ; and when we did appear, it was 
 but two or three of us at a time. But our Prifo- 
 ncrs made them underftand, that we required 
 'fome Provisions of them \ to they brought us 
 fome black Cattel, for they have Abundance of 
 Cows and BufHoes all over that Side of the 
 Country, as alio great Numbers of Deer. Our 
 Cutler, who had now a great Stock of tilings of 
 h's Handy-work, gave them fome little Knick 
 Knacks, as Plates of Silver and of Iron, cut Dia- 
 mond Fafliion, and cut intb Hearts and into Ring?, 
 and they were mightily plcafed. They alii) 
 brought feveral Sorts of Fruits and Roots, which 
 we did not undcrftand, but our Negroes fed hear- 
 tily on them, and after we had feen diem eat 
 them, we did fo too. 
 
 Having 
 
(9o) 
 
 Having ftock'd our felves here with Flefh and 
 Roots as much as we could well carry, we divi- 
 ded the Burthens among our Negroes, appointing ! 
 about 30 to 40 Pound Weight to a Man, which ! 
 we thought indeed was Load enough in a hot : 
 Country , and the Negroes did not at all repine 
 at it, but would fbmetimes help one another 
 when they began to be weary, which did happen 
 now and then, tho' not often : Befides, as moft of 
 their Luggage was our Provifion, it lighten'd eve- 
 ry Day like ofofs Basket of Bread, till we came 
 to get a Recruit. Note, when we loaded them, 
 we untied their Hands, and tied them two and 
 two together by one Foot. The third Day of our 
 March from this Place, our chief Carpenter defi- 
 red us to halt, and let up fome Hutts, for he 
 had found out fome Trees that he liked, and 
 refolved to make us fome Canoes ; for as he told 
 me, he knew we mould have Marching enough on 
 . Foot after we left the River, and he was refolved 
 to "go no farther by Land than needs muft. 
 
 We had no fooner given Order for our little 
 Camp, and given Leave to our Negroes to lay 
 down their Loads, but they fell to Work to build 
 our Hutts , and tho' they were tied, as above, 
 yet they did it fo ivmbly, as furprized us. Here 
 we fet fome of the Negroes quite at Liberty, 
 that is to fay, without tying them, having the 
 Prince's Word pafs'd for their Fidelity ; and fome 
 of thefe were ordered to help the Carpenters, 
 which they did very handily, with a little Di 
 re&ion, and others were fent to fee whether they 
 could get any Provifion near Hand ; but inftead 
 of Prov ; fions, three of them came in with two 
 Bows and Arrows, and five Lances. They could 
 not eafily make us uuderftand how they came by 
 
 theni, 
 
( ?' V 
 
 them, only that theyhad furprlzed fome Negroe 
 Women, who were in fome Hutts, the Men be- 
 ing from Home, and they had found the Lances 
 and Bows in the Hutts or Houfes, the Women 
 and Children flying away at the Sight of them, 
 as from Robbers. We feem'd very ar.gry at them, 
 and made the Prince ask them, if they had not 
 killM any of the Women or Children, making 
 them believe, that if they had kilfd any Body, 
 we would make them kill themfelves too^ but 
 they protefted their Innocence, fb we excufed 
 them. Then they brought us the Bows and Ar- 
 rows and Lances }' but at a Motion of their black 
 Prince, we gave them back the Bows and Arrows, 
 and gave them Leave to eo out to fee what they 
 could kill for Food ; and here we gave them the 
 Law of Arms, viz. That if any Men appeared to 
 affault them, or fhoot at them, or offer any Vio- 
 lence to them, they might kill them , but that 
 they fhould not offer to kill or hurt any that 
 offer'd them Peace, or laid down their Weapons, 
 nor any Women or Children, upon any Occafion 
 whatfoeyer. Thele were our Articles of War. 
 
 Thefe two Fellows had not been gone out above 
 three or four Hours, but one of them came run- 
 ning to us without his Bow and Arrows, hallooing 
 and hooping a great while before he came at us, 
 Oko.vnOy Ohnmoy which it feems was, Helf t Help. 
 The reft of the Negroes rofe up in a Hurry, 
 and by Two's, as they could, run forward toward 
 their Fellows to know wjiat the Matter was. As 
 for me, I did not underfhnd it, nor any of our 
 People*, the Prince look'd as if fomething unlucky 
 had fallen out, and fome of our Men took up 
 their Arms, to be ready on Occafion. But the 
 ^egroes foon difcover'd the Thing , for we few 
 
 four 
 
four of them prefently after coming along with a 
 great Load of Meat upon their Backs. The Cafe 
 was, that the firft two who went out with their 
 Bows and Arrows, meeting with a great Herd. 
 of Deer in the Plain, had been fo nimble as to 
 fhoot three of them , and then one of them came 
 running to us for Help, to fetch them away. 
 This was the firft Veniibn we had met with up- 
 on all our March, and we feafted upon it very 
 plentifully } and this was the firft time we be-, 
 gan to prevail with our Prince to eat his Meat 
 dreft our Way ^ after which, his Men were pre- 
 vailed with by his Example, but before that, they 
 eat mod of the Fleili they had quite raw. 
 
 We wiihM now we had brought fbme Bows and 
 Arrows out with us, which we might have done \ 
 and we began to have fo much Confidence in 
 our' Negroes, and to be fo familiar with them, 
 that we oftentimes let them go, or thegreateft 
 Part of them, unty'd, being well affured they 
 would not leave us, and that they did not know 
 what Courfe to take without us , but one thing 
 we refblved not to truft them with, and that was 
 the Charging our Guns-, but they always believed 
 our Guns had fbme heavenly Power in them, that 
 they would fend forth Fire and Smoke, and fpeak 
 ( \vith a dreadful Noile, and kill at a Diftance 
 "whenever we bid them. 
 
 In about eight Days we rimmed three Ca- i 
 .noes, and in them we embarked our white Men 
 and our Baggage, with our Prince, and fbme of 
 the Pri (oners. We alfo found it needful to keep j 
 fbme of our felves always on Shore, not only j 
 to manage the Negroes, but to defend them from j 
 Enemies and wild Beafb. Abundance of little | 
 Incidents happened upon this March, which it is 
 
 not 
 
<n) 
 
 not poffible to crowd into this Account \ parti-, 
 cularly. we faw more wild Beafts now than we, 
 did before, fome Elephants, and two or three 
 Lions ; none of which Kinds we had feen any of 
 before^ and we found our Negroes were more 
 I afraid of them a great deal than, we were , prin-i 
 I cipally becaufe they had no Bows and Arrows, 
 or Lances, which were the particular Weapons 
 they were bred up to the Exercile of. 
 
 But we cured them of their Fears, by being 
 always ready with our Fire-Arms. However, as 
 we were willing to be fparing of our Powder, 
 and the KilHng any of the Creatures now was no 
 Advantage to us, feeing their Skins were too hea- 
 vy for us to carry, and their Fleih not good to 
 eat, we refolved therefore to keep fome of our 
 Pieces uncharg'd, and only primd, and caufnig 
 them to ftifli in the Pan, the Beafts, even the 
 Lions themfelveSj would always ftart, and fly 
 back when they faw it, and immediately march off. 
 We paft Abundance of Inhabitants upon this 
 upper Part of the River, and with this Obferva- 
 tion, that almoft every ten Miles we came to, 
 a feveral Nation, and every feveral Natioti had 
 a different Speech, or elfe their Speech had dif- 
 fering Dialects, fo that they did not underftand 
 one another. They all abounded in Cattel, efpe- 
 cially on the River Side-, and the eighth Day of 
 this fecond Navigation, we met with a little Ne- 
 groeTown, where they had growing a Sort of 
 Corn like Rice, which eat very fweet , and as we 
 got fome of it of the People, we made very good 
 Cakes of Bread of it, and making a Fire, bak'd 
 them on the Ground, after the Fire was fwept 
 away very well; fo that hitherto we had no 
 .Want of Provifions of any kind we could defire. 
 
 Our 
 
(9+) 
 
 Our Negroes towing our Canoes, we travel- 
 led at a confiderable Rate, and by our own Ac- 
 count, could not go lefs than 20 or 25 Englifli 
 Miles a Day, and the River continuing to be much 
 at *-he fame Breadth, and very deep all the Way, 
 till on the tenth Day we came to another Ca- 
 taratt , for a Ridge of high Hills crofling the whole 
 Channel of the River, the Water came tumbling 
 down the Rocks from- one Stage to another in 
 a ftrange Manner : So that it was a continued 
 Link of Catara&s from one to another, in the 
 Manner of a Caskade \ only, that the Falls were 
 lometimes a Quarter of a Mile from one another, 
 and the Noife confufed and frightful. 
 
 We thought our Voyaging was at a full Stop 
 now ; but three of us, with a Couple of our 
 Kegroes, mounting the Hills another Way, to 
 view the Courfe of the River, we found a fair 
 Channel againafter about half a Mile's March, and 
 that it was like to hold us a good Way farther. 
 So we fet all Hands to Work, unloaded our Car- 
 go, and hauled our Canoes on Shore, to fee if 
 we could carry them. 
 
 Upon Examination, we found that they were 
 very heavy ; but our Carpenters fpending but 
 one Day's Work one them, hew'd away (6 much 
 of the Timber from their Outfides, as reduced 
 them very much, and yet they were as fit to 
 iwim as before. When this was done, ten Men 
 with Poles took up one of the Canoes, and made 
 nothing to carry it. So we ordered twenty Men 
 to each Canoe, that one Ten might relieve an- 
 other ; and thus we carried all our Canoes, and 
 launched them into the Water again, and then 
 fetch' d our Luggage, and loaded it all again 
 into the Canoes, and all in an Afternoon - 7 and 
 
 th 
 
( K ) 
 
 the next Morning early we mov'd forward a- 
 gain. When we had towed about four Days 
 more, our Gunner, who was our Pilot, begun to 
 obferve that we did not keep our right Courfe fo 
 exaclly as we ought, the River winding away a 
 little towards the North, and gave us Notice 
 of it accordingly. However, we were not wil- 
 ling to lofe the Advantage of Water-Carriage, at 
 leaft not till we were forced to it , fo we joggM on, 
 and the River ferved us about Threefcore Miles 
 further % but then we found it grew very finall 
 and {hallow, having pafs'd the Mouths of feve- 
 ral little Brooks or Rivulets which come into it, 
 and at Length it became but a Brook it felf. 
 
 We tow'd up as far as ever our Boats would 
 fwim, and we went two Days the further, ha- 
 ving been about twelve Days in this iaft Part 
 of the River, by Lightning the Boats, and taking 
 our Luggage out, which we made the Negroes 
 carry, being willing to eafe our felves as long 
 as we could ^ but at the End of thefe two Days, 
 in fhort, there was not Water enough to fwim 
 a Lonion Wherry. 
 
 We now fet forward wholly by Land, and 
 without any Expe&ation of more Water Carri- 
 age. AH our Concern for more Water, was to 
 be fure to have a Supply for our Drinking , and 
 therefore upon every Hill that we came near, 
 we clamber'd up to the higheft Part, to fee the 
 Country before us, and to make the beft Judg- 
 ment we could which way to go to keep the low- 
 eft Grounds, and as near fome Stream of Water 
 as we could. 
 
 The Country held verdant, well grown with 
 Trees, and fpread with Rivers and Brooks, and 
 tolerably well with Inhabitants, for about thirty 
 
 Days 
 
Days March. After our leaving the Canoes, du- 
 ring which time things went pretty well with 
 us; we did not tye our felves down when to 
 march, and when to halt, but order'd thofe 
 things as our Convenience, and the Health and 
 Eafe of our People, as well our Servants, as our 
 felves, required. 
 
 About the Middle of this March, we came 
 into a low and plain Country, in which we per- 
 ceived a greater Number of Inhabitants than in 
 any other Country we had gone thro'-, but that 
 which was worfe for us, we found them a fierce, 
 barbarous, treacherous People, and who at firft 
 look'd upon us as Robbers, and gathered them- 
 felves in Numbers to attack us. 
 
 Our Men were terrified at them at firft, and 
 began to difcover an unufual Fear , and even our 
 black Prince feemed in a great deal of Confufion : 
 But I fmiled at him, and mewing him fome of our 
 Guns, I asked him, if he thought that which 
 killed the fpotted Cat, (for fo diey called the 
 Leopard in their Language) could not make a 
 Thoufand of thole naked Creatures die at one 
 Blow? Then he laugh'd, and (aid Yes, he believ'd 
 'it would. Well then, laid I, tell your Men nod 
 to be afraid of thefe People, for we mall loon 
 give them a Tafte of what we can do, if they 
 pretend to meddle with us. However, we con- 
 sidered we were in the Middle of a vaft Coun- 
 try, and we knew not what Numbers of Peo- 
 ple and Nations we might be furrounded with; 
 and above all, we knew not how much wel 
 might fland in Need of the Friendship of thefe 
 that we were now among; Co that we ordered thai 
 Negroes to try all the Methods they could, tdl 
 make them Friends. II 
 
 Accofil 
 
( 97 ) 
 
 Accordingly, the two Men who had gotten 
 Bows and Arrows, and two more to whom we 
 gave the Prince's two fine Lances, went foremoft 
 with five more having long Poles in their Hands; 
 and after them ten of our Men advanced toward 
 the Negro Town that was next to us, and we 
 all ftood ready to fuccour them if there fhould 
 be Occafion. . 
 
 When they came pretty near their Houfcs* 
 our Negroes halloo'd in their (creaming Way, and 
 called to them as loud as they could ; upon their , 
 calling, fome of the Men came out, and anfwerM, 
 and immediately after the whole Town, Men 
 Women and Children appeared: Our ^Negroes 
 with their long Poles went forward a little, and 
 fhick them all in the Ground, and left them, 
 which in their Country was a Signal of Peace, but 
 the other did not underftand the Meanxng^bif 
 that. .Then the two Men with Bows, laid down 
 their Bows and Arrows, went forward unarmed, 
 and made Signs of Peace to them, which at 
 Jaft the other began to underhand; fj two of 
 their Men laid down their Bows and Arrows, 
 and came towards them: Our Men made all the 
 Signs of Friendfhip to them that they could 
 think of, putting their Hands up to their 
 Mouths, as a Sign that they wanted Provifions to 
 eat, and the other pretended to be pleafed and 
 friendly, and went back to their Fellows, and 
 talk'd with them a while, and they came forward 
 again, and made Signs that they would bring 
 fome Provifions to them before the Sun fet ; and 
 fo our Men came back again very well fatisfied 
 for that time. 
 
 But an Hour before Sun-fet our Men went to 
 them again, juft in the fame Pofture as before, 
 
 H ' and 
 
ha- 
 
 (9*) . \ 
 
 and they came according to their Appointmeni 
 nndbroiight'Deers Flefh, Roots, and the fame 
 kind of Corn like Rice, which I mentioned above, 
 and our Negroes being furninYd with fuch Toys 
 as our' Cutler had contrived, gave them fomeof 
 them, which they feem'd infinitely plcas'd with, 
 and promised to bring more Prbvifions the next 
 Bay. 
 
 Accordingly, the next Day they came aga 
 but our Men perceived they were more in Nu 
 berby a great many than before*, however, h 
 ving lent out ten Men with Fire-Arms to.ftand 
 rpdy, and our whole Army being in View alfo, 
 we were not much furprized-, nor was the 
 Treachery of the Enemy fo cunningly ordered 
 as in other Cafes-, for they might have fur- 
 rounded our Negroes, whxh, were but nin$ 
 under a Shew of Peace-, but when they law oui 
 Men advance almoft as far as the Place where 
 they were the Day before, the Rogues fnatchM 
 up their Bows and Arrows, and come running 
 upon our Men like fo many Furies, at whirl 
 our ten Men called to the Negroes to come bad 
 to them, which they did with Speed enough a 
 the firfl Word, and (rood all behind our Men 
 As they fled, the other advanced, and let fij 
 near a \oz of their Arrows at them, by wlvcJ 
 two of our Negroes were wounded, and one w< 
 thought had been killed. When they come ti 
 the five Poles that our Men had {tuck in th< 
 Ground, they flood (till a while, and gatherinj 
 about the Poles, looked at them, and handle 
 them as wondering at what they meant 
 then who were drawn up behind all, fent one 
 our Number to our ten Men, to bid them 
 among them, while they flood fo thick, and 
 
r 99 ; 
 
 put fome fmall Shot into their Guns, befides 
 the ordinary Charge, and to tell them, that we 
 woiildbe up with them immediately. 
 
 Accordingly they made ready, but by that 
 time they were ready to fiVe, the Black Army 
 had left their wondering about the Poles, and 
 began to ftir as if they would come on, tho' fee- 
 ing more Men ftand at fome Diftance behind 
 Our Negroes, they could not tell what to make of 
 us -j butif they did not underfland us before, they 
 underftood us lefs afterwards, for as foon as ever 
 our Men found them begin to move forward, 
 they fired among the thickeft of them, being 
 about the Diftance of 120 Yards, as near as we 
 could guefs. 
 
 It is impo/Tibte to exprefs the Fright, the 
 Screaming and Yelling of thofe Wretches upon 
 this firft Volley; we killed fix of them, and woun- 
 ded 1 1 or 12, 1 mean as we knew of; for, as they 
 flood thick, and the fmall Shot, as we called it, 
 icattered among them, we had Reafon to believe 
 we wounded more that flood farther off*, for our 
 fmall Shot was made of Bits of Lead, and Bits 
 of Iron, Heads of N_?'ls, and fuch things as 
 our diligent Artificer the Cutler helpM us to. 
 
 As to thofe that were killed and wounded, the 
 other frighted Creatures were under the greateft 
 Amazement in the World, to think what fliould 
 hurt them , for they could fee nothing but 
 Holes made in their Bodies they knew not how. 
 Then the Fire and the Noife amazed all their 
 Women and Children, and frighted them out of 
 their Wits, that they ran flaring and howling 
 about like mad Creatures. 
 
 However, all this did not make them fly, 
 which was what we wanted} nor did we find 
 . v Hi any 
 
any of them die as it were with Fear, as at firft, 
 fo we refolved upon a fecond Volley, and then 
 to advance as we did before. Whereupon our 
 referved Men advancing, we refolved to fire 
 only three Men at a time, and move forward 
 like an Army firing in Platoons-, fo being all in >: 
 Line we fired fir ft three on the Right, then 
 three on the Left, and lb on; and every time we 
 killed or wounded ibme of them; but ftill they/ 
 did not fly, and yet they were fo frighted, that; 
 they ufcd none of their Bows and Arrows, or 
 of their Lances - T and we thought their Numbers 
 encrealed upon our Hands-, particularly we 
 thought fo by the Noife; Co I called to our Men 
 to halt, and bid them pour in one whole Volley, 
 and then ihout, as we did in our iirfl Fight,, and 
 fo run in upon them, and knock them down 
 with our Mufquets. 
 
 But they were too wife for that too, for as foon 
 as we had fired a whole Volley, and fhouted, 
 they all run away, Men, Women, and Children, 
 fo flirt, that in a few Moments we could not fee 
 one Creature of them, except fome that were 
 wounded and lame, who lay wallowing and 
 fcreaming here and there upon the Ground, as 
 they happen'd to fall. 
 
 Upon this we came up to the Field of Battle, 
 where we found we had Killed 37 of them, among 
 which were three Women, and had wounded 
 about 6+ among which were two Women-, by 
 wounded I mean, fuch as were fo maimed, as not 
 to be able to go away, and thofe our Negroes 
 killed afterwards in a cowardly manner in cold 
 Blood, for which we were very angry, and 
 threatned to make them go to them if they did 
 lb again. 
 
 - ' There 
 
;(ioir > 
 
 There was no great Spoil t6 be got, for they 
 were all ftark naked as they came into the 
 World, Men aiid Women together-, fome ot 
 them having Feathers ftuck in their Hair, and 
 others a kind of Bracelets about their Kecks, but 
 nothing clfe; but our Negroes got a Booty 
 here which we were very glad of, and this was 
 the Bows and Arrows of the vanquifhed, of 
 which they found more than they knew what 
 to do with, belonging to the killed and woun- 
 ded Men; thefe we ordered them to pick up, and 
 they were very ufeful to us afterwards. After* 
 the Fight, and our Negroes had gotten Bows 
 and Arrows, we lent them out in Parties to fee 
 what they could get, and they got fome Pro- 
 vifions; but, which was better than all the reft, 
 they brought us four more young Bulls, or Buf- 
 fldes, that had been brought up to Labour, and 
 to carry Burthens: They knew them, it feems. 
 by the Burthens they had carry'd having galled 
 their Backs; for, they have no Saddles to cover 
 them with in that Country. 
 
 Thofe Creatures not only ealedour Negroes, 
 but gave us an Opportunity to carry more Pro- 
 vifions, and our Negroes loaded them very hard 
 at this Place, with Flefli and Roots, fuch as 
 we wanted very much afterwards. 
 
 In this Town we found a very little young Leo- 
 pard, about two Spans high; it was exceeding 
 tame, andpurrM like a Cat when we flroked it 
 with our Hands,being, as I fuppofe, bred up among 
 the Negroes like a Houfe-Dog. It was our Black 
 Prince, it feems, who making his Tour among the 
 abandoned Houles or Hutts, found this Crea- 
 ture there, and making much of him, and giving 
 
 H 3 ' a Bit 
 
( i03 ) 
 
 a Bit or two of Flefhtohim, the Creature fol- 
 lowed him like a Dog-, of which more hereafter. . 
 
 Among the Negroes that were killed in this 
 Battle, there was one who had a little thin Bit 
 or Plate of Gold, about as big as a Six-Pence,' 
 which hung by a little Bit of a twitted Gutt, 
 upon his Forehead, by which we fuppofed he 
 was a Man of feme Eminence among rhemj but 
 that was not all, for this Bit of Gold put us 
 upon fearching very narrowly, if there was not 
 more of it to be had thereabouts, but we 
 ound none at all. 
 
 From this Part of the Country we went on for 
 'about 1 5 Days, and then found our leives obliged 
 to march up a high Ridge of Mountains frightful 
 to behold, and the firft of the Kind that we met 
 with , and having no Guide but our little Pocket 
 Compafs, we had no Advantage of Information 
 as to which was the beft, or the worft Way, but 
 were obliged to chufe by what we law, and fhift 
 as well as we could. We met with feveral Na- 
 tions of wild and naked People in the plain Coun- 
 try, before we came to thole Hills, and we found 
 them much more tradable and friendly than thofc 
 Devils we hid been fbrcM to fight with-, and tho* 
 we could learn little from thefe People, yet we 
 imderftood by the Signs they made, chat there 
 was a vaft Delart beyond thofo Hills, and, as our 
 Nc^rccs cJkd thenty much Lion, muchfpotted Cat 
 (io they called the Leopard) and they figuM to us 
 alfo, that we mud carry Water with us. At trhc 
 lafl: of thefe Nations we furniflicd our leives 
 with as much Provifion as we could poflibly car- 
 ry, not knowing what we had to fuffer, or what 
 Length we had to go ; and to make our Way as 
 familiar to us as poilible, I propofed, that of 
 
 the 
 
the laft Inhabitants we could find, we fhould make 
 fome Prifoners, and carry them with us for 
 Guides over the Defart, and to ailift us in car- 
 rying Provifion, and perhaps in getting it too. 
 The Advice was too neceffery to be flighted ; 
 fo finding by our dumb Signs to the Inhabitants, 
 that there were fome People that dwelt At th? 
 Foot of the Mountains, on the other Side, be- 
 fore we came to the Defart it felf, we refolved 
 to furniih our felves with Guides, by fair Means 
 or foul. 
 
 Here, by a moderate Computation, we conclu- 
 ded our ielves 700 Mnes from the Sea Coaft 
 where we began. Our Black Prince was this Day 
 let free from the Sltng his Arm hung in, our Sur- 
 geon having perfectly reftored it, and he jhewed 
 it to his own Countrymen quite well, which 
 made them greatly wonder. Alfb our two Ne- 
 groes began to recover, and their Wounds to heal 
 apace, for our Surgeon was very skilful in ma- 
 naging their Cure. " 
 
 Having with infinite Labour mounted thefc 
 Hills, and coming to a View of the Country be- 
 yond them, it was indeed enough to aftonifh as 
 ftout a Heart as ever was created. It was a vaft 
 howling Wildernefs, not a Tree, a River, or a 
 Green thing to be feen, for as tar as the Eve 
 could look ; nothing but a fcalding Sand, which, 
 as the Wind blew, drove about in Clouds, enough 
 to overwhelm Man andBeaft; nor could we fee 
 any End of it, either before us, which was 
 our Way, or to the right Hand or left: So that 
 truly our Men began to be dilcouraged, and 
 talk of going back again-, nor could we indeed 
 think of venturing over fuch a horrid Place as 
 
 H 4. that 
 
( to* ) 
 
 .that before us, in which we faw nothing but pre* 
 Tent Death, 
 
 I was as much a netted with the Sight as any 
 of them, but for all that I could not bear the 
 Thoughts of going back again. I told them we had 
 march'd 700 Miles of our Way, and it would be 
 worfe than Death to think of going back again ; 
 and that if they thought the Defart was not paffa- 
 bie, I thought we fhouid rather change ourCourfe, 
 and travel South till we came to the Ctpe of Good 
 ffoft, or North to the Country that lay along the 
 ffilt, where perhaps we might find fbme Way 
 or other over to the Weft Sea ; for fure all Africa 
 was not a Defort. 
 
 Our Gunner, wh?, as I faid before, was our 
 Guide as to the Situation of Places, told us, that 
 he could not tell what to fay to going for the 
 Gape \ for it was a monftrous Length, being from 
 the Place where we now were, not lefs than 
 1500 Miles, and by his Account, we were come 
 now a third Part of the Way to the Coaft of Angola, 
 where we fhouid . meet with the Weftern Ocean, 
 and find Ways enough for our Efcape Home. On 
 the other Hand, he aJTured us, and fhewed us a 
 JVIap of it, that if we went Northward, the We- 
 fcern Shore ofAfrick went out into the Sea above a 
 Thoudmd Miles Weft ; (6 that we fhouid have Co 
 much, and more Land, to travel afterwards; 
 which Land might, for ought we knew, be as 
 wild, barren, and defart, as this : And therefore, 
 iipon the whole, he piopofed that we fhouid atr 
 tempt this Defart, and perhaps we fhouid not find 
 it fo long as we feared ; and however, he pro- 
 pofed that we fhouid fee how far our Provisions 
 would carry us, and in particular, our Water; 
 %nd that we fhouid venture no farther than Half 
 
 " ; & 
 
( 5 ) 
 
 fofar as our Water would -laft; and if we found 
 no End of the Defart, we might come &fe\y back 
 again. ' v; V ; 
 
 This Advice was fi> reafonable, that we all 
 approved of it ; and accordingly we calculated, 
 that we were able to carry Provifions for 4.2 
 Days, but that we could not carry Water for 
 above .20 Days, tho' we were to fuppofe it to 
 flint too before that time expired. So that we 
 concluded, that if we did not come at fome Wa- 
 ter in ten D^ys time, we would return, but if we 
 found a Supply of Water, we could then travel 
 21 Days-, and if we faw no End of the Wilder* 
 nefs in that time, we would return alfb. 
 
 With this Regulation of our Meafures, we de- 
 fended the Mountains, and it was the fecond 
 Day before we quite reached the Plain, where 
 however, to make us amends, we found a fine 
 little Rivulet of very good Water, Abundance 
 of Deer, a fort of Creature like a Hare, but not 
 fo nimble, and whofe Flefh we found very agree- 
 able \ but we were deceived in our Intelligence, 
 for we found no People*, Co we got no more Prifo- 
 ners to affift us in carrying our Baggage. 
 
 The infinite Number of Deer and other Creatures 
 which we law here, we found was occafioned by 
 the Neighbourhood of the Wall or Defart, from 
 whence they retired hither for Food and Refrefh- 
 ment. We" flored our felves here with Flefh and 
 Roots of divers Kinds, which our Negroes under- 
 stood better than we, and which ferved us for 
 Bread ^ and with as much Water as, (by the Al- 
 lowance of a Quart a Day to a Man for our Ne- 
 groes, and three Pints a Day a Man for our felves, 
 2nd three Quarts a Day each, for our BufHoes) 
 x would ferve us 20 Days : And thus loaden for a 
 
 long 
 
(io6) 
 
 long miferable March,, we fet forward, being 
 alllbund in Health, and very chearful, but not 
 alike ftrong for fb great a Fatigue ; and which 
 was our Grievance, were without a Guide. . 
 
 In the very firft Entrance of the Waft, we 
 were exceedingly difcouraged *, for we found the 
 Sand fo deep, and it fcalded our Feet fb much with 
 the Heat, that after we had, as T may call it, wa- 
 ded rather than walkM thro' it, about (even or 
 eight Miles, we were all heartily tired and faint ; 
 even the very Negroes lay down and panted, like 
 Creatures that had been pufh'd beyond their 
 Strength. 
 
 Here we found the Difference of Lodging great- 
 ly injurious to us ; for (as before) we always made 
 us Hutts to deep under, which cover'd us from 
 the Kight Air, which is particularly unwholelbm 
 in thofe hot Countries : But we had here no Shel- 
 ter, no Lodging after fb hard a March , for here 
 were no Trees, no not a Shrub near us: And 
 which was dill more frightful, towards Might we 
 began to hear the Wolves howl, the Lions bel- 
 low, and a great many wild Ahes braying, and 
 other ugly Koifes which we did not underftand. 
 
 Upon this we reflected upon our own Indilcre- 
 tion, that had not at leaft brought Poles or Stakes 
 in our Hands, with which we might have, as it 
 were pallifadoed our felves in for the Kight; 
 and fb we might have flept fecure, whatever 
 other Inconveniences we furfer'd. However, we 
 found a Way at lafl to relieve our 1e!ves a little. 
 For firft we fet up the Lances and Bews we 
 had, and endeavoured to bring the Tops of them 
 as near to one another as we could, and fb hung . 
 our Coats on the Top of them, which made us 
 a kind of a lorry Tent ; the Leopard's Skin, and 
 
 a few 
 
: ( *7) ' 
 
 ft few other Skins we had put together^ made us 
 a tolerable Covering, and thus we lay down to 
 Sleep, and flept very heartilv too for the firft 
 Night, fetting however a good Watch, being two 
 of our own Men with their Fuzees, whom we re- 
 lieved in an Hour at firft, and two Hours after- 
 wards; and it was very well we did this; for 
 they found the Wildernefs fwarm'd with raging 
 Creatures of all Kinds, fome of which came di- 
 rettly up to the very Enclofure of our Tent. But 
 our Centinels were ordered not to alarm us with 
 Firing in the Night, but to flam in the Pan at 
 them, which they did, and found it effettual; for 
 the Creatures went off always as foon as they (aw 
 it, perhaps with fome Noife or Howling, and 
 purfued fuch other Game as they were upon. 
 
 If we were tired with the Day's Travel, we 
 were all as much tired with the Night's Lodging: 
 But our Black Prince told us in the Morning, he 
 would give us fome Counfel, and indeed it was 
 very good Counfel. He told us we mould all be 
 kill'd if we went on this Journey, and thro' this 
 Defart, without fome Covering for us at Nighty 
 fb he advifed us to march back again to a little 
 River Side where we lay the Night before, and 
 ftay there till we could make us Houfes, as he 
 called them, to carry with us to lodge in every 
 Night. As he began a little to underftand our 
 Speech, and we very well to underftand his Signs, 
 we eaJIly knew wnat he meant, and that we 
 ftould there make Matts; (for we remembered 
 that we few a great deal of Matting, or Bafs 
 there that the Natives make Matts of) I fay s 
 that we mould make large Matts there for' Co- 
 vering our Hutts or Tents ro lodge in at Night. 
 
 We 
 
We all approv'd this Advice, and immediately 
 relblved to go back that one Day's Journey, re- 
 plying, tho' we carried lefs Provisions, we would 
 carry Matts with us to cover us in the Night. 
 Some of the nimbleft of us got back to the River 
 with more Eafe than we had travell'd it out the 
 Day before; but as we were not in Hafte, the reft 
 made a Halt, encamp'd another Night, and came 
 to us the next Day. 
 
 In our Return of this Day's Journey, our Men 
 that made two Days of it, met with a very fur- 
 prizing thing, that gave them forae Reafon to 
 be careful how they parted Company again. The 
 Cafe was this. The fecond Day in the Morning, 
 before they had gone Half a Mile, looking be- 
 hind them, they faw a vaft Cloud of Sand or 
 Duft rife in the Air, as we fee fcmetimes in the 
 Roads in Summer, when it is very dufty, and a 
 large Drove ofCattel are coming, only very much 
 greater , and they could eaftly perceive' that it 
 came after them, and that it came on fader than 
 they went from it. The Cloud of Sand was Co 
 great, that they could not fee what it was that 
 railed it, and concluded, that it was fbme Army of 
 Enemies that purfued them-, but then confidenng 
 that they came from, the vaft uninhabited Wil- 
 dcrnefs, they knew, it was impoflible any Na- 
 tion or. People that Way mould have Intelli- 
 gence of them, or of the Way of their March : 
 And therefore, if it was an Army, it muft be of 
 fuch as they were, travelling that Way by Acci* 
 dent. On the other Hand, as they knew that 
 there were no Horfes in the Country, and that 
 they came on fo faft, they concluded, that it 
 muft be (bme vaft Colle&ion of wild Beafts, per- 
 haps making to the Hill Country for Food or 
 
 Water, 
 
Water, and that they fhould be all devoured or 
 trampled under Foot by their Multitude. . 
 
 Upon this Thought, they very prudently ob- 
 ferved which Way the Cloud feem'd to point, 
 land they turned a little out of their Way to 
 I the North, fuppofing it might pals by them. 
 ! When they were about a Quarter of a Mile, they 
 | halted to fee what it might be. One of the Ke- 
 \ groes, a nimbler Fellow than the reft, went back 
 ; a little, and come again in a few Minutes, run- 
 I ping as faft as the heavy Sand would allow, and 
 i by Signs gave them to know, that it was a great 
 ! Herd or Drove, or whatever it might be called, 
 , of vaft monftrous Elephants. 
 
 As it was a Sight our Men had never feen, they 
 I were defirous to fee it, and yet a little uneafy at 
 I the Danger too , for tho' an Elephant is a heavy, 
 | unwieldy CreaCure, yet in the deep Sand, which 
 ' was nothing at all to them, they marched at a 
 | great Rate, and would fbon have tired our People, 
 i if they had had far to go, and had been purfued 
 I by them. 
 
 Our Gunner was with them, and had a great 
 | Mind to have gone dole up to one of the outer- 
 | moft of them, and to have clapt his Piece to his 
 I Ear, and to have fired into him, becaufe he had 
 \ been told no Shot would penetrate them-, but 
 | they all difTwaded him, left, upon the Noife, they 
 J fhould all turn upon, and purfue us^ fo he was 
 ! rcafoned out of it, and let them pafs, which in 
 | our People's Circumftance was certainly the right 
 | 'Way. 
 
 They were between 20 and 30 in Number, but 
 prodigious great ones , and tho* they often ftiew'd . 
 ! our Men that they faw them, yet they did not 
 I turn out of their Way, or take any other Notice 
 
 of 
 
(no) 
 
 cf them, than, *s we might fay y juft to took at 
 them. Wc that were before, faw the Cloud of 
 Duft they railed, but we thought it had been 
 our own Carravan, and fo took no Notice , but 
 as they bent their Courfe one Point of the Com- 
 pafs, or thereabouts, to the Southward of the 
 Eaft, and we went due Eaft, they pafsM by us 
 at feme little Diftance \ fo that we did not fee 
 them, or know any thing of them till Evening, 
 when our Men came to us, and gave us this Ac- 
 count of them. However, this was a ufeful Ex- 
 periment for our future. Conduft in palTing the 
 Defart, as you fhall hear in its Place. 
 
 We were now upon our Work, and our Black 
 Prince was Head Purveyor, for he was an excel- 
 lent Matt-Maker himlelf, and all his Men underl 
 flood it ; fo that they foon made us near a Hun- 
 dred. Matts: And as every Man, I mean of the 
 Kegroes, carried one, it was no Manner of Load, 
 and we did not carry an Ounce of Provifions the 
 iefs. The greateft Burthen was to Carry fix long 
 Poles, befules fome fliorter Stakes-, but theNe* 
 groes made an Advantage of that, for carrying 
 them between two, they made the Luggage of 
 Provifions which they had to carry, Co much the 
 lighter, binding it upon two Poles, and Co made 
 three Couple of them. As foon as we law this, 
 we made a little Advantage of it too-, for having 
 three or four of our Baggs called Bottles, (I mean 
 Skins or Bladders to carry Water) more than the 
 Men could carry, we got them fillM, and carried 
 them this Way, which was a Day's Water and 
 more for our Journey. 
 
 Having now ended our Work, made our Matts, 
 and fully recruited our Stores of all things ne> 
 cefTary, and having made us Abundance of fmall 
 
 Ropc$, 
 
Hopes of Matting for ordinary Ufe, as we might 
 have Occafion, we fet forward again, having 
 interrupted our Journey eight Days in all, upon 
 this Atfair. To our great Comfort, the Night 
 before we fet out, there fell a very violent Show- 
 er of Rain, the Effefts of which we found in the 
 Sand ^ tho 1 the Heat of one Day dry'd the Sur- 
 face as much as before, yet it was harder at Bot- 
 tom, not fo -heavy, ana was cooler to our Feet, 
 by which Means we march'd, as we reckoned, 
 aoout fourteen Miles inftead of feven t and with 
 much more Eafe. 
 
 When we came to encamp, we had all things 
 ready, for we had fitted our Tent, and fet it up 
 for Trial where we made it-, fo that in lefs than 
 an Hour, we had a large Tent raifed, with an 
 Inner and Outer Apartment, and two Entrances, 
 In one we lay our felves, in the other our Ne- 
 groes, having light pleafant Matts over us, and 
 others at the fame time under us. Alfowehad 
 a little Place without all for our Buffloes, for they . 
 deferved our Care, being very ufeful to us, be- '.'. 
 fides carrying Forage and Water for them felves. 
 Their Forage was a Root which our Black Prince 
 ; direfted us to find, not much unlike a Pafnip, ve- 
 ry moift and nourifhing, of which there was Plen- 
 ty* wherever we came, this horrid DeCirt ex- 
 cepted. 
 
 When we came the next Morning to decamp, 
 our Negroes took down the Tent, and pull'd up 
 the Stakes, and all was in Motion in as little time 
 fts it .was fet up. In this Pofture we marchM 
 eight Days, and yet could fee no End, no Change 
 of our Profpcft, but all looking as wild and dil- 
 .maj as at the Beginning. If there was any Alte- 
 ration, it was, that the Sand was no where fo deep 
 
( III ) 
 
 and heavy as It was the firfl three Days. This 
 we thought might be, becaufe for fix Months 
 of tha Year the Winds blowing Weft, (as for 
 the other fix, they blew conftantly Eaft) the 
 Sand was driven violently to the Side of the Defart 
 where we fet out, where the Mountains lying 
 very high, the Eafterly Monfoous, when they 
 blew, had not the fame Power to drive it back 
 again-, and this was confirm'd by our finding 
 the like Depth of Sand on the farthefl Extent 
 of the Defart to the Weft. 
 
 It was the ninth Day of our Travel in this 
 Wildernefs, when we came to the View of a great 
 Lake of Water, and you may be fure this was 
 a particular Satisfaction to us, becaufe we had 
 not Water left for above two or three Days 
 more, at our fliorteft Allowance*, 1 mean, al-' 
 lowing Water for our Return, if we had been 
 driven to the Neceflity of it. Our Water had 
 ferved us two Days longer than we expetted, 
 our BuJHoes having found for two or three Days, 
 a kind of Herb like a Broad flat Thiftle, tho 9 
 without any Prickle, fpreading on the Ground 
 and growing in the Sand, which they eat freely 
 of, and which fupplied them for Drink as well 
 as Forage. 
 
 The next Day, which was the tenth from our 
 fetting out, we came to the Edge of this Lake, 
 and very happily for us, we came to it at the 
 South Point of it* for to the North we could fee 
 no End of if, fo we patted by it, and travelled 
 three Days by the Side of it, which was a great 
 Comfort to us, becaufe it lightened our^Bur- 
 then, there being no need to carry Water,- when 
 we had it in View, and yet, tho' here was \b 
 much Water, we found but very little Altera- 
 
 ; tioii 
 
tlon in the Defart, no Trees, no Grafs or Her- 
 bage, except that Thiftle, as I called it, and two 
 or three more Plants, which we did not under- 
 hand, of which the Delart began to be pretty 
 
 full- 
 But as we were fefreflied with the Neighbour- 
 hood of this Lake of Water, fb we were now 
 gotten among a prodigious Number of ravenous 
 Inhabitants, the like whereof, tis moft certain 
 the Eye of Man never faw : For as I firmly believe, 
 that never Man, nor a Body of Men, paifed this 
 Defart fmce the Flood, fo I believe there is not 
 the like Colleftion of fierce, ravenous, and de- * 
 vouring Creatures in the World-, 1 mean not in 
 any particular Place. 
 
 For a Day's Journey before we came to tlvs ' 
 Lake, and all the three Days we were parting 
 bv it, and for fixorfeven Days March after it, 
 tne Ground was fcattered with Elephants Teeth, 
 in fuch a Number, as is incredible :> and as feme 
 of them may have Iain there for lome Hundreds 
 of Years, &> feeing the Subftance of rh^m icarce 
 ever decayes, they may lye there r or ouuht I 
 know to the End of Time. The Size .of (bme 
 of them is, it fecms, to thole to wh*.m I have 
 reported it, as incredible as the Number, a;.dl 
 can affure you, there were fiveral fo heavy, as 
 the ftrongeft Man among us could not lift. As 
 to Number, I quefl'on not but the.;*- are enough 
 to load a thou land Sail of the biggeft Ships in the 
 World, by which I may be under feood to mean,' 
 that die Quantity is not to be conceived of^ 
 feeing that as they lafted inVicw for above tr'^hty 
 Miles Travelling, ill they nwjit continue as ar 
 o the right Hand, and to the left as l:ir, and 
 ny times as far, for ought we knew -, tor it 
 I ' ficnu 
 
( 4 ) 
 
 feems ,the Number of Elephants hereabouts Is 
 prodigious great. In one Place in particular we 
 iaw the Head of an Elephant, with feveral Teeth 
 in it, but one the biggeft that ever 1 faw: TheFlefh 
 was confumed to be fure many Hundred Years 
 before, and all the other Bones , but three of 
 our ftrongeft Men could not lift this Scull and 
 Teeth: The great Tooth, I believe, weighed at 
 leaft 3C0 Weight, and this was particularly re- 
 markable to me, that I obferved the whole Scull 
 was as good Ivory as the Teeth, and I believe all 
 together weighed at lead 6co Weight, and tho' 
 I do not know but, by the fame Rule, all the 
 Bones of the Elephant may be Ivory \ yet I 
 think there is this juft Obje&ion againft it 
 from the Example before me, that then all the 
 other Bones of this Elephant would have been 
 there as well as the Head. 
 
 I propofedtoour Gunner, that feeing we had 
 travelled now 14 Days without Intermifllon, and 
 that we had Water here for our Refrefhment, 
 and no Want of Food yet, or any Fear of it ; 
 we mould reft our People a little, and fee at 
 the fame time, if perhaps we might kill Come 
 Creatures that were proper for Food. The Gun- 
 ner, who had more Forecaft of that kind, than 
 I had, agreed to the Propofal, and added, why 
 might we not try to catch fome Fifli out of the 
 Lake? The firft thing we had before us, was 
 to try if we could make any Hooks, and this 
 indeed put our Artificer to his Trumps; how- 
 ever, with lome Labour and Difficulty he did it, 
 and we catched frefh Fim of feveral kinds. How 
 they came there, none but he^th^t made the 
 Lake, and all the World, kpows-, for to be fure 
 
 no 
 
( "5 ; /, 
 
 io human Hands ever put any In there, or 
 pulled any out before. 
 
 We not only catched enough for our prefent 
 Refrefhment, but we dried feveral large Fifties 
 of Kinds which 1 cannot defcribe, in the Sua, 
 by which we lengthen'd out our Provifion con- 
 fiderably, for the Heat of the Sun dried them 
 fo effe&ually without Salt, that they were per- 
 fectly cured dry and hard in one Day's time. 
 We reded our felves here five Days, during 
 which time we had Abundance of pleafant Ad- 
 ventures with the wild Creatures, too many to 
 relate: One of them was very particular, which 
 was a Chafe between a She Lion, or Llonefs, and 
 a large Deer^ and tho' the Deer is naturally 
 a very nimble Creature, and fhe flew by us like 
 the' Wind, having perhaps about 300 Yards 
 the Start of the Lion, yet we found the Lion 
 by her Strength, and the Goodnefs of her Lungs, 
 got Ground of her. They paft by us within 
 about a Quarter of a Mile, and we'had a View 
 of them a great Way, when having given them 
 over, wc were iurprized about an Hour after, to 
 fee them come' thundering back again f>n the 
 other Side of us, and then the Lion was within 
 30 or 40 Yards 0* her, and both draining to the 
 Extremity of their Speed, when the Deer com- 
 ing to the Lake, plunued into the Water, and' 
 fwam for her Life, as fhe had before run for it. 
 
 The Lionefs plunge* in after her, and fwam a 
 little way, but came back again-, and when fhe 
 was got upon the Land, fhe fet up the moft 
 hideous Roar that ever I heard in my Life, as 
 if done in the Rap;e of having loft her Prey. 
 
 We walked out Mornh.g and Evening conftantly; 
 the Middle ofthe Day we re frcihed our felves under 
 
 1 2 our 
 
( lif ) 
 
 our Tent*, but one Morning early we law another 
 Chafe, which more nearly concerned us than the 
 other*, for our Black Prince, walking by the 
 Side of the Lake, was fee upon by a vaft great; 
 Crocodile, which came out of the Lake upoij 
 him , andtho' he was very light of Foot, yet H 
 was as much as he could do to get away: Hd 
 fled amain to us, and the Truth is, we did not! 
 know what to do, for we were told no Bulled 
 would enter her \ and we found it fbat firft, fori 
 tho' three of our Men fired at her, yet me did 
 not mind them-, but my Friend the GunnerJ 
 a. ventrous Fellow, of a bold Heart, and great 
 , Prefence of Mind, went up fb near as to thrufl 
 the Muzzle of his Piece into her Mouth, and 
 fired but let his Piece fall, and run for it the 1 
 very Moment he had fired it : The Creature raged 
 a great while, and fpent its Fury upon the Gun; 
 making Marks upon the very Iron with hei 
 Teeth, but after fome time fainted and died. 
 
 Our Negroes fpread the Banks of the Lak< 
 all this while, for Game, and at length kil!e< 
 us three Deer, one of them very large, theothe 
 two very fmall. There was Water-Fowl alio in th'< 
 ' Lake, but we never came near enough to then 
 to moot any; and, as for the Defart, we law n< 
 Fowls any where in it, but at the Lake. 
 
 We likewife killed two or three Civet Cats, bu 
 their Flefh is the worft of Carrion ^ we fav 
 Abundance of Elephants at a Diflance, and ob 
 ierved, that they always go in very good Com 
 pany, that is to fay, Abundance of them tc 
 gether, and always extended in a fair Line c 
 Battle *, and this, they fay, is the way they dc 
 fend themfelves from their Enemies* for 
 Lions or Tygers, Wolves or any Creatures, 
 
 ta< 
 
(}*7) 
 
 tack them, they being drawn up in a Line, 
 fojnetimes reaching five or fix Miles in Length, 
 whatever comes in their Way is (lire to be trod 
 under Foot, or beaten in Pieces with their 
 Trunks, or lifted up in the Air with their 
 Trunks; fb that if a hundred Lions or Tygers were 
 coming along, if they meeta Line of Elephants, 
 they will always fly back till they fee Room 
 to pafs by to the Right Hand or to the Lefty 
 and if they did not, it would be impofiible for 
 one of them to efcapey for the Elephant, tho* 
 a heavy Creature, is yet fo dexterous and nim- 
 ble with his Trunk, that he will not fiil to life 
 up the heavieft Lion, or any other wild Creature, 
 and throw him up in the Air quite over his Back, 
 and then trample him to Death with his Feet. 
 We few feveral Lines of Battle thus, we few 
 one fb long, that indeed there was no End of it 
 to be feen, and, I believe, their might be 2000 
 Elephants in a Row, or Line. They are not 
 Beafh of Prey, but live upon the Herbage of 
 the Field, as an Ox does, and, it is laid, that 
 tho* they are fo great a Creature, yet that a 
 fmaller Quantity of Forage fupplies one of them, 
 than will fuiHce a Horfe. 
 
 The Numbers of this kind of Creature that 
 are in thofe Parts are inconceivable, as may be 
 gather'd from the prodigious Quantity of Teeth, 
 v/hich as I feid we few in this vaft Defert, and 
 indeed we few a 100 of them to one of any 
 other Kinds. 
 
 One Evening we were very much furprized; 
 v.'e were mofl of us laid down upon our Matts to 
 ^eep, when our Watch came running in among 
 J! s > being frighted with the fudden Roaring ot 
 lo me Lions juft by them, which it feems they 
 
 I 3 hai 
 
had not feen, the Night being dark, til! they 
 werejuft upon them. There was, as it proved, 
 an old Lion and his whole Family, for there was 
 the Lionefs and three young Lions, befides the 
 old King, who was a monftrous great one : One 
 of the young ones, who were good large well 
 grown ones too, leapt up upon one of our Negroes, 
 who flood Centinel, before he faw him, at which 
 he was heartily frighted, cried out, and run 
 into the Tent: Our other Man, who had a 
 Gun, had r.ot Prefence of Mind at ftrfl to 
 fhoot him, but ftruck him with the But-End 
 of his Piece, which made him whine a little, 
 and then growl at him fearfully *, but the Fellow 
 retired, and we being all alarmed, three of our 
 Men fnatched up their Guns, run to the Tent- 
 Door, where they faw the great old Lion by the 
 Fire of his Eyes, and firft fired at him, but, 
 we fuppofed, miifed him, or at leaft did not 
 kill him*, for they went all off, but raifed a 
 moft hideous Roar, which, as if they had called 
 for Help, brought down a prodigious Number 
 of Lions, and other furious Creatures, we know 
 not what about them, for we could not. fee them} 
 but their was a Noife and Yellins, and Howling, 
 and ail fort of luch Wildernefs Mufick on every 
 Side of us, as if all the Beafts of the Defart were 
 aifemblcd to devour us. 
 
 We asked our Black Prince what we iliould 
 do with them? Me oo y fays he, fright them all; fb 
 he fnatches up twoor three of the worft of our 
 Matts, and, getting one of our Men to ftrike 
 fome Fire, he hangs the Matt up at the End o 
 a Pole, and fet it on Fire, .and it blazed abroac 
 a good while- at which the Creatures all movec 
 off, for we heard them roar, and make their 
 
 bellow 
 
( H9 ; 
 
 bellowing Noife at a great Eift&ice. Well, fays 
 our Gunner, if that will do, we need not burn 
 our Matts, which are our Beds to lay under us, 
 and our Tilting to cover us. Let me alone, fays 
 he, fo he comes back into our Tent, and falls to 
 making fome artificial Fire- Works, and the like; 
 and he gave our Centinels lome to be ready at 
 Hand, upon Occafion, and particularly he placed 
 a great Piece of Wild-fire upon the fame Pole 
 that the Matt had been tied to, and fet it on 
 Fire, and that burnt there fo long, tliPt all the 
 Wild Creatures left us for that time. 
 
 However, we began to be weary of fuch Com- 
 pany, and, to be rid of them, we fet forward 
 again two Days fbonfcr than we intended. We 
 found now, that tho* the Defart did not end, 
 nor could we fee any Appearance of it, yet that 
 the Earth was pretty full of green Stuff, of one 
 fort or another, fo that our Cattle had no Want. 
 And fecondly, that there were feveral little 
 Rivers which run into the Lake, and fo long 
 as the Country continued low, we found Water 
 fufficient, which eafed us very much in our 
 Carriage, and we went on yet fixteen Days more 
 without yet coming to any Appearance of better 
 Soil: After this wefound the Country rifea little, 
 and by that we perceived, that the Water would 
 fail us, lb, for fear of the worft, we filled our 
 Bladder Bottles with Water-, we found the Coun- 
 try rifing gradually thus for three Days conti- 
 nually, when, on the fudden, we perceived, that 
 tho' we had mounted up inlenfibly, yet that 
 we were on the Top of a very high ridge of Hills, 
 tho' not fuch as at firft. 
 
 When we came to look down on the other Side 
 
 of the Hills we faw, to the great Joy of all our 
 
 I 4 . Hearts, 
 
Hearts, that the Defart was at an End*, that 
 the Country was clothed with Green, Abundance 
 of Trees, and a large River, and we made no 
 doubt but that we ihould find People and Cat- 
 tel alio:, and here, by our Gunner's Account, 
 who kept our Computations, we . had marched 
 above 400 Miles over this difmal Place of Hor- 
 rour, having been four and thirty Days a-doing of 
 it, and confequently were come about 1 100 Miles 
 of our Journey. 
 
 We would willingly have defcended the HilW ! 
 that Night, but it was too late-, the next Morn-, 
 ing we law every thing more plain, and refted 
 our felves under the Shade of fbme Trees*, 
 wh : ch were now the moft refreshing things imagi- 
 nable to us, who 3iad been icorched above a 
 Month without a Tree to cover us. We found 
 the Country here very pleafmt, elpecially con- 
 fiderii.g that we came from, and we killed 
 iome Deer here alio, which we found very fre- 
 quent under the Cover of the Woods; alio we 
 killed a creature like a Goat, whofe Flefh was 
 very god to eat, but it was no Goat: We found 
 alfba great Number of Fowls like Partridge, 
 but fbmething imaller, and were very tame, ro 
 that we lived here very well, but found no Peo- 
 p*e, at leafl none that would be feen, no not for 
 -feveral Days Journey \ and, to allay our Joy, we 
 were almoft every Night difturbed with Lions 
 nnd Tygers; Elephants indeed we fliw none 
 here. 
 
 In three Days March we came to a River,' 
 which we faw from the Hills, and which we 
 called the Golden River, and we found it run 
 Northward, which was the firfl Stream we had 
 met with that did fb -, it run with a very rapid 
 
 Cur* 
 
current, and our Gunner pulling out His Map, 
 aiTured me that this was either the River Nile y 
 or run into the great Lake-, out of which the 
 River Nile was faid to take its Beginning ; and he 
 brought out his Girts and Maps, which by his 
 lnftruttion, 1 began to understand very well; 
 and told me, he would convince me of it, and 
 indeed he Teemed to make it (b plain to me, that 
 I was of the fame Opinion. 
 
 But I did not enter into the Gunner's Reafon 
 for this Enquiry, not in the leaft, till he went 
 on with it farther, and ftated it thus-, if 
 this is the River NiU y why fhould not we build 
 ibme more Canoes, and go down this Stream rather 
 than to expofe our felves to any more Defarts 
 and fcorching Sands, in Queft of the Sea, which 
 when we are come to, we fhali be as much 
 at a Lofs how to get home as we were at 
 Mjdstgafcar. 
 
 The Argument was good, had there been no 
 Obj eft ions in the Way, of a Kind which none 
 of us were capable of anfwering^ but upon the 
 whole it was an Undertaking of fuch a Nature, 
 that every one of us thought it impracticable, 
 and that upon feveral Accounts*, and our Surgeon, 
 who was himfelf a good Scholar, and a Man of 
 Reading, tho* not acquainted with the Builnefs 
 of Sailing, oppoled if, and fome of his Reafons, 
 I remember, were fuch as thefe \ firft, the Length 
 of the Way, which both he and the Gunner al- 
 lowed by the Courfe of the Water and Turnings 
 of the River, would be at leaft 4000 Miles* Se- 
 condly, The innumerable Crocodiles in the 
 River, which we fhould never be able to efcape. 
 Thirdly, The dreadful Delarts in the Way; 
 . and ktftly,the approaching rainy Seafon, in which 
 
 the 
 
( in ; 
 
 the Streams of the Nile would be fo furious, and 
 rife fo high, fpreading far and wide over' all 
 the plain Country, that we fhould never be able 
 to know when we were in the Channel of die 
 River, and when not, and fhould certainly be cail 
 away, over-fet, or run a-ground fo often, that it 
 would be impoilible to proceed by a River fo 
 exce/Iively dangerous. 
 
 * This laft Reafon he made fo plain to us, that 
 we began to be fo fenfible of it our (elves , fo that 
 we agreed to lay that Thought afide, and proceed 
 in our firft Courle Weft ward towards the Sea: 
 But as if we had been loath to depart, we conti- 
 nued, by way of refrefhing our lelves, to loy- 
 ter two Days upon this River, in which time 
 our Black Prince, who delighted much in wan- 
 dering up and down, came one Evening and 
 brought us feveral little Bits of fbmething, he 
 knew not what} but he found it felt heavy, and 
 looked well, and {hewed it to me, as what he 
 thought was fome Rarity. I took not much 
 Kotice of it to him, but ftepping out, and call- 
 ing the Gunner to me, I ftiewed it him, and told 
 him what I thought, wc that it was certain- 
 ly Gold: He agreed with me in that, and alfb 
 in what folio w'd, that we would take the Black 
 Prince out with us the next Day, and make him 
 ftiew us where lie found it, that if there was any 
 Quantity to be found, we would tell our Com- 
 pany of it, but if there was but little, we would 
 keep Counfel, and have it to our felves. 
 
 But we forgot to engage the Prince in the 
 Secret, who innocently told fo much to all the 
 reft, as that they gueffed what it was, and came 
 to us to fee , when we found it was publick, we 
 were more concerned to prevent their fufpeft- 
 
 hig 
 
(m) 
 
 ing that we had any Defign to conceal it, and 
 openly telling our Thoughts of it, we called our 
 Artificer, Who agreed prefently that it was Gold; 
 fo I propofed, that we fhould all go with the 
 Prince to the Place where he found it, and if any 
 Quantity was to he had, we would lye here fbme 
 time, and fee what we could make of it. 
 
 Accordingly, we went every Man of us, for no 
 Man was willing to be left behind in a Difcove- 
 ry of fuch a Nature, When we. came to the 
 Place, we found it was on the Weft Side of the 
 River, not in the main River, hut in another fmall 
 River or Stream which came from the Weft, and 
 run into the other River at that Place. We fell 
 to raking in the Sand, and warning it in our 
 Hands, and we feldom took up a Handful of Sand, 
 but we warned fome little round Lumps as big as 
 a Pin's Head, or fbmetimes as b'g as a Grapeftone, 
 into our Hands, and we found in two or three 
 Hours time, that every one had got fome, fo 
 we agreed to leave off, and go to Dinner. 
 
 While we were eating, it came into my 
 Thoughts, that while we work'd at this Rate in 
 a thing of fuch Nicety and Confequcnce, it was 
 ten to one if the Gold, which was the Atdc- 
 bait of the World, did not firft or laft let us 
 together by the Ears to break our good Arti- 
 cles and our Underftanding one among another, 
 and perhaps, caufe us to part Companies, or 
 worfe ; 1 therefore told them, that I was indeed 
 the youngeft Man of the Company, but as they 
 had always allowed me to give my Opinion in 
 things, and had fometimes been pleafed to follow 
 my^ Advice, fol had fomething to propofe now, 
 which 1 thought, would be for all our Advantages, 
 and 1 believed they would all like it very well. I 
 
 told 
 
( l H ) 
 
 told them we were in a Country where we all 
 knew there was a great deal of Gold, and that 
 all the World fent Ships thither to get it \ that 
 we did not indeed know where it was, and Co we 
 might get a great deal, or a little, we did not 
 lenow whether; but I offered it to them to con- 
 iider whether it would not be the beft Way for 
 us, and to preferve the good Harmony and 
 Friendship that had been always kept among 
 us, and which was fo abfblutely neceffary to our 
 Safety, that what we found fhould be brought 
 together to one common Stock, and be equally 
 divided at laft, rather than to run the Hazard of 
 any Difference which might happen among us, 
 from any one*s having found more or lefs than an- 
 other. I told them, that if we were all upon one 
 Bottom, we mould all apply our felves heartily to 
 the Work, and befides that, we might then fet 
 our Negroes all to Work for us , and receive' 
 equally the Fruit of their Labour, and of our own, 
 and being all exactly alike Sharers, there could 
 be no juft Caule of Quarrel or Difguft among us. . 
 They all approved the Propofal, and every one 
 jointly fwore, and gave their Hands to one ano- 
 ther, that they would not conceal the lead Grain 
 of Gold from the reft *, and confented, that if 
 any one or more fhould be found to conceal ' 
 any, all that he had mould be taken from him, 
 and divided among the reft : And one thing 
 more was added to it by our Gunner, from Confi* 
 derations equally good and juft ; that if any one 
 of us, by any Play, Bett, Game, or Wager, won 
 any Money or Gold, or the Value of any from 
 another, during our whole Voyage till our Return 
 quite to Tortugdy he mould be obliged by us all 
 to reftore it again on the Penalty o/ being dif- 
 
 arraM, 
 
y^JflTr- ' - *- *""- 
 
 ( **< ) 
 
 arm'd, and turnM out of the Company, and of 
 having no Relief from us on any Account what- 
 foever.This was to prevent Wagering and Playing 
 for Money, which our Men were apt to do by fe- 
 veral Means, and at feveral Games, tho* they 
 had neither Cards or Dice. 
 
 Having made this wholefbm Agreement, wc 
 went chearfiilly to Work, and fhew'd our Ne- 
 groes how to work for us ; and working up the 
 Stream on both Sides, and in the Bottom of the 
 River, we fpent about three Weeks Time dab- 
 bling in the Water ; by which time, as it lay all 
 in our Way, we had gone about fix Miles, and 
 not more; and ftill the higher we went, the 
 more Gold we found ; till at laft, having pafs'd by 
 the Side of a Hill, we perceived on a fudden, 
 that the Gold ftoppM, and that there was not a 
 Bit taken up beyond that Place ; it prefently oc- 
 curred to my Mind, that it muft then be from 
 the Side of that little Hill that all the Gold we 
 found was work'd down. 
 
 Upon this, we went back to the Hill, and fell 
 to Work with that. We found the Earth loofe, 
 and of a yellowim loamy Colour, and in fome 
 Places, a white hard Kind of Stone, which in 
 defcribing fince to fome of our Artifts, they tell 
 me was the Spar which is found by the Oar, and 
 furrounds it in the Mine. However, if it had 
 been all Gold, we had no Inftrumeut to force it 
 out; ib we pa/Ted that: But fcratching into the 
 loofe Earth with our Fingers, we came to a fur- 
 prizing Place, where the Earth for the Quantity of 
 two Bufhels, I believe, or thereabouts, crumbled 
 down with little more than touching it, and ap- 
 parently mewed us that there was a great deal of 
 Gold in it. We took it all carefully up, and 
 . -'"."" warning 
 
( **6 ) 
 
 wafliing it in the Water, the loamy Earth wa/h'd 
 away, and left the Gold Dud free in our Hands^ 
 and that which was more remarkable, was, that 
 when this loofe Earth was all taken away, and we 
 came to the Rock or hard Stone, there was not 
 one Grain of Gold more to be found. 
 
 At Night we came all together to fee what we 
 had got, and it appeared we had found in that 
 Day's Heap of Earth, about Seven and Fifty 
 Pound Weight of Gold Duft, and about Thirty 
 Four Pound more in all the reft of our Works 
 in the River, 
 
 It was a happy Kind of DiCtppointment to us, 
 that we found a full Stop put to our Work } 
 for had the Quantity of Gold been ever fo fmal!, 
 yet had any at all come, I do not know when we 
 fhould have given over; for having rummaged this 
 Place, and not finding the. leaft Grain of Gold iri 
 any other Place, or in any of the Earth there, 
 except in that loofe Parcel, we went quite back 
 down the (mall River again, working it over and 
 over again, as long as we could find nny thing 
 how fmall fbever ; and we did get fix or feven 
 Pound more the fecond time. Then we went 
 into the firft River, and tried it up the Stream 
 and down the Stream, on the one Side and on the 
 other. Up the Stream we found nothing, no not 
 a Grain , down the Stream we found very little, 
 not above the Quantity of Half an Ounce in twor 
 Miles working-, fo back we came again to the 
 Golden River, as we juftly called it, and work'd 
 it up the Stream and down the Stream twice more 
 a-piece, and every time we found lbme Gold, and 
 perhaps might have done fo 9 if we had ftayM 
 there till this time ; but the Quantity was at laft 
 ib fmall, and the Work fo much the harder, 
 
 that 
 
 
ww,'gftiW'ffTg! 
 
 ( * 2 7 ) 
 
 that we agreed by Confent to give it over, left we 
 Jhould fatigue our felves and our Negroes lb, 
 as to be quite unfit for our Journey. When we 
 had brought all pur Purchale together, we had in 
 the whole three Pound and a Half of Gold to 
 a Man, Share and Share alike, according to fuch 
 a Weight and Scale as our ingenious Cutler made 
 for us to weigh it by, which he did indeed by 
 guefs, but which, as he laid he was fure was ra- 
 ther more than lefs, and lb it prov'd atlaft; for 
 it was near two Ounces more than Weight in a 
 Pound. Befides this, there was feven or eight 
 Pound Weight left, which we agreed to leave in 
 his Hands, to work it into fuch Shapes as we 
 thought fit to giveaway to fuch People as we 
 might yet meet with, from whom we might have 
 Occafion to buy Proviftons, or even to buy Friend- 
 ship, or the like; and particularly we gave about 
 a Pound to our Black Prince, which he hammer'd 
 and work'd by his own indefatigable Hand, and 
 fome Tools our Artificer lent him, into little 
 round Bits, as round almoft as Beads, tho* not 
 exact in Shape, and drilling Holes thro* them, 
 put them all upon a String, and wore them about 
 his black Neck, and they look'd very well there 
 I afTure you , but he was many Months a-doing it. 
 And thus ended our firft Golden Adventure. 
 
 We now began to diicoyer what we had not 
 troubled our Heads much about before ^ and that 
 was, that let the Country be good or bid that 
 we were in, we could i.ot traveimuch farther, for 
 a confiderable time. We had beon now five Months 
 and upwards in our journey, and the Sea (on 
 began to change-, and Nature told us, that being 
 I *n a Climate that h id a Winter as well as a Sum- 
 mer, tho* of a differing Kind from what our own 
 
 Couru 
 
( "S) 
 
 Country produced, we were to expeft a wet Se<1- 
 fon, and iuch as we mould not be able to travel in, 
 as well by realbn of the Rain it lelfj as of the 
 Floods which it would cccaflon wherever we 
 ihould come -, and tho' we had been no Stran- 
 gers to thofe wet Seafbns in the Ifland of Mad<u 
 gafcar> yet we had not thought much, of them! 
 fince we begun our Travels , for fetting out when 
 the Sun was about the Solftice, that is, when it 
 was at the greateft Northern Diftance from us, 
 we had found the Benefit of it in our Travels. 
 But now it drew near us apace, and we found 
 it began to rain \ upon which we called ano- 
 ther General Council, in which we debated 
 our prefent Circumftances, and in particular, 
 whether we mould go forward, or leek for a pro- 
 per Place upon the Bank of our Golden River, 
 which had been fo lucky to us to Ex our Camp 
 for the Winter. 
 
 Upon the whole, it was refblved to abide where 
 we were ; and it was v.ot the leafl Part of our 
 Happinefs that wedidib, as fli?ll appear in its 
 Place. 
 
 Having refolved upon this, our firft Meafures 
 were to fet our Negroes to Work, to make Hutts 
 or Houles for our Habitation , and this they did 
 very dexteroufly \ only that we changed the 
 Ground where wehadatfirft intended it, think- 
 ing, as indeed it happen'd, that the river might! 
 reach it upon any ludden Rain. Our Camp was 
 like a little Town, in which our Hutts were in 
 the Center, having one large one in the Center of 
 them alio, into which all our particular Lodgings 
 opened ; lb that none of us went into our Apart- 
 ments, but thro' a publick Tent whre we all eat 
 and drank together, and kept our Councils an<* 
 
 Soci< 
 
IWpPf qUJ .! J . ,L li MA.tiUBM.1 ? Af W 
 
 ( "9 ) 
 
 Society, and our Carpenters made us Tables, 
 Benches, and Stools in Abundance, as many as 
 we could make ufe of. 
 
 We had no Need of Chimneys, it was "hot 
 erfough without Fire*, but yet we found our felves 
 at laft oblig'4 t0 k ee P a Fire every Night upon 
 I a particular Occafion: For tho' we had in all 
 j other Refpetts a very pleafant and agreeable Set- 
 jtuation, yet we were rather worfe troubled with 
 | the unwelcome Vifits of wild Beafrs here, than in. 
 jthe'Wildernefs it felf -, for as the Deer, and other 
 [gentle Creatures came hither for Shelter and 
 Food, (b the Lions, and Tigers, and Leopards, 
 I haunted thefe Places continually for Prey. 
 
 When firffc we difcovered this, we were fb 
 
 i mealy at it, that we thought of removing our 
 
 I Situation , but after many Debates about it, we 
 
 refblved to fortify our felves in fuch a Manner, as 
 
 lot to be in any Danger from it ; and this our 
 
 Carpenters undertook, who firft palifodoed our 
 
 Zamp quite round with long Stakes (for we had 
 
 Vood enough) which Stakes were not fhick in 
 
 I me by another like Pales, but in an irregular 
 
 Banner a great Multitude of them fo placed, 
 
 i hat they took up near two Yards in Thicknefs, 
 
 jbme higher, fome lower, all fliarpened at the 
 
 Bp, and about a Foot afunder , lb that had 
 
 | ny Creature jumpM at them, unlefs he had gone 
 
 lean over, which it was very hard to do, he 
 
 'ould be hung upon twenty or thirty Spikes. 
 
 The Entrance into this, had large: Stakes than. 
 
 B reft, placed ib before one another, as to make 
 
 ^ree or four mort Turnings, which no four- 
 
 >oted Beaft bigger than a Dog could pofTibly 
 
 ^me in at ; and that we might not be attacked 
 
 Y any Multitude together, and confequently be 
 
 K alarm'd 
 
( i3o) 
 
 alarm'd in our Sleep, as we had been, or be 
 oblig'd to wade our Ammunition, which we 
 were very chary of, we kept a great Fire every 
 Night without the Entrance of our Paliflide, ha- 
 ving a Hutt for our two Centinels to ftand in 
 free from the Rain, jufb within the Entrance, and 
 right again ft the Fire. 
 
 To maintain this Fire, we cut a prodigious 
 deal of Wood, and piled it upon a Heap to dry, 
 and with the green Boughs made a fecond Co- 
 vering over our Hutts, fo high and thick, that 
 it might caft the Rain off from the firft, and keep 
 us eifeclually dry. 
 
 We had fcarce finiihed all the(e Works, but 
 that the Rain came on fo fierce, and fo conti- 
 nued, that we had little time to ftir. abroad tor 
 Food, except indeed that our Negroes, who wore 
 no Clorh.es, ieem'd to make nothing of the Rain, 
 rho' to us Eurcpctws in thofe hot Climates, nothing 
 is more dangerous. 
 
 We continued in this Pofture for four Months,' 
 that is, from the Middle of June to the Middle 
 of Ottobcr ; for tho' the Rains went off, at leaft 
 die greateft Violence of them, about the Equinox, 
 yet as the Sun was then juft over our Heads, we 
 rcfblved to day a while till it was pafs'd us a little 
 to the Southward. 
 
 During our Encampment here, we had feveral 
 Adventures with the ravenous Creatures of that 
 Country, and had not our Fire been always 
 kept burning, I queftion much whether all our 
 .Fence, tho' we frrcngthcn'd it afterwards with 
 twelve or fourteen Rows of Stakes more, would 
 have kept us lee u re. It was always in the Night 
 that we had the Disturbance of them, and fome- 
 t-mes they cime in iuch Multitudes, that we 
 
 thought 
 
I 
 
 ' > i 
 
 . In 1 ) z 
 
 thought all the Lions, .and Tigers, and Leopards,' 
 and Wolves of Africa were come together to aN 
 tack us. One Night being clear Moonihine, one 
 of our Men being upon the Watch, told us, he 
 verily believed he faw Ten Thoufand wild Crea- 
 tures of one Sort or another, pafs by our little 
 Camp ^ and ever as they faw die Fire, they iheerM 
 off, but were fure to howl or roar, or whatever 
 it was, when they were paft. 
 
 The Mufick of their Voices was very far from 
 being pleafant to us, and fometinies would be fb 
 very difturbing, that we could not fleep for it ; 
 and often our Centinels would call us, that were 
 awake to come and look at them. It was one windy 
 tempeftuous Night after a very rainy Day, that 
 we were indeed all called up \ for fuch innume- 
 rable Numbers of Devilifh Creatures came about 
 us, that our Watch really thought they would 
 attack us. They would not come on the Side 
 where the Fire was \ and tho' we thought our 
 felves fecure every where elfe, yet we all got up, 
 and took to our Arms. The Moon was near the 
 Full, but the Air full of Hying Clouds, and a 
 ftrange Hurricane of Wind to add to the Terror 
 of the Nighty when looking on the Back Part 
 of our Camp, I thought I fiw a Creature with- 
 in our Fortification, and (b indeed he was, except 
 his Haunches ; for he had taken a running Leap, 
 I juppofe, and with all his Might had thrown 
 jtimtelf clear over our Paliladoes, except one 
 Rrong Pile which flood higher than the reft, and 
 which had caught hold of him, and by his Weight 
 Jte had hang'd himfelf upon ic, the Spike of the 
 We running into his Hinder-Haunch or Thigh, 
 r?. tne lidide, and by that he hung growling and 
 biting the Wood for Rage. I ihatcht up a Lance 
 
 K 2 from 
 
(3*) 
 
 from one of the Negroes that frood juft by me* 
 and running to him, ftruck it three or four Times 
 mto him, and difpatchM him , being unwilling to 
 fhcor, becaufe I had a Mind to have a Volley fired 
 among the reft, whom I could fee {landing with- 
 out as thick as a Drove of Bullocks goi.:g to a 
 Fair. I immediately called our People out, and 
 fhewed them the Objecl: of Terror which I had 
 ieen, and without any farther Confutation, fired 
 a full Volley among them, mod of our P'eces 
 being loaden with two or three Sluggs or Bullets 
 a-p ; ece. It made a horrible Clutter among them, 
 and in general they all took to their Heels, on- 
 ly that we could obferve, that ibme walk'd off 
 with more Gravity and Majefiy than others, be- 
 ing not Co much frighted at the Koile and Fire; 
 and we could perceive that fome were left upon 
 the Ground ftruggling as for Life, but we durft 
 not ftir out to fee what they were. 
 
 Indeed they ft cod Co thick, and were Co near 
 U5, that we could not well mifs killing or woun- 
 ding fome of them, and we believe they had cer- 
 tainly the Smell of us, and of our Victuals we had 
 been" killing; for we had killed a Deer, and three 
 or four of thofe Creutures like Goats, the Day! 
 before , and fome of the Offal had been thrown 
 out behind' our Camp, and this we fuppofe drew! 
 them Co much about us , but we avoided it for 
 the future. 
 
 Tho* the Creatures fled, yet we heard a fright- 
 ful Roar : ng all Night at the Place where the] 
 flood, which we fuppofed was from fome thai 
 were wounded-, and as foon as Day came, we wei ' 
 out to fee what Execution we had done, and 
 indeed, it was a fhange Sight , there were three 
 Tygers and two Wolves quite killed, befides 
 
 tJia 
 
I Q3* ) 
 
 the Creature I had killed within on r Patiftdo, 
 which feem'd to be of an ill-gendered kind, between 
 a Tyger and a Leopard. Befides this, there was a 
 noble old Lion alive, but with both his Fore Legs 
 broke, fo that he could not ftir away, and he*/ 
 had almoft beat htmfelf to Death with ftrugg- 
 ling all Might; and we found, that this was the 
 wounded Soldier that had roared fb loud, and 
 given us fb much Difturbance : Our Surgeon, 
 looking at him, fmiled; Now, fays he, if 1 could 
 be fure this Lion would be as grateful to rue, 
 as one of his Maje'fty's Ancedors was t j Aidroxl- 
 tui the Reman Slave, I would certainly fee both 
 his Legs again, and cure him. I had not heard 
 the Story of Andronkus^ fo he told it me at large; 
 but as to the Surgeon, we told him, he had 
 no Way to know whether the Lion would do fo 
 or not, but to cure him firft, and truft to his 
 Honour; but he had no Faith; fb, to dif patch 
 him, and put him out of his Torment, he (hoc 
 him into the Head, and killed him, for which we 
 called him the King-Killer ever after. 
 
 Our Negroes found no lels than five of thefe 
 ravenous Creatures wounded and drop: at a 
 Diftance from our Quarters ; whereof, one was 
 a Wolf, one a fine (potted young Leop- \l, and 
 tke other were Creatures that we knew nor what 
 to call them. 
 
 We had feveral more of thefe Gentle-folks 
 about us after that, but no fuch'general Rendezvous 
 of them as that was, any more; but this ill Eifeft 
 it had to us, that it frighted the Deer and 
 other Creatures from pur Neighbourhood, of 
 whofe Company we were much more defirous, 
 2nd who were necefT.iry for our Subf;ftence; 
 RQiyeyer, our Negroes went out every Day a- 
 
 K 3 Hunting 
 
( m ) 
 
 Hunting, as they called it, with Bow and Arrow^ 
 and they fcarce ever failed of bringing us home 
 fome tiling or other ^ and particularly we found 
 in this Part of the Country, after the Rains had 
 fallen feme time, Abundance of Wild-fowl, fuch 
 as we have in England; Duck, Teal, Widgeon, 
 <r. IbmeGeefe, and fome Kinds that we had 
 never feen before, and we frequently killed them. 
 Alfb we catched a great Deal of frefti Fifhout 
 of the River, lb that we wanted no Provifion; 
 if we wanted any thing, it was Salt to eat with 
 our frefh Meat, but we had a little left, and we 
 uled it fparingly , for, as to our Negroes, they 
 would not tafte it, nor did they care to eat any 
 Meat that was lealbnedwith it. 
 
 The Weather began now to clear up, the Rains 
 were down, and the Floods abated, and the Sun, 
 which had panned our Zenith, was gone to the 
 Southward a good Way, fo we prepared to go 
 on of our Way. 
 
 It was the 1 2th of Oclobcr or thereabouts, that 
 we began to let forward, and having an eafy 
 Country to travel in, as well as to iiipply us with 
 Provifions, tho' ftill without Inhabitants, we 
 made more Di (patch, travelling fome times, as we 
 calculated it 20 or 25 Miles a Day, nor did wc 
 halt any were in eleven Days March, one Day 
 excepted, which was to make a Raft to carry 
 us over a (mall River, which having fwelled 
 with the Rains was not yet quited own. 
 
 When we were pail this River, which by the 
 Way run to the Northward too, we found a great 
 Row of Hills in our Way ^ we faw indeed the 
 Country open to the Right at a great Diftance, 
 but as we kept true to our Courfe due Weft, wc 
 were not willing to go a great Way out of our 
 
 Way, 
 
;wijjM^yj.-gyr.g.y i 
 
 ('35.) 
 
 Way, only to fhun a few Hills; (b we advanced; 
 but we were furprized, when being not quite come 
 to the Top, one of our Company who with two 
 Kegroes was got up before us, rry'd out the Sea! 
 the Sen /and fell a-dancingand jumping assigns 
 of joy. 
 
 The Gunner and I were mod (itrprized at it, 
 becaufe we had but that Morning been calcu- 
 lating, that we muft have yet above a icoo Miles 
 to the Sea-fide, and that we could not expert to 
 reach it till an other rainy Seafbn would be 
 upon us, fo that when our Man cry'd out the 
 | Sea, the Gunner was angry, and faid he was 
 mad. 
 
 But we were both in the greatefl Surprize imagi- 
 nable, when coming to the Top of the Hill, and 
 tho' it was very high, we faw nothing but Water, 
 either -before us, or to the right Band or the 
 left, being a vaft Sea without any Bound but the 
 Horizon. 
 
 We went down the Hill full of Confufion of 
 Thought, not being able to conceive where- 
 abouts we were, or what it muft be, feeing by 
 all our Charts the Sea was yet a vafl Way oiF. 
 
 It was not above three Miles from the Hills 
 before we came to the Shore, or Water-edge 
 of this Sea, and there, to our further Surprize, 
 we found the Water frefh and plea fan t to drink; 
 fo that in fliort we knew not what Courfe to 
 take : The Sea, as we thought it to be, p-t a 
 full flop to our Journey, (I mean Weft ward) for 
 it lay juft in the Way. Our next Queftion was 
 which Hand to turn to, to the Right or the 
 Left, but tliis was foon refolved; for as we 
 knew not the Extent of it, we considered that 
 our Way, if it had been the Sea really, muft be to 
 
 K 4 the 
 
the North-, and therefore, if we went to the 
 South now, it mufl be juft fo much out of our Way 
 at laft : So having fpent a good Part of the Day 
 in our Surprize at the Thing, and confulting whac 
 to do, we let forward to the North. 
 
 We travelled upon the Shore of this Sea full 
 23 D::ys, before we could come to any Refblu- 
 tion about what it was , at the End of which, 
 early one Morning, one of our Seamen cried 
 out Land, and it was no falle Alarm, for we faw 
 plainly die Tops of feme Hills at a very great 
 Diltance, on the further Side of the Water, due 
 Weir; but tho' this fatisfied us that it was 
 not the Sea, but an Inland Sea or Lake, yet 
 we fliw no Land to the Northward, that is fo fay, 
 no End of if, but were obliged to travel eight 
 Days more, and near a 100 Miles further, before 
 we came to the End of it, and then we found 
 this Lake or Sea ended in a very great River, 
 . which run N. or N. by E. as the other River ha< 
 done, which I mentio nd before. 
 
 My Friend the Gunner, upon examining, laid, 
 that he believed that he was miflaken before, 
 ' and that this was the River Nile y but was ftil 
 of the Mind, that we were of before, that we 
 Should no: think of a Voyage into Egypt that Way \ 
 fo we refolved upon crofling this River, which 
 however was not fo eafy as before, the River 
 beii'.g very rapid, and the Channel very broad. 
 
 It coft us therefore a Week here to get Mate- 
 rials to waft our lelves and Cattel over this 
 River; for tho' here were Store of Trees, yet 
 fhere were none of any confiderable Growth, 
 fufF.cient to make a Canoe. 
 
 During our March on the Edge of this Bank, 
 
 we met with great Fatigue, and therefore tra- 
 
 vell'd 
 
Lu.ii.MMu.1. j iuwwiHiMwaw*i!n "lw* 1 ") '.' ';'. u mw:,? 
 
 (37) 
 
 vell'd fewer Miles in a Day than before, there 
 being fuch a prodigious Number of little Rivers 
 that came down from the Hills on the Eaft Side, 
 emptying themfelves into thisGulph, all which 
 Waters were pretty high, the Rains having 
 been but newly over. 
 
 In the laft three Days of our Travel we met 
 with fome Inhabitants, but we found they lived 
 upon the little Hills, and not by the Water Side; 
 nor were we a little put to it for Food in this 
 March, having killed nothing for four or five 
 Days, but fome Fifli we caught out of the Lake, 
 and that not in fuch Plenty as we found before. 
 
 But to make us fome amends, we had no Diftur- 
 bance upon all the Shore of this Lake, from any 
 wild Beafts*, the only Inconveniency of that Kind 
 was, that we met an ugly, venemous, deformed 
 kind of a Snake or Serpent in the wet Grounds 
 near die Lake, that feveral times purfued us, as if 
 it would attack us*, and if we ft ruck at, or threw 
 any thing at it, would raife it lelf up, and hifs 
 as loud it nvght be heard a great Way \ it had 
 a hellifh, ugly, deformed Look and Voice, and 
 our Men would not be perfwaded but it was the 
 Devil, only that we did not know what Bufinefs 
 'Satan could have there, where there were no 
 People. 
 
 It was very remarkable that we had now tra- 
 velled a iooo Miles without meeting with any 
 People, in the Heart of the whole Continent 
 of Africa^ where to be fure never Man let his 
 Foot fince the Sons of Noah fpread them- 
 felves over the Face of the whole Earth*, here 
 alfo our Gunner took an Obfervation with his 
 ForeftarF to determine our Latitude, and he 
 found now, that having marched aboitt 33 Days 
 
 . ' .North* 
 
Northward, we were in 6 Degrees 22 Minutes 
 South Latitude. 
 
 After having with great Difficulty got over 
 this River, we came into a ftrange wild Country, 
 that began a little to affright us-, for tho* the 
 Country was not a Defartofdry fcalding Sand, 
 as that was we had pafTed before, yet it was 
 mountainous, barren and infinitely full of moft 
 furious wild Beads, more than any Place we had 
 pail yet. There was indeed a kind of coarle 
 Iferbage on the Surface, and now and then a 
 few Trees or rather Shrubs* but People we 
 could fee none, and we began to be in great 
 Sufpei:fe about Victuals*, for we had not killed 
 a Deer a great while, but had lived chiefly upon 
 Fifh and Fowl alway by the Water Side, both 
 which feemed to fail us now , and we were in the 
 more Confirmation, becaufe we could not lay in 
 . a Stock here to proceed upon, as we did before, but 
 were obliged to fet out with Scarcity, and with- 
 out any Certainty of a Supply. 
 
 We had however no Remedy but Patience ; 
 and having killed fomc Fowls, and dried fome 
 Fifh, as much as with fhort Allowance we reckon- 
 ed would laft us five Days, we refolved to ven- 
 ture, and venture we did*, nor was it without 
 Caufe that we were apprehenfive of the Dan- 
 ger, for we travelled the five Days, and met 
 neither with Fifh, or Fowl, or four- footed I3eaft 
 whole Flefli was fit to cat , and we were in 
 moft. dreadful Apprehenfion of being famifhed 
 to Death-, on the fixth Day we almoft f.ifted, 
 or, as we may fay, we eat up all the Scraps of 
 what we had left, and at Kight lay down fup- 
 perlefs upon our Mates with heavy Hearts, be- 
 ing obliged the eighth Day to kill one of our 
 
 uoo 
 
 
' yw e wwff'j ' M ' U ' .wjil.. 
 
 ( '39 ) 
 
 poor faithful Servants the Buffloes, that carry M 
 our Baggage.; the flefh of this Creature was very 
 good, and fo fparingly did we eat of it, that it 
 laftedusall three Days and a half, and was juffc 
 fpent , and we were upon the point of killing 
 another, when we faw before us a Country that 
 promifed better, having high Trees and a large 
 River in the middle of it. 
 
 This encouraged us, and we quickenM our 
 March for the River Side, tho' with empty Sto- 
 machs, and very n faint and weak; but before 
 we came to this River we had the good Hap to 
 .meet with fome young Deer, a Thing we had 
 long wiihed for. In a Word, having Inot three 
 of them, we came to a full Stop to fill our Bellies, 
 and never gave the Flefh time to cool before we 
 eat it ; nay 'twas much we could flay to kill it, 
 and had not eaten it alive, for we were in fhort 
 almoft famifhed. 
 
 Through all that unhofpitable Country we faw 
 continually Lions, Tygers, Leopards, Civet Cats, 
 and Abundance of Kinds of Creatures that we 
 did not imderfhnd-, we faw no Elephants, but 
 every now and then we met with an Elephant's 
 Tooth lying on the Ground, and fome of them 
 lying as it were half buried by the Length of 
 Time that they had lain there. 
 
 When we came to the Shore of this River,' 
 we found it run Northerly ftill, as all the reft 
 had done, but with this Difference, that as tho 
 Courfe of the other Rivers were N. by E. of 
 N. N. E. the Courfe of this lay N. N. W. 
 
 On the farther Bank of this River we faw 
 fome Sign pf Inhabitants, but met with none 
 for the fir{t Day , but the next Day we came 
 into an Inhabited Country, the People all Ne-' 
 
 " gross 
 
( ho ; 
 
 groes, and ftark naked, without Shame, both 
 Men and Women. ; 
 
 We made Signs of Friend/hip to them, and 
 found them a very frank, civil, and friendly lore 
 of People. They came to our Negroes without 
 any Sufpition, nor did they give us any Reafbn 
 to jiifpecY them of any Villainy, as the others 
 had done-, we made Signs to them that we 
 were hungry, and immediately ibme naked 
 Women ran and fetched us great Quantities of* 
 Roots, and of Things like -Pumpkins, which 
 we made no Scruple to eat*, and our Artificer 
 fhewed them fbme of his Trinkets that he had 
 made, fome of Iron, fome of Silver, but none 
 of Gold: They had fo much Judgment to chule 
 that of Silver before the Iron, but when we 
 fliewed them fbme Gold, we found they did not 
 value it fo much as either of the other. 
 
 For fome of thefe Things they brought us 
 more Provifions, and three living Creatures as 
 big as Calves, but not of that Kind , neither did 
 we ever iee any of them before j their Flefh was 
 very good*, and after that they brought us 
 twelve more, and fome lmaller Creatures, like 
 Hares, all which were very welcome to us who 
 were indeed at a very great Lofs for Provifions. 
 
 We grew very intimate with thefe People, 
 and indeed they were the civi Heft and moft friend- 
 ly People that we met witli at all, and mightily 
 pleafed with us *, and which was very particular, 
 they were much eafier to be made to underftand 
 our Meaning, than any we had met with before. 
 
 At laft, we began to enquire our Way, point- 
 ing to the Weft, they made us underftand eaftly 
 that we could not go that Way, but they 
 pointed to us, that we might go North- Wetf, 
 !q 
 
( H 1 ) 
 
 fo that we presently underftood that there was 
 another Lake in our Way, which proved to be 
 true; for in two Days more we faw it plain, and 
 it held us till we paft the Equinoctial Line, 
 lying all the Way on our left Hand, tho' at 
 a great Diftance. 
 
 Travelling thus Northward, our Gunner 
 feemed very anxious about our Proceedings -, for 
 he allured us, and made me fenfible of it by 
 the Maps, which he had been teaching me out 
 of, that when we came nito the Latitude of fix 
 Degrees, or thereabouts, North of the Line, the 
 Land trended away to theWeft, to fuch a Length,' 
 that we fliouldnot come at the Sea under a March 
 of above 1 500 Miles farther Weftward than the 
 Country we defired to go to. I asked him if there 
 were no Navigable Rivers that we might meet 
 with, which running into die Weft Ocean, might 
 perhnp? carry us down their Stream, and then if 
 it were 1500 Miles, or twice 1 500 Miles, we might 
 do well enough, if we could but get Provifions. 
 
 Here he fhewed me the Maps again, and that 
 there appeared no River whole Stream was of 
 any fuch Length as to do us any Kindnefs, till 
 we came perhaps within 2 or 300 Miles of the 
 Shore, except the Rio Grande, as they call it, 
 which lay farther Northward from us, at leaft 
 700 Miles-, and that then he kne'v not what 
 I kind of Country it might carry us through-, for 
 he faid it was his Opinion, that the Heats on 
 the North of the Line, even in the fame Latitude, 
 were violent, and the Country more de folate, 
 barren, and .barbarous than thofe of the South; 
 and that when we came among the Negroes in 
 the North Part of jifr'tca 7 next the Sea, cfpe-. 
 gaily thofe who had (ken and trafficked with 
 
 the 
 
( i+* ) 
 
 the Euro ft >ans, fuch as Dutch, Englijli, Tortuguefe, 
 Spaniards, &c. that they had mpft of them been (6 
 ill ufed at fome time or other, that they would 
 certainly put all the Spight they could upon 
 us in meer Revenge. 
 
 Uponthefe Considerations, .he advifed us, that 
 as (bon as we had palTed this Lake, we ihouid 
 proceed W. S. W. that is to fay, a little enclining 
 to the South, and that in Time we ihouid meet 
 with the great River Congo, from whence the 
 Coaft is called Congo, being a little North of An~ 
 gola, where we intended at firft to go. 
 
 I asked him, if ever lie had been on the Coaft 
 of Congo ; he laid- yes he had, but was never on 
 Shore there : Then I asked him, how we mould get 
 from thence to the Coaft where the European 
 Ships came, feeing if the Land trended away 
 Weft for 1 500 Miles, we muft have all that Shore 
 to traverfe, before we could double the Weft 
 Point of it. 
 
 Ke told me, it was ten to one but we mould 
 hear of Ibme European Ships to take us in, for 
 that they often vi ft ted the Coaft of Congo and 
 Angola, in Trade with the Negroes , and that if 
 we could not, yet, if we could but find Provi- 
 fions, we fhould make our Way as well along 
 the Sea-Shore, as along the River, till we came 
 to the Gold Coaft, which he laid was not above 
 4 or 500 Miles North of Congo, beftdes the tam- 
 ing of the Coaft Weft about 300 more-, that 
 Shore being in the Latitude of fix or feven De- 
 grees, and that there the Englifl), or Dutch, or 
 French, had Settlements or Factories, perpaps all 
 of them. 
 
 \ I confefs, 1 had more Mind all the wh'le he ar- 
 gued, to have gone Northward, and Slvpc our 
 
 lelves 
 
Cm) 
 
 felvesin the Rio Grand, or as the Traders call it; 
 the River Negro or Niger, for 1 knew that at laft 
 it would bring us down to the Cafe de Verd y 
 where we were fure of Relief-, whereas at the 
 Coaft we were going to now, we had a prodigious 
 Way ft ill to go, either by Sea or Land, and no 
 Certainty which way to get Provifions but by 
 Force-, but for the prefent I held my Tongue, 
 becaufe it was my Tutor's Opinion. 
 
 But when, according to his Defire, we came 
 
 to turn' Southward, having pafTed beyond the 
 
 fecond great Lake, our Men began all to be uneafy, 
 
 and laid, we were now out of our Way for cer- 
 
 | tain, for that we were going farther from home, 
 
 I and that we were indeed far enough off al- 
 
 | ready. 
 
 But we had not marched above twelve Days 
 \ more, eight whereof was taken up in rounding 
 j the Lake, and four more Southweft, in order to 
 | make for the River Congo, but we were put to a- 
 nother full Stop, by entring a Country lb defo-. 
 late, fb frightful, and fo wild, that we knew not 
 what to think or do} for befides that it appeared, 
 as a terrible and boundlefs Defart, having neither 
 Woods, Trees, Rivers, or Inhabitants \ fo even 
 the Place where we were, was defblate of Inhabi- 
 tants, nor had we any Way to gather in a Stock 
 of Provifions for the paffing this Defart, as we 
 did before at our entring the firft, unlefswehad 
 marched back four Days to the Place where we 
 turned the Head of the Lake. 
 
 Well, notwithflanding this we ventured, for 
 to Men that had palled fuch wild Places as we 
 had done, nothing could feem too defperate to 
 undertake : We ventured 1 lay, and the ratherbe- 
 caufe we law very high Mountains in our way at a 
 
 'great 
 
(H4-) 
 
 great Diftance, and we imagined, wherever, there 
 was Mountains, there would be Springs and 
 Rivers, *where Rivers, there would be Trees and 
 Grafs, where Trees and Grafs, there would be 
 Cattel, and where Cattel, fome Kind of Inha- 
 bitants. 
 
 At laft, in Confequence of this fpeculative Phi- 
 lofbphy, we entered this Waft, having a great 
 Heap of Roots and Plants for our Bread, fuch as 
 the Indians' gave us, a very little Flefh, or Salt, 
 and but a little Water. 
 
 We travelled two Days towards thofe Hills, 
 and ftill they feemed as far off as they did at firft, 
 and it was the fifth Day before we got to them \ 
 indeed we travelled but foftly, for it was excef- 
 five hot, and we were much about the very 
 JEquincftial Line, we hardly knew whether to die 
 South or the North of it. 
 
 As we had concluded that, where there were 
 Hills there would be Springs, fo it happened; 
 but we were not only furprized, but really fright- 
 ed, to find the firft Spring we came to, and which 
 looked admirably clear and beautiful, be fait 
 as Brine : It was a terrible Difappointment to us, 
 and put us under melancholy Apprehenfions at 
 firft } but the Gunner who was of a Spirit never 
 dilcouraged, told us we mould not be difturbed at 
 that, but be very thankful, for Salt was a Bait we 
 Hood in as much Need of as any thing, and there 
 was no Queftion but we mould find frefh Water 
 as well as Salt-, and here our Surgeon fleps in 
 to encourage us, and told us, that if we did not 
 Jcnow, he would mew us a Way how to make that 
 fait Water frem, which indeed made us all more 
 chearful, tho* we wondered what lie meant. 
 
 Mean 
 
..Meiin time our,! Men,* ^without bidding j hact 
 been feeking about, tor other Springs, and found 
 feveral, but {till they were all -fair ; from whence 
 we conqluded, that there was a fait Rock or Mi- 
 neral Scone in thole Mountains, and perhaps they 
 might be all of fuchaSubftance: But {till I won-^ 
 dered by what Witchc rati: it was that our A r-" 
 lift the Surgeon would make trr's fait Water 
 turnfrefh, audi long'd to' fee the Experiment, 
 which was indeed a very odd one*, bur he went 
 to Work with as much Aifurance, as if he had * 
 try'd it on the very Spot before. V : -' ' ] < 
 
 He took two of our large Matt*, tfnd fbwM 
 them together, and they made a kind of a Bag 
 four Foot broad, three Foot 'and a Hal*. h. ; eli, 
 and about a Foot and a Half thick when it was 
 full. ' - - : * 
 
 He caufed us to fill this. Bag w : th dry Sand, 
 and tread it down as clofe as we could, not to 
 burft the Matts. When thus the Bng was full 
 within a Foot, he fought iome other Earth, and 
 filled up the reft with it, and ftill trod it all in as 
 hard as he could. When he had done, he made 
 a Hole in the upper Earth, about as b^oad as the 
 Crown of a large Har, or fbmething bigger about, 
 | but not fb deep, and ba"d a Kegroe fill it wich 
 Water, and ftill as it ilirunk away, to fill it again, 
 and keep it full. - The Bag he had placed at Hrft 
 crofs two Pieces of Wood, about a Foot from the 
 Ground, and under it he ordered fbme of our 
 (Skins to be fpread, that would hold Water. - In 
 it [about an Hour, and not (boner, the Water began 
 it to come dropping thro' the Bottom of the Bag, 
 ;e 'and to our great Surprize,, was per&ft freih and 
 fweet , and this continued for feveral Hours Put 
 in the End, the Water began to be a little 
 : - U brackiih* 
 
( H6 ) 
 
 brack if]?.. When we told him that, Well then,' 
 faid h 9 turn the Sand out, and fill it again 3 
 whetlier he did this by way of Experiment from 
 his own Fancy, or whether he had feen it done 
 before, I do not remember. 
 
 The next Day we mounted the Tops of the 
 Hills, where the Profpet was indeed aftoriifhingJ 
 for as far as the Eye could look, South, or 
 Weft, or North-Welt, there was nothing to be 
 Jcen but a vaft howling Wildernels, with neither 
 Tree or River, or any green thing. The Surface 
 we found, as the Part we pafled the Day before, 
 had a kind of thick Mo fs upon it, of a'blackiih 
 dead Colour, but nothing in it that looked like 
 Food, either for Man or Beaft. 
 
 Had we been flored withProvifions to have en* 
 tred for ten or twenty Days upon this Wilder- 
 ness, as we were formerly, and with freih Water, 
 we had Hearts good enough to have ventured ; 
 tho* we had been obliged to come back again , for 
 if we went North, we did not know but we might 
 meet with the fame , but we neither had Proviii- 
 ons, neither were we in any Place where it was 
 poiTible to get them. We killed fome wild ferine 
 Creatures at the Foot of thefe Hills \ but except 
 two things like to nothing that we ever faw 
 before, we met with nothin? that was fit to eat. 
 The(e were Creatures that teemed to be between 
 ."the Kind of a Buftloe and a Deer, but indeed re- 
 lembled neither -, for they had no Horns, and had 
 great Legs like a Cow, with a fine Head, and the 
 , Keck like a Deer. We killed alfo at feveral times 
 n Tiger, two young Lions, and a Wolf, but, God 
 be thanked, we were not fo reduced as to cat 
 Carrion. 
 
 Up< 
 
Upon this terrible Profpeft I renewed my Mo- 
 tion of turning Northward, and making towards 
 the River Niger, or RioGrwd, then to turn Weft 
 towards the Englifo Settlements on the GoldCoaft, 
 to which every one moft readily confented, only 
 our Gunner, who was indeed our beft Guide, tho* 
 he happened to be miftaken at this time. lie mo- 
 ved, that as our Coaft was now Northward, fo we 
 might flant away North Weft, that fo by cro/Iing 
 the Country, we might perhaps meet with fome 
 other River that run into the Rio Grand North- 
 ward, or down to the Gojd Coaft Southward, and 
 fo both direct our Way, and morten the Labour ^ 
 asalfo, becaufe, if any of the Country was inha- 
 bited and fruitful, we mould probably find it 
 upon the Shore of the Rivers, where alone we 
 could be furnifl^ed with Provifions. 
 
 This was good Advice, and too rational not to 
 t e taken ^ but our prefent Bufinefs was, what to 
 do to get out of this dreadful Place we were in; 
 behind us was a Waft, which had already coft us 
 five Days March, and we had not Provifions for 
 five Days left to go back again the fame Way, 
 Before us was nothing but Honour as above, (b 
 we refoIvM, feeing the Ridge of Hills we were 
 upon had fome Appearance of Fruitfulnefs, and 
 that they feemed to lead away to the Northward 
 a great Way, . to keep under the Foot of them 
 on the Eaft Side, to go on as far as we could, 
 and in the mean time to look diligently out for 
 Food. 
 
 Accordingly we moved on the next Morning ; 
 for we had no time to lofe, and to our great Com- 
 fort we came in our firft Morning's March to ve- 
 ry good Springs of freili Water , and leaft we 
 ftould have a Scarcity again, we filled all our 
 
 L 2 , Blad- 
 
( 1+8 ) 
 
 Bladder Bottles, and carried it with us. I fhould 
 alio have obferved, that our Surgeon who made 
 the fait Water frefh, took the Opportunity of 
 thole (alt Springs, and made us the Quantity of 
 three or four Pecks of very good Salt. 
 
 In. our third March we found an unexpected 
 Supply of Food, the Hills being full of Hares; 
 they were of a kind fomething different from 
 ours in Engl an A y larger, and not (b fwift of Foot, 
 but very good Meat. We mot feveral of them, 
 and the little tame Leopard, which I told you we 
 took at the Negroe Town that we plundered, hun- 
 ted them like a Dog, and killed us feveral every 
 Day, but me would eat nothing of them unlefs we 
 gave it her, which indeed in our Circumftance 
 was very obliging. We (lilted them a little, and 
 dried them in the Sun whole, and carry M a ft range 
 Parcel along with us, I think it was almoft three 
 Hundred ; for we did not know when we might 
 rind any more, cither of thefc, or any other Food. 
 We continued our Courfe under thele Hills very 
 comfortably eight or nine Day?, when we found 
 to our great SatH'aftion, the Country beyond ujI 
 began to look with fomething a better Counte-j 
 nance. As for the Weft Side of the Hills, m 
 never examined it till this Day, when three of our 
 Company, the reft halting for Refre/hment 
 mounted the Hills again to fatisfv their Curi 
 ofity, but found it all the fame ; nor could the; 
 iee any End of it, no not to the North, the Waj 
 we were going; fo the tenth Day finding the Hill 
 made a Tirjn, and led as it were into the vaft D* 1 
 iart, we left them, and continued our Courl 
 North-, the Country being very tolerably full;' 
 Woods, fome Waft, but not tedioufly long*, Jj 
 we came, by our Gunner's Obfcrvation, into tl 
 
 ""-.. < JLt 
 
( 149 ) ,.. ,.,-, 
 ^atitude of 8 Degrees, 5 Minutes, which we 
 vere nineteen Days more a performing. 
 
 AH this Way we found no Inhabitants, Abun-i 
 lance of wild ravenous Creatures, with whom 
 ve became fo well acquainted now, that really 
 ye did not much mind them. We faw Lior.s 
 md Tigers, and Leopards every Night andMor- 
 ling in Abundance \ but as they feldom came 
 icar us, we let them go about their Bufinefs , if 
 :hey ofter'd to come near us, we made falfe Fire 
 lien any Gun that was uncharged, and they 
 ivould walk off as foon as they faw the Flafh. 
 
 We made pretty good Sh ; ft for Food all this 
 Pay , for fometimes we killed Hares, lbmetimes 
 tme Fowls, but for my Life I cannot give Karnes 
 any of them, except a kind of Partridge, and 
 mother that was like our Turtles. Mow and then 
 jve began to meet with Elephants again in great 
 j lumbers, thofe Creatures delighting chiefly in 
 |:he woody Part of the Country. 
 
 This long continued March' fatigued us very 
 jnuch, and two of .our Men fell fick, indeed lb 
 rery fick, we thought thev would have died \ and 
 !>ne of our Negroes died fuddenly. Our Surgeon 
 aid it was an Apoplexy, but he wondered *ttir 9 
 gr /aid, for he could never complain of his high 
 feeding. Another of them was very ill, but our 
 Burgeon with much ado perfwading him, indeed 
 I was almoft forcing him, to be let 'Blood, he re- 
 overM. 
 
 We halted here twelve Days for the dike of 
 nir fick Men, and our Surgeon psrfwaded me, 
 nd three or four more of us, to be let Blood 
 luring the time of Reft, which with other things . 
 p gave u< } contributed very much to our conti- 
 
 nued 
 
(j5.; 
 
 nued Health, m fo tedious ?. March, and in Co hot 
 a Climate. 
 
 In this March we pitched our matted Tents 
 every "Night, and they were very comfortable 
 to us, tho' we had Trees and Woods to fhelter 
 us alfo in moil Places. We thought it very 
 ftrnnge, that in all this Part of thuTCountry we. 
 yet met with no inhabitants-, but the principal 
 Reafbn as we found afterwards was, that we Ha- 
 ving kept a Weftern Gourfe firft, and then a 
 Korrhern Courfe, were gotten too much into 
 the Middle of the Country, and among the De- 
 farts: Whereas the Inhabitants are principally 
 found nrao:^ rhe Rivers, Lakes, and Low-Lands 
 as well to the South-Weft, as to the North. 
 
 What little Rivulets we found here, were Co 
 empty of Water,* that except fome Pits, and 
 little more than ordinary Pools, there was 
 icaive any Water to be (een in them*, and they 
 rather mewed, that during the Rainy Months 
 they had a Channel, than that. they had really 
 any runriijij Water in them at that' time : By 
 whvh it waseafy for us to judge, that we had 
 a great Way to go; but this was no Difcourage- 
 me.it lb long as we had but Provisions, and (bme 
 reafonable Shelter from the violent Heat, which 
 indeed I thought was much greater now, than 
 when the Sun was juft over our Heads. 
 
 Our Men being recovered, we fet forward again, 
 very well ftored with Provifions and Water fuffi- 
 c ; enr, and bending pur Courfe a little to the 
 Weftward of the Korth, travelled in Hopes of 
 fome Svourcb'e Stream which might bear a Ca- 
 noe; br we found none till after twenty Days 
 Tr-veL inc'ud'Y.g egh: Days Reft, for our Men 
 behig weak we refted very often*, cfpccially 
 ->- when 
 
(*$' .;: 
 
 when we came to Places which were proper for . 
 our Purpofe-, where we found Cattel, Fowl, or 
 any thing ta kill for our Food. In thofe twenty 
 Days March, we advanced four Degrees to the 
 Northward, befides fome Meridian Diftance Weft- 
 ward, and we met with Abundance of Elephants, 
 and with a good Number of Elephants Teeth 
 fcatter'd up and down, here and there, in the. 
 Woody Grounds efpecially } fome of which were 
 very large. But they were r.o Booty to us ^ our 
 Bufinefs was Provifions, and a good Paffhge out of 
 the Country , and it had been much move to our 
 Purpole, to have found a good fat Deer, and to 
 have killed it for our Food, than a hundred Ton 
 of Elephants Teeth } and yet as you mall pre- 
 fently hear, when we came to begin our Pai\ge 
 by Water, we once thought to hive built a 
 large Canoe on purpofe to have loaded her with 
 Ivory, but this was when we knew nothing of 
 the Rivers, nor knew anything how dangerous, and 
 how difficult a PafTage it was that we were like 
 to have in them, nor had confldered the Weight 
 of Carriage to lug them to the Rirers where 
 we might Embark. 
 
 At the End of twenty Days Travel, as above, 
 in the Latitude of three Degrees, fixteen Mi/lu- 
 tes, we di (covered in a Valley, at fome Diftance 
 from us, a pretty tolerable Stream, which we 
 thought deferved the Name of a River, and 
 which run its Courfe N. N. W. which was 
 juft what we wanted. As we hadfixt our Thoughts 
 upon our Palfage by Water, we took tip's for the 
 Place to make .the Experiment, and bent our 
 March direttly to the Valley. 
 
 There was a fmall Thicket of Trees juft in our 
 Way, which we went by, thinking no harm, 
 
 L 4 what 
 
(i5* ) ! ,. 
 
 when on a fudden one of our Negroes was very 
 dangerbu&y wounded with an Arrow, mot into ' 
 lr.s Back liarting between his Shoulders. This ' 
 put us to a full Stop, ai.d three o* our Men with 
 two Negroes lpread : ng the Wood, for it was 
 but a fn.all one, found a Negro with a Bow, 
 b'uc no Arrow, who would have efcaped , but our 
 Men that difcovered him, ihot him in Reven- , 
 geof the Milchief he had done*, fo we loft the 
 Opportunity of taking him Priibner, wlvch if we 
 hnudone, and fent him home with good Utage, 
 it might have brought others to us in a friendly, 
 Manner, , 
 
 Going a little farther, we came to five Negro 
 Kutts or Houfes, built after a differing Manner, 
 from any we had feen yet , and at the Door of 
 one of them, lay {even Elephants Teeth piled, 
 up aga ! nft the Wall or Side of the Hutt, as if. 
 they had been provided againft a Market: Here, 
 were no Men, but feven or eight Women, and 
 near twenty Children: We offered them no Unci- 
 villy o'-" ai.y kind, but gave them every one a 
 Bit of Silver beaten oat th'n, as 1 oblerved be- 
 fore, and cut Diamond million, or in the Shape 
 of a Bird; at which the Women wercover-joy'd 
 and brought out to us feveral Sjrts of Food, 
 which we did not under ft and, being Cakes ot 
 a Meal made of Root?, Which they bake in the 
 Sun, and which eat very well. We went a little 
 Way farther, and pitched our Camp for that 
 N'ght, not doubting but our Civility to the 
 Women wou'd produce tome good EitecT:, when 
 tlu*ir I-Jusb.' nds might come Home. 
 
 Accordingly, the next Morning, die Women, 
 with eleven Men, live young Boys, and two good 
 big Giris,came toour Camp-, before they came 
 : "* quite 
 
(153) \ ....... 
 
 quite to us, the Women called aloud, and made, 
 an odd fcreeking Koife, to bring us out, and 
 accordingly we came out, when two of the Wo- 
 men, mewing us what we had given them, and 
 pointing to the Company behind, made fuch 
 Signs as we could eafily underftand fignified 
 Friendmip. When the Men advanced, having 
 Bows and Arrows, they laid them down on the 
 Ground, fcraped, and threw Sand over their 
 Heads, and turned round three times with their 
 Hands laid up upon the Tops of their Heads. 
 This it feems, was a folemn Vow of Friendship. 
 Upon this we beckon'd them with our Hands to 
 come nearer , then they fent the Boys and Girls 
 to us firft, which, it feems was to bring us more 
 Cakes of Bread, and fbme green Herbs, to eat, 
 which we received, and took the Boys up and kiiTed, 
 them, and the little Girls too; then the Men came 
 up clofe to us, and flit them down on the Ground, 
 making Hgns, that we mould fit down by them, 
 which we did. They faid much to one another, 
 but we could not underfland them, nor could 
 we find any way to make them underftand us ; 
 mu<*h lefs whither we were going, or what we 
 wanted, only that we eafily made them under- 
 fland we wanted Victuals-, whereupon one of 
 the Men cafling his Eyes about him towards a. 
 rifing Ground that was about half a Mile off, 
 flarts up as if he was frighted, flies to the Place 
 where they had laid down their Hows and Ar- 
 rows, fuatches up a Bow and two Arrows, and 
 run like a race Horfe to the Place: When he 
 came there, he let fly both his Arrows, and 
 comes back again to us with the fame Speed; 
 we feeing he came with the Bovv, but wirhout the 
 Arrows, were the more Lquifitive, but the Fellow 
 
 faying 
 
( X 5W 
 
 laying nothing to usj beckons to one of our N 
 groes to come to him, and we bid him go -, To he led 
 him back to the Place, where lay a kind of a Deer, 
 fliot with two Arrows, but not quite dead- and, 
 between them, they brought it down to us. This 
 was for a Gift to us, and was very welcome, I 
 afTure you, for our Stock was low. Theie Peo- 
 ple were all ftark naked. 
 
 The next Day there came about a Hundred 
 Men to us, and Women, making the fameaukward 
 Signals of Friendfhip*, and dancing and fhewing 
 themfelves very well pleated, and any thing they 
 had they gave us. How the Man in the Wood 
 came to be Co butcherly and rude, as to moot at 
 our Men, without making any Breach firft, we 
 could not imagine-, for the People were fimple, 
 plain, and inoHenfive, in all our other Converfii- 
 tion with them. 
 
 From hence we went down the Bank of the 
 little River I mentioned, and where I found we 
 ihould fee whole Kations of Negroes, but whe- 
 ther friendly to us, or not, that we could make 
 no Judgment of yet. 
 
 The River was of no Ufe to us, as to the Defign 
 of making Canoes, a great while, and we tra- 
 yer'fed the Country, on the Edge of it about 
 five Days more, when our Carpenters finding 
 the Stream encreafe, propofed to pitch our 
 Tents, and fill to work to make Canoes-, but 
 after we had begun the Work, and cut down 
 two or three Trees, and fpent five Days in the 
 Labour, fome of our Men wandring further 
 down the River, brought us Word/ that the 
 Stream rather decreafed than encreafed, finking 
 away into the Sands, or drying up by the Heat 
 of the Sun \ fo that the River appeared not able 
 
 to 
 
< >55) 
 
 to carry the leaft Canoe, that could be any .way * 
 ufeful to us, fo we were obliged to give over our. 
 Enterprize, and move on. 
 
 In our further Profpefl: this Way, wemarch\T 
 three Days full Weft the Country on the North 
 Side, being extraordinary mountainous, and more 
 parched and dry than any we had feen yet; 
 whereas, in the Part which looks due Weft, we. 
 found a pleafant Valley, running a great way! 
 between two great Ridges of Mountains : The' 
 Hills look'd frightful, being entirely bare of 
 Trees or Grafs, and even white with the Drinefs 
 of the Sand; but in the Valley we had Trees, 
 Grafs, and fome Creatures that were fit for> 
 Food, and fome Inhabitants. 
 
 We paft by fome of their Hutts or Houfes,* 
 and faw People about them, but they run up into 
 the Hills as foon as they faw us-, at the End of 
 this Valley we met with a peopled Country, 
 and at firft it put us to fome doubt, whether" 
 we mould go among them, or keep up towards-' 
 the Hills Northerly, and as our Aim was prin- 
 cipally, as before, to make our Way to the River 
 Niger ', we enclined to the latter, purfuing our 
 Courfe by the Compafs to the N. W. We march'd 
 thus without Interruption feven Days more, 
 when we met with a fur prizing Circumftance, 
 much more defolate and difconfolate than our 
 own, and, which, in time to come, will fcarce 
 feem credible. 
 
 We did not much feek the converfing, or ac-. 
 quainting our felves with the Natives bi the 
 Country, except where we found the Want of 
 them for our Provifion, or their Direction for 
 our Way, fo that whereas we found the Country 
 here begin to be very populous, efpecially to- 
 wards 
 
wards our left Hand, that is, to the South, we 
 Jcept at the more Diftance Northerly, ftill ftretch- 
 ing towards the Weft, 
 
 In thisTraft we found fbmething or other to 
 till and eat, which always fupplied our Necefllty, 
 tho' not fb well as we were provided in our firft 
 letting out-, being thus, as it were, puihing to 
 avoid the peopled Country, we at laft came to a 
 very pleafant, agreeable Stream of Water, not 
 big enough to be called a River, but running to 
 the N. N. W. which was the very Courfe wo 
 defired to go. 
 
 On the fartheft Bank of this Brook we perceiv'd 
 fbme Huttsof Negroes not many, and in a little 
 low Spot of Ground fome Malfe or Indian Corn 
 growing, which intimated prefei.tly to us, that 
 there were fome Inhabitants on that SMe, lefs bar-, 
 barous than what we had met with in other 
 Places where we had been. 
 
 As we went forward our whole Carravan bein g 
 in a Body, our Negroes, who were in the Front, . 
 cry'd out, that they faw a White Man \ we were not 
 much furprized at firft, it being, as we thought, a 
 Miftake of the Fellows, and asked them what" 
 they meant; when one of them ftept to me, 
 and pointing to a Hutt on the other Side of the 
 Hill, I was aftoniflied to fee a White Man 
 indeed, but ftark naked, very bufy near the 
 Door of his Hutt, and ftooping down to 
 the Ground with fomething in his Hand, as if he 
 had been at fome Work, and his back being to- 
 wards us, he did not fee us. 
 
 I gave Notice to our Negroes to make no Noile, 
 and waited till fome more of our Men were come 
 up, to mew the Sight to them, that they might be 
 fure I was not miftaken, and we were foon latis-' 
 
 fied 
 
fied of thfe Truth- for the Man having heard 
 fbme Noife, flarted up, and looked full at us, 
 as much furprized, to be fure, as we were, 
 but whether with Fear or Hope, we then 
 knew not. 
 
 Ashe difcovered us, fo did the reft of the Inha- 
 bitants belonging to the Hutts about him, and 
 all crouded together, looking at us at a Diftance: 
 A little Bottom, in which the Brook ran, lying 
 between us, the white Man, and all the reft, 
 as he told us afterwards, not knowing well whe- 
 ther they fhould ftay, or run away : However, it 
 prefently came into my Thoughts, that if there 
 were white Men among them, it would be much 
 . eafier for us to make them underftand what we 
 meant, as to Peace or War, than we found it with 
 others-, fo tying a Piece of white Rag to the End 
 of a Stick, we fent two Negroes with it to the 
 Bank of the Water, carrying the Pole up as 
 high as they could-, it was prefently underftood, 
 and two of their Men, and the white Man, came 
 to the Shore on the other Side. 
 
 However, as the white Man fpoke no Tortugutfc^ 
 they could underftand nothing of one another^ 
 but by Signs-, but our Men made the white Mau 
 underftand, that they had white Men with 
 them too, at which they faid the white Man 
 laught. However, to be ihort, our Men came 
 back, and told us they were all good Friends, 
 and. in about an Hour four of our Men, two Ne- 
 groes, and the Black Prince went to the River 
 Side, were the white Man came to them. 
 
 They had not been half a Quarter of an Hour, 
 
 but a Negro came running to me, and told me 
 
 the whrte Man was lngUfc y as he called him; 
 
 upon which I run back, eagerly enough you may 
 
 ; : be 
 
tfl> 
 
 
 be fure with him, and found as he faid, that' he- 
 was an JLngliman\ upon which he embraced 
 me very paflionately, the Tears running down 
 his Face. The firfl Surprize of his feeing us 
 was over before we came, but any one may con* 
 ceive of it, by the brief Account he gave us after- 
 wards of his very unhappy Circumftance , and 
 of fo unexpected a Deliverance, fuchas perhaps 
 never happened to any Man in the World*, for it 
 was a Million to one odds, that ever he could 
 "have been relieved-, nothing but an Adventure 
 that never was heard or read of before, could 
 have fui ted his Cafe, unlefs Heaven by fbme Mi- 
 racle that never was to be expected, had acted 
 for him. 
 
 He appeared to be a Gentleman, not an ordi- 
 nary bred Fellow, Seaman, or labouring Man; 
 this ihewed it (elf in his Behaviour, in the firft 
 Moment of our converfmg with him, and in 
 fpight of all the Diladvantages of his miferabte 
 Circumftar.ee. 
 
 He was a middle-aged Man,not above 37 or 3$, 
 tho' his Beard was grown exceeding long, and the 
 Hair of his Head and face ftrangely covered him 
 to the Middle of his Back and Breaft, he was 
 white, and his Sk : n very fine, tho' difcoloured, 
 and in fbme Places bliftered and covered with a 
 brown black : fh Subftnnce, fcurfy, fcaly, and hard 
 which was the KiFett of the fcorching Heat of 
 the Sun; he was ftark naked, and had been lb, 
 as he told us, upwards of two Years. 
 
 He was fo exceedingly tranfported at our meet- 
 ing with him, that he could fcarce enter into 
 any Difcourfe at ail with us for that Day, and 
 when he could get away from us for a little, 
 we faw him walking alone, and (hewing all the 
 
 moft 
 
f i59) 
 
 nioft extravagant Tokens of an ungovernable 
 Joy^ and even afterwards he was never without 
 Tears in his Eyes for feveral Days, upon the leaft 
 Word fpoken by us of his Circumftances, or by 
 him of his Deliverance. 
 
 We found his Behaviour the moft courteous 
 and endearing I ever faw in any Man whatever, 
 and moft evident Tokens of a mannerly well- 
 bred Perfbn, appeared in all things he did or faid; 
 and our People were exceedingly taken with him. 
 He was a Scholar, and a Mathematician; he 
 could not (peek Forruvusfc indeed, but he fpoke 
 Latin to our Surgeon * French to another of our 
 
 \ Men, and Italian to a Third. 
 
 'He had no Leifure in his Thoughts to ask us 
 whence we came, whither we were going, or 
 who we were ; but would have it always as an 
 
 'Anfwer to himfelf, that to be fure wherever 
 we were a-going, we came from Heaven, and were 
 lent on purpofe to fave him from the moft 
 wretched Condition that ever Man was redu- 
 ced to. 
 
 * Our Men pitching their Camp on the Bank 
 of a little River oppofite to him, he began to 
 
 * enquire what Store of Provifton we had, and 
 how we propofed to be fupplied , when he found 
 
 "that our Store was but fmall, hefaid he would 
 talk with the Katives, and we fhould have Pro- 
 vifions enough; for he Hiidthey were the moft 
 courteous, good natured Part of the Inhabitants 
 in all that Part of the Country, as, we might 
 fuppofe by his living fo fafeamong them. 
 m . The firft things this Gentleman did for us were 
 indeed of the greateft Confequence to us; for 
 firft he perfectly informed us where we were, 
 
 'and which was the propereft Courfe for us to 
 
 fteer: 
 
;(,l6o) 
 
 fleer : fecondly, he put us in a Way how to fur* 
 niih bur feives effectually with Provifions^ and 
 Thirdly, he was our compleat Interpreter and 
 Peace-maker with all the Natives, who now 
 began to be very numerous about us - 7 and who 
 were a more fierce and politick People than 
 thofe we had met with before , not i'o eafily 
 terrified with our Arms as thoie, and not io 
 ignorant, as to give their Provifions and Corn 
 forour little Toys, fuch as 1 laid before our 
 Artificer made-, but as they had frequently traded 
 and converted with the Europeans on the Coaft, 
 or with other Negro Nations that had traded 
 and been concerned with them, they were the lefs 
 ignorant, and the lefs fearful, and confequently 
 nothing was to be had from them but by Ex- 
 change" for fuch things as they liked. 
 
 This I fay of the Negro Natives, which wg 
 loon came among-, but as to thefe poor Peo- 
 ple that he lived among, they were not much 
 acquainted with Things, being at the Diftance 
 of above 300 Miles from the Coaft, only that 
 they found Elephants Teeth upon the Hills to 
 the North, which they took and carried abou.; 
 fixty or leventy Miles South, whereother tradind 
 Kegroes ufually met them, and gave them Bead? 
 Glaf?, Shels, and Cowries for them, fuch a* 
 the EttgliJI) and Dutth and other Traders, furnifh 
 them with from Europe. . f 
 
 We now began to be more familiar with our neiy 
 Acquaintance; and fir A, tho' we made but a forty 
 Figure as to Clothes our felves, having neither] 
 Shoe, or Storking, or Glove or Hat among us," 
 and but very few Shirts, yet as well as we couFd 
 we clothed him , and rtrft our Surgeon having 
 'ScifTers and Razors, fhaved him, and cut his 
 
 Hairj 
 
Hair ; a Hat, as I fay, we had not in all our Stores,' 
 but he fupplyM himfelf by making himfelf a Cap 
 of a Piece, of a Leopard Skin, mod artificially,. 
 As for Shoes or Stockings, he had gone lb long 
 without them, that he cared not even for the Bus- 
 kins and Foot-Gloves we wore, which I defcri- 
 bed above. 
 
 As he had been curious to hear the whole Story 
 of our Travels, and was exceedingly delighted- 
 with the Relat : on , fo we were no lefs to know* 
 and pleated with the Account ofhis Circuit! (lance, 
 and the Hiftory of his coming to that Change 
 Place alone, and in that Condition, winch we 
 found him in, as above. 
 
 Tins Account of his would indeed be in it (elf 
 the Subjeft of an agreeable Hlftory, and would be 
 as long and as diverting as our own, having in 
 it many ftrange and extraordinary Incidents, 
 but we cannot have Room here to launch out 
 into fo lon; a Dinre/lioni the Sum of his Hiftury 
 was this. 
 
 He had been a FaSor for the Englijli Culmy 
 '.Company at Slera l^on y or lome other of their 
 Settlements which had been taken by die Frnch 9 
 where lieliad been plundered of all his own Ef- 
 fects, as well as of what was intrufted to him by 
 I the Company. Whether it was, that the Gom- 
 \ pany did not do him Juftice htsreftoring his Cir- 
 fcum fiances, or in further employing him, he 
 emitted their Service, and was employed by thole 
 tliey called Separate Traders , and being after* 
 wards out of Employ there alto, traded on his 
 ov^n Account; when pa flint? unwarily ir.to one of 
 the Company's Settlements, he wasefrher betrayM 
 into the Hands of ibmeof the Natives, or* lome 
 -how or other was furpri/ed by them. Iiowe- 
 
 M ver, 
 
ver, as they did not kill him, he found Means to 
 efcape from them at thattime ? and fled to another 
 Nation .of the Natives, who being Enenves to the 
 other, entertained h'm friendly, and with them 
 he lived fbme time \ but no: liking his Quarters, 
 or his Company, he ficd again, andfeveral times 
 changed his Landlords*, fometimes'was carry'd 
 by Force, fometimes hurried by Fear, as Gir- 
 cumftances altered with him (the Variety of 
 which deferves a Hiftory by it felf) till at laft 
 he had wandred beyond all Poifibility of Return, 
 and had taken up his Abode where we found h'm, 
 where he was well received by the petty King of 
 theTribehe lived with -, and he, in Return, in- 
 ftrr.tted them how to value the Product of their 
 labour, and on what Terms to trade with thofe 
 Negroes who came up to them for Teeth. 
 
 As he was naked, and had no Clothes, fb he 
 was naked of Arms for his Defence, having nei- 
 ther Gun, Sword, Staff, or any Inftrument of 
 War about him, no not to guard h-mfelf againft 
 the Attacks of a wild Eeafr, of which the Coun- 
 try was very full. We asked him how he cam 
 to be lb entirely abandoned or all Concern for hi: 
 Safety ? He anfwered, That to him that had ft 
 often winVd for Death, Life was not worth de- 
 fending , and that as he was entirely at the Mer- 
 cy of the Negroes, they had much the more Con- 
 fidence in him, feeing he had no Weapons to hurljf 
 them. As fur wild Beafts, he was not much con- 
 cerned about that , for he fcarce ever went from 
 his Hutt; but if he did, the Negroe King and 
 his Men went all with h : m, and they were all ar- 
 med with Bows and Arrows, and Lances, with 
 which they would kill any of the ravenous Crea- 
 tures, Lions as well as others , but that they (eU 
 
 dom 
 
( 1*3 ; 
 
 dom came abroad in the Day ; and if the N6* 
 groes wander any where in the Night, they al- 
 ways build a Hutt for themfelves, and make a 
 Fire at the Door of it, which is Guard enough. 
 
 We enquired of him, what we fhould next do 
 towards getting to the Sea-fide *, he told us we 
 were about i 20 Ettgltjh Leagues from the Coaft, 
 where almoft all the European Settlements and 
 Factories were, and which is called the Gold 
 Coafi: , but that there were (b many different Na- 
 tions of Negroes in the Way, that it was ten to 
 one if we were not either fought with continu- 
 ally, or ftarv'd for Want of Provifions : But that 
 there were two other Ways to go, which, if he 
 had had any Company to go with him, he had often 
 contrived to make his Efcape by. The one was 
 to travel full Weft, which, tho* it wrs farther to 
 go, yet was not fo full of People , and the People 
 we fhould find, would be fo much the civiller 
 to us, or be fo much the cnfier to fight with : Or, 
 that the o'rher Way was, if ponlble, to get to the 
 Rio Grand , and go down the Stream in Canoes. 
 We told h : m, that was the Way we had re- 
 folved on before we met with him ; but then 
 he told us, there was a prodigious Defart to go 
 over, and as prodigious Woods to go thro,' be- 
 fore we came to it, and that both together were 
 at leaft twenty Days March for us, travel as hard 
 as we could* 
 
 We ask'd him, if there were no Horfes in 
 
 jthe Country, or AlTes, or even Bullocks or Buf- 
 
 [floes to make ufe of in fuch a Journey, and we 
 
 jfhewed him ours, of which we had but three left; 
 
 he faid No, all the Country did not afford any 
 
 thing of that kind. 
 
 Mi He 
 
( m ) 
 
 He told us, that in this great Wood there 
 were innumerable N umbers of Elephants, and 
 upon the Defart, great Multitudes of Lions, 
 Linxes, Tygers, and Leopards, &c. and that ic 
 was to that" Wood, and to that Defart that the 
 Negroes went to get Elephants Teeth, where 
 they never failed to find a great Number. 
 
 We enquired ft ill more, and particularly the 
 Way to the Gold Coaft, and if there were no 
 Rivers to eafe us in our Carriage-, and told 
 him, as to the Negroes righting with us, we 
 were not much concerned at that *, nor were we 
 afraid of ftarving , for if they had any Victuals 
 among them, we would have our Share of it: 
 And therefore, if he would venture to {hew us 
 the Way, we would venture to go-, and as for- 
 himfelf, we told him we would live and dye 
 together, there fhould not a Man of us ftir from 
 him. 
 
 He told us, with all his Heart, if we refblvM 
 it, and would venture, we might be affured he 
 would take his Fate with us, and he would en- 
 deavour to guide us fuch a Way, as we mould 
 meet with lome friendly Savages who would uie 
 us well, and perhaps {land by us anainft ibme 
 others who were lets traftable : So, in a Word, 
 we all refolved to go full South for- the Gold 
 Coaft. ., 
 
 The next Morning he came to us again, and 
 being all met in Council, as we may call it, he 
 began to talk very feriojfly with us, that firiee 
 we were now come after a long Journey to a View 
 of the End of our Troubles, and had been Co ob- 
 liging to him, as to offer Carrying h : m with 
 us, "he had been all Nigh: revolving in his 
 Mind what hs und we all might do* to make 
 
 our 1 
 
our felves Ibme Amends for all our Sorrows ; 
 and firft he f<ud, he was to let me know, that 
 we were jufl then in one of the rtcheft Parts of 
 the World, tho' it was really otherwife, but a 
 defolate, difconfblate Wildernefs^ for lays he, 
 there's not a River here but runs Gold, no:; a 
 Defart but without Plowing bears a Crop of Ivo- 
 ry. What Mines of Gold, what im men fe Stores 
 of Gold thofe Mountains may contain, from 
 whence thefe Rivers come, or the Shores which, 
 thefe Waters run by, we know not, bat may . 
 imagine that they muft be inconceivably rich, iee- 
 ing Co much is wailied down the Stream by the 
 Water warning the Sides of the Land, that the 
 Quantity fufFices all the Traders which the Euro- 
 fsan World fend thither. We ask'd him how 
 far they went for it, feeing the Ships only trade 
 upon the Coaft. He told us, that the Negroes 
 on the Coaft fearch the Rivers up for the Length 
 of 150 or 200 Miles, and would be out 2 Month 
 or two or three at a Time, and. always come 
 Home furliciently rewarded \ but, ftys he, they 
 never come thus far, and yet hereabouts is as 
 much Gold as there. Upon this he told us, 
 that he believed he might have gotten a Hun- 
 dred Pound Weight of Gold, fince he came thi- 
 ther, if he had employed lumtelf to look and 
 work for it , but as he knew not what to do 
 with it, and had long fmce defpaired of being 
 ever delivered from the Mifery he was in, he 
 had entirely omitted it. For what Advantage 
 had it been to me, did he, or what richer had 
 1 been, if I had a Ton of Gold Duft, and lay and 
 wallowed in it *, the Richneis of it,/^/;*y would not 
 give me one Moment's Felicity, or relieve me iti 
 the pre font Exigency. Kav, fays he, af you all fee, 
 
 M 3 it 
 
it would not buy me Cloches to cover me, or a 
 Drop or Drink to fave me from perifhing. 'Tis 
 of no Value here, fays he \ there are feveral 
 People omom; thefe Hutts that would weigh Gold 
 axauill a fe.v Glafs Beads, or a Cockle-Shell, and 
 gK r e you a Handful of Gold Dud for a Hand- 
 ful of Cowries. N. B. Thefe are little Shells 
 whVh our Children call Blackamores Teeth. 
 
 When he had faid thus, he pulled out a Piece 
 of an earthen Pot baked hard in the Sun : Here 
 fays he> is fome of the Dirt of this Country, and 
 if I would, I could have got a great deal more j 
 and fhewing it to us, I believe there was be- 
 tween two and three Pound Weight of Gold Duft, 
 of the fame Kind and Colour with thot we had 
 gotten already, as before. After we had lookM 
 at it a while, he told us fmiling, we were his De- 
 liverers, and all he had, as well as his Life, was 
 ours , and therefore, as this would be of Value 
 to us when we came to our own Country, Co he 
 dcfired we would aic?pt of it among us, and that 
 this was the only time that he had repented 
 that he had pickc up no more of it. 
 
 I fpoke for him as his Interpreter to my Com- 
 rades, and in their Names thank'd him , buC 
 fpeaking to them in ?ortuguefe y I defired them 
 to refer the Accepting his Kindnefs to the next 
 Morning, and lb 1 did, telling him we would far- 
 ther talk of this Pare in the Morning \ lb we 
 parted for that time. 
 
 When he was gone, I found they were all won- 
 derfully allied with his Difcourfe, and with the 
 Generofity of h'S Temper, as well as the Magnifi- 
 cence of his Prefent, which in another Place had 
 been extraordinary. Upon the whole, not to 
 detain you with C.ircurn fiances, we agreed, that 
 
 ieeing 
 
C*7) 
 
 feeing he was now one of our Number, and that 
 as we were a Relief to him in carrying him out 
 of the difmal Condition he was in, (b he was 
 equally a Relief to us, in being our Guide thro* 
 the reft of the Country, our Interpreter with the 
 Natives, and our Dire&or how to manage with 
 the Savages, and how to enrich our felve.s with 
 the Wealth of the Country \ that therefore we 
 would put his Gold among our common Stock, 
 and every one fhould give him as much as would 
 make his up juft as much as any fingle Share of 
 our own, and for the future we would take our 
 Lot together, taking his iblemn Engagement to 
 us, as we had before one to another, that we 
 would not conceal the leaft Grain of Gold we 
 found, one from another. 
 
 In the next Conference we acquainted him with 
 the Adventures of the Golden River, and how 
 we had fhared what we got there \ fo that every 
 Man had a larger Stock than he for his Share; 
 that therefore inftcad of taking any from him, we 
 had refolved every one to add a little to him. He 
 appeared very glad that we had met with fuch 
 good Succefs, but would not take a Grain from 
 us, till at laft prefTing him very hard, he told us, 
 that then he would take it thus: That when we 
 came to get any more, he would have fb much 
 out of the firft as fhould make him even, and 
 ! then we would go on as equal Adventurers , and 
 I thus we agreed. 
 
 He then told us, he thought it would not be 
 an unprofitable Adventure, if before we let for- 
 ward, and after we had got a Stock of Pro- 
 visions, we fhould make a Journey North to the 
 Edge of the Defart he had told us of, from 
 whence our Negroes might bring every one a 
 
 M 4 large 
 
( 1 68 ) 
 
 large Elephants Tooth, and that he would 'get 
 fome more to aiTuV, and that after a certain 
 Length of Carriage, they might be conveyed by 
 Canoes to the Coafr, .where they would yield a 
 Very great Profit* 
 
 I objected againft this, on Account of our other 
 Defign we had of getting Gold Duft \ and that 
 our Negroes, who, we knew would be faithful 
 to us, would get much more by fearchmg the 
 Rivers for Gold for us, than by lugging a great 
 Tooth of an Hundred and fifty Pound Weight, a 
 Hundred Mile, cr more, which would be an 
 unfufferable Labour to them after fo hard a Jour- 
 ney, and would cer fc alui> Mil them. 
 
 He acqinefcei in the Juflice of this Anflver, 
 but fain would Lave had us gone to lee the 
 woody Part of the II ills, and the Ed'^e of the 
 Defart, that we might fee how the Elephants 
 Teeth lay flattered up and down there; hut 
 whenwe told him the .Story of what we had feen 
 before, as is laid above, he dud no more. 
 
 We ftay'd here twelve Days, during which 
 Time the Natives were very obliging to us, and 
 brought us Fruits, Pomj.ions, and a Hoot like 
 Carrots, tho* of quite another Tafle, hut not 
 unpleafant neither, and Come putney Fowls whole . 
 Karnes we did not know. In ihort, they brought 
 us Plenty of what they had, and we lived very 
 well, and we gave them all liich little Things as 
 our Cutler had made, for lie had now a whole 
 Bag full of them. 
 
 On the thirteenth Day we fet forward, taking 
 our new Gentleman with us. At Parting, the 
 Kegroe King lent two Savage* with a Prefent 
 to him, of fome dried Fleili, but I do not remem- 
 ber what it was, arid he gave him again three 
 
 *' -" Silver 
 
> *.;.'( 1-6.9 ) 
 
 Silver Birds which our Cutler help'd him to,* 
 which I afTure you was a Prefent for a King. 
 
 We travelled now South, a little Weft, and 
 here we found the firft River for above 2000 
 Miles March, whofe Water run South, all the 
 reft running North or Weft. We followed this 
 River, which was no bigger than a good large 
 Brook in England , till it began to encreafe its 
 Water. Every now and then we found our Ertg- 
 iljljman went down as it were privately to the 
 Water, which was to try the Land. At Length, 
 after a Day's March upon this River, he came 
 running up to us with his Hands full Sand, and 
 fiiying Look here. Upon looking, {we found that a 
 good deal of Gold lay fpangled among the Sand 
 of the River. Now, fays lie, I think we may 
 begin to work*, fb he divided our Negroes in- 
 to Couples, and fet them to Work, to fearch and 
 warn the Sand and Ooze in the Bottom of die 
 Water where it was not deep. 
 
 In the firft Day and a Quarter, our Men all 
 together had gathered a Pound and two Ounces 
 of Gold, or thereabouts , 'and as we found the 
 .Quantity encreafed, the firther we went, we 
 followed it about three Days, till another fmall 
 Rovulet join'd the firft, and then fearching up 
 the Stream, we found Gold there too; fo we 
 pitchM our Camp in the Angle where the Ri- 
 vers join'd, and we diverted our felves, as I mav 
 call it, in warning the Gold out of the Sand of 
 the River, and in getting Provifions. 
 
 Here we ftay'd thirteen Days more, in which 
 time we had many pleafant Adventures with die 
 Savages, too long to mention he:e,-and ibme of 
 them too homely to tell o(T; for fome of our Men 
 had made fbmething free with their Women, 
 
 which, 
 
( J 7 Q ) 
 
 wh'ch, had not our new Guide made Peace for 
 v< w'th one of their Men, at the Price of {even 
 fine p .its of Silver, which our Artificer had cut 
 out into the Shapes of Lions, and Fifhes, and 
 B'rd", and had punch'd Holes to han them up 
 by On W.nd'-m tb'e Treafure !) we mull have gone 
 tc "'nr v''h rh.:m and all their People. 
 
 All the wh*'e we were bufy wafhing Gold Duft 
 out of die River?, and our Negroes the like, our 
 ingenious Cutler was hammering and cutting, and 
 he was grown fo dexterous by Ufe, that he for- 
 med all Manner of Images. He cut out Ele- 
 phants, Tylers, Civet Cats, Oftriches, Eagles, 
 Cranes, Fowls, Fifhes, and indeed whatever he 
 p'eafed, in tlrn Plates of hammer'd Gold, for 
 h ! s S'lver and Iron was almoft all gone. 
 
 At one of the Towns of thefe Savage Nati- 
 ons we were very friendly received by their 
 King} and as he was very much taken with our 
 Workman's Toys, he fold him an Elephant cut 
 out of a Gold Plate as thin as a Six-pence, at, 
 an extravagant Rate. He was fo much taken 
 with it, that he would not be quiet till he had . 
 g : ven h'm almoft a Handful of Gold Duft, as 
 they call it. I fuppofe it might weigh three 
 Quarters of a Pound the Piece of Gold that 
 the Elephant was made of, might be about the 
 We'ght of a Piftole, rather lefs than more. Our 
 Artift was Co honeft, tlio' the Labour and Art was 
 all his own, that he brought all the Gold, and 
 put it into our common Stock: But we had indeed 
 no Manner of Reafon in the leaft to be cove- 
 tous* for, as our new Guide told us, we that 
 were ftrong enough to defend our ielves, and 
 had T^'me enouirh to flay (for we were none of 
 us in Hafte) might in time get together what 
 - Quan- 
 
( 7 ) 
 
 Quantity of Gold we pleafed, even to an Him- 
 
 dred Pound Weight a Man, if we thought fit; and 
 therefore he told us, tho* he had as much Reafon 
 to be fick of the Country as any of us, yet if we 
 thought to turn our March a little to the South* 
 Eaft, and pitch upon a Place proper for our 
 Head Quarters, we might find Provisions plenty 
 enough, and extend our felves over the Country 
 among the Rivers for two or three Year to the 
 Right and Left, and we ihould foon find the Ad- 
 vantage of it. 
 
 The Propofal, however good as to the profita- 
 ble Part of it, tinted none of .us v for we were all 
 more defirous to get Home, than to l)e rich, be- 
 ing tired of the exceflive Fatigue of above a Year's 
 continual Wandring among Defarts and wild 
 Beafts. 
 
 However, the Tongue of our new Acquain- 
 tance had a Kind of Charm in it, and ufed 
 fuch Arguments, and had fo much the Power of 
 Perfwafion, that there was no refitting him. He 
 told us, it was prepofterbus not to take the Fruit 
 of all our Labours, now we were come to the 
 Harveft; that we might fee the Hazard the 
 Eurofe>ws run, with Ships and Men, and at great 
 Expcnce, to fetch a little Gold \ and that we 
 that were in the Center of it, to go away em- 
 pty handed, was unaccountable; that we were 
 ftrong enough to fight our Way thro* whole 
 Nations, and might make our Journey afterward 
 to what Part of the Coaft we pleafed , and we 
 fliould never forgive our (elves when we came 
 to our own Country, to fee we had 500 Piftoles 
 in Gold, and might as eafily have had 5000, or 
 10000, or what we pleafed , that he was no more 
 covetous than we, but ieeing it was in all our 
 
 Powers 
 
( l T> ) 
 
 Powers to retrieve our Misfortunes at once, and 
 to make our felves eafy for all our Lives, he 
 could not be faithful to us, or grateful for the 
 Good we had done him, if he did not let us lee 
 the Advantage we had in our Hands ; and he 
 allured us, he would make it clear to our own 
 TJnderftanding, that we might in two Years time, 
 by good Management, and by the Help of our 
 Negroes, gather every Man a Hundred Pound 
 V/eight of Gold, and get together perhaps two 
 Hundred Ton of Teeth : Whereas, if 01 ce we 
 pufh'd on to the Coaft, and feparated, we mould 
 never be able to fee that Place again with our 
 Eyes, or do any more than Sinners did with Hea- 
 ven, wifli them fe Ives there, but know they can 
 never come at it. 
 
 Our Surgeon was the firft Man that yielded to 
 his Reafoning, and after him the Gunner , and 
 they two indeed had a great Influence over us, but 
 none of the reft had any Mind to ftay, nor I nei- 
 ther, I m aft confefs , for I had no Notion of a 
 great deal of Money, or what to do with my felf, 
 or what to do with it if I had it. I thought I had 
 enough already, and all the Thoughts I hud about 
 difpofing of it, if I came to Europe, was only how 
 to ipend it as faft as I could, buy me (bme Clothes, 
 and go to Sea again to be a Drudge for more. 
 
 However, he prevailed with us by his good 
 Words at laft, to ftay but for fix Months in the 
 Country, and then, if we did refol/e to go, he 
 would fubmit: So at length we yielded to that, 
 and he carry'd us about fifty Ettglif) Miles South- 
 Eaft, where we found feveral Rivulets of Water,' 
 which feemM to come all from a great Ridge of 
 Mountains, which lay to tke North-Eaft, ar.d 
 which, by our Calculation, rrtuft be the Beginning 
 
 that . 
 
Cm) 
 
 that Way of the great Waft, which we had been 
 forcM Northward to avoid. 
 
 Here we found the Country barren enough, 
 but yet we had, by his Direction, Plenty of Food , 
 for the Savages round us, upon giving them fbme 
 of our Toy s, as I have ib often mentioned, brought: 
 us in whatever they had: And here we found 
 fome Maife, or Indian Wheat, which the Negroe 
 Women planted, as we low Seeds in a Garden, 
 and immediately our new Proveditor ordered 
 lbme of our Negroes to plant it, and it grew up 
 prefently, and by watering it often, we had a 
 Crop in lefs than three Months Growth. 
 
 As fbon as we were fettled, and our Camp 
 fixM, we fell to the old Trade of Fifliing for Gold 
 in the Rivers mentioned above; and our EngtiRi 
 Gentleman fo well knew how to direct our Search, 
 that we fcarceever loft our Labour. 
 
 One time, having let us to Work, he asked, if 
 we would give him Leave, with four or five Ne- 
 groes, to go out for fix or ieven Days, to leek his 
 Fortune, and fee what he could difcover in the 
 Country, alluring us, whatever he got mould be 
 for the publ icfc Stock. We all gave him our Con- 
 fent, lent him a Gun \ and two of our Men de- 
 firing to go with him, they took then fix Ne- 
 groes with them, and two of our DulHoes that 
 came with us the whole Journey , they took about 
 eight Days Provifion of Bread with them , but 
 r.o Flefh, except about as much dried Flefh as 
 would ferve them two "Qays. 
 
 They travelled up to the Top of the Moun- 
 tains I mentioned juft now, where they ftw, (as 
 our Men afterwards vouchM it to be) the iume 
 Defyrt which we were fb juftly terrified at, when 
 we were on. the further Side, and which, by our 
 
 Calcu- 
 
( J 74- ) % 
 
 Calculation, could not be left' than 300 Miles 
 broad, and above 6*00 Miles in Length, without 
 knowing where it ended. 
 
 The Journal of their Travels is too long td 
 enter upon here ; they flayed out two and fifty 
 Days, when they brought us ieventeen Pound, 
 and fbmething more (for we had no exa& Weight) 
 of Gold Duft, lomeof it in much larger Pieces 
 than any we found before ; befides about fifteen 
 Ton of E'ephants Teeth, which he had, partly 
 by good Ufage, and partly by bad, obliged the 
 Savages of the Country to fetch, and bring down 
 to h : m from the Mountains, and which he made 
 others bring w*th him quite down to our Camp. 
 Indeed we wondered what was coming to us, 
 when we law him attended with above 200 Ne* 
 groes; but he loon undeceived us, when he made 
 them all throw down their Burthens on a Heap, 
 at the Entrance of our Camp. 
 
 Befides th ; s, they brought two Lions Skins, 
 and five Leopards Skins, very large and very fine. 
 He asked our Pardon for his long Stay, and that 
 he had made no greater a Booty, but told us, he 
 had one Excurfion more to make, which he hop\ 
 ihould turn to a better Account. 
 
 So having retted h : mfel r , and rewarded the 
 Savaces that brought th? Teeth for him, with 
 fome Bits of Silver and Iron cut out Diamond 
 Fafiron, and with two fhapM like little Dogs, he 
 fen*- thcr^ away m'ghtilv pleafed. 
 
 Th? fj:ond Tourney he went, fome more of 
 Off Men defired tr> go with h : m, and they nruie 
 a Troop of ten wh'te Men, and ten Savages, and 
 th^ two BurHoes to carry their Provifions and 
 /nm mi^'on. They took the fiimc Courfe, on- 
 ly jiOt exaclly the fame Traft, and they ftayM 
 
 thirtj" 
 
' P70 
 
 thirty two Days only, in which time they Jcitted 
 no lefs than fifteen Leopards, three Lion*, and 
 leveral other Creatures, and broughc us Horn* 
 four and twenty Pound, fbme Ounces of Goli 
 Duft, and only fix Elephants Teeth, but they 
 were very great ones. 
 
 Our Friend the Engllfiman mewed us no-v, that 
 our Time was well beitow'd , for ?n five iVion'hs 
 which we had flayed here, we had gathered lb 
 much Gold Duft, that when we came* to ihare i-, 
 we had five Pound and a Quarter to a Man, be- 
 sides what we had before, and beftdes fix or tevea 
 Pound Weight which we had at (everal times gi- 
 ven our Artificer to make Baubles w'th; and now 
 we talk'd of going forward to the Cult, ro put 
 an End to our Journey ; but our Guide laught at 
 us then : Kay you can't go now, fays hc\ for the 
 rainy Seafon begins next Month, and there will 
 be no lHrring then. This we found indeed rea- 
 sonable, fo we refblved to turnifh our felves with 
 Provifions that we might not be obliged to go 
 abroad too much in the Rain, and we fpread our 
 felves fbme one Way, fome another, as fir as 
 we cared to venture, to get Provifions, and our 
 Negroes killed us fome Deer which we cured 
 | as well as we could, in the Sun, for we had now 
 no Salt. 
 
 By this time the rainy Months were let in, 
 and we could fcarce, for above two Months, 
 look out of our Hutts. But that was not all, for 
 the Rivers were fo fwelled with the Land Floods 
 that we fcarce knew the lirle Brooks and R ; vu- 
 lets from the great navigable Rivers. This had 
 been a very good Opportunity for tohavecon- 
 vey'd by Water, upon Rafts, our Elephants 
 Teeth, of which we had a very great Pile-, for 
 
 as 
 
07M 
 
 as we always gave the Savages lome Reward for 
 their Labour, the very Women would bring us 
 Teeth upon every Opportunity, and fbmetimes a 
 great Tooth earned between two -, fb that our 
 Quantity was encreafed to about two and twenty 
 Ton of Teeth. 
 
 As fbon as the Weather proved fair again, he 
 told us he would not prefs us to any further Stay, 
 fincewedid not care whether we got any more 
 Gold or no-, that we were indeed the firft Men 
 ever he met with in his Life, that did they had 
 Gold enough, and of whom it might be truly faid, 
 that when it lay under our Feer, we would 
 r.ot ftoop to take it up. But fu ice he had made 
 us a Promife, he would r.ot break it, nor prefs 
 us to make any farther Stay, only he thought 
 he ought to tell us, that now was the Time, 
 after the Land Flood, when the great^ft Quan- 
 tity of Gold was found-, and that if we flayed 
 but one Month, we fhould fee Thou finds of Sava- 
 ges ipread themfelves over the whole Country, 
 to wafhthe Gold out of the Sand, for the Euro- 
 feats Ships who wouldcome on the Co.\i\ \ that they 
 do it then, becaule the Rage of the Floods always 
 works down a great deal, of Gold out of the 
 Hills; and if we took the Advantage to be there 
 before them, we did not know what extraordi- 
 nary things we might iind. 
 , This was fo forcible, and fb well argued, that* 
 it appeared in all our Faces we were prevailed 
 upon; fb we told him we would all ilay: For 
 tho' it was true we were all eager to be gone, yet 
 the evident Profpeft of fo much Advantage, 
 could not well be refifle I : That he was greatly 
 miftaken when he fuggeded, th.it we did not de- 
 fire to encreafe our Store of Gold, and in that 
 
 we 
 
('77; - 
 
 we were refblved to make the utmoft Ufe of the 
 Advantage that was in our Hands, and would 
 iky as long as any Gold was to be had, if it was 
 another Year. 
 
 He could hardly exprefs the Joy he was in on 
 this Occafion, and the fair Weather coming on, 
 we began juft as he direfted, to fearch about 
 the Rivers for more Gold-, at firft we had but 
 little Encouragement, and began to be doubtful, 
 but it was very plain that the Reafon was the * 
 Water was not fully fallen, or the Rivers reduced 
 to there ufual Channel \ but in a few Days we 
 were fully requited, and found much more Gold 
 than at firft, and in bigger Lumps; and one of 
 our Men warned out of the Sand a Piece of Gold 
 as big as a fmali Nut, which weighed by our Efti- 
 mation, for we had no fmall Weights, almoft an 
 Ounce and a half. 
 
 This Succefs made us extreamly diligent, and 
 in little more than a Month, we had all together, 
 gotten near fixty Pound Weight of Gold;* 
 but after this, as he told us, we found Abun- 
 dance of the Savages, both Men, Women and 
 Children, hunting every River and Brook, and 
 even the dry Land of the Hills for Gold, Co that 
 we could do nothing like then, compared to what 
 we had done before. 
 
 But our Artificer found a Way to make other 
 People find us in Gold without our own Labour 9 
 for when thefe People began to appear, he had a 
 confiderable Quantity of his Toys, Birds, Beafts, 
 &c. fuch as before, ready for them, and the Engllfr 
 Gentleman being the Interpreter, he brought the 
 Savages to admire them -, fo our Cutler had Trade 
 enough-, and to be fure fold his Goods at a mon- 
 ftrous Rate-, for he would get an Ounce of Gold, 
 
 K fome- 
 
( 17? ) 
 
 fcmetimes two, for a Bit of Silver, perhaps of 
 the Value of a Groat, nay if it were Iron ; and \t 
 it was of Gold, they would not give the more 
 for if, and it was incredible almoft to think 
 what a Quantity of Gold he got that Way". 
 
 In a Word, to bring this happy Journey to a 
 Conclufion, we encreafed our Stock of Gold here 
 in three Months Stay more, to fuch a Degree, 
 that bringing it all to a common Stock, in order 
 to Share it, we divided almofl four Pound Weight 
 again to every Man, and then we let forward 
 for the Gold Coaft, to fee what Method we 
 could find out for our Paifage into Europe. 
 
 There happened leveral very remarkable Inci- 
 dents in this Part of our Journey, as to how wc 
 were, or were nor, received friendly, by the leveral 
 Nations of Savages through whom we pa ft ; how 
 we delivered one Kegroe King from Captivity, 
 who had been a Benefaftor to our new Guide; 
 and how our Guide in Gratitude, by our A/Tift- 
 ance, reftored him to his Kingdom, which perhaps 
 might contain about 300 Subjects-, how he enter- 
 tained us; and how he made his Subjects go with 
 our Eneli&mM, and fetch all our Elephants 
 Teeth, which we had been obliged to leave be- 
 hind us, and to carry them for us to the River, 
 the Name of which I forgot, where we made 
 Rafts, and in eleven Days more came down to 
 one of the Dutch Settlements on the Gold Coaft, 
 where we arrived in perfect Health, and to our 
 great Satisfaction. As for our Cargo of Teeth, 
 we (bid it to the Dutch Factory, and received 
 Clothes and other Neceifaries for our (elves, and 
 fuch of our Negroes as we thought fit to keep 
 with us; and it is to be obierved, that we had 
 four Pound of Gunpowder left when we ended 
 
 our 
 
Journey. The Negro Prince we made perfettijf 
 free, clothed him out of our common Stock, 
 and gave him a Pound and a half. of Gold for 
 liimfelf, which he knew very well how to mana- 
 ge, arid here we all parted after the mod friendly 
 Manner poffible. Our Engtifimdn remained in the 
 Dutch Fa&ory fbme time, and, as I heard after- 
 wards, died there of Grief-, for he having fent a 
 Thoufand Pound Sterling over to England by the 
 Way of Holland, for his Refuge, at* his Return 
 to his Friends, the Ship was taken by the French^ 
 and the Effe&s all loft. 
 
 The reft of my Comrades went away in a 
 fmall Bark, to the two Tortuguefe Factories, near 
 Gambia, in the Latitude of fourteen*, and I with 
 two Negroes which I kept with me, went away 
 to Cafe Coafi Cajtle, where I got Paflage for Eng- 
 land, and arrived there in September \ and thus 
 ended my firft Harveft of Wild Oats, the reft 
 were not lowed to (6 much Advantage, 
 
 I had neither Friend, Relation, nor Acquain- 
 tance in England^ tho' it was my Native Coun- 
 try, I had confequently no Perfon to truft with 
 what I had, or to counfel me to fecure or fave 
 . it-, but falling into ill Company, and trufting the 
 Keeper of a publick Houle in Rotherhlth with a 
 great Part of my Money, and haftily fquander- 
 mg away the reft, all that great Sum, which I 
 got with fo much Pains and Hazard, was gone * 
 in little more than two Years Time *, and as I even 
 rage in my own Thoughts to refleft upon the 
 Manner how it was wafted, fo I need record no 
 ftiore ; the reft Merits to be conceal' d with Bluihes, 
 for that it was fpenc hi all Kinds of Folly and 
 .Wickednefs', fo this Scene of my Life may be faid 
 
 N 2 . - to 
 
,( i8o ) 
 
 to have begun in Theft, and ended In Luxury^ a 
 fad Setting out, and a worfe Coming home. 
 
 About the Year I began to fee the Bottom 
 of my Stock, and that it was Xime to think 
 of farther Adventures, for my Spoilers, as I 
 call them, began to let me know, that as my 
 Money declined, their RefpeO: would ebb with it, 
 and that I had nothing to expeft of them farther 
 than as I might command it by the Force af my 
 Money, which in fhort would not go an Inch the 
 farther, for all that had been fpent in their Fa- 
 vour before. 
 
 This mocked me very much, and I conceived a 
 juft Abhorrence of their Ingratitude ^ but it 
 wore off} nor had I with it any Regret at the wa- 
 fting (b glorious a Sum of Money, as I brought 
 to Engtaitd with me. 
 
 I next fhipped my felf, in an evil Hour to be 
 
 fure, on a Voyage to Graft., in a Ship called the 
 
 and in the Courfc of our Voyage, being 
 
 on the Coaft of Spain, was obliged to put in to 
 
 the Groyn, by a ftrong South Weft Wind. 
 
 Here I fell into Company with fome Mafters 
 of Mifchief, and among them, one forwarder 
 than the reft, began an intimate Confidence with 
 me, lb that we called one another Brothers, and 
 communicated all our Circumftances to one an- 
 other , his Name was Harris, This Fellow came to 
 me one Morning, asking me if I would go on Shore, 
 and I agreed-, fo we got the Captain's Leave, 
 for the Boat, and went together. When we were 
 together, he asked me if 1 had a Mind for an Ad- 
 venture that might make amends for all paft 
 Misfortunes-, I told him yes, with all my Heart; 
 for I did not care where I went, having nothing 
 to lofe, and np Body to leave behind me. 
 
 He 
 
(ISO 
 
 He then asked me if I would fwear to be fe- 
 cret, and that if I did not agree to what he pro*? 
 pofed, I would neverthelefs never betray him; 
 I readily bound my felf to that, upon the raoft 
 fblemn Imprecations and Curfes that the Devil 
 and both of us could invent. 
 
 He told me then, there was a brave Fellow in 
 the other Ship, pointing to another Engltf* 
 Ship which rode in the Harbour, who in Con- 
 cert with fome of the Men had refolved to muti- 
 ny the next Morning, and run away with the 
 Ship; and that if we could get Strength enough 
 among our Ship's Company we might do the fame. 
 I liked the Propolal very well, and he got eight 
 of us to join with him, and he told us, that as 
 foon as 4 his Friend had begun the Work, and was 
 Matter of the Ship, we mould be ready to do 
 the like; this was his Plot, and I without the 
 Jeaft Hesitation, either at the Villainy of the Faft, 
 or the Difficulty of performing it, came imme- 
 diately into the wicked Conspiracy, and fo it 
 went on among us; but we could not bring our 
 Part to Perfection. 
 
 Accordingly on the Day appointed, his Cor- 
 refpondent in the other Ship, whole Name was 
 IVilmot, began the Work, and having feized the 
 Captain's Mate, and other Officers, fecured the' 
 Ship, and gave the Signal to us , we were but 
 eleven in our Ship, who were in tfye Confpiracy, 
 nor could we get any more that we could truft, 
 fo that leaving the Ship, we all took the Boat 
 and went off to join the other. 
 
 Having thus left the Ship I was in, we were 
 entertained with a great deal of Toy by Captain 
 I Wilmot and his new Gang ; and being well pre- 
 pared for all rfanner of Roguery, bold, delpe* 
 
 $Z i iate f 
 
C *s> ) 
 
 rate, I mean my felf, without the leaft Checks 
 of Confcience, for what I was entred upon, or 
 for any Thing I might do, much lefs with any 
 Apprehenfion of what might be the Confe- 
 rence of it , .1 fay, having thus embarked with 
 this Crew, which at laft brought me toconfort 
 with the moft famous Py rates of the Age, fome of 
 whom hive ended their Journals at the Gallows : 
 I think the giving an Account of fbme of my 
 other Adventures may be an agreeable Piece 
 of Story ^ and this I may venture to fay before 
 Hand, upon the Word of. a PYRATE, that I 
 ihall not be able to recolleft the full, no not by ! 
 far, of the great Variety which has formed one 
 of the moft reprobate Schemes that ever Man was 
 capable to prefent to the World. 
 
 I that was, as I have hinted before, an original 
 Thief, and a Pyrate even by Inclination before, 
 was now in my Element, and never undertook 
 any Thing in my Life with more particular Sa- 
 tis faction. 
 
 Captain IVUmot, for fowc arc now to call him, 
 
 being thus polTeffed of a Ship, and in the Manner. 
 
 as you have heard, it may be cafily concluded 
 
 Vhad nothing to do to {lay in the Port, or to 
 
 wait cither the Attempts watch might be made 
 
 front- the Shore, or any Change which might > 
 
 happen among his Men. On the Contrary, we 
 
 weighed Anchor the fame Tide, and flood out to 
 
 Sea, free ring away for the Canaries* Our Ship 
 
 had Twenty Two Guns, but was able to carry 
 
 Thirty ; and befides, as flie was fitted out for a : 
 
 , Merchant Ship only, fhe was not furniihed either 
 
 with Ammunition' or fmall Arms fufficient for 
 
 our DefigH, or for the Occafton we might have 
 
 hi Cafe of a Fight-, fo we put into Gtdiz, 9 that is 
 
 to '' 
 
* -Jr. 
 
 to fiiy, we came to an Anchor In the Bay ; and the . 
 Captain and one whom we call'd young Captain ''_ 
 Kid y who was the Gunner, and fome of the Men 
 i who could beft be trufted, among whom was my 
 Comrade Harris^ who was made fecond Mate, 
 and my felf who was made a Lieutenant \ fome 
 Bales of &t*lifh Goods were propo fed to be car- 
 ried on Shore with us for Sale *, but my Comrade, 
 who was a compleat Fellow at his Bufinefs, pro- 
 poled a better Way for it \ and having been in 
 the Town before, told us in fhort, that he would 
 buy what Powder and Bullet, fmall Arms, or 
 any thing elle we wanted, on his own Word, to 
 be paid for when they came on Board, in fuch 
 Englijli Goods as we had there. Tlvs was by much 
 the bed Way, and accordingly he and the Cap- 
 tain went on Shore by themfelves, and having made ' 
 fuch a Bargain as they found for their Turn, came 
 away again in two Hours time, and bringing on- 
 ly a Butt of Wine, and five Casks of Brandy with 
 them, we all went on Board again. 
 
 The next Morning two Barco Longo's came 
 off to us deep loaden, with five Spaniards on board 
 them, for Traffick. Our Captain fold them good 
 Penny worths, and they delivered us fixteen Bar- 
 rels of Powder, twelve fmall Runlets of fine Pow- 
 der for our fmall Arm?, fixty Mufquets, and 
 twelve Fuzees for the Officers , feventeen Ton of . 
 Cannon Ball, fifteen Barrels of MufquetBullets, 
 With fome Swords, and twenty good Pair of Pi- 
 ftols. Befides this, they brought thirteen Butts 
 of Wine (for we that were now all become Gen- 
 tlemen fcornM to drink the Ship's Beer) alfo. fix- 
 teen Puncheons of Brandy, with twelve Barrels 
 of Raifins, and twenty Cherts of Lemons : All 
 which were paid for in Engllfo Goods \ and over . 
 
 N 4 and 
 
( 18* ) 
 
 and above, the Captain received 600 Pieces of 
 Eight in Money. They would have come again, 
 but we would ftay no longer. 
 
 From hence we failed to the Canaries, and from 
 thence onward to the Weft -Indies, where we com- 
 mitted fome Depredation upon the Spaniards for 
 Provifion, and took fome Prizes, but none of 
 any great Value, while I remained with them, 
 which was not long at that Time*, for having 
 taken a SpaniJJ) Sloop on the Coaft of Cartagena, 
 my Friend made a Motion to me, that we mould 
 defire Captain Wilmot to put us into the Sloop, 
 with a Proportion of Arms and Ammunition, 
 and let us try what we could do , fhe being much 
 fitter for our Bufinefs than the great Ship, and a 
 better Sailer. This he confented to, and we ap- 
 pointed our Rendezvous at Tobago, making an 
 Agreement, that whatever was taken by either of 
 our Ships, mould be mared among the Ship's 
 Company of both-, all which we very pun&ually 
 bferved, and join'd our Ships again about fifteen 
 Months after, atthelfland of Tobago, as above. 
 
 We cruifed near two Years in thole Seas, chief- 
 ly upon the Spaniards \ not that we made any Dif- 
 ficulty of taking Englifl) Ships, or Dutch, or French, 
 if they came in our Way \ and particularly Cap- 
 tain Wilmot attack'd a Nero-England Ship bound 
 from the Maderas to Jamaica \ and another bound 
 from New-fork to Berbadoes , with Provifions-, 
 which laft was a very happy Supply to us. But 
 theReafbn why we meddled as little with Englifi 
 Veflels as we could, was, fir ft, becaufe, if they 
 were Ships of any Force, we were fure of more 
 Refinance from them \ and fecondly, becaufe we 
 found the Englijf) Ships had lefs Booty when taken 5 
 for the Spaniards generally had Money on board. 
 . and 
 
(.80 
 
 and that was what we beft knew what to do with. 
 Captain Wilmot was indeed more particularly 
 cruel when he took any Englifl) VeiTel, that they 
 might not too fbon have Advice of him in England, 
 and fo the Men of War have Orders to look out 
 for him. But this Part I bury in Silence for the 
 prefent. 
 
 We encreafei our Stock in thefe two Years 
 confiderably, having taken tfocoo Pieces of Eight 
 in one VeiTel, and iooooo in another \ and being 
 thus firft grown rich, we refolved to be ftrong 
 too } for we had taken a Brigantine built at y tr g t - 
 in*, an excellent Sea Boat, and a good Sailer, and 
 able to carry tweiveGuns-, and a large Spamfi 
 Frigat-built Ship, that failed incomparably well 
 alfo, and which afterwards, by the Help of good 
 Carpenters, we fitted up to carry twenty eight 
 Guns. And now we wanted more Hands, fb we 
 put away for the Bay of Citmfeachy, not doubting 
 we mould fliip as many Men there as wc plea- 
 fed, and fo we did. 
 
 Here we fold the Sloop that I was in ; and 
 Captain Wilmot keeping his own Ship, I took the 
 Command of the Sfanijh Frigat, as Captain, and 
 my Comrade Harris as el deft Lieutenant, and a 
 bold enterprizing Fellow he was as any the World 
 afforded. One Culverdine was put into the Brigan- 
 tine, fo that we were now three flout Ships, well 
 Manu'd, and Victualled for twelve Months ^ for 
 we had taken two or three Sloops from Nem-Ew- 
 land and Nav-York y loaden with Flour , Peafe, 
 and Barrelled Beef, and Pork, going for Jam^'ca 
 \ and Berbadoes \ and for more Beef we went on 
 I Shore on the Ifle of Cuba, where we killed as many 
 black Cattel as wepleafed, tho' we had very little 
 Salt to cure them. 
 
 Out 
 
( i'86 ) 
 
 ' Out of all the Prizes we took h^re, we took 
 their Powder and Bullet, their fmall Arms and 
 Cutlaffes ; and as for their Men, we always took 
 the Surgeon and the Carpenter, as Perlbns who 
 were of particular Ufe to us upon many Occafi- 
 ons; nor were they always unwilling to go with 
 us, tho* for their own Security, in Cafe of Acci- 
 dents, they might eafily pretend they were car- 
 Tied away by Force, of which I fhall give a plea- 
 fant Account in the Courfe of my other Expe- 
 ditions. 
 
 . We had one very merry Fellow here, a Qua- 
 ker, whole Name was William Walters, whom we 
 took out of a Sloop bound from Tetijilvania to 
 Berbadocs. He was a Surgeon, and tney called 
 him Do&or; but he was not employed in the 
 Sloop as a Surgeon, but was going to Bcrbadoes 
 to get a Birth , as the Sailors call it. However, 
 he had all his Surgeon's Chefl on board, and we 
 snade him go with us, and take all his Implements 
 with him. He was a comick Fellow indeed, a 
 Man of very good folid Senfe, and an excellent 
 Surgeon , but what was worth all, very good hu- 
 moured and plea (ant in his Conversion, and a 
 bold, flout, brave Fellow too, as any we had 
 among us. 
 
 I found William, as I thought, not very averfe 
 to go along with us, and yet refolved to do it 
 fb, that it might be apparent he was taken away 
 by Force \ and to this Purpofe he comes to me, 
 Friend, fays he, thou fayeft I muft go with thee, 
 and it is not in my Power to refift thee, if I 
 would; but I defire thou wilt oblige the Ma fter 
 of the Sloop which I am on board, to certify un* 
 der his Hand that 1 was taken away by Force, 
 and againft my Will *, and this he laid with Co 
 
 much 
 
much Satfsfa&ion in his Face, that I could not 
 but underftand him. Ay, ay, fays /, whether 
 it be againft your Will, or no, I'll make him and 
 all the^Men give you a Certificate of it, or Til take 
 them all along with us, and keep them till they 
 do : So I drew up the Certificate my felf, where- 
 in I wrote tliat he was nken away by main Force, 
 as a Prilbner, by a Pyrate Ship \ that they carried 
 away his Cheft and Inftruments firft, and then 
 bound his Hands behind him, and forced him 
 into their Boat} and this was figned by the Ma- 
 tter and all his Men. 
 
 - Accordingly I fell a fwearing at him, and cal- 
 led to my Men to tye his Hands behind him, and 
 fb we put him into our Boat, and carryM him 
 away. When I had him on board, I called him 
 to me : Kow, Friend, fays I, I have brought you 
 away by Force, it is true, but I am not of the 
 . Opinion I have brought you away fb much againft 
 your Will as they imagine: Come, fays I, you 
 will be a useful Man to us, and you fhall have ve- 
 ry goouUfage among us^ fb I unbound his Hands, 
 and firft ordered all things that belonged to him 
 to be reftored to him, and our Captain gave 
 I him a Dram. 
 
 j Thou haft dealt friendly by me, fays he, and 
 
 ITU be plain with thee, whether I came willingly 
 
 i to thee, or not : I fhall make my felf as ufeful 
 
 I to thee as I can ^ . but thou knoweft it is not 
 
 imy Bufmefs to meddle when thou art to fight. 
 
 Ko, no, fays the Captain, but you may meddle a 
 
 little when we fhare the Money. Thofe things 
 
 lare ufeful to furniih a Surgeon's Cheft, feys 
 
 }Vil!iitm y and fmiled-, but I fhall be moderate* 
 
 In fhort, William was a moft agreeable Compa- 
 nion, but he had the better of us in \'his Parr, 
 1 that 
 
( .i88 ) 
 
 that, if we were taken, we were fu re to be 
 hang'd, and he was fure to efcape ; and he knew 
 it well enough : But in fhort he was a fprightly 
 Fellow, and fitter to be Captain than any of 
 us. I fliall have often an Occafion to fpeak of 
 him in the reft of the Story. 
 
 Our Cruifmg fo long in thefe Seas began now 
 to be Co well known, that not in England only, 
 but in France and Spain, Accounts had been made 
 publick of our Adventures, and many Stories told 
 how we murthered the People in cold Blood, 
 tying them Back to Back, and throwing them in- 
 to the Sea \ one Half of which however was not 
 true, tho' more was done than it is fit to (peak 
 of here. 
 
 The Confequence of this however was, that 
 feverai Englifl Men of War were fent to the 
 IVeft Indies, and were particularly inftru&ed to 
 cruize in the Bay of Mexico, and the Gulph of 
 Florida, and among the Baljama Iflands, if pofli- 
 ble, to attack us. 
 
 We were not fo ignorant of things, as not to 
 expecl: this, after fo long a Stay in that Part of 
 the World , but the firft certain Account we had 
 of them, was at the Honduras, when a VefTel co- 
 ming in from Jamaica, told us, that two Englim 
 Men of War were coming dire&ly from Jamaica 
 thither, in Que ft of us. We were indeed as it were 
 embay 'd, and could not have made the leaft Shift 
 to have got off, if they had come dtre&ly to us; 
 but as it happenM, fome body had informed them 
 that we were in the Bay of Campeachy, and they 
 went directly thither , by which we were not 
 only free of them, but were fb much to the 
 Windward of them, that they could not make 
 \ * any 
 
(S 9 ) 
 
 any Attempt upon us, tho' they had known we 
 were there. 
 
 We took this Advantage, and flood away for 
 Carthagena, and from thence with great Difficulty 
 beat it up at a Diftance from under the Shore for 
 St. Martha, tillwe came to theDut ch Ifland of Curafoe, 
 and from thence to the Ifland of Tobago; which, as 
 before, was our Rendezvous; which being a defer- 
 ted uninhabited Ifland, we at the fame time made 
 ufe of for a Retreat : Here the Captain of the Bri- 
 gantine died, and Captain Harris at that time my 
 Lieutenant, took the Command of the Bri- 
 gamine. 
 
 Here we came to a Refblution, to go away to 
 the Coaft of Brafd, and from thence to the Cape 
 of Good Hope, and fb for the Eaft-Indies t But 
 Captain Harris, as I have faid, being now Cap- 
 tain of the Brigantine, alledged that his Ship 
 was too fmall for fo long a Voyage \ but that if 
 . Captain Wilmot would confent, he would take 
 the' Hazard of another Cruize, and he would fol- 
 low us in the firft Ship he could take : So we 
 
 appointed our Rendezvous to beat Madagafcar, 
 which was done by my Recommendation of the 
 
 Place, and the Plenty of Provifions to be had 
 
 there. 
 
 Accordingly he went away from us in an evil 
 | Hour, for inftead of taking a Ship to follow us, 
 | he was taken, asl heard afterwards, by an English 
 | Man of War, and being laid in Irons, died of 
 \ mcer Grief and Anger before he came to England: 
 I His Lieutenant, I have heard, was afterwards exe- 
 ! cuted in England for a Pyrate, and this was the 
 I End of the Man who firft brought me into this 
 
 unhappy Trade* 
 
 . We 
 
( 9 ) 
 
 We parted from Tobago three Days after, bend- 
 ing our Courfe for the Coafl of Bra/ji, but had 
 not been at Sea above Twenty Four Hours > 
 when we were feparated by a terrible Storm, 
 .which held three Days, with very little Abate- 
 ment or Intermi/fion. In this Jun&ure, Captain 
 Wilmot happen'd unluckily to be on board my 
 Ship, very much to his Mortification-, for we 
 not only 'loft Sight of his Ship, but never faw 
 her more, till we came to Madagafcar, where 
 ihe was cad away. Infhort, after having in this-. 
 Tempeft loft our Fore-Top Maft, we were forced 
 to put back to the lfle of Tobago for Shelter, 
 and to repair our Damage, which brought us all 
 very near our Deftruction. 
 
 We were no (boner on Shore here, and all very 
 bufy looking out for a Piece* of Timber for a 
 Top-Mafl, but we perceived (lauding in for the 
 Shore, an Evglijl) Man of War of Thirty fix 
 Guns : It was a great Surprize to us indeed, becaufe' 
 we were difabled fb much, but to our great good 
 For rune we lay pretty fnug and clofe among the 
 high Rocks, and the Man of War did not fee usy 
 but flood off again upon his Cruile*, lb we only 
 obferved which Way (lie went, and at Night 
 ieaving our Work, refolved to (land off to Sea, 
 fleering contrary Way from that which we 
 obferved (he went. And this we found had 
 the defired Succefs, for we law him no more: 
 We had gotten an old Mizen Top-Mafl on board, 
 which made us a Jury Fore-Top-Maft for the- 
 prefent, and fo we flood away for the lfle 7W- 
 mdad> where, though there were Spaniard* on 
 Shore, yet we landed fome Men with our Boat," 
 and cut a very good Piece of Fir to make us a- 
 
 ne\ 
 
( i 9 x ) 
 
 new Top-Maft, which we got fitted up effectually,' 
 and alfb we got feme Cattle here to eke out our 
 Provifions, and calling a Council of War among 
 our felves, we refolved to quit thofe Seas for the 
 prefent, and (leer away for the Coaft of Brafil. 
 
 The firft thing we attempted here, was only 
 getting frefh Water; but we. learnt, that there 
 lay the Portuguefc Fleet at the Bay of All-Saints, 
 bound for Lisbon, ready to fell, and only waited 
 for a fair Wind \ this made us lye by, wifliingto* 
 ice them put to Sea, and accordingly as they 
 were, with, or without Convoy,to attack or avoid 
 them. 
 
 It fprung una frefh Gale In the Evening, at 
 S. W. by W. which being fair for the Tortugal Fleet, 
 and the Weather pleafant and agreeable, we 
 heard the Signal given to unmore, and running 
 in under the Iflaud of Si we hauled our 
 
 Main-Sail and Fore-Sail up in the Brails, lower'd 
 the Top-Sail upon the Cap, and clewed them up 
 that we might lye as fnug as we could, expect- 
 ing their coming out; and the next Morning 
 , | law the whole Fleet come out accordingly, but 
 ' j not at all to our Satisfaction, for they confifted of 
 , Twenty fix Sail, and moftof them Ships of Force, 
 as well as Burthen, both Merchant MenandMea 
 of War-, fo feeing there was no meddling, we lay 
 flill where we was, alio, till the Fleet was out of 
 Sight, and then ftood oft and on, i hopes of meet- 
 ing with further Purchale. 
 
 It was not long before we faw a Sail, and im- 
 mediately gave her Chafe, but (he proved an ex- 
 cellent Sailer, and {landing out to Sea, we faw 
 plainly fhe trufled to her Heels, that is to f ly, to 
 her Sails , however, as we were a clean Ship we 
 gained upon her, tho' flow ly, and hud we had a 
 
 Day 
 
( >9* ) 
 
 Day before us, we fhould certainly have come 
 up with her, but it grew dark apace, and in that 
 Cafe we knew we fhould lofe Sight of her. 
 
 Our merry Quaker perceiving us to crowd 
 ftill after her in the Dark, wherein we could 
 not fee which way fhe went, come very drily to 
 me ', Friend Singleton, fays he, doe ft thee know what 
 we are a doing? Says I, yes, why we are chafing x on 
 Ship, are we not f And how do ft thou knew that, fays 
 he very gravely ftill? Nay, that is true, fays I 
 again, we cannot be fure. Tes Friend, fays he, / 
 think we may be Jure that we are running away from 
 her, not chafing her. J am afraid, adds he, thou art 
 turned Quaker, and haft refolved not to ufe the Hand 
 of Power, or art a Coward, and art flying from thy 
 Enemy. 
 
 What do you mean, fays I, I think I fwore at him; 
 rvhat do ye fneer at now I you have always one dry Rub or 
 another to give us. 
 
 Nay, lays he, it's plain enough, the Ship flood off 
 to Sea, due Eaft on purpofe to lofe us, and thou may ft 
 be fure her Buflnefs does not lie that Way, for wha t 
 flwuldflic do at the Coaft of Africa in this Latitude, 
 which would be as far South as Congo or Angola ; but 
 as fcon as it is dark, that wefiall lofe Sight of her, (lie 
 rvill tack and ft and away Weft again for the Brafil 
 Coaft, and for the Bay, where thou knoweftfie was going 
 before; and are not we then a running away from her? 
 I am greately in hopes, Friend, fays the dry gibing 
 Creature, Thou wilt turn Quaker, for I fee thou 
 art not for Fighting. 
 
 Very well WILLIAM, fays I, then J ft) all make att 
 excellent Pyrate. However, ^//wwwas in the right, 
 and I apprehended what he meant immediately, 
 and Captain Wilmot, who lay very fick in his Ca- 
 "bin, overhearing us, understood him as well as 
 
 I, and 
 
1, and called Out to me, that fyffidik wWrigfe^ 
 and it Was our beft Way to change bur Courle^ 
 and ftand away for th& Bay,' where it was Ten 
 to One but we mould fnapherin the Morning.- 
 ! Accordingly, we went about fhip, got our* 
 JLarboard Tacks on board, -let the Top-gallant 
 Sails, and crowded for. the Bay of All-Saint s^ 
 Tvhere w6 came to an Anchor, early in the Morn- 
 ing juft out of Gun Shot of. the Forts^ we furl'd 
 our Sails with Rope-Yams^ that we might haul 
 home the Sheets without goirig up to loole them, 
 and lowering bur Main and Fore-Yards, looked 
 juft as if we had lain there a good while* 
 4 In two Hours after, we faw our Game, (land- 
 ing in for the Bay with all the Sail fhecould make,' 
 1 and fhe came innocently into our very Mouths^ 
 for we lay ftill, till we faw her almoft within 
 Gun Shot*, when our Fore Maft Geerg being 
 flretched fore and aft; we firfl: rufi up our Yards, 
 and then hauled home the Top-Sail Sheets \ the 
 Rope-Yarns that furled them giving. Way of 
 themfelves, the Sails were fet in a few Minutes % 
 at the fame time flipping our Cable, we came 
 upon her before me could get under Way upon 
 Mother Tack: They, were fo fur.prized, that they 
 made little or no Refinance, but ftruck after th# 
 firft Broad-Side, V ". " 
 
 - We were confidefing what to do with her^ 
 when William came to me. Hark thee Friend, fays 
 he, thou haft made a fine Spot of Work of it now, haft 
 thou not? To borrow thy Neighbour s Ship here y juft at 
 thy Neighbour's Door y and never ask him Leave y now 
 I do ft thou not think there are feme Men of War in the 
 Port } thou % h aft given them the' Al arm fuffciently ; 
 thou will have them upon thy Back before Nhht y defend 
 vponit y toaskthee\ wherefore y Thou di ft fol 
 
 pi O Truly 
 
, Truly William, ,\id I, for ought 1 footy */;<# mfy 
 He true : Vf/hat thai fall we do next i Says, he, then haft 
 but trio firings to do r cither go in and take all the rtft^ or 
 elfeget thee gone before they come vut 7 and take thee \ for 
 1 fee they are boifting aTop-Maft toyengreat Slnp 7 in 
 order to put to Sea immediately , and they won't bt lotig 
 before they come to talk with thee ; and what wilt thou, 
 fay t6 them, when they ask thee why thou borrowedft their 
 Ship without Leave'*,' ' v > 
 
 As William laid, fb it was, we could fee . by Our 
 Glaffes that they were all in a Hurry, manning 
 and fitting lbme Sloops they hadthere, ond a large 
 Man of War, and it was plain they would foon 
 be with us; but we were not at a Lofs, what- to 
 1 do ; we found the Ship we had taken, was loader! 
 with nothing cojifiderable for our Purpol^, except 
 ibme Cocoa, fome Sugar, and Twenty Barrels of 
 Flower; the. reft of her Loading was Hides; fb 
 we took but all we thought for our, Turn, and 
 among the reft all her Ammunition, great Shot, 
 and fmall Arms, and turned her off; we alio. 
 took' a Cable arid three . Anchors ihe had, which 
 were for our Purpofe, and fome -of her Sails.- 
 ihe had enough left juft to carry her into Port/ 
 and that was all. - . , : : 
 
 Having done this, we fiood on upon the Brafik 
 Coaft, Southward, till we came to the Mouth q 
 the River Janieroi But as we had twaDays %h.Q* 
 Wind 'blowing hard at. S. E. and S, S. E. yt(* 
 were dbliged to come to an Anchor under a little^ 
 Zflarid, and wait for. a Wind. In this.time, N tHe^ 
 Portugutfc had it feems. given Notice over Land to ; 
 the'Goyernour there, that a Py rate was upon, 
 the Coaft ; fb that when we came in Vjew.o.f the,, 
 PoHr,'Ywe faw two IVIen of War riding .juft \ 
 without the Bar,,' whereof one we found -was * 
 
 .' :. O * Z Qt i 
 
-* ) if 
 
 getting undfcr Sail with all poilible Speed, having 
 dipt her Cable, on purpofe to fpeak with us; 
 * .the other was not fo forward, .but was preparing 
 to follow : In lefs than an Hour they flood both 
 fair after, us, with all the Sail they could make. 
 . Had not the Night come on, 'Wittianfs Words 
 Jwd been made good-, . they would certainly 
 Jfiaye aslced us the Queftion what we did there? 
 for we found the foremoft Ship gained upon us, ' 
 efpecially upon one Tack; for we plied away 
 . from them to Windward, but in the Dark lofing 
 -Sight of them, we refolved to change our Courfc, 
 and ftand away dire&ly to Sea, not doubting but: 
 s we mould lofe them in the Night. 
 
 Whether the Tortugutft Commander gueffed 
 we would do fo or no, I know not; but in the 
 Morning when the Day-light appeared, inftead 
 of having loft him, we found him in Chafe of us, 
 : about a League a-Stern ; only to our great good 
 .Fortune we could, fee but one of the two; how- 
 ever this one was a great Ship, carried fix and 
 forty Guns, and an admirable Sailer, as appeared 
 { by her out-failing us; for our Ship was an excel- 
 lent Sailer too, as I have faid before. 
 c. When I found this v I eafily faw there was no 
 Rem,edy, but we mufl engage; and as we knew* 
 , we could expeft no Quarters from thofe Scoun- 
 '.drelsthe Fcr/uguefe, a Nation I had an original. 
 : Averfion to,- i let Captain Wtlmot know how 
 tiit was. The' Captain, fick as he was, jumped 
 ..up <in the Cabin, and would be led out upon the 
 i Deck, for he was yery .weak, to fee how it was; 
 IwWyfays Jt, we'll fight thera. 
 J Que Men were all in good heart before, but to 
 v fee the Captain, fo brisk who had lain ill of a Ca- 
 j denture Tenjor, JBleven Days, gave them double 
 
 V. ; ; O 2 COU- 
 
( i 9 6) 
 
 Courage, and they went all Hands to v/orJc to 
 make a clear Ship and be ready. William the 
 Quaker comes to me with a kind of a Smile; 
 Friend, fays he, what does yon Ship follow us 
 for? Why fays I, to fight us you may be fure; 
 Well, fays he, and will he come up with us doft 
 thou think? Yes, faidl, you fee fhe will. Why 
 then, Friend, fays the dry Wretch, why doft thou 
 run from her ftill, when thou feeft me will over- 
 take thee? Will it be better for us to be over- 
 taken further off than here? Much at one for 
 that, fays I \ why what would you have us do? 
 Do ! fays he, let us not give the poor Man more 
 Trouble than needs muftj let us ftay for him, and 
 hear what he has to fay to us ; he will talk to us 
 in Powder and Ball faid I : Very well then, fays he 
 if that be his Country Language, we muft talk 
 to him in the fame, muft we not? Or elfe how 
 ihall he underftand us? Very well William, fays 
 I, we underftand you ; and the Captain as ill as 
 he was, called to me, Williams right again, fays he, 
 as good here as a League further; (6 he gives 
 a Word of Command, Haul up the Main-Sail, we'll 
 fhorten Sail for him. 
 
 Accordingly we fhortened Sail; and as we 
 expe&ed her upon our Lee Side, we being then 
 
 upon our Starboard Tack, brought 1 8 of our Guns 
 to the Larboard Side, refolving to give him a 
 Broad-Side that mould warm him ; it was about 
 half an Hour before he came up with us, all which 
 
 time we luffed up, that we might keep the 
 ; Wind of him, by which he was obliged to run up 
 
 under our Lee, as we defigned him; when we 
 ' got him upon our Quarter we edg'd down, and 
 
 - received the Fire of five or fix of his Guns; by 
 
 - tills time you may be fure all our Hands were at 
 
 thfiir 
 
( '97 ) 
 
 theft. Quarters, fo we clapt our Helm hard"* 
 Weather, let go the Lee Braces of the Main Top- 
 fail, and laid it a-back, and fo our Ship fell athwart 
 the Portuguefe Ship's Hawfe j then we immediately 
 poured in our Broad-Side, raking them fore and 
 aft, and killed them a great many Men.' 
 
 The Portitguefe, we could fee were in the ut- 
 moft Confufion-, and not being aware of our De-. 
 fign, their Ship having frejh Way, run their 
 Boltfprit into the fore Part of our main Shrouds, 
 as that they could not eafily get clear of us, andfo- 
 we lay locked after that Manner, the Enemy could 
 not bring above five or fix Guns, befides their 
 Small-Arms, to bear upon us, while we played: 
 our whole Broadfide upon him. 
 
 In the middle of the Heat of this Fight, as I, 
 was very bufy upon the Quarter Deck, the Cap- 
 tain calls to me, for he never flirred from us, 
 what the Devil is Friend William a-doing yonder,' 
 fays the Captain, has he any Bufinefs upon Deck ? 
 Iftept forward, and there was Frien&lVMiam with 
 two or three flout Fellows lafhing the Ships Bolt- 
 fprit faft to our Main-Maft, for fear they fliouldget 
 away from us # , and every now and then he pulled a 
 Bottle out of his Pocket and gave the Men aDram to 
 encourage them. The Shot flew about his Ears as 
 thick as may be fuppofed in fuch an Action, where 
 the Porti:guefc y to give them their due, fought very 
 briskly, believing at flrft they were fure of their 
 Game, and trufting to their Superiority \ but there 
 was William, as compofed, and in as perfeft Tran- 
 quillity as to Danger, as if he had been over a 
 Bowl of Punch, only very bufy fecuring the Mat- 
 ter, that a Ship of Fourty fix Guns fhould not run 
 #way from a Ship of Eight and Twenty. 
 
 Oj " * The 
 
:. This Work was too hot to hold long , our.Merl 
 behaved bravely, our Gunner, a gallant Man, 
 touted below, pouring in his Shot at fuch a 
 Rate, that the Toftvguefc began to flacken their 
 Fire; we had difmounted feveral of their Guns 
 by firing in at their Forecaflle, and raking them, 
 as I laid, fore and aft , and p relent ly'comes William 
 up to me-, Friend fays he, very calmly, What 
 dceft thou mean t Why. doji thou not vifit thy Neighbour' 
 in the Ship, the Door being open for thee ? I underftood' 
 him immediately, for our Guns had fb tore their 
 Hull ? that we had beat two Port Holes into one,' 
 and the Bulk Head of their Steerage was fplit 
 to Pieces, that they could not retire to their clofe 
 Quarters ^ fo I gave the Word immediately to 
 board them. Our Second Lieutenant, withaodut 
 Thirty Men, entered in an Inftant over the Fore- 
 caftle, followed by fome more, with the Boat- 
 fwain, and cutting in Pieces about Twenty five" 
 Men that they found upon the Deck, and then 
 throwing Ibme Grenadoes into the Steerage, they 
 entered there alfb; upon which the Portuguefe 
 cried Quarter preiently, and we mattered the 
 Ship, contrary indeed to our own Expectation 
 for we would have compounded with them, if 
 if they would have fheered off, but laying tlienv 
 athwart the Hawfe at firft, and following our 
 Fire farioufly, without giving them any time to 
 get clear of us, and work their Ship, by this 
 means, tho' they had fix and forty Guns, they 
 were not able to Fight above five or fix, as I faid 
 above, for we beat them immediately from their 
 Guns in the Forecaflle, and. killed them Abun- 
 dance of Men between Decks, fo that when we 
 entered they had hardly found Men enough to 
 fight us Hand to Hand upon their Deck. 
 
 The 
 
( l 9S ) 
 
 , Ther Surprize of Joy, to hear : thfc Tto'upiefe 
 cry'Quarter r and fee their Antient ftruck, was 
 fo great to t our Captain, who as. I have faid,'. was. . 
 . reduced very weak with a high Fever, that it 
 cave hi m new. Life} Nature conquered the D}- 
 ftemp^r, and the Fever abated that very Night : 
 So that in two..or three Days he was fenfibly bet- 
 ter, his Strength began to come, and he was able 
 to give his Orders effeftually in every thing that 
 was material, and in about ten Days was entirely 
 well, and about the Ship. 
 
 . In, the mean time, I topic Pofle/fion of die Tortu* 
 guefc Man of War, and Captain Wilmot made me, 
 or rather I made my felf, Captain of her Tor the 
 prefer^ about Thirty of their Seamen took Ser- 
 vice with us, fome of which were French , fbme 
 CcKotfcs, and we fet the reft on Shore the next 
 Day, on a little Ifland on the Coaft of Brafd, ex- 
 cept (bme wounded Men who were not in a Con- 
 dition to be removed} and whom we were bound tp 
 keep on board, but' we had an Occafion afterwards 
 todilpofe of them at the Cape, where at their 
 own Requefl wc fct them on Shore. 
 
 Captain M / i7w/-,asfbonas the Ship was taken^ 
 and the Prisoners flowed, was for fending in. 
 for the River Janiero again, not doubling but we 
 ihould meet with the other Man 6 War, who 
 not Laving been able to find us, and having loft 
 the Company of her Comrade, would certainly 
 be returned, and might be furprized by the Ship 
 we had taken, if we carryed ' Ttrtuguefe Colours, 
 and our Men were all for it. 
 
 But our Friend William gave us better Counfel; 
 
 for he came to me, Friend, (ays he, I underhand 
 
 the Captain is for failing back to the JUoJmcro, 
 
 O 4 in 
 
( ao ) 
 
 jn Hppes to meet with the other Ship that r was 
 Jn Chafe of thee yefterday yiis it true, doft thou 
 t intend it?. Why, yes, fays 1, William, pray why 
 !jiot? J\ay, fays fe#,<:thou may ft do fo: if thou 
 _wilt, Well, I know that too, William, laid 1 5 
 tut the Captain is a Man will be ruled by Rea* 
 ion - 7 what have you to fay to it ? Why, fays 
 William gravely, I only ask what is thy Bufmefs, 
 and the Bufmefs of all the People thou haft with 
 .thee ? Is it not to get Money ? Yes, William, it is 
 ib, in our honeft Way : And wouldft thou, fays 
 he, rather. have Money without Fighting,- or 
 Fighting without Money ? I mean, which wouldft, 
 thou have by Choice, fuppofe it to be left to 
 .thee? Q William, fays I, the fir ft of the two, to 
 be fure. Why then, fays be, what great Gaia 
 .haft thou made of the Prize thou haft taken now, 
 tho* in has coft the Lives of thirteen of ; thy 
 JMen, befides fome hurt ? It is true, thou haft 
 ( got the Ship and fome Ptifoners, but thou wouldft 
 Jiave had twice the Ppoty in a Merchant Ship, 
 V/ith not one Quarter of the Fighting y and how 
 doft thou know either what Force, or what Num* 
 l?er of Men may be in the other Ship, and \yhat 
 Lofi thou mayft fuffer, and what Gain it iliall be 
 ,'tO thee, if thou take her ? 1 think indeed thou 
 jnayft much .better let her alone, 
 \ Why, William, it is true laid J, and Til go tell 
 *the Captain, what your Opinion is, and bring 
 you Word what : he fays. Accordingly I wentj 
 to the Captain, and told him William's Reafons, 
 'and the Captain was of his Mind, that our Butt* 
 /iefs was indeed Fighting when we could not help 
 it, but tfyat our main Affair was Money, and 
 that with as few Blows as we cotjld , fo that Ad* 
 yentur$ was Jaid afide> and we flood along Shore 
 
 again 
 
ftgain South, for the River de U PtataJ expecting 
 fome Purchafe thereabouts $ efpecially we had, 
 our Eyes upon fome of the Spaniji) Ships from the 
 Bruenos yfyrr/, which are generally very rich in 
 Silver, and one fuch'Prize would have done our 
 Bufinefs. We plyM about here in the Latitude 
 of South for hear a Month, and no- 
 
 thing offerM \ and here we began to confult what 
 we fhould do next, for we had come to no Refb- 
 lutton yet. Indeed my Defign was always for the 
 Cafe de Bona Speranzjt,^ and (b to the Eajl Indies. 
 I had heard fome flaming Stories of Captain Avery y 
 and the fine things he had done in the Indies^ 
 which were doubled and doubled even Ten Thou- 
 fand-fbld, and from taking a great Prize in the 
 Bay of J>tngal> where he took a Lady laid to be 
 the Great MoguPs Daughter, with a great Quan- 
 tity of Jewels about her. We had a Story told 
 us, that he took a Mogul Ship, fb the fooliih Sai- 
 lors called it, loaden with Diamonds. 
 I would fain have had Friend Williams Advice, 
 whither we fhould go, but he always put it off 
 Avitli fome Quaking Quibble or other. In fhort, 
 Jie did not care for directing us neither ; whether 
 he made a Piece of Confcience of it, or whether 
 he did not care to venture having it come againft 
 liim afterwards, or no, this I know not ; but we 
 .concluded at laft without him. 
 - We were however pretty long in felblvinc:, 
 and hanker'd about the Rio de la Plata a long 
 time*, at laft we fpy'd a Sail to Windward, and 
 it was fuch a Sail as 1 believe had not been feen in 
 that Part of the World a great while ; it wanted 
 pot that we fhould give it Chafe, for it flood di- 
 jeftly towards us, as well as they that fleer'd 
 could make it ; and even that was ruare Accident 
 
( * 4 Q * ) 
 
 of Weather thai? any thing elfe : For if th<* Win<J 
 had ch.opt about any where, they rauil have gone 
 with it. I leave any Man that is a Sailor, or \mi 
 derjftands any thing of a Ship, to judge what * 
 Figure this Ship made when we flrft law her^ 
 and what .we could imagine was the Matter with 
 her. Hor Main Top-Maft was come by the Board, 
 about fix Foot above the Cap, and fell forward, 
 the Head of the Top-gallant Mali;, , hanging in 
 the Fore Shrouds by the Stay \ at the fame time 
 the Pareil of the Mizen Topfail Yard , by 
 fome Accident giving Way , the Mizen Top* 
 fail Braces (the Handing Part of which being 
 faft to the Main Topfiul Shrouds) brought the 
 Mizen Topfail, Yard and all, down with ifr, 
 which fpread over Part of the Quarter Deck like 
 an Awning : The Fore-Topfaii was hoifted up 
 two Thirds of the Maft, but the Sheets were 
 fiowni The Fore Yard was lower'd down upon 
 the Forecaftle, the Sail loofe, and Part of it 
 hanging over-board. In this Manner fhe came 
 down upon us with the Wind quartering : In a 
 Word, the Figure the whole Ship made, was the 
 mod confounding to Men that underftood the Sea, 
 that ever was feen ^ me had no Boat, neither had 1 
 me any. Colours out. 
 
 When we came near to her, we fired a Gun to 
 bring her to. She took no Kotice of it, nor of 
 us, but came on juft as ihe did before. We fired 
 again, but'twas all one: At length we came with- 
 in Piflol Shot of one another, bat no body an- 
 fwered nor appeared , lb we began to think that 
 it was a Ship cone afhore fomewhere in Diftrefs, 
 and the Men having forfaken her, the high Tide 
 Iiad floated her off to Sea. Coming nearer to her, 
 we run up along Side of her fo clofe, that we 
 
 could 
 
could hear a Notfe within her, and fee the Mo^ 
 tion of feveral People thro' her Ports. 
 -Upon this weMaim'd our two Boats full of 
 
 ' Men, and very well armed, and ordered them to 
 board her at the fame Minute, as near as they 
 could, and to enter one at her Fore-chains on ono 
 Side, and the other a Mid-fhip on the other 
 Side, As foon as they came to the Ship's Side^' 
 a furprizing Multitude of black Sailors* fud$ 
 sis they xvsrey appeared upon Deck, and in fhort, 
 territy'd our Men fo muchj that the Boat 
 which was to enter her Men in the Wafte, 
 flood off again, and durft not board her^ and 
 the Men that entered out of the other Boat, 
 finding the firft Boat, as they thought, beaten 
 off, and feeing the Ship full of Men, jumpM all 
 back again into their Boa,t, and put off, not 
 knowing what the Matter , was. Upon this we 
 prepared to pour in a Broadfide upon her. But 
 our Friend William fet us to Rights again here; 
 for it feems he guefsM how it was fooner than 
 we did, and coming up to me (for it was our 
 Ship that came up with her) Friend, fays he, 
 I am of Opinion thou art .wrong in thisMatter ? 
 and thy Men have been wrong alfo in their Con- 
 duit: ril tell thee how thou malt take this 
 Ship, without making ufe of thofe things call'd 
 Guns. How can that be, IVilliam, faid I ? Why, 
 faid he, thou may ft take her with thy Helm y 
 thou feeft they keep no Steerage, and thou feeft 
 the Condition they, are in , board her with thy 
 Ship upon her Lee Quarter, and fo enter her 
 from the Ship: I am perfwaded thou wilt take 
 
 ' her without Fighting, for there is fome Mifchief 
 has befallen the Ship, which we know nothing 
 
 of. . . ,.. ...., :..,,.> .,v . .... . 
 
* Tri a Word, it being a finooth Sea, and little 
 Wind, I took his Advice, and lay'd her aboard. ; 
 Immediately our Men entred the Ship, where 
 we found a large Ship with upwards of 600 Ne- 
 groes, Men and Women, Boys and Girls, and not 
 one Chriftian, or white Man, on board. 
 
 I was {truck with Horror at the Sight, for 
 immediately I concluded, as was partly the Cafe, 
 that thefe black Devils had got loofe,'had mur 
 thered all the white Men, and thrown them in- 
 to the Sea*, and I had no fooner told my Mind* 
 to the Men, : but the Thought of it Co enraged 
 them, that I had much ado to keep my Men* 
 from cutting them all in Pieces. But IVillUm^ 
 with many Perfwafions prevailed upon them, 
 by telling of them, that it was nothing but what, 
 if they were in the "Negroes Condition, they 
 would do, if they could'; and that the Negroes 
 had really the hi gheftlnjuftice done them, to be 
 fold for Slaves without their Confent ; and that- 
 the Law of Nature di&ated it to them; that they 
 ought not to. kill them, and that it would be 
 wilful Murder to do it. 
 
 This prevailed with them, and cooled their 
 firft Heat; fo they -only knock'd down twenty 
 or' thirty of them, and the reft run all down 
 between Decks, .to their firft Places, believing, 
 as we fancy'd, that ' we were their firft Matters 
 come again. ' ! 
 
 It w.as a moft unaccountable Difficulty we had 
 nextjfbr we could not make them underftand 
 one Word we faid, nor could we underftand one 
 Word our felves that they faid. We endea- 
 voured by Signs to ask them whence they came,' 
 but they could -make nothing of it; we pointed 
 to the Great Cabin, to the Round-houfe, to the 
 '- ~ ' '- Cook- ' 
 
(505) 
 
 Cook-room, then to our Faces, to ask if they had 
 no white Men on board, and where they were 
 gone? But they could not underftand what we 
 meant : On the other Hand, they pointed to our 
 Boat, and to their Ship, asking Queftions as well 
 as they could, and (aid a Thoufond things, and 
 exprefTed themfelves with great Earneflnefs, but 
 we could not underftand a Word of it all, or 
 know what they meant by any of their Signs. 
 
 We knew very well they mutt have been taken 
 on board the Ship as Slaves, and that it muft be 
 by fome Europsm People too. We could eafily 
 fee that the Ship was a Ibttfe-built. Ship, but 
 very much altered, having been built upon, and 
 as we fuppofe, in France 5 for we found two or 
 three French Books on board, and afterwards we 
 found Clothes, Linnen, Lace, fome old Shoes, 
 and feveral other things : We found among the 
 Provifions; fome Barrels of Frljb Beef, fame New- 
 foundland Fiih, and feveral other Evidences that 
 : there had been Chriftians on board, but law no 
 Remains of them. We found not a Sword, Gun, 
 Piftol, or Weapon of any kind , except ibme 
 .Cutlaffes} and the Negroes had hid them below 
 where they lay. We ask'd them what was be- 
 come of all the fmall Arms, pointing to our own, 
 and to the Places where thofe belonging to the 
 Ship had hung : One of the Negroes underftood 
 me prefently, and beckon'd to me to come up 
 upon the Deck, where taking my Fuzee, which 
 I never let go out of my Hand for fome time 
 after we had mafler'd the Ship ; I fay, offering 
 to take hold of it, he made the proper Motion of 
 throwing it into the Sea, by which I understood, 
 as I did afterwards, that they had thrown all 
 the (mall Arms, Powder, Shot, Swords, &c. in- 
 
 L.- to 
 
{ ao6 ) 
 
 to the Sea, believing, as I fuppofed, thojfe thmgi 
 would kill them, tho* the Men were gone. 
 . , After we underftood this, we made no Quefti- 
 cn but that the Ship's Crew having been furpri- 
 2ed by thole defperate Rogues, had gone the fame 
 Way, and had been thrown over-board alio. We 
 look'dall over the Ship, to lee if we could find 
 any Blood, and we thought we did perceive ibma 
 in feveral Places , but die Heat of the Sun melt- 
 ing the Pitch and Tar upon the Decks, made it 
 impoflible for us to difcern it exattly, except in 
 the Round-houfe, .where we plainly faw that 
 there had been much Blood. We found the 
 Skuttle open, by which we fuppofed the Captain 
 and thole that were with him had made their 
 Retreat into the Great Cabin, or thole in die 
 Cabin had made their Efcape up into the Round- 
 houfe. 
 
 But diat which confirmed us moft of all in 
 what had happenM, was, diat upon farther En- 
 quiry we found that there were (even or eight 
 of the Kegroes very much wounded, two or 
 -three of them with Shot ; wliereof one had his 
 Leg broke, and lay in a miferable Condition, the 
 ..Flefli being mortified, and, as our Friend William 
 laid, in two Days more he would have died. 
 William was a moll dexterous Surgeon, and he 
 jhewM it in this Cure , for tho' all the Surgeons 
 .we had on board both our Ships (and we had no 
 Jefs than five that, called themfelves bred Surge- 
 ons, befides two or three who were Pretenders or 
 AfUftants) and all thefe gave their Opinion that 
 the Kegroe's Leg mull: be cut off, and that his 
 .Life could not be faved without it; that the 
 ; Mortification .had touchM the Marrow in the 
 Bone> that the Tendons were mortified, and that: 
 
 he 
 
lie toutd never have the Ufe of liis Leg, if ic 
 ihould.be cured. William laid nothing in gene- 
 ral, but that his Opinion v/as otherwife, and that 
 Jie deftred the Wound might be fearch'd, and 
 that he would then tell them farther. Accor- 
 dingly he went to Work with the Leg, and, as 
 he defired he might have fbme of the Surgeons 
 to aflift him, we appointed him two of the ableft 
 of them to help, and all of them to look on, if 
 <they thought fit. 
 
 William went to Work his own Way, and fofne 
 of them pretended to find . Fault at firft. Howe- 
 ver, he proceeded, and fearchM every Part of 
 the Leg where he fufpe&ed the Mortification had 
 touch'd it : In a Word, he cut off a great deal 
 of mortified Flefh \ in all which die poor Fellow 
 felt no Pain. William proceeded till he brought 
 the VefTels which he had cut to bleed, and the 
 Man to cry out : Then he reduced the Splinters 
 of the Bone, and calling for Help, fct it y as we call 
 i>, and bound it up, and laid the Man to Reft, 
 who found himfelf much eafier than before. 
 
 At the firft Opening, the Surgeons began to 
 triumph, theMortificationfeem'dto fpread, and 
 a long red Streak of Blood appeared from the 
 Wound upwards to the Middle of the Man's 
 Thigh, and the Surgeons told me the Man would 
 die in a few Hours. I went to look at it, and 
 found William himfelf under fome Surprize ^ but 
 I when I ask'd him how long he thought the poor 
 J Fellow could live, he look'd gravely up at me, 
 and faid, As long as thou can ft : I am not at all 
 *pprehenfive of his Lire, faid he, but I would 
 ^urehim if I could, without making a Cripple of 
 a jiim. 1 found he was not juft then upon the Ope- 
 ration, as to his Leg, but was mixing up fome- 
 
 thing 
 
( -30.8 ) -'. 
 
 thing to give the poor Creature, to repel, as I 
 - thought, the fpreading Contagion, and to abate 
 or prevent any feverifh Temper that might 
 happen in the Blood: After which he went to 
 Work again, and open'd the Leg in two Pla- 
 ces above the Wound, cutting out a great deal 
 of mortified Flefh, which it feems was occafio- 
 , red by the Bandage which had prefs'd the Parts 
 too much, and withal, the Blood being at that 
 time iii a more than common Difpofition to 
 mortify, might aflift to fpread it. 
 
 Well, our Friend William conquer'd all this 
 clear'd the fpreading Mortification, that the red 
 Streak went off again, the Flefh began to hea!, 
 and Matter to run ; and in a few Days the Man's 
 Spirits began to recover, his Pulfe beat regular, 
 he had no Fever, and gathered Strength daily ; 
 and in a Word he was a perfect (bund Man in 
 about ten Weeks, and we kept him amongft us, 
 and made him an able Seaman.- But to return 
 to the Ship, we never could come at a certain In- 
 formation about it, till fome of the Negroes which 
 we kept on board, and whom we taught to fpeak 
 fygtifi* ave tne Account of it afterwards, and 
 this maimM Man in particular. 
 
 We enquired by all the Signs and Motions' 
 we could imagine, what was become of the Peo- 
 ple, and yet we could get nothing from them. 
 Our Lieutenant was for torturing fome of them 
 to make them confefs , but William oppofed that 
 vehemently, and when he heard it was under 
 Confideration, he came to me, Friend, fays he, 
 I make* a Requeft to thee, not to put any of 
 thefe poor Wretches to Torment. Why, Willi* 
 am, laid I, why not ? You fee they will not give 
 any ' Account of what is become of the white 
 
 mJ 
 
Men.' Nay;,' fays Willi am, do not fay fo ; I fup- 
 pofe they have given thee a full Account of every 
 Particular of it. % How fo, fays I, pray what are 
 we the wller for all their Jabbering ? Kay, fays 
 William , that may be thy Fault, for ought I 
 know , thou wilt not punifh the poor Men be- 
 caufe they cannot fpeak Engtip*, and perhaps they 
 never heard a Word of Ettglifo before. Now I 
 may very well fuppofe* that they have given 
 thee a large Account of every thing ; for thou 
 feeft with what Earneftnefs, and how long fome 
 of them have talk'd to thee, and if thou canft 
 not understand their Language, nor they thine, 
 how can they help that , at the beft thou doeft 
 but fuppo(e that they have not told thee die 
 whole Truth of the Story, and on the contrary 
 I fuppofe they have, and how wilt thou decide 
 the Queftion, whether thou art right, or whether 
 I am right ? Befides, what can they lay to thee, 
 . when thou askeft them a QuefHon upon the Tor- 
 ture, and at the fame time they do not under- 
 hand the Queftion, and thou doeft not know; 
 whether they fay Ay or No ? 
 
 It is no Complement to my Moderation, to lay 
 I was convinced by thefe Reafbns \ and yet we 
 had all much ado to keep our fecond Lieute- 
 nant from murthering fome of them to make 
 them tell. What if they had told, he did not 
 under ft and one Word of it , but he would not 
 be perfwaded but that the Negroes muft needs 
 underftand him, when he ask'd them, whether 
 the Ship had any Boat or no, like ours, and what 
 was become of it ? 
 
 But there was no Remedy but to wait till 
 we made thefe People underftand Englifli ^ and 
 to adjourn the Story till that time. The Cafe was 
 
 P thus. 
 
(f v ) 
 
 thus. Where they were taken on hoard the; 
 Ship, that we could never under{land,becaule they 
 never knew the Engltf) Names which we give to, 
 thole Coafts, or what Nation they were who be-, 
 longM to the Sky p, becatife they" knew not one; 
 Tongue From another*, but thus. far the Negroe,. 
 I examin'd, who was the fame whole Leg William^ 
 had cured, told us, that they did not fpeak the' 
 lame Language we (poke, nor the Time our Tortu* . 
 guczcfipoke \ Co that in all Probability they muft 
 be French pr Dutch. ' . _ 
 
 Then he told us, that the white Men u(ed , 
 them barbarously , that they beat them unmer- , 
 cifully \ that one of the Negroe Men had a Wife, 
 and two Negrce Children, one a Daughter about 
 fixteen Years old -, that, a White Man abuled the , 
 Kegrce Man's Wife, and afterwards his Daugh- 
 ter, which, as lie fliid, made all the Negrce Men 
 road; and that the Woman's Husband was in a * 
 great Rage, at which the White Man was fo pro- 
 voked, that he threatened to kill him; but. in 
 the Night, the Negroe Man being loole, got a 
 great Club, by which he made us underftand he , 
 meant a Handfpike, and that .when the fame 
 Frenchman Qf It was a. Frenchman) came among \ 
 them again, he began agam to abufe the Ne- ; 
 groe Man's Wife , at which the Negroe taking , 
 up the Handfpike, knock'd his Brains out at one, ., 
 Blow-, and then taking the Key from him with- 
 which he ufually unlock'd the Hand-cuffs which- 
 the Negroes were fetterM with, he, fet about a, 
 Hundred of them at Liberty, who getting up > 
 upon the. Deck by the fune Skuttle that the, 
 White Man came down \ and taking, the Man's 
 Cutlafs who was killed, and laying hold of what, 
 came next them, they, fell upon die Men that,; 
 
 were 
 
.;..;, (Mi) . . 
 
 \vere; upon the Deck, and killed them all, and 
 afterwards thofe they found upon the Forecaftle^ 
 that the Captain and his other Men, who were 
 in the Cabin and the Round-houfe, defended 
 tKemfelves with great Courage, and (hot out at 
 the Loopholes at them, by which he and feveral 
 other Men were wounded, and fome killed*, but 
 that they broke into the Round-houfe after a 
 Jong Difpute, where they killed two of die 
 white Men, but own'd tint tlie two white Men 
 killed eleven of their Men before they could 
 break in; and' then the reft having got down 
 the Skuttle into the Great Cabin, wounded three 
 more of them. 
 
 That after this, the Gunner of the Ship ha- 
 ving fee u red him (elf in the Gun-room, one of 
 his Men haufd up the Long-Boat dole under 
 the Stern, and putting into her all the Arms 
 and Ammunition they could come at, got all in- 
 to the Boat, and afterwards took in the Captain, 
 and thofe that were with him, out of the Great 
 Cabin. When they were all thus embark'd, they 
 refolved to lay the Ship aboard again, and try to 
 recover it ; that they boarded the Ship in a de- 
 fperate Manner, and killed at fir ft all that ftood 
 in their Way *, but the Negroes being by this 
 time all loofe, and having gotten fome Arms, 
 tho* they underftood nothing of Powder and 
 Bullet, or Guns , yet the Men could never ma- 
 iler them. However, they lay under the Ship's 
 Cow, and got out ail the Men they had left in the 
 ! Cook-room, who had maintained themfelveS 
 there,* notwithstanding all the Negroes could do 9 
 I and with their fmall Arms killed between thirty 
 I and forty of the Negroes, but were at laft fore'd 
 I to^eave them;- 
 
They could give me no Account whereabouts 
 this was, whether near the Coafl of Africk^ or 
 far off, or how long it was before the Ship fell 
 into our Hands \ only in genera!, it was a great 
 while ago, as they called *>, and by all we could 
 learn, it was within two or three Days after they 
 had fet Sail from the Coaft. They told us, that 
 they had killed about thirty of the white Men, 
 having knock'dthem on the Head with Crows and 
 Hand-fpikes, and fuch things as they could get^ 
 and one ftrong Negroe killed three of them with 
 an Iron Crow, after he was fhot twice thro* the 
 Body, and that he was afterwards fhot thro' tha 
 Head by the Captain himfelf at the Door of 
 the Round-houfe, which he had fplit open with 
 die Crow and this we fuppofe was the Occa- 
 fion of the great Quantity of Blood which we 
 law at the Round-houfe Door. 
 
 The fame Negroe told us, that they threw all 
 the Powder and Shot they could find, into the 
 Sea, and they would have thrown the great Guns 
 
 . into the Sea, if they could have lifted them* 
 Being ask'd how they came to have their Sails 
 in fuch a Condition, his Anfwer was, they no un- 
 der ft and, they no know what the Sails do \ that was, 
 they did not fb much as know that it was the 
 Sails that made the Ship go \ or undcrftand what 
 they meant, or what to do with them. When 
 we asked him whither they were going, he faid, 
 they did not know, but believed they ihould go 
 
 Home to their own Country again. I asked 
 him in particular, what, he thought we were, 
 when we came firft up with them? He faid, 
 they were terribly frighted, believing we were 
 the dune white Men that had gone away in their 
 Boats, and were come again in a great Ship, with 
 
 " the 
 
( ai 3 ) 
 
 fhe two Boats with them, and expe&ed they 
 would kill them al)* 
 
 This was the Account we got out of them, 
 after we had taught them to fpeak Ertglijh, and 
 to underftand the Karnes and Ufe of the things 
 belonging to the Ship, which they had Occa- 
 fion to (peak of, and we oblerved that the Fel- 
 lows , were too innocent to duTemble in their 
 Relation, and that they all agreed in the. Par- 
 ticulars, and were always in the fame Story, 
 which confirm'd very much the Truth of what 
 they faid. 
 
 Having taken this Ship, our next Difficulty 
 was, what to do with the Negroes. The Portu- 
 guese in the Brafils would have bought them all of 
 us, and been glad of the Purchafe, if we had 
 not fhew'd our felves Enemies there, and been 
 known for Pyrates ^ but as it was, we durft not 
 go on Shore any where thereabouts, or treat with 
 any of the Planters, becaufe we fhould raife the. 
 whole Country upon us *, and if there were any 
 fuch things as Men of War in any of their 
 Ports, we fhould be afTured to be attacked by 
 them, and by all the Force they had by Land 
 or Sea. 
 
 Nor could we think of any better Succefs,* 
 if we went Northward to our own Plantations. 
 One while we determined to carry them all away 
 to the Buenos jiyres, and fell tliem there to the 
 Spaniards \ but they, were really too many for 
 them to make Ufe of \ and to carry them round 
 to the South-Seas, which was the only Remedy 
 that was left, was fo fir, that we fhould be 
 no Way able %o fubfift them for fo long a 
 Voyage, 
 
 ? i Ai 
 
( 2I 4 "-J j 
 
 At !aft, our old never-failing Friend William 
 help'd us out again, as he -had often 'done, at 
 a Dead-lift. His Propolal was' this, that . he 
 Should go as Matter of the'' Ship, and about 
 twenty Men fuch as we could beft truft, and 
 attempt to trade privately upon the Co?ft of. 
 firafil, wirh the Planters, not at the principal 
 Ports, because that would not be admitted. ';) 
 . We all agreed to th's, and appointed to, go 
 away our (elves towards the Rio de la Plata, wjiere 
 we hnd Thought of going before, and to wait 
 for him not there, but at Pert .St. pedro, as the 
 Spaniards all it, lying at the Mouth of the Ri- 
 ver which they call Rio Grande, and where the 
 Spaniards had a (mall Fort, and a few People, 
 but we believe there was no Body in it, ' 
 
 Here we took -up our Station, cruifing off and 
 on, to ice if we could meet any Ships going 
 to, or coming from the Buenos Ayres y or the Rlq y 
 d< la Plata \ but we met with nothing worth 
 Kotice. However, we employed our felves h\ I 
 things neceflary for our going off to Sea-, for 
 we filled all our Water Ca&s, and gotfome Fifii 
 for our prefent Ufe, to fpare as much as po/Ii- 
 ble our Ship's Stores. ''.' j 
 
 William in the mean time went away to ,the 
 Korth, and made the Land about the Cape de : 
 St. Hocmasy and betwixt that and the Ifles dp 
 'Tubercrty he found Means to trade with the Plan-' \ 
 ters for all his Negroes, as well the Women as 
 the Men, and at a very g^od Price too , for WillW 
 am y who (poke Portuguese pretty well, told them a' 
 fair Story enough, that the Ship was in Scarcity 
 o f Provifions, 'that they were driven a great' 
 Way out of their Way, and indeed, as ne fiy,' 
 'put of their Knowledge, and that they muft go 
 
 UP 
 
%'p'to ttfe ^o^th^rard >;fer &Jfn*<* 9 6i fell 
 'there ;upon*the' Coaft. Tfrts was!a very plau- 
 diblc Tale ? ' ancl was eafdy believed ; and it* you 
 -bbfervc the' Manner of the Kegroes Sailing, and 
 'what happened in their Voyage, was every Word 
 
 'of it true. V. : ; * v ; _ /- ')<;[ 
 
 ~ ' J3y this Method, and being true to one ano- 
 ther,' WUHaihmk for what he. was ^ I mean, for 
 : a very honeft Fellow,, and by A/Iiftance of one 
 Tla'ntciv w'MS feht -to Ibme/pf His Neighbour 
 'Planters, and managed the Trade among them- 
 fclves, lie got a quick Market; for in lefs than 
 'five Weeks, William fold all his Negroes, and at 
 laft fold the Ship it felf, and fhipp'd hirhfelf and 
 "his twenty Men, and two "t^egroe Boys whom he 
 had left, m a'fSJoop, one of thofe which the Plan- 
 ters nfcd ' to fend *, on board for the Negroes. 
 With tliis Sloop Captain William, as we then cal- 
 led him, came away, and found us at Port St. Te- 
 tiro, m the Latitude of 32 Degrees, 30 Minutes 
 South. . ~" % . ' / , ..%-..,."; .,; 
 
 ** Nothing' was more futprizing to us, than to 
 fee a Sloop" come along the Coaft,- carrying Tor* 
 Hgueie Colours', . and come in directly to us, tifter 
 we were alTured he had discovered both our 
 Ships. We fired a Gun upon her nearer Ap- 
 proach, to bring her to an Anchor, but* imme- 
 diately fhe] fired five Guns by Way of Salute, 
 and fpread her Tpglifi Ahtieht: Then we began 
 to guefs it was Friend William, but wondered 
 what was the Meaning of his being in a Sloop, 
 whereas we font h'm away in a Ship of near 
 300 Tuns , but he foon let us into the whole 
 Hiftory of his Management, with which we had 
 a great deal of Realbn to be very well fatisfy'd. 
 As foon as he had brought the Sloop to an An- 
 
 F 4 chor f 
 
 
cbor, he cam aboard of my, Ship, and therp 
 he gave us an Account how he began to 
 trade, i\y the Help of a pprtuguex* Planter, 
 who lived near the Sca-ftde , how lie wenp 
 on Shore, and went up to the firft Houfe lie 
 could fee, and asked the Man of the Houfe to 
 fell him fome Hoggs, pretending at firft he on-, 
 ly flood in upon the Coaft to take in frefh Wa- 
 ter, and buy fome Provisions } and the Man not 
 only fold him feven fat Hoggs, but invited him 
 in, and gave him and five Men he had with him, 
 a very good Dinner, and he invited the Planter 
 on board his Ship, and in Return for his Kind* 
 'nefs, ?ave him a Kegroe Girl for his Wife. 
 
 This fo obliged" the Planter, that the next 
 Morning he fent him on board, in a great 
 Luggage Boat, a Cow and two Sheep, with a 
 Cheft of Sweet-meats, and fome Sugar, and a 
 great Bag of Tobacco, and invited Captain William 
 on Shorp again : That after this, they grew from 
 one Kindnefs to another, that they began to talk 
 about Trading for fome Negroes *, and William 
 pretending it was to do him Service, confented 
 to fell him thirty Negroes for his private Ufq 
 in his Plantation, for which he gave William 
 ready Money in Gold, at the Rate of five and 
 thirty Moydores p*r Head-, but the Planter was 
 obliged'to ufe great Caution in the bringing therri 
 on Shore : For which Purpofc, he made William 
 weigh and {land out to Sea, and nut in again, 
 above fifty Miles farther Korth, where at 3. 
 little Creek he took the Negroes on Shore at; 
 another Plantation, being a Friends of his whom 
 " it fcems'he could truft. 
 
 ' This Remove brought William into a farther In-? 
 timacy, nor only with the firft Planter, but a!f# 
 -,..- ; ' ' - witJj 
 
with his Friends, who dcfired to have fome of the 
 JMegroes alfo , fo that from one to another, thev 
 bought fo many, till one overgrown Planter too^c 
 j oo Negroes, which was all William had left, and 
 fharing them with another Planter, that other 
 Planter chalFer'd with William for Ship and all, 
 giving him in Exchange a very clean, large, 
 well-built Sloop of near fixty Tons, very well 
 furnim'd, carrying fix Guns, but we made her 
 afterwards carry twelve Guns. William had 300 
 'Moydores of Gold, befides the Sloop, in Payment 
 for the Ship, and with this Money, he ftored the 
 Sloop as full as fhe could hold with Provifions, 
 efpecially Bread, fome Pork, and about fixty 
 Hoggs alive : Among the reft, William got eighty 
 Barrels of good Gunpowder, which was very 
 much for our Purpofe, and ail the Provifions 
 which were in the French Ship he took out alfb. 
 r . This was a very agreeable Account to us, efpe- 
 cially when we faw, that William had received in 
 Gold coin ? d, or by Weight, and fome Spanfi Sil- 
 yer, tfoooo Pieces of Eight, befides a new Sloop, 
 and a vaft Quantity ot Provifions. 
 < We were very glad of the Sloop in particular, 
 and began to confult what we fhould do, whe- 
 . ther we had not beft turn off our great Portzguefe 
 Ship, and flick to our firft Ship and the Sloop, 
 feeing we had fcarce Men enough for all three, 
 and that the biggeft Ship was thought too big 
 for our Bufmefs} however, another Difpute which 
 was now decided, brought the firft to a Conclufion. 
 The firft Difpute was, whither we mould go? My 
 Comrade, as I called him now, that is to fay, he 
 that was my Captain before we took th'S Portu- 
 gucfc Man of War, was for going to the South 
 Seas, andcoafting up the Weft Side of /tmtrha % 
 
 where 
 
where we could not fail of making fever'al good 
 Prizes upon the Spaniards and that then if Oc- 
 cafion required, we might come home by the 
 South-Seas to the Eafi -Indies and fo go round the 
 Globe as others had done before us. \ :- .-;>'" 
 
 But my Head lay another Way, I had been iii 
 the Eaft'IudieSy and had entertained a : Notion 
 ever fmce that, that if we went thither, we could 
 . not fail of making good Work of it, and that we 
 might have a fa fc Retreat, and good Beef to Visual 
 our Ship, among my old Friends the Natives of 
 Zamguebar, on. the Coaft of Moz.ambimie y or thi 
 Iflandof St. Laurence:! fay, my Thougnts lay 'this 
 Way andl read fo many Lectures to them all, of rite 
 .Advantages they would certainly make of their 
 Strength, by the Prizes they would take in the 
 Gulph of Mocha or the Red-Sea, and on the Coaft of 
 Malabar ok the Bay of Bengal ', that I amaz'dtheni. 
 
 With thefe Arguments I prevailed on them, 
 and we all refolved to fleer away S. E: for 'the? 
 Cape of Good Hope ; and in Confcquence of this" 
 Kelblution, we concluded to keep the Sloop, and 
 fail with all three, 'not doubting, as I affured them, 1 
 but we ihould find Men there to make up the 
 Number wanting, and if not, we might cafi any 
 of them off when wcpleafed. ! "^ : 
 
 We could do no lefs than make our Friend 
 WiPuam Captain of the Sloop, which with fucH 
 good Management he had brought us. He told 
 us, tho* with much good Manners, he would 
 not command her as a Fregat, but if we would 
 give her to him for his Share of the Guinea Ship, 
 which we came very honeftly by, he would keep 
 us Company as a Victualler, if we commanded 
 him, as long ashe was under the Ginw Force "", 
 that took him away. 
 
 We 
 
f 219 ) 
 
 , We underftood him. fo we gave him the Sloop,' 
 but upon Condition that he jhould not go from 
 us, audfliould be entirely under our Command: 
 However, William was not fo cafy as before \ and 
 indeed, as we afterwards wanted the Sloop, to 
 cruife for Purchafe, and a Right thoro.w-pnced 
 Pyrate in'.her \ fo 1 was in fuch Pain for WiUiam r 
 that I could not be without him, for he was my 
 Privy-Counfellour and.Companion upon all Oc- 
 cafions^ fol put a Scot fman, a bold enterprizing 
 
 (gallant Fellow into her, named Gordon, and made 
 icr carry 12 Guns, and four Paterero's, though 
 indeed we wanted Men, for we were none of us 
 MannM in Proportion to our Force. , 
 . We failed away for the Cape of Good Hope, the 
 Beginning of Oclcber i?c6, and palled by in 
 Sight pf the Cape, the 1.2 of November follow- 
 Jug, having met with a great deal of bad Wea- 
 ther : We. law fevcral Merchant Ships in the 
 Road there, rs wejl Biglifi as Dutch, whether 
 outward bound or homeward we could not tell; 
 be it what it would, we did not think fit to come to 
 an Anchor, not knowing what they might be, 
 or what thoy might attempt againft us, when 
 they knew what we were: However,as we wanted 
 frefh Water, we font the two Boats belonging to 
 the Tort'jguefc Man of War, with all Portuguefg 
 Seamen or Negroes in them, to the Watering 
 Place, to take in Water : And in the mean time 
 we hung out a Tortuguefc Anticnt at Sea, and layby 
 all that Night. They knew not what we was, 
 but it feems wepaft for any thing but really what'. 
 we was. 
 
 Our Boats returning the third time loaden,' 
 about five a Clock next Morning, we thought 
 our felves iufficicntly water'd, and flood away 
 
 to 
 
( sao ) 
 
 to the' Eaftward; but before our Men returned 
 the iaft time, the Wind blowing an eafy Gale at 
 Weft, we perceived a Boat in the" Grey of the 
 Morning, under Sail, crowding to come up with 
 us, as if they were afraid we mould be gone. 
 We loon found it was an Engltfi Long-Boat, and 
 that it was pretty full of Men , we could not 
 imagine what the Meaning of it mould be^ but 
 as it was but a Boat, we thought tliere could 
 be no great Harm in it to let them come on 
 board : And if it appeared they came only to 
 enquire who we were, we would give them a full 
 Account of our Buftnefs, by taking them along 
 with us, feeing we wanted Men as much as any 
 thing but they laved us the Labour of being in 
 doubt how to difpofe of them, for it feemsour 
 Tortuguefe Seamen who went for Water, had not 
 been fo filent at the Watering Place, as we 
 thought they would have been. But the Cafe, 
 in iliort was this. Captain , . / forbear 
 
 his Name at prefent, for a particular Reafon, Captain 
 of an Eaft India Merchant Ship, bound after- 
 wards for China, had found fome Reafbn to be 
 very fevere with his Men, and had handled fbme 
 of them very roughly at St. Helena , infomuch, 
 that they threatened among themlelves to leave 
 the Ship the m*ft Opportunity, and had long 
 wifh'd for that Opportunity : Some of thefe 
 Men, it feems, had met with our Boat at the Wa- 
 tering Place, and enquiring of one another who 
 we were, and upon what Account ^ whether the 
 Tortuguefe Seamen, by faultring in their Account, 
 made them fufpeft that we were out upon the 
 Cruiie, or whether they told ic in plain Englifi, 
 or no (for they all fpoke EnoliJ!) enough to be un-> 
 derftood) but fo it was, tint as foon as ever the 
 . (. . Men 
 

 (>.*)) 
 
 Men carried the News on board, that the Ship* 
 which lay by to the Eafhvard were ErrgHJIy, and 
 that they were going upon the Account, which by 
 the Way was a Sea Term for a Pyrate-, I fay, 
 as (bon as ever they heard it, they went to work, 
 and getting all things ready in the Night, their 
 Chefts and Clothes, and whatever elfe they could, 
 they came away before it was Day, and came up 
 with us about (even a Clock. 
 
 When they came by the Ship's Side which I 
 commanded, we hailed them in the ufual Man- 
 ner, to know what and who they were, and 
 what their Bufinefs ? They anfwered, they were 
 JEnglltymtn, and defired to come aboard : We told 
 them they might lay the Ship on board,, but or- 
 dered they fhould let only one Man enter the 
 Ship, till the Captain knew their Bufinefs, and 
 that he fhould come without any Arms: They 
 laid Ay, with all their Hearts. 
 
 We prefently found their Bufinefs, and that 
 they defired to go with us \ and as for their Arms, 
 they defired we would fend Men on board the 
 Boat, and that they would deliver them all to us, 
 which was done. The Fellow that came up to 
 me, told me how they had been ufed by their 
 Captain, how he had ftarved the Men, and ufed 
 them like Dogs \ and that if the reft of the Men 
 knew they fhould be admitted, he was fatisfied 
 two Thirds of them would leave the Ship. We 
 found the Fellows were very hearty in their Re- 
 folution, and jolly brisk Sailors they were , fb I 
 told them I would do nothing without our Admi- 
 ral, that was, the Captain of the other Ship : So 
 1 fent my Pinnace on. board Captain Wilmoty to 
 defire him to come on board , but he was indifpo- 
 fed, and bemg to Leeward, excufed his coming, 
 
 * bur 
 
( gw* ) 
 
 tut left it all to me: But before my Boat was 
 returned, Captain Wilmot called to me by his 
 Speaking Trumpet, which all die Men might 
 hear as well as I, thus, calling me by my Name, 
 / hear they are hone ft Fellows , pray tell them they arc 
 all welcome, and. make them a Bowl of Punch, 
 
 As the Men heard it as well as I, there was 
 no need to tell them what the Captain laid-, and 
 as fbon as the Trumpet had done, they fet up a 
 Huzza that fhewed us they were very hearty in 
 their coming to us \ but we bound them to us by 
 a ftronger Obligation (till, after this : For when 
 we came to Madagafcar, Captain Wilmot ,. with 
 Content of all the Ship's Company, ordered that 
 thefe Men mould have as much Money given 
 them out of the Stock, as was due to them for 
 their Pay in the Ship they had left \ and after 
 that, we allowed them Twenty Pieces of Eight 
 a Man Bounty Money : And thus we entred them 
 upon Shares, as we were all, and brave flout Fel- 
 lows they were, being Eighteen in Number, 
 whereof two were Midfhip-Men, and one a Car- 
 penter. ' 
 
 It was the 28th of November, when having had 
 fbme bad Weather, we came to an Anchor in the 
 Road off of St. Augufline Bay, at the South Weft' 
 End of my old Acquaintance the Ifle of ' Madagaf- 
 car: We lay here a while, and traffick'd with the 
 Katives for fbme good Beef, tho' rhe Weather 
 was fb hot, that we could not promife our felves to 
 fait any of it up to keep *, but I fhewed them the 
 Way which we pra&ifed before,, to (lilt it firff 
 with Salt-PctrCy then cure it, by drying it in the 
 Sun, which made it eat very agreeably, tho* not 
 fb wholefome for our Men, that not agreeing with' 
 our Way of Cooking, viz. Boiling with Pud- 
 
 ding, 
 
d.ng,.Br ewes cf-f. an d particularly this War" 
 would be too fait, and the Fat of the Meat be 
 refly, or dry'd away, fo as not to be eaten. 
 This however we could not help, and made 
 our felves amends by feeding heartily on the freft 
 Beef while we were there, which was exce en? 
 good and fat, every Way as tender, and as 3 
 reldhed as in w/W, and thought to be much 
 
 ISg^ 
 
 | Having now for fome time remained here" 
 we began toconfider that this was not a Place for 
 
 1 X? W nel> h ^ IthaC had fome Views, a^arS 
 ; cuar VVayof myown, told them, that 'this was 
 nota Station for thofethat look'd for Purchafe- 
 :thatther e> were two Parts of the Ifland which 
 ; were particularly proper for our Purpofes ; firft 
 ;the Bay on the Eafl- Side of the Ifland ?nd 
 j*om thence to the Ifland ^W>,, ^S j 
 ,the ufual 1 Way which Ships that came fromThe 
 ^WCoafr, or the Coaft of GWrf, Fort 
 W'Cccrre, &c. ufed to take, and where, if we 
 ! waited tor them we ought to take our Station. 
 
 But on the other Hand, as we did not refolve 
 -o fall upon the European Traders, who were 
 generally ships of Force, and well Manned, and 
 Inhere Blows muff be looked for: fo I had an" 
 I her Profpeft, which 1 promifed 'my /elf wou5 
 nv ofT l T f r fit ' l or - P^haps greater, without 
 ny of the Hazard and Difficulty of the former 
 .nd tins was die Gulph of Mccba or the iS 
 
 | I told them that the Trade here was great, the 
 
 hips rich and die Streight tfJUMmdll narrow ; 
 
 that there was no doubt but we might cruife 
 
 as to let noth.ng flip our Hands, having the 
 
was eafy for us to get as much} if we minded 
 our Hits ^ and Captain Wilmot had fet us a very 
 
 . good Example: For by the fame Rule, the Agree- 
 ment of any farther Sharing of Profits with them, 
 was at an End. 1 took this Occafion to put into 
 their Heads, fome Part of my farther Defigns, 
 which were, to range over the Eaftern Sea, and 
 lee if we could not make our feives as rich as 
 Mr. Avery ) who, it was true, had gotten a pro- 
 
 . digious deal of Money, tho' rot one Half of 
 what was faid of it in Europe, 
 
 Our Men were fb pleafed with my forward, 
 cnterprizing Temper, that they allured me that 
 they would go with me, one and all, over the 
 whole Globe, wherever 1 would carry them ; 
 and as for Captain Wilmot, they would have 
 r.o thing more to do with him. This came to 
 his Ears, and put him into a great Rage , ib 
 that he threaten'd, if I came on Shore, he would 
 cut my Throat. 
 
 I had Information of it privately, but took no 
 Notice of it at all, only 1 took Care not to go 
 unprovided for him, and feldom walked about 
 but in very good Company. However, at laft 
 Captain Wilmot. and I met, and talked over the 
 Matter very ferioufty, and I offered him the Sloop 
 to go where he pleafed : Or, if he was not latis- 
 fied with that, I offered to take the Sloop, and 
 leave him the great Ship. But he declined both, 
 and only defired that I would leave him fix Car- 
 penters, which I had in our Ship, more than I 
 had need of, to help his Men to iinifh the Sloop 
 that was begun before we came thither, by the 
 Men that loft his Ship. Tiiis I confented rea- 
 dily to, and lent him feveral other Hands that 
 were ufeful to them, and in a little time they 
 
 buile 
 
built a flout Brigantine aWe to carry fourteen* 
 Guns, and two Hundred Men. 
 
 What Meafiirct they took, and how Captain, 
 Avery managed :i forwards, is too long a Story 
 to, meddle with here ; nor is. ic any of my Bu- 
 finefs, having'my own Story ft ill upon my Hands. 
 
 We lay here about thele feveral fimple De- 
 putes almoft five Months, when n!'out thQ latter 
 End of March I let Sail with the great Ship, 
 having in her forty four Guns, and Tour hundred 
 Men, and the Sloop, carrying eighty Men. We 
 did not fleer to the Malabar Coaft, and Co to the 
 Gulph of Pcrfa y as was at firft intended, the 
 Eaft Monfoons blowing yet too ftron'i, but we 
 kept more under the African Coaft, where we had 
 the Wind variable till we pafsM the Line, and 
 made the Cape Bajfa in the Latitude of four De- 
 grees i o Minutes , from thence, the Monfoons be* 
 ginning to change to the N. E. and N. N. E. we 
 led it away, with the Wind large, to the Mat" 
 divifSyb famous Ledge of I Hands, well known by 
 all the Sailors who have gone into thole Parts 
 of the World; and, leaving thefe I {lands a little 
 to the South, we made Cape Centering the Sou the r- 
 moft Land of the Coaft of Malabar , and went 
 round the.Ifte of Ceylon. Here we lay by a' while, 
 to wait for Purchaie \ and here we law three 
 Jarge EngtiJIt Eaft-India Ships going from Bengal^ 
 or from Fort St. George, homeward for England^ 
 or rather for Bombay and Surat, till the Trade 
 let in. 
 
 We brought to, and hoifting an Etrgtift An- 
 cient and Pendant, lay by for them, as if we 
 intended to attack them." They could n* t tell 
 what to make of us a good "while, though they 
 faw our Colours 3 and, 1 believe, at firft zhey 
 
 *:-.- R thought; 
 
( 226 ) . 
 
 thought us to be French \ but as they came nearer 
 to us, we let them foon fee what we were, for 
 .we hoifted a black Flag with two crofs Daggers 
 In it, on our Main Top-maft Head, which let 
 them fee what they were to expett. 
 
 We loon found the EfTeft of this , for, at firft 
 they Ipread their Antients, and made up to us 
 in a Line as if they would fight us, having the 
 Wind off Shore fair enough, to have brought 
 them on board us$ but when they faw what 
 Force we were of, and found we were Cruifers 
 of another kind, they ftood away from us again- 
 with all the Sail they could make. If they had 
 come up, we mould have given them an unex- 
 peel: Welcome, but as it was, we had no Mind to 
 follow them, lb we let them go for the fame 
 Reafbns which I mentioned before. 
 
 But though we let them pafs, we did not de- 
 fign to let others go, at ib eafy a Price : It was 
 but the next Morning that we faw a Sail, {land- 
 ing round Cape Comcrhv, and fleering, as we 
 thought, the fame Cburfe with us. We knew not 
 at firft what to do with her, becaufe fhe had 
 the Shore on her Larboard Quarter, and if we 
 offered to chafe her, fhe might put into any Port 
 or Creek, and efcape us-, but to prevent this, 
 we lent the Sloop, to get in between her and the 
 Land \ as loon as me faw that, fhe haled in to 
 keep the Land aboard, and when the Sloop flood 
 towards her, fhe made right alhore with all the 
 Canvas fhe could fpread. 
 
 The Sloop however came up with her, and 
 engaged her, and found fhe was a Veifel of ten 
 Guns, Tortuguefe built, but in the Dutch Traders 
 Hands, and manned by Dutchmen, who were bound 
 from the Gulph of Pcrpa, to Batavia, to fetch 
 
 Spices 
 
( 31 7 ) [ 
 
 Spices and other Goods from thence. The Sloop's 
 Men took her, and had the Rummaging of her . 
 before we came up.* She had in her Come European 
 Gctods, and a good round um of Money, and 
 fbme Pearl , fb that tho' we did not go to the 
 Gulph for the Pearl, the Pearl came to us out 
 oftheGulph, and we had our Share of it. This 
 was a lich Ship, and the Goods were of very 
 confiderable Value, befides die Money and the 
 Pearl. 
 
 We had a long Confultation here, what we 
 fliould do with the Men \ for, to give them the 
 Ship, and let them purfue their Voyage to Java, 
 would be to alarm the Dutch Fa&ory there, who 
 are by far the ftrongeft in the Indies, and to 
 make our Pailage that Way imprafticable; where- 
 as we refolved to vifit that Part of the World, 
 in our Way, but were not willing to pal's the 
 great Ray of Bengal, where we hoped for a great 
 deal of Purchafe ; and therefore it behoved us not 
 to be Way-laid before we came there, becaufethey 
 knew we muft pafs by theStreights of Malacca, 
 or thole of Sundy, and either Way it was very 
 eafy to prevent us. 
 
 While we were confulting this in the great 
 Cabin, the Men had had the fame Debate be- 
 fore the Mall, and it feems the Majority there 
 were for pickling up the poor Dutchmen among 
 the Herrings-, in a Word, they were tor throw- 
 ing them all into the Sea. Poor William the 
 Quaker was in great Concern about this, and 
 comes direttly to me, to talk about it. Hark 
 thee, fays William, what wilt thou do with thefe 
 , Dutchmen thou haft on hoard, thou wilt not let them- 
 go Jfuppofe,&ys he? Why fays I, William, would 
 you advlfc me to let them go? No, \ys William, lean- 
 
 R 2. k not 
 
( in% ) 
 
 net fay It is ft for thee to let them %o \ that h to fa?, 
 to go ft: with their Voyage to Batavia, becaufe it is not 
 for thy Turtty that the Dutch at Batavia ftould httve 
 a?y Knowledge of thy being in thefe Seas. Well then y lays 
 I, to him } J tmwm Remedy but to throw them Over- 
 ' board, Toulncw William, lays I, * Dutchman /tp/W 
 like a Fifty and all our People here arc of the fame OpinU 
 en as well as I\ at the fame time I refclvcd it ftjould net 
 be d:nc y but wanted to hear what William would fay I 
 But he gravely reply cd, if all the A/en in the Ship were 
 of that A find, I will never believe that thou wilt be of 
 that A find thy fcl:\ fr I have heard thee proteft a- 
 gainft CmUy'in all other Cafes. Well William lays'!, 
 that is true, but what then full we do with them? 
 iVty) lays William, is there no way but to murther 
 them ? / a:n ftff&juhd thou can ft not be in earneft -, no 
 indeed William, lays I, / am not in eameft y but 
 they full r.o: go lava, no nor to Ceylon, that is certain. 
 But 7 lays William, the Men have dene thee no Injury 
 at ally Thou* baft t ah n a great Treafure from them, 
 what car ft tbvti pretend to hurt them for * Nay 2 W illiam, 
 fays I, do mt talk of thaty I have Pretence ennvgh if 
 that he all: My Pretence is to prevent doing me "hurt, 
 and that is as necejja.y a Piece of the Law of Self Pro 
 fervation as any yo'a can name ; but the main Tiling is t 
 I know nit what to do with them to prevent their 
 prating. 
 
 While William and I was talk ; mi, the poor 
 Dutchmen were openly condemned to die as ic 
 maybe called, by 'the whole Ship's Company , and 
 ib warm were the Men upon it, that they grew 
 very clamorous*, and when they heard that WiU 
 Ham was againii it, fame of them fwore they 
 iliould die, and if William oppofed it, he mould 
 . drown along with t^em. 
 
 ' Buc 
 
-..But, as I was refolved to put an End 
 to their cruel Project, fb 1 found icwas time to' 
 take upon me a little, or the bloody Humour 
 might grow too ftrong ^ lb I called the Dutchmen 
 up, and talked a little with them. Firit, I asked 
 them if they were willing to go with us \ two of 
 them offered it prelently, but the reft, which 
 were fourteen, declined it. Well then, find I, 
 where would you go? They defi red they fliould 
 mptoCeyhn. No, I told them,! could not allow 
 them to go to any Dutch Factory, and told therti 
 very plainly the Reafous of it, wh'ch they could 
 not deny to bejuft. I let them know alfo the; 
 cruel bloody Mea lures of our Men, but that I 
 had relblved to lave them, if poilible, and there- 
 fore I told them, I would fet.them on Shore at 
 fome EnglijJ) factory in the Bay of -jfr/zj.*/, or put 
 tJiem on board any Erglijlj Ship I met, after I 
 was paft the Streights ofSumly or of Malice^ but 
 .not before \ for as to my coming hick again, 1 told 
 them, I wouldrun the,venture of t!ieiri>^ff/j Power 
 from fi.ttavu, but 1 would not have the News 
 come there before me, becaufe it would make all 
 their Merchant Ships lay up, and keep out of 
 our Way. 
 
 It come next into our Confidenjtion, what we 
 ihoulddo with their Ship? but this whs not long 
 refolding- for there were but two Ways, either 
 to let her on Fire, or to run her on Shore, and we 
 chofe the laft- lo we fet her Fore-Sail with the 
 Tack at the Cat-head, and learnt her Helm a little 
 to Starboard, to anfver. her Head-Sail, and lb let 
 her a-going, with neither Cat or Dog in her, and 
 it was not above two Hours before we (aw her 
 Tun right ailiore upon the Coaft, a little beyond 
 
 R 3 ' tha 
 
( *30 ) 
 
 the Cape Cement?, and away we went round about 
 Ceylm, for the Coaft of Corctnandel. 
 
 We failed along there, not m Sight of the Shore, 
 only, but fo near, as to fee the Ships in the Road 
 at Fort St. David, Fort St. George, and at the 
 other Factories along that Shore, as well as along 
 the Coaft of Galconda, carying our Englifli Anti- 
 ent, when we came near the Butch Fa&ories, 
 and Dutch Colours when we part by the Englifi 
 Faftorles. We met with little Purchafe upon 
 this Coaft, except two fmall Veffels of Gclconda y 
 bound crofs the Bay with Bales of Callicoes and 
 Muilins, and wrought Silks, and fifteen Bales of 
 Romalls, from the Bottom of the Bay, which were 
 going, on whole Account we knew not, to Achin^ 
 and to other Ports on the Coaft of Malacca \ we 
 d ; d not enquire to what Place in particular, but 
 we let the VefTels go, having none but Indians on 
 board. ' 
 
 In the Bottom of the Bay, we met with a 
 great Joni belonging to the^/^z/Z's Court, with 
 a great many People, Paifengers as we fuppofed 
 them to be-, it feems they were bound for the- 
 River Hugely, or Ganges and came from SumMra, 
 this was a Prize worth taking indeed, and we 
 cot fo much Gold in her, beftdes other Goods 
 which we did no: meddle with, Pepef in par- 
 ticular, that it had like to have put an. End to; 
 our Cruile-, for almoft all my Men faid we 
 were rich enough, and defired to go back again 
 to A fadagafcar ;\ut I had other things in my 
 Head {fill, and when I came to talk to them, 
 and fet Friend William to. talk witii them, we 
 put fuch further Golden Hopes into their Heads, 
 that we loon prevailed with diem to let us 
 
 go on. 
 
 M/ 
 
( 2 3 x ) 
 
 My next Defign was, to leave all the dange- 
 rous Streights of Malacca, SIncafore, and Sundp 
 where we could expeft no great Booty, but 
 what we might light on .in European Ships, 
 which we muft fight for ; and tho' we were able to 
 fight, and wanted no Courage, even to Defpera- 
 tion ^ yet we were rich too, and refolved to be , 
 richer, and took this for our Maxim : That while 
 we were fure the Wealth we fought was to be 
 had without fighting, we had no Occafion to 
 put our felves to the Neceflity of fighting for 
 that which would come upon eafy Terms. 
 
 We left therefore the Bayof Bengal 7 and coming 
 to the Coaft of Sumatra, we put in at a fmall 
 Port, where there was a Town, inhabited only 
 by Mallayansy and here we took in frefh Water, 
 and a large Quantity of good Pork pickled up, 
 and well faked, notwithftanding the Heat of 
 the Climate, being in the very Middle of the 
 Torrid Zone, viz. In three Degrees, fifteen Mi- 
 nutes North Latitude. We alfo took on board 
 both our Veflels, forty Hogs alive, which ler- 
 vedusfor frefh Pro vifibns, having Abundance of 
 Food for them fuch as the Country produced ; 
 fuch as Guams, Potatoes, and a fort of coarfe 
 Rice good for nothing elfe, but to feed the 
 Swine. We killed one of thefe Hogs every Day, 
 and found them to be excellent Meat. We took 
 in alfo a monftrous Quantity of Ducks, and Cocks 
 and Hens, the fame kind as we have in England^ 
 which we kept for Change of Provifions, and if I 
 remember right, we had no lefs than two Thou- 
 fand of them , fo that at firft we were peftered 
 with them very" much, but we foon leirened 
 them by boiling, roafting, ftewing, c?c. for we 
 never wanted while we had them. 
 
 R 4 My 
 
( n* ) 
 
 My long projected Defign now lay open to 
 me, which was, to fall in amongft the Dutch 
 Spice Iflandsj and fee what Mi (chief I could do 
 the r e : accordingly we put out to Sea, the 12th 
 of J&iifftfi} and palling the Line the 17th, we flood 
 away due >uth leaving the Straits of Sumly> and 
 the Ifie of Lrj,i on the Eaft, till we came to the 
 Latitude of eleven Degrees,- twenty Minutes, 
 when we fieered Eaft and E. N. E. having eafy 
 Gale- from the W. S. \V. till we came amonjj 
 the Jlf:!vrct:s, or Spice 1 Hands. 
 
 We paifed thofe Seas wirh lefs Difficulty than 
 in other Places, the Wi'ds to the South of lava, 
 being more variable, and the Weather good, tho' 
 ibmetiir.es we met wirh Squ;u'y Weather, and 
 fhort Storms- but when we came in among 
 the Spice IHnnds themfelves, we had a Share of 
 theMonlbcv.es, or Trade Winds, and made u!e 
 of them accordingly. 
 
 Tlie infinite Number of I (lands which lye in 
 theft Se?.% embarraft us ftrangely, and it waswith 
 great Difficulty that we worked our Way thro* 
 them-, then we fleered for the North Side of the 
 Tbil!'p?;rs y where we had a double Chance for Pur- 
 chafe, viz* either to meet, with the Spavifi 
 Ships from jictfutco on the Coaft of New-Spain^ 
 or we were certain not to fail of finding tome 
 Ships or Jonks of China, who, if they came 
 from Chhhi, would have a great Quantity of 
 Goods of Value on Board, as we!l as Money; 
 or if we took them going back, we iliould find 
 them loaden with Nutmegs and Cloves from Bun- 
 Aa and Ttmatc 9 or from fome of the other 
 IfLrnds. 
 
 We were right in our GuefTes here to a tittle, 
 and we fleered dire&ly through a large Out-let, 
 
 which 
 
( *?3 ) 
 
 which they call a Streight, tho' it he fifteen Miles 
 broad, and to an liland they call Daurma, and 
 from thence N. N. E. ' to Band* ^ between thefe 
 lilands we met with a, Dutch Jonque, or VelTel 
 going to Jlmboyna. We took her without much 
 Trouble, and 1 had much ado to prevent our 
 Men murthering all the Men, as foon as they 
 heard them lay, they belonged to Amboyna, the 
 Reafon 1 fuppofe any one will guefs. . 
 
 We took out of her about fixteen Ton of Nut- 
 megs, fome Provifions, and their (mall Arms, 
 for they had no great Guns, and let the Ship go: 
 From thence we failed direftly to the Banda. 
 Jfland or Iflands, where we were fure to get 
 more Nutmegs, if we thought fit , for my Part 
 I would willingly have got more Nutmegs, tho* 
 I had paid for them, but our People abhorred 
 paying for anything-, fb we got about twelve 
 Ton more at feveral times, moflof them from 
 Shore, and only a few in a fmall Boat of the Na- 
 tives, which was going to Gilolo. We would have 
 traded openly, but the Dutch, who have made 
 themfelves Matters of all thole Iflands, forbid 
 the People dealing with us, or any Strangers 
 I whatever, and keep them fb in Awe, that they 
 | durft not do if, fo we cculd indeed have made 
 I r.othing of it, if we had flay'd longer, and there-' 
 I fore relblved to be gone for Tcnjatc y and fee if we 
 | could make up our Loading .with Cloves. 
 
 Accordingly we flood away North, but found 
 I our (elves ib intangled among innumerable Iflands, 
 j and without any Pilot that underftood the Chan- 
 nel and Races between them, that we were obli- 
 \ ged to give it over, and refolved to go back again 
 
 to &W.f, and fee what we could get among the 
 
 ~" ther lilands thereabouts. 
 
 The 
 
The firft Adventure we made here, had like to 
 have been fatal to us all, for the Sloop being a- 
 head, made the Signal to us for feeing a Sail, and 
 afterwards another, and a third, by which we 
 imderflood {he faw three Sail, whereupon we 
 made more Sail to come up with her, but on a 
 fudden was gotten among fome Rocks, falling 
 foul upon them in fuch a Manner as frighted us 
 all very heartily ; for having it feems but juft 
 Water enough as it were to an Inch, our Rudder 
 ftruck upon the Top of a Rock, which gave us a 
 terrible Shock, andfplita great Piece off of the 
 Rudder, and indeed difabled it fo, that our Ship 
 would not fteer at all ; at lea A not fo as to be de- 
 pended upon, and we were glad to Hand all our 
 Sails, except our Fore-fail and Main-top-fail, and" 
 with them we flood away to the Eaft, to fee if we 
 could find any Creek or Harbour, where we 
 might lay the Ship on Shore, and repair our Rud- 
 der ^ befides, we found the Ship her felf had re- 
 ceived lome Damage, for me had fome little Leak 
 near her Stern Poft, but a great Way under 
 Water. 
 
 By this Mifchance we loft the Advantages, 
 whatever they were, of the three Sail of Ships 
 which we afterward came to hear, were Imall 
 Dutch Ships from JBatav!a y going to Banda and 
 jtmboyttd 9 to load Spice, and no doubt had a good 
 Quantity of Money qn board. 
 
 Upon the Dififter 1 have been fpeaking of, you 
 may very well fuppofe that we citme to an An- 
 chor as loon as we could, which was upon a fmall 
 Ifland not far from Btima % wlier,e tho' the Dutch 
 Jccep no Fattory, yet they come at the Scalbntil 
 buy Nutmegs and Mace. WcftayM there thir- 
 teen Days , but there being no Place where we 
 , could 
 
xould lay the Ship on Shore, we lent the Sloop to 
 
 cruife among thelflands, to look out for a Place 
 
 fit for us. In the meantime we got very good 
 
 Water here, ibme Provifibns, Roots, and Fruits, 
 
 I and a good Quantity of Nutmegs and Mace, which 
 
 \ we found Ways to trade with the Natives for, 
 
 without the Knowledge of their Mafters the 
 
 Dutch. 
 
 At length our Sloop returnM, having found an- 
 other Ifland where there was a very good Har- 
 bour, we run in, and came to an Anchor. We 
 immediately unbent all our Sails, fent thema- 
 | ftiore upon the Ifland, and fet up fcvcn or. eight 
 Tents with them : Then we unrigged our Top- 
 \ mails, and cut them down, hoifted all our Guns 
 I out, our Provifions and Loading, and put them 
 jafhore in the Tents. With the Guns we made 
 jtwo fmall Batteries, for fear of a Surprize, and 
 S kept a Look out upon the Hill. When we were 
 jail ready, we laid the Ship a-ground upon a 
 [hard Sand, the upper End of the Harbour, and 
 iflior'd her up on each Side. At low Water {he 
 iayalmoft dry, lb we mended her Bottom, and 
 1 ftopt the Leak which was occafioned by draining 
 | Ibme of the Rudder Irons with the Shock which 
 the Ship had againft the Rock. 
 
 Having done this, we al(b took Occafion to 
 clean her Bottom, which, having been at Sea fo 
 long, was very foul. The Sloop WauYd andTal- 
 low'd al fo, but was ready before us, and cruifeel 
 eight or ten Days among the Iflands, but met 
 with no Purchafe , fo that we began to be tired 
 of the Place, having little to divert us, but the 
 moft furious Claps of Thunder that ever were 
 read or heard of in the World. 
 
 We 
 
;(-M6J 
 
 We were in Hopes to have met with fome Pur- 
 chaftt here among the tfimfi % who we had been 
 told came to Tenure to trade for Cloves, and to 
 the -Ratifies, for Nutmegs, and we could have 
 been very glad to have loaded our Galleon, or 
 great Ship, with thefe two Sorts of Spice, and 
 have thought it a glorious Voyage , but we found 
 nothing ftirrihg more than what I have laid, ex- 
 cept Dutchmen, who by what Means we could not 
 imagine, had either a Jealoufy of us, or Intelli- 
 gence of us, and kept themfclvcs dole in their 
 Ports. 
 
 I was once refolved to have made a Defirent at 
 the I (land ofDumas f the Place mod famous for 
 the bed Nutmegs , but Friend William, who was 
 always for doing our Bufinefs without Fighting] 
 dhTwaded me from it, and gave fitch Reafons for 
 it, that we could not reftft*, particularly the great 
 Heats of the Seafon, and of the Place, for we 
 were now in the Latitude of juft half a Degree 
 South', but while we were di (pitting this Point, 
 we were toon determined by die following Acci- 
 dent. We had a ftrongGtile of Wind atS. W. 
 by W. and the Ship had freih Way, but a great 
 Sea rolling in upon us from the N. E. wjiich we 
 afterwards found was the Pouring in of the Great 
 Ocean Eaft of New Guinea* However, as I laid, 
 we flood away large, and made freih Way, when 
 on the fudden, from a dark Cloud which hover'd 
 over our Heads, came a Flafh, or rather Blaft ot 
 Lightning, which was fb terrible, and quivcrM 
 Jo long among us, that not I only, but all our 
 Men thought the Ship was on Fire. The Heat 
 of the Flafh or Fire was (o fenftbly felt in our Fa- 
 ces, that fome of our Men had Bliftcrs. railed by 
 
 it 
 
I -Cm ) 
 
 >t on their Skins, not immediately perhaps by the 
 
 Heat, but by the poifimous or noxious Partietcs 
 
 \ which mix'd themfelves with the Matter in* 
 
 a - m . ? Ut L th J? was not a " i thc Shock of the 
 
 Air 'which the Fratture in the Clouds made, was 
 
 fuch, that our Ship fhook as when a Broadfide is 
 
 fired and her Motion being check'd as it were at 
 
 once by a Rcpulfe fuperior to the Force that gave 
 
 her Way before, the Sails all flew back in a Mo- 
 
 :ment and 1 the Ship lay, as we might truly fay, 
 
 ; Thunder-ftruck.- As the Blaft from the Cloud 
 
 , was fo very near us, it was but a few Moments 
 
 ; after the Flafh, that the torribleft Clap of Thun- 
 
 > tier followed that was ever heard by Mortals I 
 
 ; firmly believe a Blaft of a Hundred Thoufand 
 
 Barrelsot Gunpowder could not have been greater 
 
 ,to our Hearing , nay indeed, to fome of our Men 
 
 I it took away their Hearing. 
 
 It is not pofliblc for me to defcribe, or any one 
 
 |to conceive the Terrour of that Minute. Our 
 
 Men were in fucli a Confternation, that not a 
 
 Man on board the Ship had Prefence of Mind to 
 
 jftpply to the proper Duty of a Sailor, except 
 
 ,fnendlh!/ ltim ; and had not he run very nimbly 
 
 and w lt h aCompofure thatl am furc'l was not 
 
 ;S oF ' t0 go the Forc-flieet, fet in the 
 
 AVeather Brace of thc Fore-yard, and hauPd 
 
 aowii thsToplails, we had certainly brought all 
 
 ur Mafts by the Board, and perhaps have been 
 
 averwhelm'd in the Sea. 
 
 As for my felf, I muft confeft my Eyes were 
 Nil to my Danger, tho' not the le.tft to any 
 |mg ol Application lor Remedy. 1 was all 
 Amazement and Confuf.on, and this was the firft 
 l ime that I can fay 1 began to feet the Effeftsof 
 
 that 
 
 ; . 
 
 I 
 
(*?8.) 
 
 that Horrour. which I know fmce much more of, 
 upon the juft Refle&ion on my former Life. I 
 thought my felf doom'd -by Heaven to fink that 
 Moment into eternal Deftruttion , and with this 
 peculiar Mark of Terror, viz* That the Ven- 
 geance was not executed in the ordinary Way 
 of human Juftice, but that God had taken me 
 into his immediate Difpofmg, and had refblved 
 to be the Executer of his own Vengeance, 
 
 Let them alone defcribe the Confufion I was in, 
 
 who know what was the Cafe of . Child of 
 
 ShadweU y or Francis Spira. It is impoffible to de- 
 icribe. My Soul was all Amazement and Sur- 
 prize; I thought my felf juft finking into Eter- 
 nity, owning the divine Juftice of my Puniihment, 
 but not at all feeling any of the moving, fbft- 
 ning Tokens of a fincere Penitent, ailli&ed at the 
 Puniihment, but not at the Crime, alarmed at 
 the Vengeance, but not terrify'dat the Guilt, ha- 
 ving the fame Guft to the Crime, tho' terrified 
 to the laft Degree at the Thought of the Pu- 
 niihment, which I concluded I was juft now 
 going to receive. 
 
 But perhaps many that read this will be fen- 
 fible of the Thunder and Lightning, that may 
 think nothing of the reft, or rather may make 
 a Jeft of it all, fo I fay no more of it at this 
 time, but proceed to the Story of the Voyage. 
 When the Amazement was over, and the Men 
 began to come to them (elves, they fell a calling I 
 foe one another, every one for his Friend, or for 
 thofc he had moil Refpet for^ and it was a Angu- 
 lar Satisfaction to find that no body was hurt. 
 The next thing was to enquire if the Ship had 
 received no Damage, when the Boatfwain flop- 
 ping 
 
' ( *19 ) 
 
 p.ng forward, found that Part of the Head was 
 gone, but not fo as as to endanger the Bolt! 
 fpriti fo we hoifted our Topfails again hX 
 aft the Fore-fheet, brae'd the Yardsf and St 
 went our Courle as before: Nor can I deny bS 
 
 firft Aftonifljment be.ng a little over, and tfet we 
 found the Sh.p.fwim again, we were focm Z 
 fame irreligious hardned Crew that we were be 
 fore, and I among the reft. 
 
 As we now fteer'd, our Courfe lay N. N E 
 and we paired thus with a fair Wind/ thro' 'the 
 Streight or Channel between the IOand of Gilt 
 and the Land of Nova Gu! ea , when we were X 
 
 Z%?* nSe Z ' , Cean > n <** South W ?f 
 the />/,;%,, being the great Pacifick, or South 
 
 and fo faded on towards ^/<W and^/Wft, die 
 chief of the PbHirpin Wands, without mStSl 
 
 wardof y i Ur v, hafe '/i l WCcW tothe S 
 ward of MamlU, and then our Trade beean for 
 
 here we took th ^^veffels, tho^at" fome 
 Diftance from ManiU*. Two of them had made 
 ^heu Market, and were, going Home with Nut 
 megs, Cinnamon, Cloves, & c . befides all Sorts 
 Li UT T m p 00 ^ "^ with die S ? an;f Ships 
 ^m^ ^ had together eight and 
 Jhu-ty q on of Cloves, and five or fix Ton of 
 Nutmegs, and as much Cinnamon. We took 
 *e Sp.ce but meddled with very little of die 
 ~ Goods diey being, as we^thought no? 
 *orch our while,. but we were veryforry for it 
 
 foon 
 
( no ) 
 
 fbon after, and therefore grew wifer upon the 
 next Occafion. 
 
 The third Japcnefe was the beft Prize to us; for* 
 he came with Money, and a great deal of Gold 
 uncoin'd, to buy fuch Goods as we mentioned 
 above: We ealed him of^ his Gold, and did 
 him no other Harm, and having no Intention to 
 flay long here, we flood away for China. 
 . We were at Sea above two Months upon this 
 Voyage, beating it up againft the Wind, which 
 blew fteadily from the North Eaft, and withm a 
 Point or t;wo one Way or other \ pjid this indeed 
 was the Rea&n why we - met with the more Pri- 
 zes in our Voyage. 
 
 We were juft gotten clear of the Philippines, and 
 as we purpofed to go to the Iile of Formofii, when 
 the Wind blew (o frefti at N. N. E. that there 
 was no making any thing of it, -and we were 
 forced to put back to Laccni,i> the mod Norther- 
 ly of thole Iflands. We rode hore very fecure, 
 and fhifted our Situation not in View of any Dan- 
 ger, for there was none, but for a better Supply 
 of Provifions, which we found the People very 
 willing to fupply us with. 
 
 There lay while "we remained here, three ve- 
 ry great Galleons or Spamfi Ships, from the South 
 Sea?, whether newly come in, or ready, to fall, we 
 could not underftand at firft but as we found 
 the China Traders began to load and let forward 
 to the North, we concluded the Sfanlfi Ships had; 
 newly unloaded their Cargo, and thefe had been 
 buying i lb we doubted not but we fhould meet; 
 with Purchafe in the reft of our Voyage, neither 
 indeed could we well mifs of it. 
 
 We ftay'd here till the beginning of Mrf, 
 when we were told the Chlnefe Traders would 
 
 fee 
 
/ 24-1 ) . 
 
 fet forward, for the Northern Monfbons end 
 about the latter End of March, or the Beginning 
 of Aml\ lb that they are fure of fair Winds 
 Home. Accordingly we hired fome of the Coun- 
 try Boats, which are very fwifc Sailers, to go 
 and bring us Word how Affairs flood at Manil- 
 la, and when the China Jbnks would foil, and by 
 this Intelligence we ordered our Matters fb well, 
 that three Days after we let Sail, we fell in with 
 no lefs than eleven of them, out of which how- 
 ever having by Misfortune of dilcpvering our 
 pelves, taken but three, we contented our felves, 
 and purfued our" Voyage to Formofa. In thefe 
 -three VefTels we took in fhort fuch a Quantity of 
 Cloves, Nutmegs, Cinnamon, and Mace, befides 
 Silver, that our Men began to be of my Opinion, 
 That we were rich enough \ and in ihort, we had 
 .nothing to do now, but to confider by what Me- 
 thods to fecure the immenfe Trealure we had 
 got. 
 
 I was fecretly glad to hear, that they were of 
 this Opinion ^ for 1 had long before refolvedj if 
 'it was pofiible, to perfwade them to think of re- 
 .turning, having fully perfected my fir ft projected 
 Defign, of Rummaging among the Spice Iflands,* 
 "and all thofe Prizes, which were exceeding rich 
 at Manilla, was quite beyond my Defign. * 
 
 But now I had heard what the Men laid, and how 
 ' they thought we were very well.- I let them know 
 "by Friend William, that I intended only to fail td 
 the lfland Formofa, where I fhould find Opportu- 
 . nity to turn our Spices and European Goods into 
 ready Money, and that then I would tack about 
 for the South, the Northern Monfbons being per- 
 '.haps by that time alio ready to fet in. They all 
 "approved of my Defign, and willingly went for- 
 
 S ward j 
 
 - 
 
( l^ ) 
 
 \vard, becaufe, befides the Winds, which would 
 not permit until Ottober, to go to the South i \ 
 fay, befides this, we were now a very deep Ship, 
 having near two Hundred Ton of Goods on board, 
 and particularly lome very valuable. The Sloop 
 alio had a Proportion. 
 
 With this Refolution we went on chearfully, 
 
 when within about twelve* Days Sail more, we 
 
 made the Ml and Formofa y at a great Diftance, but 
 
 were our fetves mot beyond the Southermoft 
 
 Part of the Ifland, being to Leeward, and almoft 
 
 upon the Coaft of Chirm. Here we were a little 
 
 at a Lofs , for the Evgltf) Factories were not far 
 
 off, and we might be obliged to fight fome of 
 
 their Ships, if we met with them \ which tho* 
 
 we were able enough to do, yet we did not 
 
 defire it on many Accounts; and particularly 
 
 becaufe we did not think it was our Bufinefs to 
 
 have it known who we were, or that fuch a kind 
 
 of People as we had been feen on the Coaft. 
 
 However, we were obliged to keep up to the 
 
 Northward, keeping as good an Offing as we could, 
 
 with refpecc. to the Coaft of China. We had not 
 
 failed long, but we chafed a fmall Cbbiefc Jonk 5 
 
 and having taken her, we found me was bound 
 
 to the Ifland of Formofa, having no Goods on 
 
 ' board but fome Rice, and a fmall Quantity oi 
 
 Tea , but fhe had three Coinefe Merchants in hen 
 
 and they told us they were going to >ueet 2 
 
 large Veifel of their Conntry, which came frona 
 
 Tovquhij and lay in a River in Formofa whole Name 
 
 I forget, and they were going to the Pbilippim 
 
 I (lands, with Silks, Muflins, Callicoes, and fuch 
 
 Goods as are the Product of C\mia y and fome Gold 
 
 that their Bufmefs was to fell their Cargo, and 
 
 buy Spices and European Qoods. 
 
(Hi) 
 
 Thjs fuited very well with bur Purpofe^ fo I 
 refblved now that we would leave off being Py- 
 rates, and turn Merchants; ib we told them 
 what Goods we had on board, and that if they 
 would bring their Super-Cargoes or Merchants 
 On board, we would trade with them. They 
 were very willing to trade with us, but terribly 
 afraid to truft us-, nor was it an unjuft Fear, 
 for we had plundered them already of what they 
 had. On the other Hand, we were as diffident: 
 as they, and very uncertain what to do ; but: 
 William the Quaker put this Matter into a Way 
 of Barter, tie came to me, and told me he re- 
 ally thought the Merchants look'd like ii; ; r Men, 
 that meant honeftly ; and befides, fays VAUlam^ 
 it is their Intereft to be honeft now for as they 
 Jtndw upon what Terms we got tha Goods ws 
 are to truck with them, fo they know v. ctiu 
 afford good Pennyworths ; and in the t.ext -lure, 
 it laves them going the whole Voyage: So that 
 the Southerly Monfoons yet holding, if they 
 traded with us, they could immediately return 
 with their Cargo to Chln.t t tho by tie Way we af- 
 terwards found they intended fir Japan. But that 
 was all one, for by this JsiL-jua they fav'd at 
 Jeaft eight Months Voyage. \Jpii\ thefe Foun* 
 dations William faid he was fati^ei we might 
 truft them : For, fays WM : *m % I would as fjon 
 truft a Man whofe Intereft binds him to be juft* 
 'to me, as a Man whofe Principle b ; nds himlelfl 
 Upon the whole, William propofod that two of 
 the Merchants mould be left on board our Ship 
 as Hoftages, and that Part of our Goods mould 
 be loaded in their Velfel, and let the third go 
 with it into the Port where their Ship lay \ and 
 when he had delivered the Spices, he ihould 
 S 2 bring 
 
( *U ) 
 
 h\ ing back fucli things as it was agreed fliouM be 
 exchanged. This was concluded on, and William 
 the Quaker ventured to go along with them, which 
 upon my Word I fhould not haye cared to have 
 done, nor was I willing that he ihould-, but he 
 went ftill upon the Notion, that it was their Iu- 
 tercft to treat him friendly. 
 
 In the mean time we came to an Anchor un-.l 
 der a little Ifland, in the Latitude of 23 Degrees, 
 28 Minutes, being juft under the Northern Tro- 
 pick, and about twenty Leagues from the Ifland. I 
 Here we lay thirteen Days, and I began to be ve- 
 ry unealy for my Friend WiBlam^ for they had 
 promiled to be back again in four Days, which 
 they might very ealily have done. However, at 
 tho End of thirteen Days we faw three Sail coming 
 dire&ly to us, which a little furprized us all at 
 firft, not knowing what might be the Cafe, and 
 we began to put our felves in a Pofture of De- 
 fence ; but as they came nearer us, we were foon 
 fatisfy'd : For the firft Veifel was that which \Vili 
 Ham went in , who carried a Flag of Truce, 
 and in a few Hours they all came to an Anchor, 
 and WlfCiam came on board us with a little Boat, 
 with the Chh:tft Merchant in his Company, and 
 two other Merchants, which feemM to be a kind. ' 
 of Brokers for the reft. 
 
 Here he gave us an Account, how civilly he 
 had been ufed, how they had treated him with, 
 all imag : nab!e Frankncfs and Opennefs, that they 
 had not only given him the full Value of his 
 Spices and other Goods which he carry'd, in Gold, 
 by ^ood Weight, but had loaded the VelTel again 
 with fuch Good* as he knew we were willing to 
 trade for and that afterwards they had refblved. 
 to bring the great Ship out of the Harbour, to. 
 
 lye 
 
lyfe where we. were, that fo we might make what 
 Bargain we thought fit \ only William faid he had 
 promifed in our Name, that we fhould ufe no 
 Violence with them, nor detain any of the Vef- 
 ftls after we had done trading with them. I told 
 him, we would ftrive to outdo them in Civility, 
 and that we would make good every Part of his 
 Agreement. In Token whereof I caufed a white 
 Flag likewife to be fpread at the Poop of our 
 great Ship, which was the Signal agreed on. 
 
 As to the third Veifel which came with them,' 
 it was a kind'of Bark of the Country, who 
 having Intelligence of our Defign to trafHck, 
 came off to deal with us, bringing a great deal 
 of Gold, and fbme Provifions, which at that time 
 we were very glad of. 
 
 In fliort,- we traded upon the high Seas with 
 thefe Men, and indeed we made a very good Mar- 
 ket, and yet fold Thieves Pennyworths too. We 
 fold here above fixty Ton of Spice, chiefly Cloves 
 and Nutmegs, and above two Hundred Bales of 
 European Goods , fuch as Linnen and Wollen Ma- 
 nufactures. We.confidered we mould have Occa- 
 sion for lbme fuch things our felves, and fo we 
 kept a good Quantity of Engllfh Stuffs, Cloaths, 
 Bays, err. for our felves. I mall not take up 
 any of the little Room I have left here, with the 
 further Particulars of our Trade ; 'tis enough to 
 mention, that except a Parcel of Tea, and twelve 
 Bales of fine China wrought Silks, we took nothing 
 in Exchange for our Goods but Gold : So that the 
 Sum we took here in that glittering Commodity, 
 amounted to above Fifty Thoufmd Ounces good 
 Weight. 
 
 When we had ftniihed our Barter, we reflored 
 the Hoftages, and gave the three Merchants about 
 
 S3 the 
 
( H 6) . 
 
 the Quantity of Twelve Hundred Weight of 
 Kutmec^, * as many of Cloves, with a hand-> 
 fom ProJeuC of European Linnen and Stuff for them- 
 ielves, as a ;\ca>mpence for what we had taken 
 from them . and ib we fent them away exceeding- 
 ly we 1 ! latisly'i, 
 
 Here it was ihv-l! r Wiam gave me an Account, 
 that while he was o : b ird the Jrfonefe Ve fel, he 
 met with a kind of i ^mous, or Japan Prieft, 
 wlio fpoke fome Woras o: tnglifi to nim , and 
 b?inn vc;*y ij.quifitive to kiio. 1 ' how he came to 
 )e n: any ofthoie Words, he; cid him, that there 
 was h, his Country thirteen Er.gl'frmet} } he called 
 them JLngllfimcn very articulately and diftinctly, 
 fjr lie ;;aa converfo'd with them very frequently 
 a.d ..rtcly : he faid they were all that were left 
 p;* t vo and thirty Men, who came on Shore on the 
 yorth -ide of Japan, being driven upon a great 
 Rock in a ftormy Night, where they loft their 
 Ship, and the leii o * their Men were drowned : 
 Thar he had perfwaded the King of his Country 
 to &i:d E^ats oil to the Rock or liland, where 
 the Ship was loft, to lave the reft of the Men, 
 and to brinir them on Shore , which was done, 
 end they were ulcdvery kindly, and had-Houfes 
 built tor them, and Land given them to plant for 
 Provifion, and that they lived by themfelves. 
 
 lie faid he went frequently among them, to 
 perfwade them to worfliip tlieir God, an Idol, I 
 iuppo.'c, of their own making, which he laid 
 they ungratefully refuted ; and that therefore the 
 King had once or twice ordered them to be all put 
 to Death ^ but that, as he find, he had prevailed 
 upon the King to fpare them, and let them live 
 their own Way, as long as they were quiet and 
 
 peace* 
 
peaceable, and did not go about to withdraw 
 others from theWorfhip of the Country. > 
 
 I ask'd William, why he did not' enquire from 
 whence they came ? I did, [aid William, for how } 
 could I but think it ftrange, faid he, to hear him 
 talk of Englifli Men on the North Side of 'Japan. 
 Well, faid I, what Account did he give of it ? : 
 An Account, hxdWHUam, that will fu r prize thee, ; 
 and all the World after thee, that mall hear of it, , 
 and which makes me wifh thou wouldft go up to.- 
 Japan, and find them out. What do ye mean, 
 iaid I ? Whence could they come ? Why, fays 
 William, he pmTd out a little Book, and in it a 
 Piece of Paper, where it was written in an Englift : 
 Man's Hand, and in plain Englifo Words, thus; 
 and fays William, I read it my ielf: We came from 
 Greenland, and from the North Pole. This indeed 
 was amazing to us all, and more to thofe Sea- 
 men among us who knew any thing of the in- 
 I finite Attempts which. had been made from 
 I rofe, as well by the Englifi as the Dutch, to difco- 
 | ver a PaiTage that Way into thole Parts of the 
 I World ; and as William prefs'd us earneftly to go 
 I on to the Korth, to refcue thofe poor Men, fo 
 I the Ship's Company began to incline to it; and 
 | in a Word, we all came to this, that we would 
 iftand in to the Shore of Formofa, to find this 
 \ Prieft again, and have a farther Account of it 
 j all from him. Accordingly the Sloop went over, 
 | but when they came there, the Veifels were very 
 unhappily fall'd, and this put an End to our En- 
 quiry after them, and perhaps may have difip- 
 pointed Mankind of one of the moft noble Dis- 
 coveries that ever was made, or will again be made 
 in the World, for the Good of Mankind in gene- 
 ral : But fo much for that. 
 
 ' . S 4 W\ 
 
Witllmn was To uneafy at lofing this Oppor* ' 
 tunity, that he preiVd us earneftly to go up to> 
 JafM, to find out thefe Men. He totd us, that 
 if it was nothing but to recover Thirteen hct r 
 nefr poor Men from a kind of Captivity, which > 
 they would otherwi lb never be redeemed from,? 
 and where perhaps they might fome time or other 
 be murdered by the barbarous People, in Defence- 
 of their Idolatry it were very well worth our 
 while, and it would be in fome Meafure making* 
 amends for the Miichiefs we had done in the 
 World: Put we that had no Concern upon us . 
 for the Mifrlnefs we had done, had much lefs : 
 ahout any Satisfaction to be made for it; ib he 
 found that kind of Difcourfe would weigh very- 
 little with us. Then he prefsM us very earned- 
 ly to let him have the Sloop to go by himfeUy 
 and I told him I would not oppofe ic ; but when' 
 he came to the Sloop, none of the Men would 
 go with him; for the Cafe was plain, they had 
 all a Share in the Cargo of the great Ship, as 
 well as in that of the Sloop, and the Richriefe 
 of the Cargo was fuch, that they would not leave 
 -5t by any means : So poor Willhim, much to h'S 
 Mortification, was obliged to give it over. What: 
 became of thofe thirteen Men, or whether they 
 are not there dill, I can i*ivc no Account of. 
 
 We were now at the Lnd of our Cmife; what 
 we had taken was indeed ib confiderabie, that ic 
 was not only enough to fatisly the molt covetous 
 and the rooft ambitious Minds in the World, but 
 it did indeed fatisfy us; and our Men declared 
 they did no: defire any more. The next Motion 
 therefore was about going back, and tli2 Way by 
 which we fhould perform the Voyage, fo as not 
 to be attackM by the Dutch in the Straits of Sundy. , 
 
 We . 
 
We had pretty well ftored our. feltfes here witl* 
 Provifions, and it being now near the Return 
 of the Monfoons, we refolved to ftand away to 
 the Southward , and not only to keep without 
 the Philippine Iflands, that is to fay, to the Eaft- 
 ward of them, but to keep on to the Southward, 
 and fee if we could not leave, not only the Mo- 
 lucco*s 7 or Spice 1 (lands, behind us, but even'Nova 
 Guinea and Neva Hollav.dia alfb} and fb getting 
 into the variable Winds , to the South of the* 
 Tropick of Capricorn,- fleer away to the Weft, . 
 over .the great Indian Ocean. : . 
 
 This was indeed at firft a monftrous Voyage 
 in its Appearance, and the Want of Provisions 
 threaten'd us. William told us in fb many Words^ 
 that it was impoflible we could carry Provifions 
 enough to fubfifl us for fuch a Voyage, and efpe^ 
 cially frefh Watery. and that as there would be 
 no Land for us to touch at, where we could get 
 any Supply, it was a Madnels to undertake it. j 
 But 1 undertook, to remedy this Evil,- and 
 therefore defired them not to be uneafy at that, 
 for I knew we might fupply our feives at Mm- 
 danao, the moft Southerly Ifland. of the Philip- 
 fines. Accordingly, we let Sail, having taken 
 all the Provifions here that we could ^et 9 the 
 2$th of September, the Wind veering a little at 
 firft from the N. N. W. to the N. fi. by E. but 
 afterwards fettled about theN. E. and the E.N. E. 
 We were nine Weeks in this Voyage, having met 
 with ieveral Interruptions by the Weather, and 
 put in under the Lee of a fmall Ifland in the La- 
 titude of 16 Degrees, 12 Minutes, of which we 
 never knew the Name, none of our Charts ha- 
 ving given any Account of it: I fay, we put in 
 here, by reafon of a ftrange Tornado or Hurricane, 
 ; . which 
 
C 2 5 J 
 
 which brought us into a great deal of Danger^ 
 Here we rode about fixteen Days, the Winds' 
 being very tempeftuous, and the Weather un- 
 certain. However, we got (bme Provifions on 
 Shore, fuch as Plants and Roots, and a few Hoggs. 
 We believed there were Inhabitants on the Ifland, 
 but we faw none of them. ; 
 
 From hence, the Weather fettling again, we 
 went on, and came to the Southmoft Part of Min*> 
 danaoy where we took in * freih Water, and fbme 
 Cows^ but the Climate was fo hot, that we did 
 not attempt to lalt up any more, than Co as to> 
 keep a Fortnight" or three Weeks, and away 
 we flood South ward croffing the Line, and 
 leaving ClMo on the Starboard Side, we coafted 
 the Country they call Nm Guiney, where, in the 
 Latitude of eight Degrees South, we put in again 
 for Provifions and Water, and where we found 
 Inhabitants, but they fled from us, and were alto- 
 gether inconverfable. From thence, failing ftill 
 Southward, we left all behind us that any of 
 our Charts or Maps take any Kotice of, and went 
 on till we came to the Latitude of 17 Degrees, 
 the Wind continuing ftill N. E. 
 
 Here we made Land to the Weft ward, which 
 when we had kept in Sight for three Days, coaft- 
 ing along the Shore, for the Diftance of about 
 four Leagues, we began to fear we fhould dud 
 no Outlet Weft, and fo fhould be obliged to go 
 back again, and put in among the Molucc<?$ at 
 3aft-, but at length we found the Land break 
 off, and go trending away to the Weft Sea, teem- 
 ing to be all open to the South and S. W. and 
 a great Sea came rowl.ing out of the South, which 
 gave us to underftand, that there was no Land 
 that Way for a great Way. ' 
 
 lq 
 
( '5 1 ) 
 
 , In a Word, we kept on our Courie to tie Souths 
 a little Wefterly, till we pafs'd the South Tro- 
 pick, where we found the Winds variable ; and 
 now we flood away fair Weft, and held it out " . 
 for about twenty Days, when we difcovered Land 
 right a-head, and on our Larboard Bow, we made 
 dtreftly to the Shore, being willing to take all Ad- 
 vantages now for fupplying our felves with freuV 
 Provifions and Water, knowing we were now en-* 
 tring on that vaft unknown Indian Ocean, per- 
 haps the greateft Sea on the Globe, having with 
 very little Interruption of Iflands, a continued 
 Sea quite round the Globe. 
 
 We found a good Road here, and fbme Peo-' 
 pie on Shore; but when we landed, they fled 
 up the Country, nor would they hold any Cor- 
 refpondence with us, or come near us, but fliot 
 at us feveral Times with Arrows as long as Laun- 
 ces. We fet up white Flags for a Truce, but 
 they either did not, or would not, underftand it : 
 On the contrary, they mot our Flag of Truce 
 thro* feveral times with their Arrows; fb that, in 
 a Word, we never came near any of them. 
 
 We found good Water here, the* it was Ibrne- 
 thing difficult to get at it, but for living Crea- 
 tures we could lee none ; for the People, if they 
 had any Cattle, drove them all away, and fhew'd 
 us nothing but ther.iielves, and that lbmetimes 
 in a threatning Pofture, and in Number fb great, 
 that made us fuppofe the Iflaud to be greater than 
 we at firft imagined. It is true, they would not 
 come near enough for us to engage with them, 
 at leafr, not openly; but they came near enough 
 for us to {be them, and by the Help of our 
 GlafTes, to fee that they were clothed and arra\J, 
 but their Clothes were only about their lower 
 ?--' ' and 
 
C 2 5* ) 
 
 and middle Parts , that they had long Launces,' 
 like Half Pikes, in their Hands, befides Bows and 
 Arrows ; that they had great high Things on 
 their Heads, made, as we believed, of Feathers, 
 and which look'd fbmething like our Grenadi- 
 ers Caps in England. 
 
 When we faw them fo fhye, that they would' 
 not come near us, our Men began to range over 
 the Ifland, if It was fuch, for roc never furrounded 
 it, to fearch for. Cattel, and for any of the In- 
 dian* Plantations, for Fruits or Plants.} but they 
 loon found, to their Coft, that they were to ufe 
 more Caution than that came to, and that they 
 were to difcover perfectly every Bufh and every . 
 Tree, before they ventured abroad in the Coun- _ 
 try for, about fourteen of our Men going fur- 
 ther than the reft, into a Part of the Country 
 which- fe-emed to be planted, as they thought, 
 for it did but leem ib, only I think it was over- 
 grown with Canes, fuch as we make our Cane 
 Chairs with : 1 fay, venturing too far, they were 
 fuddenly attack'd with a Shower of Arrows from 
 almoft every Side of them, as they thought, 
 out of the Tops of the Trees. 
 
 They had nothing to do y but to fly for ir, 
 which however they could not refblve on, till 
 five of them were wounded ; nor had they clea- 
 ned fo y if one of them had not been lb much 
 wifer, or thoughtfuller than the reft, as to con- 
 Jider, that tho 7 " they could not fee the Enemy, 
 fo as to moot at them, yet perhaps the Koife * 
 of their Shot might terrify them, and that they 
 ihould rather fire at a Venture. Accordingly 
 Ten of them faced about, and fired at random 
 any where among the Canes. 
 
 V" / The 
 
( *53) 
 
 The Koife and the Fire not only terrifyM 
 the Enemy, but, as they believed, their Shot had 
 luckily hit fbme of them , for they found not on- 
 ly that the Arrows which came thick among 
 them before, ceafed, but they heard the Indian* 
 halloo, after their Way, to one another, and make 
 a ftrange Noife more uncouth and inimitably 
 ftrange, than any they had ever heard, more like 
 the Howling and Barking of wild Creatures in 
 the Woods, than like the Voice of Men, only 
 that fbme times they feemed to fpeak Words. 
 , They obferv'd alfo, that this Koife of the Inii* 
 tins went farther and farther off, fb that they were 
 fatisfied the Indians fled away, except on one Side, 
 where they heard a doleful Groaning and Howl- 
 ing, and where it continued a good while, which, 
 they fuppofed was from fbme or other of them 
 being wounded, and howling by reafon of their 
 Wounds; or .kill'd, and others howling over 
 them : But our Men had enough of making Dis- 
 coveries , fb they did not trouble themTelves to 
 look farther, but refolded to take this Opportuni- 
 ty to retreat. But the worft of their Adventure 
 was to come , for as they came back, they pafsM 
 by a prodigious great Trunk of an old Tree, 
 whatTree it was they faid they did not know, but 
 it flood like an old decay'd. Oak in a Park, where 
 the Keepers in England take a Stand, as they call 
 it, to (hoot a Deer, and it flood juft under the 
 fteep Side of a great Rock or Hill, that our Peo- - 
 pie could not fee what was beyond it. 
 
 As they came by this Tree, they were of a fud- 
 den fhot at from the Top of the Tree, with feven 
 Arrows and three Launces, which, to our great 
 Grief, kill'd two of our Men, and wounded three 
 more. This was die more furprizing, becaufe 
 
 %-:.-' ' being 
 
( *54 ) 
 
 being without any Defence, and Co near theTrees^ 
 they expecled more Launces and Arrows ever/ 
 Moment , nor would flying do them any Service,* 
 the Indians being, as appeared, very good Mark 
 men. In this Extremity they had happily this 
 Pretence of Mind, viz.. to run dole to the Tree, 
 and Hand, as it were under it } fo that thofe 
 above could not come at, or fee them, to throw 
 their Launces at them. This fucceeded, and gave? 
 them Time to confider what to do: They knew 
 their Enemies and Murtherers were above, for 1 
 they heard them talk, and thole above knew 
 thole were below } but they below were obli- 
 ged to keep clofe for fear of their Launces from 
 above. At length, one of our Men looking a 
 little more flri&ly than the reft, thought he 
 law the Head of one of the Indians^ juft over a 
 dead Limb of the Tree, which, it leems, the 
 Creature fat upon. One Man immediately fired, 
 and levell'dhis Piece fo true, that the Shot went 
 thro' the Fellow's Head, and down he fell out of 
 the Tree immediately, and came upon the Ground 
 with luch Force, with the Height of his Fall, 
 that if he had not been killed with the Shot, 
 he would certainly have been killed with darning 
 his Body againft the Ground. 
 
 This lb frighted them fe Ives, that befides the 
 howling Koife they made in the Tree, our Men 
 heard a ftrange Clutter of them in the Body of 
 the Tree, from whence they concluded they had 
 made the Tree hollow, and were got to hide 
 themfelves there. Now, had this been the Cafe, 
 they were fecure enough from our Men-, for ic 
 was impoflible any of our Men could get up the 
 Tree on the Out-fide, there being no Branches 
 to climb by \ and, to fhoot at the Tree, that' 
 
 they 
 
(*55) ' 
 
 they tried feveral times to no Purpose, for the 
 Tree was fb thick, that no Shot would enter' 
 it. They made no Doubt however, but that they 
 had their Enemies in a Trap, and that a finall 
 Siege would either bring them down Tree and all, 
 or flarve them out: So they refolved to keep- 
 their Poft, and fend to us for Help. According- 
 ly two of them came away to us for more Hands, 
 and particularly defired, that lbme of our Car- 
 penters might come with Tools, to help cut down 
 the Tree, or at leaft to cut down other Wood,' 
 and let Fire to it \ and That they concluded 
 would not fail to bring them out. 
 
 Accordingly our Men went like a little Ar- 
 my, and with mighty Preparations for an En- 
 terprize, the like of which has fcarce been ever 
 heard, to form the Siege of a great Tree. How- 
 ever, .when they came there, they found the 
 Task difficult enough, for the old Trunk was in- 
 deed a very great one, and very tall, being at 
 leaft Two and Twenty Foot high, with feven old 
 Limbs fending out every Way on the Top, but 
 decay 'd, and very few Leaves, if any, left on it. 
 
 William the Quaker, whofe Curiofity led. him, 
 to go among che reft, propofed, that they mould 
 make a Ladder, and get up upon the Top, and 
 then throw Wild-fire into the Tree, and fmoke 
 them out. Others propofed going back, and 
 getting a great Gun out of the Ship, which 
 Should fplit the Tree in Pieces with the Iron 
 Bullets: Others, that they mould cut down a 
 great deal of Wood, and pile it up round the 
 Tree, and fet it on Fire, and to burn the Tree, 
 and die Indians in it. 
 
 Thefe Confutations took up our People no 
 lefs than two or three Days, in all which Time 
 
 the* 
 
:- - - 1.. i :-. **.>- r^Efa.'.j.':^^ ^x i 
 
 .;'( *# ) 
 
 they heard nothing of the fuppofed Garrilbn 
 within this wooden Caftle, nor any Koife with- 
 in. * William** Project was firft.gone about, and 
 a large ftrong Ladder was made, to fcale this 
 wooden Tower ; and in two or three Hours time, 
 it would have been ready to mount : When, on 
 a Hidden, they heard the Koife of the Indians m 
 the Body of the Tree again, and a little after, fe- 
 veral of them appeared in the Top of the Tree, 
 and threw lome Launces down at our Men , one 
 of .which ftruck one of our Seamen a-top of. the 
 Shoulder, and gave him fuch a defperate Wound, 
 that the Surgeons not only had a great deal or 
 Difficulty to cure him, but the poor Man endu- 
 red fuch horrible Tortures, that we all (aid they 
 had better have killed him outright. However, 
 he was cured at laft, tho' he never recovered the 
 perfcxl Ufe of his Arm, the Launce having cue 
 ibme of the Tendons on the Top of the Arm, 
 near the Shoulder, which, as I fuppofe, perfor- 
 med the Office of Motion to the Limb before; 
 ib that the poor Man was a Criple all the Days of 
 his Life. But to return to the defperate Rogues 
 in the Tree , our Men fliot at them, but did noC 
 find they had hitthenf, or any of them; but as 
 lbon as ever they mot at them, they could hear 
 them huddle down into the Trunk of the Tree 
 again, and there to be fure they were lafe. 
 
 Well, however, it was this which put by the 
 Project ofWilthtnis Ladder; for when it was done. 
 wh6 would venture up among fuch a Troop o 
 hold Creatures as were there ? And who,- the) 
 fuppofed, were defperate by their Circumftances : 
 And as but one Man at a time could go up, they 
 began to think that it would not do ; and in 
 deed I was of the Opinion, for about this time 
 
 IP: 
 
 
ti>Ts emi to their j4ff! fiance, that the going up the 
 Ladder would not do, unlefs^ it was thus, that 
 a Man ftiould, as it were run jufl up to the Top, 
 and throw fome Fire-works into the Tree, and 
 4b come down again; and this we did two or 
 three Times, but found no Effeft of it. At laft, 
 one of our Gunners made a Stink-pot, as we cal- 
 led it, being a Compofition which only fmokes, 
 but does not flame or burn; but withal the 
 Smoke of it is fo thick, and the Smell of it lb 
 intolerably naufeous, that it- is not to be diffe- 
 red. This he threw into the Tree himfelf, and 
 we waited for the Effect of it, but heard or few 
 nothing all that Night, or the next Day ; fo we 
 concluded the Men within were all fmother'd : 
 When, on a fudden, the next Night, we heard 
 them upon the Top of the Tree again, fhouting 
 <md hallooing like Madmen. 
 
 We concluded, as any body would, that this 
 was to call for Help, and we refolved to conti- 
 nue our Siege; for we were all enraged to fee 
 our felves fb baulk'd by a few wild People whom 
 we thought we had iafe in our Clutches; and 
 indeed never was there fo many concurring Cir- 
 cumftances to delude Men, in any Cafe we had 
 met with. We refolved however to try another 
 Stink-pot the next Night, and our Engineer and 
 Gunner had got it ready, when hearing a Noife 
 of the Enemy, on the Top of the Tree, and in 
 the Body of the Tree, I was not willing to let 
 the Gunner go up the Ladder, which, I (aid, 
 would be but to be certain of beini? murthered. 
 However, he found a Medium for it, and that was 
 to go up a few Steps, and with a long Pole in 
 his Hand, to throw it in upon the Top of the 
 Tree, the Ladder being Handing all this while 
 
 T againft 
 
 
(*5) 
 
 jigamfl the Top of the Tree ; but when the Gun- 
 r.er, with his Machine at the Top of his Pole, 
 came to the Tree with three other Men to help 
 him, behold the Ladder was gone. 
 
 This perfectly confounded us, and we now con- 
 cluded the Indians in the Tree had by this Piece 
 of Kegligence taken the Opportunity, and come 
 all down the Ladder, made their Efcape, and had 
 carried away the Ladder with them. I fough'd 
 mod heartily at my Friend William, who, as I 
 laid, had the Dire&ion of the Siege, and had lee 
 up a Ladder, for the Garrifbn, as we called them, 
 to get down upon, and run away. But when 
 Day-Light came, we were all fet to rights again ; 
 for there flood our Ladder haul'd up on the Top 
 of the Tree, with about Half of it in the Hol- 
 low of the Tree, and the other Half upright in 
 the Air. Then we began to laugh at the tnd\\ 
 atis for Fools, that they could not as well have 
 iluid their Way down by the Ladder, and have 
 made their Efcape, as to have pulfd it up by main 
 Strength into the Tree. 
 
 We then relblved upon Fire, and fo to put ad 
 
 .End to the Work at once, and burn the Tree 
 
 i\nd its Inhabitants together-, and according!/ 
 
 we went to Work to cut Wood, and in a few 
 
 Hours time we got enough, as we thought 3 
 
 together; and piling it up round the Bottom 
 
 of the Tree, we fet it on Fire: So waiting at a 
 
 Diftance, to fee when the Gentlemens Quarters 
 
 being too hot for them, they would come flying 
 
 out at the Top. But we were quite confounded, 
 
 when, on a Hidden, we found the Fire all put 
 
 out by a great Quantity of Water thrown upon 
 
 . it. We then thought the Devil muft be in them 
 
 to Le lure'. Says' William, this is certainly the 
 
 cuii- 
 
(;*59 ) 
 
 cunningefl: Piece of Indian Engineering that ever 
 was heard of, and there can be but one thing more 
 to guefs at, befides Witchcraft and Dealing with 
 the Devil, which I believe not one Word of, fays be ; 
 and that nuift be, that this is an artificial Tree, 
 or a natural Tree artificially made hollow down 
 into the Earth, thro 1 Root and all; and that thefe 
 Creatures have an artificial Cavity underneath it, 
 quite into the Hill, or a Way to go thro', ana 
 under the H ill, to fbme other Place, and where 
 that other Place is, we know not*, but if it be 
 notour own Faujt, I'll find the Place, and fol- 
 low them into it, before 1 am two Days older. 
 He then called the Carpenters to know of them, 
 if they had any large Saws that would cut thro* 
 the Body, and they told him they had not any 
 Saws that were long enough, nor could Men 
 work into fuch a monftrous old Stump in a great 
 while; but that they would go to Work with 
 it with their Axes, and undertake to cut it down 
 in two Days, and ftock up the Root of it in two 
 more. biitMffiamvns for another Way, which 
 proved much better than all this , for ha was 
 for filent Work, that, ifpoflible, he might catch 
 fbme of the Fellows in it \ Co he lets twelve 
 Men to it with large Augurs, to bore great Hole* 
 into the Side of the Tree, to go almoft thro*, but 
 not quite thro' , which Holes were bored with- 
 out Noile, and when they were done, he filled 
 them all with Gun-Powder, ftopping ftrong Plugs 
 bolted crofs-waysinto the Holes, and then boring 
 a flanting Hole of a lefs Size down into the greater 
 Hole, all which were filTd with Powder, and ac 
 once blown up. When they took Fire, they 
 [made fuch aNoife, and tore and fplit the Tree 
 in fo many Places, and in fuch a Manner, that 
 
 T 2 we 
 
( 260 ) 
 
 we could fee plainly, fuch another Blafi: would 
 demolifh it, and fo it did. Thus at the fecond 
 time we could at two' or three Places put our 
 Hands into them, and difcovered the Cheat, 
 namely, that there was a Cave or Hole dug in- 
 to tha Earth, from, or thro v the Bottom ot the 
 Hollow, and that it had Communication with 
 another Cave further in, where we heard the 
 Vo'ces of feveral of the wild Folks calling and 
 talking to one another. 
 
 When Ave came thus far we had a great Mind 
 to get at them, and William defired, that three 
 Men might be given him with Hand-Grenadoes, 
 a>dhe promifedto godownfirft, and boldly he 
 did fbj for William, give him his due, had the 
 Heart of a Lion. j 
 
 They had Piftbls in their Hands, and Swords 
 by their Sides , but, as they had taught the />/- 
 dims before, by their Stink-Pots, the Indians re- 
 turned them in their own Kind, for they made 
 fuch a Smoke come up out of the Entrance into 
 the Cave or H ollow, that William and his three Men. 
 were glad to come running out of the Cave, and 
 out of the Tree too, for mere want of Breath, 
 and indeed they were almoft ftifled. 
 
 Never was a Fortification fo well defended, or 
 Affailauts fo many ways defeated*, we- were 
 now for giving it over, and particularly I called 
 WilUamj and told him, I could not but laugh to, 
 iqc us fpinning out our Time here for nothing * y 
 that I could not imagine what we were doing y 
 that it was certain the Rogues that were in ic 
 were cunning to the 1 aft Degree, and it would 
 vex any Body to be ib baulked by a few naked, 
 ignorant Fellows , but ftill it was not worth our 
 while to pufh it any further, nor was there any 
 
 thing 
 
 
'li >m I *fcil>i' Plirfii"' 
 
 thing that I knew of to be got 'by theConque/l 
 when it was made, fbthat I thought it high time 
 to give it over. 
 
 William acknowledged, that, what I faid was 
 juft, and that there was nothing but our Curio- 
 fity to be gratified in this Attempt , and tho\ 
 as he faid) he was very defirous to have 
 fearched into the Thing, yet he would not infift 
 upon it, fo we refoived to quit it, and come 
 away, which we did. However, William faid, 
 before we went, he would have this Satis fa&ion 
 of them, viz* that he burnt down the Tree and 
 ftopt up the Entrance into the Cave . While he 
 was doing this, the Gunner told him, he would 
 have one Satisfaction of the Rogues, and this 
 was, that he would make a Mine of it, and lee 
 yhich way it had Vent : Upon this he fetches 
 two Barrels of Powder out of the Ships, and 
 placed them in the Infide of the hollow Cave, as 
 far in as he durft go to carry them, and then 
 filling up the Mouth of the Cave where the Tree 
 flood, and ramming it fuftkiently hard, leaving 
 only a Pipe or Touch-hole, he gave Fire to it, 
 and flood at a Diftance to fee which way it 
 would operate, when, on the fudden, he found 
 j the Force of the Powder burfl its way out among 
 fome Buflics on the other Side the little Hill I 
 mentioned, and that it came roaring out there 
 as out of the Mouth of a Cannon-, immediate- 
 ly running thither we faw the Effefts of die 
 [Powder. 
 
 Firft, We faw that there was the other Moutli 
 
 [of the Cave, which the Powder had fb torn and 
 
 open'd, that the loofe Earth was fo fallen in 
 
 again, that nothing of Shape could be difcerned ; 
 
 but there we law what was become of die Ganri- 
 
 T 3 &a 
 
( ^ ) 
 
 >on of Indians too, who had given us all this 
 Trouble *, for Tome of them had no Arms, fbme 
 r.o legs, ibme no Head, fome lay half buried- 
 in the Rubbifh of the Mine, that is to fay, in 
 tf e loofe Earth that fell in ^ and, in fhort, . 
 there was a miferable Havock made of them 
 aft, for we had good Reafbn to believe, not one 
 or them that were in the In fide could efcape, ~ 
 but rather wee /hoc out of the Mouth of the 
 Cave like a Bullet out ofa Gun. 
 
 We had now our full Satisfaction of the IndW 
 &:s y but, in fhort, this was a lofmg Voyage, for- 
 we had two Men killed, one quite crippled,: 
 five more wounded ^ we fpent two Barrels of 
 Powder, and eleven Days Time, and all to get- 
 the Underftanding how to make an Indian Mine,' 
 or how to keep Garrifbn in a hollow Tree, and' 
 with this Wit bought at this dear Price, we 
 came away, having taken infbmefrefh Water,' 
 but got no rrelh Provifions. 
 
 We then confidered what we mould do to get 
 brefc again to MadagafcAY ^ we were much about 
 the Latitude of the Cape of Good Hope, but had j 
 i'uch a very long Run, and were neither fure 
 of meeting with fair Winds, or with any 
 Land in die Way, that we knew not what to' 
 think of it. William was our laft Retort in this 
 Cafe again, and he was very plain with us.' 
 Tv\erA y fiud he, to CAPT. WILMOT, what Oc- 
 cafion haft thou to run the Venture of ftarving; 
 merely for the Pleafure of laying, thou* haft, 
 been where no Body ever was before *, there are 
 a great many Places nearer home, of which thou 
 mayeft fay the Hi me thing, at a lefs Expence; I* 
 fee no Occafion thou haft of keeping thus far 
 South, any longer than till you are lure you are 
 
 to 
 
to the Weft End of Ixva and Sumatra, and then 
 thou may'ft ftand away North towards Ctxlctt, 
 and the Coaft of Coromandd and Madcras, where 
 thou^ may 'ft get both frefh Water, and frefh 
 Provifions, and to that Part it's likely we may 
 holdout well enough with the Stores that we have 
 already. 
 
 This was wholefome Advice, and fuch as was 
 not to be flighted, Co we flood away to the Weft, 
 Keeping between the Latitude of 31, and 35, and 
 had very good Weather and fair Winds for about 
 ten Days Sail, by which Time, by our Reckoning, 
 we were clear ofthelfles, and might run away 
 to the North-, and, if we did not fall in with 
 Ceylon, we mould at leaft go into the great deep 
 Bay of Bct1g.1l. 
 
 But we were out in our Reckoning a great 
 deal, for when we had flood due North for 
 about fifteen or fixteen Degrees, we met with 
 Land again on our Star-board Bow, about three 
 Leagues Diftance, fo we came to an Anchor 
 about half a League from it, and Manned out 
 pur Boats to fee what fort of a Country it was : 
 We found it a very good one, freih Water eafy 
 to come at, but no Cattle, that we could fee, or 
 Inhabitants, and we were very fhye o: icarching 
 too far after them, left we fhould make fuch 
 another Journey as we did laft-, fo that we let . 
 rambling alone, and chofe rather to take what 
 we could find, which was only a few wild Man- 
 goes, and fome Plants of feveral Kinds, which _ 
 we knew not the Names of. 
 
 We made no Stay here, but put to Sea agam, 
 N. W. by N. but had little Wind for a Fortnight 
 more, when we made Land again, and flanding 
 in with the Shore, we were furprized co find 
 
 T^ u*. 
 
(. **+ } 
 
 our felves on the South Shore oUvk\ and juft 
 as we were coming to an Anchor, we faw a Boat 
 carrying Dutch Colours, failing along Shore. We 
 were not follicitous to fpeak with them, or any 
 other of their Nation, but left it indifferent to 
 our People, when they went on Shore, to fee 
 the Dutchmen, or not to fee them , our Bufinefs 
 was to get Provifions, which indeed by this time 
 were very fhortwith us. 
 
 We refolved to go on Shore with our Boats in 
 the moft convenient Place we could find, and to 
 look out a proper Harbour to bring the Ship 
 into, leaving it to our Fate, whether we ihould 
 meet with Friends or Enemies, re folving. howe- 
 ver, not to ftay any confidcrable Time, at leaft, 
 not long enough to'have ExprefTes lent crofs the 
 Ifland to &!t.tvla, and for Ships to come round 
 from thence to attack us. 
 
 We found, according to our Defire, a very 
 good Harbour, where we rode in feven Fathom 
 Water, well defended from the Weather, what- 
 ever might happen, and here we got frefh Pro- 
 visions, fuch as good Hogs, and fome Cows , and 
 that we might lay in a little Store, we kilPdi 
 fixteen Cows, and pickled and barrelled up the 
 Flefh as well as we could be fuppofed to do in the 
 Lar rude of eight Degrees from the Line. 
 
 Vv e did all this in about five Days, and filled 
 our Casks with Water, and the laft Boat was 
 coming off with Herbs and Roots, we being un- 
 moorM, and our Fore Top-Sail loofe for failing, 
 when we fpy'd a large Ship to the Northward, 
 hearing down, direftly upon us^ we knew not what 
 /he might be, but concluded the worfr, and made 
 all pbffible Hafte to get our Anchor up, and get 
 under Sail, that we might be in a Readinefs to 
 
( *h ) 
 
 fee what fhe had to lay to us, for we were un^ 
 der no great Concern for one Ship ; but our No- 
 tion was, that we ftiould be attack'd by three or 
 four together. 
 
 By the time we had got up our Anchor, and 
 the Boat was ftowM, the Ship was within a League 
 of us, and, as we thought, bore down to engage 
 us; fo we fpread our black Flag or Ancient on 
 the Poop, and the bloody Flag at the Top-maft 
 Head, and having made a clear Ship, we ftretchc 
 away to the Weft ward, to get the Wind of him. 
 
 They had, it feems, quite miftaken us before,' 
 cxpe&ing nothing of an Enemy or a Pyrate in 
 thofe Seas, and not doubting but we had been 
 one of their own Ships, they feem'd to be in 
 fome Confufion when they found their Miftake ; fo 
 they immediately haul'd up on a-Wind on t'other 
 Tack, and flood edging in for the Shore, towards 
 the Eaftermoft Part of the If] and. Upon this we 
 tack'd, and flood after him with all the Sail we 
 could, and in two Hours came almoft within Gun 
 Shot. Tho' they crowded all the Sail they could 
 lay on, there was no Remedy but to engage us, 
 and they fbon faw their Inequality of Force. 
 We fired a Gun for them to bring to, fo they 
 MannM out their Boat, and fent to us with a. 
 Flag of Truce. We fent back the Boat, but 
 with this Anfwer to the Captain, that he had 
 nothing to do, but to flrike, and bring his Ship 
 to an Anchor under our Stern, and come on board 
 us himfelf, when he fhould know bur Demands ^ 
 but that however, fmce he had not yet put us 
 to the Trouble of forcing him, which we law we 
 were able to do, we allured them, that the Cap- 
 tain fhould return again in Safety, and all his 
 J\den 3 and that fupplying us with fuch things as 
 
( 266 ) 
 
 we Jhould demand, his Ship ihould not be plun- 
 dered. They went back with this MefTage, and 
 it was fbme time after they were on board, be- 
 fore they ftruck, which made us begin to think 
 they refilled it , fo we fired Shot, and in a few 
 Minutes more we perceived their Boat put off- 
 and as foon as the Boat put off, the Ship ftruck, 
 and came to an Anchor, as was directed. 
 
 When the Captain came on board, we deman* 
 ded an Account of their Cargo, which was chief- 
 ly Bales of Goods from Bengal for Bantam. We 
 told them our prefent Want was Provifions, 
 which they had no need of, being juft at the 
 End of their Voyage -, and that if they would 
 fend their Boat on Shore with ours, and pro- 
 cure us fix and twenty Head of black Cattel, 
 threefcore Hogs, a Quantity of Brandy and Ar- 
 rack, ' and three Hundred Bufhels of Rice, we 
 would let them go free. 
 
 As to the Rice, they gave us fix Hundred 
 Bufhels, which they had actually on board, to- 
 gether with a Parcel Shipt upon Freight. Alfb 
 they gave us thirty middling Casks of very good 
 Arrack, but Beef and Pork they had none. How- 
 ever, they went on Shore with our Men, and 
 bought eleven Bullocks and fifty Hogs, which 
 were pickled up for our Occafion, and upon the 
 Supplies of Provifion fro.'n Shore, we difmifs'4 
 them and their Ship. 
 
 We lay here feven Days before we could fur- 
 Tiiih our felves with the Provifions agreed for, 
 and ibme of the Men fancied the Dutchmen were 
 contriving our Deftru&ion -, but they were very 
 honeft, and did what they could to furnifh the 
 Black Cattel, but found it impoifible to fupply 
 lb many. So they came and told us ingenuoufly; 
 " * ~ that 
 
 
that unlefs we could ftay a while longer, they 
 could get no more Oxen or Cows than thole' 
 Eleven, with which we were obliged to be fatifc 
 fied, taking the Value of them in other things, . 
 rather than ftay longer there. On our Side we 
 were pun&ual with them in obferving the Condi- 
 tions we had agreed on, nor would we lee any 
 of our Men b much as go on board them, or 
 fuffer any of their Men to come on board us ; 
 for had any of our Men gone on board, no body 
 could have anfwer'd for their Behaviour, any 
 more than if they had been on Shore in an 
 Enemy's Country. 
 
 We were now Victualled for our Voyage, and 
 > as we mattered not Purchafe, we went merrily 
 on for the Coaft of Ceylon, where we intended 
 to touch to get fre/h Water again, and more 
 Provifions , and we had nothing material offerM 
 in this Part of the Voyage', only that we met 
 with contrary Winds, and were above a Month 
 in the PaiTage. 
 
 We put in upon the South Coaft of thelfland, 
 defiring to have as little to do with the Dutch 
 as we could , and as the Dutch were Lords of 
 the Country as to Commerce, fb they are more 
 fo of the Sea Coaft, where they have feveral 
 Forts, and in particular, have all the Cinnamon, 
 which is the Trade of that Ifland. 
 
 We took in frefh Water here, and fbme Pro- 
 vifions, but did not much trouble our felves 
 about laying in any Stores, our Beef and Hogs 
 which we got at Iovm being not yet all gone by 
 a good deal. We had a little Skirmi/h on Shore 
 here with fome of the People of th.e Ifland, fbme 
 of our Men having been a Little too familiar with 
 the Homely L&iics of the Country ^ for Homely 
 
 indeed 
 
 
( *& ; 
 
 indeed they were, to fuch a Degree, that if our 
 Men had not had good Stomachs that Way, they 
 would fcarce have touch'd any of them. 
 
 I could never fully get it out of our Men what 
 they did, they were fo true to one another in 
 their Wickednefs j but I underftood in the main, 
 that it was fome barbarous thing they had done, # 
 and that they had like to have paid dear for' 
 it-, for the Men refented it to the laft Degree,, 
 and gathered in fuch Numbers about them, that 
 had not fixteen more of orr Men, in another 
 Boat, ccme all in the Kick of Time, juft to re-' 
 fcue our firft Men, who were but Eleven, and ' 
 fo fetch them off by main Force, they had been 
 all cut off, the Inhabitants being no lefs than two. 
 or three Hundred, armed with Darts and Laun- 
 ces, the ufual Weapons of the Country, and 
 which they are very dexterous at the throwing, 
 even fo dexterous, chat it was fcarce credible : 
 And had our Men ftood to fight them, as fome 
 of them were bold enough to talk of, they had 
 been all overwhelmed and kill'd. As it was,' 
 feventeen of our Men were wounded, and fome 
 of them very dangeroufly. But they were mors 
 frighted than hurt too ; for every one of them 
 gave them le Ives over for dead Men, believing 
 the Launces were poifoned. But William was our 
 Comfort here too-, for when two of our Surge* 
 ons were of the fame Opinion, and told *the Men 
 * fool iflily enough, that they would die, William 
 chearfully went to Work with them, and cured 
 them all but one, who rather died by drinking 
 fome Arrack Punch, than "of his Wound, the 
 Excefs of Drinking throwing him into a Fever. 
 
 We had enough of Ceylon, tho' fome of our 
 People were for v going aihore <igain ; fixty or 
 
 feventy. 
 
( *h ) 
 
 levinty Men together, to be revenged ; hut 
 William perfwaded them againftit, and his Re- 
 putation was lo great among the Men, as well as 
 with us that were Commanders, that he could 
 influence them more than any of us. 
 
 They were mighty warm upon their Revenge, 
 and they would go on Shore, and deftroy five 
 Hundred of them. Well, fays William^ and fup- 
 pofe you do, what are you the better? Why 
 then, fays one of them, fpeaking for the reft, 
 we mall have our Satisfa&ion. Well, and what, 
 will you be the better for that, fays William? 
 \ They could then fay nothing to that. Then, 
 fays William, if I miftake not, your Bufmefs is 
 Money: Now I deflre to know,' if you conquer 
 and kill two or three Thoufmd of thefe poor 
 Creatures, they have no Money, pray what will 
 you get ? They are poor naked Wretches, what 
 ihall you gain by them ? But then laid William, 
 perhaps, in doing this, you may chance to lofe 
 ;Half a Score of your own Company, as 'tis 
 [very probable you may, pray, what Gain is in 
 jit, and what Account can you give the Captain 
 J for his loft Men? In ihort, William argued Co 
 j effectually, that he convinc'd therri that it was 
 jmere Murther, to do fb ; and that the Men had a 
 JRight to their own, and that they had no Right 
 ko take them away : That it was deftroying 
 innocent Men, who hadafted no other wife than 
 as the Laws of Nature dittated; and that ic, 
 would be as much Murther to do fb, as to meet 
 U Man on the High-way, and kill him, for the 
 Sucre fate of it, in cold Blood, not regarding whe- 
 ther he had done any Wrong to us or no. 
 
 Thefe Reafons prevailed with them at laft, and 
 they were content to go away, and leave them 
 
 a* 
 
( *7 ) 
 
 as they found them. In the firfl: Skirmifh they 
 killed* between fixty and feventy Men, and 
 wounded a great many more, but they had no- 
 thing, and our People gor nothing by it, but the 
 Lofs of one Man's Life, and the Wounding fixteen 
 more, as above. 
 
 But another Accident brought us to a Keceifity 
 of further Bufinefs with thefe People, and indeed 
 we had like to have put an End to our Lives and Ad- 
 ventures all at once among them ; for, about three 
 Days after our Putting out to Sea, from the Place 
 where we had that Skirmiih, we were attack'd 
 by a violent Storm of Wind from the South, or 
 rather a Hurricane of Wind from all the Points 
 Southward, for it blew in a moft defpecate and 
 furious Manner, from the S. E. to the S. W. 
 one Minute at one Point, and then inftantly turn- 
 ing about again to another Point, but with the 
 lame Violence , nor were we able to work the 
 Ship in that Condition : So that the Ship I was 
 in iplit three Top (ails, and at laft brought the 
 Main Top-mad by the Board; and in a Word, 
 we were once or twice driven right afhore , and 
 one time, had not the Wind ihifted the very 
 Moment it did, we had been daih'd in a Thou- 
 Handpieces upon a great Ledge of Rocks, which 
 jay off about Half a League from the Shore , but, 
 as I have faid, the Wind mifting very often, and 
 at that time coming to the E. S. E. we ftretcht 
 oiT, and got above a League more Sea- room in 
 Half an Hour. After that, it blew with (bme 
 Fury S. W. by S. thenS. W. by W. and put us 
 back pgain a great Way to the Eaftward' of the 
 Ledge of Rocks, where we found a fair Opening I 
 between the Rocks and the Land, and endea- 
 voured to come to an Anchor there*, but we 
 
 found 
 
(271) 
 
 found there was no Ground fit to Anchor in, and 
 that we mould lofe our Anchors, there being no- 
 thing but Rocks. We flood thro* the Opening, 
 which held about four Leagues , the Storm con- 
 tinued, and now we found a dreadful foul Shore, 
 and knew not what Courfe to take. We look'd 
 out very narrowly for fome River, or Creek, or 
 Bay, where we might run in, and come to an 
 Anchor, but found none a great while. At length 
 we law a great Head-Land lye out far South into 
 the Sea, and that to fuch a Length, that, in fhort, 
 we law plainly, that if the Wind held where it 
 was, we could not Weather it \ fo we run in as 
 much under the Lee of the Point as we could, 
 and came to an Anchor in about twelve Fathom 
 Water. 
 
 But the Wind veering again in the Kight, and 
 blowing exceeding hard, our Anchors came home, 
 and the Ship drove till the Rudder ftruck againfc 
 the Ground; and had the Ship gone Half her 
 Length further, ihe had been loft, and every one 
 of us with her. But our Sheet Anchor held its 
 own, and we heaved in fome of the Cable, to get 
 clear of the Ground we had flruck upon. It was 
 by this only Cable that we rode it out all Might, 
 and towards Morning we thought the Wind aba- 
 ted a little, and it was well for us that it was fo; 
 for in Ipite of what our Sheet Anchor did for us, 
 we found the Ship fafb a-ground in the Morning, 
 to our very great Surprize and Amazement. 
 
 When the Tide was out, tho' the Water here 
 ebb'd away, the Ship lay almoft dry upon a 
 Bank of hard Sand, which never, I fuppofe, had 
 any Ship upon it before \ the People of the Coun- 
 try came down in great Numbers, to look at us, 
 and gaze, not knowing what we were, but gaping 
 
 at 
 
'a . a .^ w i.i ^f'" ii fc i 'rfTfTT"'T?-*ri?;Mni as^?aaMMBj 
 
 (271)" 
 
 at us as at A groat Sight or Wonder J at which 
 tliey were furprizM, and knew not what to dr. 
 
 I havcReafon to believe, that upon the Sight 
 they immediately font an Account of a Ship being 
 there, and of the Condition we were in , for the 
 next Day there appeared a great Man, whether 
 it was their King or no, I knew not, but he had 
 Abundance of Men with him, and fbme with long 
 Javelins in their Hands, as long as Half Pikes; 
 and thefe came all down to the Waters Edge, and 
 drew up in very good Order juft in our View. 
 They ftood near an Hour without making any 
 Motion, and then there came near twenty of 
 them with a Man before them, carrying a white 
 Plag before them. They came forward into die 
 Water as high as their Wattes, the Sea not going 
 fo high, as before, for the Wind was abated, and 
 blew olF Shore. 
 
 The Man made a long Oration to us, as we 
 could foe by hisGcftures, and we fometimes heard 
 his Voice, but knew not a Word he laid. William, 
 who was always ufeful to us, I believe, was here 
 again the Saving of all our Lives. The Cafe was 
 this. The Fellow, or what. I might call him, 
 when his Speech was done, gave three great 
 Screams, for I know not what elfe to lay they 
 were, then lowerM his white Flag three times, 
 and then made three Motions to us with his Arm, 
 to come to him. 
 
 I acknowledge, that I was for Manning out the 
 Boat,- and going to them ; but William would 
 by no means allow me : He told me, we ought 
 to truft no Body , that if they were the Barbari- 
 ans, nnd under their own Government, we might 
 be furc to be all murthered , and if they were 
 Chriftians, we fliould not fare much better, if 
 
 they 
 
( *73 ; 
 
 IW^ ?l We w ? re '> that {t wils the Ciirtdm 
 of the Md*m. to betray all People that ther 
 could get into their Hands-, and that thefewere 
 fome of the lame People; and that if we had 
 any Regard to our own Safety, we mould not 
 g<xto them by any means. I oppofed him a grcac 
 wh.le, and told him, I thought he ufed to be 
 lalways right, but that now I thought he xvas not; 
 [that I was no more for running needlefs Rifques 
 than he, or any oneelfe; but I thought all Na- 
 tions in the World, even the moff fiva^e People. 
 Ijvhen they held out a Flag of Peace/ kept the 
 .Offer of Peace made by that Signal, very facred- 
 y, and I gave h.m feveral Examples of 'it in my 
 Hiftory of my jif r ie M Travels, which I have here 
 ;one tnro in the Beginning of this Work ; and 
 hat I. could not think theft People worfe than 
 ome of them. And bef.des, I told him, our 
 .afe ieem d to be fuch, that we mud full j rito 
 ome body s Hands or other, and that we had 
 etter fall into their Hands by a friendly Treaty 
 han by a forced Submiflion ; nay, tho' they had 
 ideeda treacherous Defign ; and therefore! was 
 Br a Parley with them. 
 Well, Friend, fays WiRiam very gravely, if thou 
 i g ', I . cannot he'P it > I frail only deftre to 
 ike my laft I eave of thee at Parting, for depend 
 pon it, thou wilt never fee us attain i Whether 
 e m the .-hip may come ofT any'better at laft I 
 innot refolve thee; but this I will anfwer for that 
 e will not give up our Lives idly, and h/ cool 
 lootl, as thou art going to do ; we will at Jeaft 
 
 X'?M VC ^ r lelves as - lon S as we can, and die at 
 t like Men, not* like Fools trapiuin'd by the 
 'iles of a few Barbarians. ' ' 
 
 V. . .- IVMU4 
 
( *74 ) 
 
 William fpoke this with fo much Warmtii, and 
 yet with' fo much Affurance of our Fate, that I 
 began to think a little of the Rilquel was go* 
 ing to run. I had no more Mind to be murthe- 
 red than he*, and yet I could not for my Life be 
 fb faint-hearted in the thing, as he. Upon which 
 I asked him, if he had any Knowledge of the 
 Place, or had ever been here ? He Paid, No. Then 
 I asked him, if he had heard or read' any thing 
 about the People of this Ifland, and of their Way 
 of treating any Chriftians that had fallen into 
 their Hands ? And he told me, he had heard of 
 one, and he would tell me the Story afterward. 
 His Name, he (aid, was Knox, Commander of an 
 Eaft India Ship, who was driven on Shore, juftas 
 we were, upon this Ifland of Ceylon, tho' lie could 
 not fay it was at the lame Place, or whereabouts : 
 That he was beguiled by the Barbarians, and in- 
 ticed to come on Shore, juft as we were invited to 
 do at that time-, and that when they had him, 
 they fur rounded him and eighteen or twenty of 
 his Men, and never iuifered them to return, but 
 kept them Prifbners, or murthered them, he 
 could not well tell which ; but they were carried 
 away up into the Country, (eparated from one 
 another, and never heard of afterwards, except 
 the. Captain's Son, who miraculoufly made his 
 Efcape after twenty Years Slavery. 
 
 I had no Time then to ask him to give the 
 full Story of this Knox, much lefs to hear him 
 tell it me , but as it is ufual in fuch Cafes, when 
 one begins to be a little touchM,- 1 turn'd fhorc 
 with h'm, Why then, Eriend William^ laid I, 
 what would you have us do? You fee what 
 Condition we are in, and what is before us-, fbme- 
 thing muft be done, and that immediately. Why, 
 
 lays 
 
( *7$ ) 
 
 fays rW/W 1'Jl tell thee what thou fhtrft do: Firft 
 eaufea white Flag to be hang'd out, as they do 
 to us, and Man out tlus.Long.Boat and Pinnace 
 with as many Men as they can well flow, to han- 
 
 $.* kIZ rmS ,' and lef me 8 with th <, and 
 thou flialt fee what we wilt do. If I mifcarry, thou 
 may ft be fafe; and I will alfo tell thee, tint if I 
 do mifcarry it fhall be my own Fault, and thou 
 fhalt learn Wit by my Folly. 
 
 I knew not what to reply*to him at firft; bat 
 after lome Paufe I laid, William, William, I am 
 loath you fhould be loft, as you are thatl 
 mould ; and if there be any Danger, I defire vou 
 may no more fall into it than I. Therefore if 
 you will, let us all keep in the Ship, fare alike 
 and take our Fate together. ' 
 
 No, no fysWifam, there's no Danger in the 
 Method I propofe; thou malt so with me if 
 thou thinkeft fit. If thou pleafeft but to follow 
 theMeafuresthatlfhall revive on, depend upon 
 I tho' we wiugo off from the Ship,', JTu\ ou 
 Man of us go any nearer them than within Call 
 to talk with them. Thou feeft they have no 
 Boats to come off to us ; but, fays fie, I rather 
 
 the sl fo^TS? f ^ k \ m lA^> and manaj 
 tfie Ship, as I fhall give the Signal from the Boat 
 
 go of? US cor ' cert . chat mttet t0 Sher before we 
 
 LZ 6] lh 1 f**" 1 "*}** hisMeafuresinhis 
 Head all laid before-hand, and was not at a Lofs 
 what to do at all ; fo I told him he mould be Cap! 
 *nS f0 [. th ' s Yyage, jind we would be all of us 
 aTfttle. 1 ' W uld feeobf ^vedto- 
 
 Upon this Conclufion of our Debates, he or-' 
 Ucred four andTwenty Men into the Long-Boat, 
 
 * and 
 
and twelve Men into the Pinnace, and the Se$ 
 being now pretty fmooth, they went off, being 
 all very well arm'd. Alfo he ordered, that all 
 the Guns of the great Ship, on the Side which 
 lay next the Shore, ihould be loaded with Mufc 
 quet Balls, old Nails, Stubbs, and fuch like Pieces 
 of old Iron, Lead, and any thing that came to 
 Hand , and that we Ihould prepare to tire as foon 
 as ever he law us lower the white Flag, and hoifl 
 up a red one inthe Pinnace. 
 
 With the le Mea Cures flx'd between us, they 
 went off towards the Shore, William in the Pin- 
 nace with twelve Men, and the Long-Boat coming 
 afrer him with four and twenty more, all flout, 
 relblure Fellows, and very well arm'd. They 
 row'd fb near the Shore, as that they might (peak* 
 to one another, carrying a white Flag as the other 
 did, and offer ring a Parle. The Brutes, for fuch 
 they were, fhewed themfelves very courteous, but 
 finding we could not underfland them , they 
 fetch'd an old Dutchman, . who had been their 
 Prilbner many Years, and (et him to ipeak to us. 
 The Sum and Subftance of his Speech was, That 
 the King of die Country had lent his Genera 
 down to know who we were, and what our Bu- 
 fmefs was ? William flood up in the Stern of the 
 Pinnace, and told him, That as to that, lie that 
 was an European by his Language and Voice, might 
 eafily know what we were, and our Condition 
 the Ship being a-g round upon the Sand, wouk 
 alio tell him, that our Bufmefs there was that o 
 a Ship in Diflrefs-, fo William defired to know 
 what they came down for with fuch a Multitud< 
 and with Arms and Weapons, as if they curie t( 
 War with us. 
 
 Hi 
 
Cm) 
 
 He anfwered, they might hare good Reafon 
 to come down to the Shore, the Country being 
 alarmed with the Appearance of Ships of Stran- 
 gers upon the Coaft , and as our Veilels were full 
 of Men, and that we had Guns and Weapons the 
 King had lent Partpf his military Men, that, in 
 Cafe of any Invafion upon the Country, they 
 might be ready to defend themfeives, whate- 
 ver might be the Occafion. 
 
 But, fays he, as you are Men in Diftrefs, the 
 King has ordered his General who is here alibi to 
 live you all the Affiftance he can, and to invite 
 /on on Shore, to receive you with all poffible 
 ^ourtefy. Says William very quick upon him, 
 >efore 1 give thee an Anfwer to that, I defire 
 hee to tell me what thou art ; for by thy Speech 
 nou art an European. He anfwered prefently 
 ; e was a Dutchman. That I know well, fays mil 
 am, by thy Speech; but art thou a NativeZ^- 
 tan of Holland, or a Native of this Country, that 
 as learnt Dutch by converfmg among the'Hollan- 
 rs, who we know are fettled upon this Ifland. 
 
 No, figs the Old Man, I am a Native of Delft 
 i the Province of Holland in Europe. 
 
 Wejl, fays William immediately, but art thou 
 
 Chriftian or a Heathen, or what we call a 
 
 enegado? 
 
 I am, fiys he, a Chrifhn, and fo- they went on 
 
 a ihort Dialogue, as follows. 
 
 Will. Thou art a* Dutchman, and a ChrilKan, 
 1 >u fayeft pray, art thou a Freeman or a 
 rv?nt ? 
 
 Dutchm. I am a Servant to the King here, and 
 his Army. 
 
 MIL But art thou a Voluntier, or a Prifbner ? 
 
 U 3 Dutchml 
 
Dutchm. Indeed I was a Prifoner at firft, but am 
 at Liberty now, and fo am a Voluntier. 
 
 Will. That is to fay, being firft a Prifoner thou 
 haft Liberty to ferve them-, but art thou fb at 
 Liberty, that thou mayeft go away, if thou plea* 
 feft, to thine own Countryman ? 
 
 Butdm. No, I do not fay fo , my Country- 
 men live a great Way off, on the North and Eaft 
 Parts of the Ifland, and there is no going to them, 
 without the King's exprefs Licence. 
 
 Will. Well, and why doft not thou get a Li- 
 cence to go away ? 
 
 Dutchm. I have never ask'd for it. 
 Will. And I fuppofe, if thou didft, thou knowft 
 thou couldft not obtain it. 
 
 Dutchm. I cannot fay much as to that, but why 
 do you ask me all thefe Queftions ? 
 
 Will. Why, my Reaibn is good \ if thou art a 
 Chriftian and a Prifoner, how canft thou content 
 to be made an Inftrument to thefe Barbarians, to 
 betray us into their Hands, who are thy Country- 
 men and Fellow-Chriftians ? Is it not a barbarous 
 thing in thee to do fo ? 
 
 Dutchm. How do I go about to betray you ? Do 
 J not give you an Account, how the King invites 
 vou to come on Shore, and has ordered you to 
 be treated courtcoufly, and aflifted ? 
 
 Will. As thou art a Chriftian, tho* I doubt iC 
 much, doft thou believe the King or the Genecalj 
 as thou calleft it, means one Word of what he 
 ftys? 
 
 Dutchm. He promifes you by the Mouth of his 
 Great General. . 
 
 Will. I don't ask thee what he promifes, or by 
 whom \ but I ask thee this: Canft thou fay, tha 
 thou believeft he intends to perform it ? 
 
 Dutchm 
 
mmmumG* 
 
 ( a 79 ) 
 
 Dutchnt.Jlow can I anfwer that ? How can I telj 
 V'hat he Intends? , 
 
 Will. Thou canft tell what thou believeft. 
 
 Dutchm. I cannot fay but he will perform it \ I 
 believe he may. 
 
 Will. Thou art but a double-tongu'd Chriflian,' 
 I doubt: Come, I'll ask thee another Queftton : 
 Wilt thou fry, that thou believeft it , and that 
 thou wouldft advife me to believe it, and put our 
 Lives into their Hands upon thefe Promifes ? 
 
 Dutchm. I am not to be your Advifer.- 
 
 Will. Thou art perhaps afraid to ipeale thy 
 Mind, becaufe thoir art in their Power : Pray, 
 do any of them underftand what thou and I fay ? 
 Can they fpeak Dutch? 
 
 Dutchm. No, not one of them, I have no Ap- 
 prehenfions upon that Account at all. 
 
 Will. Why then anfwer me plainly, if thou art 
 a Chriflian : Is it fafe for us to venture upon their 
 Words, to put our felves into their Hands, and 
 come on Shore ? 
 
 Dutchm. You put it very home to me : Pray 
 let me ask you another Queftion : Are you in 
 any Likelihood of getting your Ship off, if you 
 refufe it ? 
 
 Will. Yes, yes, we {hall get off the Ship, now 
 the Storm is over, we don't fear it. 
 
 Dutchm. Then I cannot \y it is beft for you to 
 truft them. 
 
 Will. Well, it is honellly faid. 
 
 Dutchm. But what lhall 1 fay to them ? 
 
 Will. Give them good Words, as they give usJ 
 
 Dutchm. What eood Words ? 
 
 Will. Why let them tell the King, that we are 
 Strangers, who were dnven on his Coaft by a 
 great Storm - 7 that we thank him very kindly for 
 
 U 4 his 
 
( *8o ) 
 
 Jiis Offer of Civility to us, which, if we are~far 
 ther diftrefs'd, we will accept thankfully ; but 
 that at prefent we have no Occafion to come on 
 ghore : And befides, that we cannot fafely leave 
 the Ship in the prefent Condition ihe is in, but 
 that we are obliged to take Care of her, in order 
 to get her off, and expert in a Tide or two more, 
 to get her quite clear, and at an Anchor. 
 
 Dutchm. But he will expert you to come on 
 Shore then to vifit him, and make him lome 
 Prefent for his Civility. 
 
 Will. When we have got our Ship clear, and 
 flopp'd the Leaks, wp will pay our Refpe&s to 
 him. 
 
 Dutchm. Kay, you may as well come to him 
 now as then. 
 
 Will. Kay, hold Friend, I did not fay we \vould 
 come to him then: You talk'd of making him a 
 Prefent , that is, to pay our Refpetts to him, is 
 it not? 
 
 Dutchm. Well, but I will tell him, that you 
 will come on Shore to him when your Ship is got 
 oil? 
 
 Will. I have nothing to fay to that, you may 
 tell him what you think fit?. 
 
 Dutchm. But he will be in a great Rage, if I 
 do not. 
 
 Will. W 7 howill he be In a great Rage at? 
 
 Dutchm. At you. 
 
 Will. What Occafion have we to value that ? 
 
 Dutchm. Why, he will fend all his Army down 
 against you. 
 
 Will. And what if they were all here juft now ? 
 % What doft thou fuppofe they could do to us ? 
 
 Dutchm. Ke would expert they fhould burn 
 your Ships, and bring you all to him, 
 ' ' * Will, 
 
(.8i) 
 
 % WJL Tell him, if he try, he may catch a 
 Tartar. : i 
 
 Dutchm. He has a World of Men. 
 Will- Has he any Ships? 
 
 Dutchm. No, he has no Ships, , ~ . J 
 
 Will. Nor Boats? ' -~ 
 
 Dutchm. No, nor Boats. : 
 
 WilL Why, what then do you think we care 
 for his Men ? What canft thou do now to us, if 
 thou hadft a Hundred Thoufand with thee ? 
 
 Dutchm. O ! they might fet you on Fire. 
 
 Will Set us a Firing thou meanjlft : That they 
 might indeed , but Set us on ftre y they fhall not ; 
 they may try at their Peril, and we fhall makfc 
 mad Work with your Hundred Thoufand Men, 
 if they come within Reach of our Guns, I allure 
 thee. 
 
 Dutchm. But what if the King give you Hofta- 
 ges for your Safety? . 
 
 WilL Whom can he give but mere Slaves and 
 Servants like thy felf, whofe Lives he no more 
 values, than we an EngHJlj Hound? 
 
 Dutchm. Whom do you demand for Hoftages? 
 
 WilL Himfelf and your Worfhip. 
 
 Dutchm. What would you do with him? 
 
 WilL Do with him, as he would do with us, 
 cut his Head off. ^ 
 
 Dutcfon. And what would you do to me ? 
 
 Will. Do with thee ? We would carry thee 
 # home into thine own Country , and tho* thou 
 deferveft the Gallows, we would make a Man 
 and a Chriflian of thee again, and not do by 
 thee as thou wouklft have done by us, betray 
 thee to a Parcel of mercilefs, favage Pagans, that 
 know no God, nor how to fliew Mercy to Man, 
 
 Dutclmt* 
 
( a8a ) 
 
 Dutchm. You put a Thought in my Head that 
 I will fpeak to you about to Morrow. ". 
 * *> 
 
 Thus they went away, and William came on 
 board, and gave us a full Account of his Parley ' 
 with the old Dutchman , which was very diver- 
 ting, and to me inftru&ing, for I had Abundance 
 of Reafbn to acknowledge William had made a 
 better Judgment of things than I. 
 
 It was our good Fortune to get our Ship off 
 that very Night, and tq bring her to an Anchor 
 at about a Mile and a Half further out, and in 
 deep Water, to our great Satisfaction \ fb that 
 ive had no need to fear the Dutchman s King with 
 his Hundred Thoufand Men , and indeed we had 
 lome Sport with them the next Day, when they 
 came down, a vaft prodigious Multitude of them, 
 very few lefs in Number, in our Imagination, 
 than a Hundred Thoufand, with fbme Elephants*, | 
 tho' if it had been an Army of Elephants, they I 
 could have done us no Harm, for we were fairly 
 at our Anchor now, and out of their Reach ; and 
 indeed we thought our felves more out of their 
 Reach, than we really were \ and it was ten 
 Thoufand to One, that we had not been faft 
 a-ground again \ for the Wind blowing oif Shore, 
 thV it made the. Water fmooth where we lay, 
 yet it blew the Ebb further out than ufual, and 
 we could eafily perceive the Sand which we 
 touch'dupon before, lay in the Shape of a Half- 
 Moon, and furrounded us with two Horns of it / 
 fo that we lay in the Middle or Center of it, as 
 in a round Bay, fife juft as we were, and in deep 
 Water , but prefent Death, as it were, on the 
 right Hand, and on the left, for the two Horns, 
 
 or 
 
or Points of the Sand, reach'd out beyond where 
 our Ship lay near two Miles. 
 
 On that Part of the Sand which lay on our Eaflr 
 Side, this mifguided Multitude extended them- 
 feives , and being moft of them not above their 
 Knees, or moft of them notr above Ancle deep 
 in the Water, they, as it were, fuirrounded us on 
 that Side, and on the Side of the main Land, 
 and a little Way on the other Side of the Sand, 
 {landing in a Half Circle, or rather three Fifths 
 of a Circle, for about fix Miles in Length; the 
 other Horn, or Point of the Sand which lay on 
 our Weft Side being not quite fo fhallow, they 
 could not extend themfelves upon it fo far. 
 
 They little thought what Service they had 
 done us, and how unwillingly, and by the great- 
 eft Ignorance, they had made themfelves Pilots to 
 us, while we having not founded the Place, might 
 have been loft, before we were aware. It is true, 
 we might have (bunded our new Harbour, before 
 we had ventured out , but 1 cannot fay for cer- 
 tain, whether we ihould or not , for I, for my 
 Part, had not the leaft Sufpicion of what our real 
 Cafe was. However, I fay, perhaps before we 
 had weighM, we fliould have lookM about us a 
 little. I am fure we ought to have done it ; for 
 befides thefe Armies of human Furies, we had a 
 very leaky Ship, and all our Pumps could hardly 
 keep the Water from growing upon us, and our 
 Carpenters were over-board working to find out, 
 and ftop the Wounds we had received, heeling 
 her Hrft on one Side, and then on the other , and 
 it was very diverting to fee how, when our Men 
 heci'd the Ship over to the Side next the wild 
 Army that flood on the Eaft Horn of the Sand, 
 they were fo amazed between Fright and Joy, 
 
 that 
 
. . ( # ) 
 
 that it put them into a kind of Confufion, calling 
 to one another, hallooing and skreeking in a 
 Manner as it is impollible to defcribe. 
 
 While we were doing this, for we were in a . 
 great* Hurry, you maybe fure, and all Hands at . 
 Work, as well at the flopping our Leaks, as re- 
 pairing our Rigging and Sails, which had received 
 a great deal of Damage, and alio, in rigging a 
 new Main-Top-Maft, and the like : I fay, while 
 we were doing all this, we perceived a Body of 
 Men, of r.^ar aThoufmd, move from that Part 
 of the Army of the Barbarians, that lay at the 
 Bottom of the (andy Bay, and came all along the 
 Water's Edge, round the Sand, till they flood juft 
 on our Broadfule Eaft 9 and were within about 
 Half a Mile of us. Then we law the Dutchman 
 come forward nearer to us, and all alone, with 
 his white Flag and all his Motions, juft as before, 
 and there he flood. 
 
 Our Men had but juft brought the Ship to 
 Rights again, as they came up to our Broadfide, 
 end we had very happily found out and ftopp'd 
 the worft and moil dangerous Leak that we had, 
 to our very great Satisfaction \ Co I ordered the 
 Boats to be haul'd up, and Mann'd as they were 
 the Day before, and William to go as Plenipoten- 
 tiary. I would have gone my (elf, if 1 had under- 
 stood Butch \ but as I did not, jt was to no Pur- . 
 pofe, for I mould be able to know nothing of 
 what was Ciid, but from him t fecond Hand, 
 which might be done as well afterwards. All the 
 Inftru&ions I pretended to give William, was, if 
 poffible, to get the old Dutchman away, and, if 
 he could, to make -him come on board. 
 
 Well, William went juft as .before*, and when 
 he came within about fixty or feventy Yards of 
 
 the 
 
the Shore, he held up his white Flag, as the 
 Dutchman did, and turning the Boat's Broafide to 
 the Shore, and his Men lying upon their Oars, 
 the Parley or Dialogue began again thus. 
 
 Will, \yell, Friend, what do'ft thou fay ton s 
 now ? 
 
 Dutchm. I come of the fame mild Errand as I 
 did yefterday. 
 
 Will. What do'ft thou pretend to come of a 
 mild Rrrand, with all thele People at thy Back, 
 and all the fool ifh Weapons of War they bring 
 with them ? Prithee, what doft thou mean ? 
 
 Dutchm. The Kmg haftens us to invite the Cap- 
 tain and all his Men, to come on Shore, and has 
 ordered all his Men to fliew them all the Civility 
 they can. . 
 
 tWHL Well, and are all thofe Men come to 
 : invite us afhore? 
 Dutchm. They will do you no Hurt, if you 
 will come on Shore peaceably. 
 *' . Will. Well, and what doft thou think they can 
 1 o to us, if we will not ? 
 
 Dutchm. I would not have them do you any 
 w 'Hurt then neither. 
 
 Will. But prithee, Friend, do not make thy 
 felf Fool and Knave too : Do'ft not thou know 
 that we are out of Fear of all thy Army, and 
 out of Danger of all that they can do? What: 
 > makes thee aft fo fimply as well as (b knavi/lily? 
 Dutchm. Why you may think your felves fafer 
 than vou are: You do not know what they 
 may cfo to you. I can allure you they are able to 
 do you a great deal of Harm, and perhaps burn 
 your Ship. 
 
 Will. 
 
( 286 ). 
 
 WW* Suppofe that were true, as I am fure it is 
 falfe, you lee we have more Ships to carry uS 
 
 y.B.Juft at this Time off >* pointing to the Sloop. 
 we difcovcrcd the Sloop Dutcbm. We do not va- 
 ftanding towards us from lue that, if you had ten 
 the Eaft, along the Shore, Ships, you dare not come 
 && P fe onshore with all the Men 
 to our particular Sacisfc- y ou have, in a hofhle 
 tfon,fhe having been mlf- Way } we are too many 
 fing thirteen Days, f r you. 
 
 Will. Thou doft not even in that fpeak as thou 
 jmeaneft ; and we may give thee a Tryal of our 
 Bands, when our Friends come up to us-, for 
 
 t Juft then the Stoop *?" hea f eft fi^y ^ave 
 
 fired five Guns, which was tliicovercd. US *(-. 
 to get News of us, for Dutcfan. Yes, I hear 
 they did not fee us. ^ fa y fire, but I hope your 
 
 Ship will not fire again for if they do, our Ge* 
 r.eral will take it for breaking the Truce, and will 
 make the Army let fly a Shower of Arrows at you 
 in the Boat. 
 
 Will. Thou niayeft be fure the Ship will fire^ 
 that the other Ship may hear them, but not with 
 .Ball, If thy General knows no better, he may 
 begin when he will , but thou may eft be fure we 
 will return it to his Coft. * 
 
 Dutcbm. What mud I do then ? 
 
 Will. Do, why go to him, and tell him of ic 
 before-hand then; and let him know, that the* 
 Ship firing is not at htm, or his Men, and then 
 come again, and tell us what he fays. 
 
 Dutcbm. Ko, I will fend to him, which wilt 
 do ps well. 
 
 Will. Do as thou wilt , but I believe thou hadft 
 better go thy felfj for if our Men lice firft,.! 
 iuppofc he will be in a great Wrath, an;l it' 
 
 may 
 
may be, at thee \ for, as for his Wrath at us, we 
 tell thee before-hand, we value it not. 
 
 Dutchm. You flight them too much, you know 
 not what they may do. 
 
 Will. Thou makeft as if thofe poor favage 
 Wretches could do mighty things ^ prithee let us 
 fee what you can all do, we value it not ^ thou 
 mayeft fet down thy Flag of Truce when thou 
 pleafeft, and begin. 
 
 Dutchm. 1 had rather make, a Truce, and have 
 you all part Friends. 
 
 Will. Thou art a deceitful Rogue thy (elf; for 
 'tis plain thou knoweft thefe People would only 
 perfwade us on Shore, to entrap and furprize us ; 
 and yet thou that art a ChriiHan, as thou calleft 
 thy felf, would have us come on Shore, and put 
 our Lives into their Hands who know nothing 
 that belongs to Companion, good Ufage, or good 
 Manners: How canft thou be fuch a Viltain ! 
 
 Dutchm. How can you call me fo? What have 
 I done to you, and what would you have me do? 
 . Will. Not aft like a Traytor, but like one that 
 was once a Chriftian, and would have been fo ftill, 
 if you had iot been a Dutchman* 
 
 Dutchm. I know not what to do not I, I wiihl 
 were from them, they are a bloody People. 
 
 Will. Prithee make no Difficulty of what thou 
 Ihouldft do \ Canft thou fwim ? 
 
 Dutchm. Yes, I can fwim \ but if I fhould at- 
 tempt to fwim off to you, I fhould have a Thou- 
 Hind Arrows and Javelins flicking in me, before I 
 ihould get to your Boat. 
 
 Will. V\l bring the Boat clofe to thee, and take 
 thee onboard, in fpite of them all. We will 
 give them but one Volley, and Til engage they 
 
 I will all run away from thee* 
 ' Dutchm. 
 
( 288 ) 
 
 Dutchm. You are miftaken fn'them, I aflufg 
 you , they would immediately come all running 
 down to the Shore, and fhoot Fire-Arrows at you 
 and fet your Boat and Ship and all on Fire, about 
 your Ears. 
 
 Will. We will venture that, if thou wilt come 
 off. 
 
 Dutclmt. Will youufe me honourably when 
 I am among you? 
 
 WdL I'll give thee my Word for it, if thou 
 proveft honeft. 
 
 m JDutchm. Will you not make me aPrifbner? 
 
 Will. I will be thy Surety Body for Body, that 
 thou malt be a Freeman, and go whither thou 
 wilt, tho' I own to thee thou dofl not deferve it. 
 
 Juft at this time our Ship fired three Guns, to 
 anfwer the Sloop, and let her know we law her, 
 who immediately, we perceived, underfrood it, 
 and flood direftly for the Place , but it is impofli- 
 ble to exprefs theConrufion and filthy vile Koile, 
 the Hurry and univerfal Dilbrder, that was 
 among that vail Multitude of People, upon our 
 Firing of three Guns. They immediately all re- 
 paired to their Arms, as I may call it ; for, to 
 fay they put themfelves into Order, would be 
 faying nothing. . 
 
 Upon the Word of Command then they ad* 
 .vanced all in a Body to the Sea-fide, and relbl- 
 ving to give us one Volley of their Fire A rms; 
 forYuch they. were,' immediately they faluted 
 us with a Hundred Thouiand of their Fire-Ar* 
 rows, every one carrying a little Bag of Cloath 
 dipt in Brmftone, or fome fuch thing; w^iich 
 Hying th'-o' the Air, had nothing to hinder it ta* 
 king Vire as it riew, and it generally did lb. 
 
 I can*' 
 
I cannot fay but this Method of attacking us, 
 by a Way we had no Notion of, might give us at 
 firfl fome little Surprize \ for the Number was fb 
 great at firfl, that we were not altogether with- 
 out Apprehenfions that they might unluckily fee 
 our Ship on Fire-, fo that he refolved immediately 
 to row on Hoard, and perfwade us all to weigh, 
 and fland out to Sea , but there was no time for 
 it, for they immediately let fly a Volley at the 
 Boat, and at the Ship from all Parts of the vaft 
 Crowd of People which flood near the Shore. 
 
 Nor did they fire, as I may call it, a'.l at once,' 
 and fo leave off-, but their Arrows being fbon 
 notch'd upon their Bows, they kept continually 
 fhooting, 16 that the Air was full of Flame. 
 l I could not fay whether they let their Cotton 
 Rag on Fire before they fhot the Arrow, for I 
 did not perceive they had Fire with them, which 
 however it feems they had. The Arrow, Befidea 
 the Fire it carried with it, had a Head, or a Peg, 
 as we call it, of a Bone, and fome of ihorp Flint 
 Stone , and fome few of a Metal, too {oft in itfilf 
 for Metal, but hard enough to caufe it to enter, 
 if it were a Plank, fb as to flick where it fell. 
 
 William and his Men had Notice fufEcient to lye 
 clofe behind their Wafle-boards, which for this 
 very Purpofe they had made fo high, that they 
 could eafily fink themlelves behind them, lo as to 
 defend therpfelves from any thing that came Point 
 blank, ns we cull if, or upon a Line ; but for what 
 . might fill perpendicular out of the Air, they had 
 no Guard, but took the Hazard of that. At firfl: 
 they made as if they would row away, but be- 
 fore they went , they gave a Volley of their 
 ima'.lArms, tiring at thofe which flood with the 
 Dutchman \ but tillliam ordered them to be fure 
 
 X to 
 
( 2 9 ) 
 
 to take, their Aim at others Co as to mils him, 
 and they did fo. 
 
 There was no Calling to them now, for the 
 Koife was fo great among them, that they could 
 hear no Body* but our Men boldly row'd in nearer 
 to them, for they wereat'firfl driven a little off, 
 and when they came nearer, they fired a fecund 
 Volley, which' put the Fellows into a great Con- 
 fufion, and we could fee from the Ship, that feve- 
 ral of them were killed or wounded. 
 
 We thought this was a very unequal Fight, 
 and therefore we made a Signal to our Men, to 
 row away, that we might have a little of the 
 Sport as well as they -,"but the Arrows Mew fo 
 thick upon them, being fo near the Shore, that 
 they could not fit to their Oars -, fo they fpread 
 a little of their Sail, thinking they might fail 
 along the Shore, and lye behind their Wafte- 
 boards : But the Sail had not been fpread fix 
 Minutes, but it had five Hundred Fire-Arrows 
 ihot into it, and thro' it, and at length fet it 
 fairly on Fire , nor were our Men quite out of 
 the banger of its letting the Boat on Fire, and 
 this made them paddle and move the Boat away 
 as well as they could, as they lay, to get further 
 off. 
 
 By this time they had left us a fair Mark at the 
 
 whole Savage Army *, and as we had iheer'd the 
 
 - Ship as near to them as we could, weJired among 
 
 the thickeft of them fix or feven times, five Guns 
 
 at a time, whichihotold lron,Mufquet Bullets &c. 
 
 We could ealily lee that we made Havock of 
 
 them, and killed and wounded Abundance of 
 
 them, and that they were in a great Surprize at 
 
 it ; but yet they never oiiered to ftir, and all thh 
 
 while their Fire-Arrows tiew as thick as before- 
 
 A 
 

 ( 9> ; 
 
 At laft, on a fudden their Arrows itopt, and 
 
 the old Dutchman came running down to the Wa- 
 ter Side, all alone, with his white Flag as before, 
 waving it as high as he could, and making Sig- 
 nals to our Boat to come to him again. 
 
 William did not care at firfl to go near him, but 
 the Man continuing to make Signals to him to 
 come, at laift: William went, and the Dutchman told 
 him, that he had been with the General, who was 
 much mollified by the Slaughter of his Men, and * 
 that now he could have any thing of him. 
 
 Any thing, lays William, what have we to do 
 with him ? Let him go about his Bufinefs, and 
 carry his Men out of Gun-Shot : Can't he ? 
 
 Why, fays the Dutchman, but he dares not flir,' 
 nor fee the King's Face -, unlefs fome of your 
 Men come on Shore, he will certainly put him to 
 Death. 
 
 Why then, fays William, he is a dead Man ; for 
 if it were to fave his Life, and the Lives of all 
 the Crowd that is with him, he fKall never have 
 one of us in his Power. 
 
 But I'll tell thee, faid William, how thou fhalc 
 cheat him, and gain thy own Liberty too, if thou 
 haft any Mind to fee thy own Country again, and 
 art not turn'd Savage, and grown fond of living 
 all thy Days among Heathens and Savages. 
 
 I would be glad to do it with all my Heart,' 
 %s he , but if 1 fhould offer to fwim off to you 
 now, tho' they are fo far from me, they moot fb 
 true, that they would kill me before I got half 
 Way. * . 
 
 But, fays William, Fll tell thee how thou flialt 
 come with his Confent , go to him, and tell him, 
 1 have offer'd to carry you on board, to try if you 
 could perfwade the Captain to come on Shore, 
 
 Xa and 
 
 ... 
 
'f;*9* ) 
 
 rnd that I would not hinder him, if he was wil- 
 ling to venture. 
 
 The Dutchman feem'd in a Rapture at the very 
 firft Word : 1*11 do it, lays he, I am pcrfwaded 
 he will give me Leave, to come. 
 
 Away lie runs, as if he had a glad Mefiage to 
 carry, and tells the General, that William had pro- 
 mi fed, if lie would go on board the Ship with me, 
 ho would per fwade the Captain to return with him. 
 The General was Fool enough to give him Order 
 to go, and charg'd h'm not to come bock without 
 the Captain, which he readily promifed, and ve- 
 ry honcftly. might. 
 
 So they tool; him in, and brought him on board, 
 and he was as gcod as his Word co them, for he 
 never went back to thorn any more *, and the 
 Sleep being ccme to the Mouth of the Inlet where 
 we lay, we weighed, and fet Sail. Cut as we 
 went out, being pretty near the Shore, we fired 
 three Guns as it were among them, but without 
 any Shot, for it was of no Ufe to u% to hurt any 
 more of them. After we had fired, we gave them 
 a Chear, as the Seamen call it-, that is to fay, we 
 hallcoM at them by way of Triumph, and (o car-. 
 r ; ed off their AmbaiTador ; how it fared with 
 their General, we know nothing of that. 
 
 This PafTage, when I related it to a Friend of. 
 mine, afrer my Return from thoft Rambles, agreed 
 fo we'll with his Relation of what happened to one 
 Mr. KhoXj an Erglfi Captain, who lome time ago 
 was decoyed on Shore by thofe People, that it 
 could not but be very much to my Satisfaction to 
 think what Mifdref- we h?A all efcaped*, and I 
 think it cannot but be very profitable to record 
 the other Story, which Is but fliort, with my own, 
 to mew, whoever reads this, what it was I avoided, 
 
 and 
 
:'' '"/ '-'V 
 
 and prevent their falling into the like, if they 
 have to do with the perfidious People o Ceylon. 
 The Relation is as-* follows. 
 
 The Ifland of Ceylon being inhabited for the 
 greateft Part by Barbarians, which will not allow 
 any Trade or Commerce with any European Na- 
 tion, and inaccefnble by any Travellers, it will 
 be convenient to relate the Occafion how the Au* 
 thor of this Story happened to go into this 
 Ifland, and what Opportunities he had of being 
 fully acquainted with the People, their Laws and 
 Cuftoms, that fb we may the better depend upon 
 the Account, and value it as it deferves, for the 
 Rarity as well as the Truth of it ; and both thefe 
 the Author gives us a brief Relation of, in this 
 I Manner. Kis Words are as follows. s 
 
 In the Year itf$7, the Anne Fregat, of London', 
 Captain Robert Knox Commander, on the 21ft of 
 January , fet Sail out of the Lorvnes, m the Service 
 of the Honourable the Eajt India Company of 
 England, bound for Fort St. George upon the Coaft 
 of Corornandel, to trade for one Year from Port 
 to Port in India \ which having performed, as he 
 was lading his Goods to return for England, be- 
 ing in the Road of Matllpatam, on the 1 9th of 
 November 1 6^9, there happened fuch a mighty 
 I Storm, that in it fever a I Ships were caft away, 
 Und he was ibrc'd to cut his Main Mafl by the 
 {Board, which fo difabled the Ship, that he could 
 Bt proceed in his Voyage , whereupon, Cottar, 
 I the Ifland of Ceylon being a very commodious 
 |3ay fit for her prefent Diftrefs, Tliomas Cham- 
 bers, Efq-, fmce Sir Tljomas Chambers, the Agent at 
 jjw Sr. George, ordered that the Sh : p mould take 
 
 X 3 in 
 
( *94) 
 
 5n fome Cloath and Indian Merchants belongin g 
 to Fort a AW*, who might trade there while ihe 
 lay to fet her Maft, and repair the other Dama- 
 ges fuftained by the Storm. At her firft coming 
 thither, after the Indian Merchants were fet on 
 Shore, the Captain and his Men were very jea- 
 lous of the People of the Place, by reafon the 
 JEngllfj never had any Commerce or Dealing with 
 them-, but after they had been there twenty Days, 
 going afhore and returning again at Pleafure, 
 without any Moleflation, they began to lay afide 
 all fulpicious Thoughts of the People that dwelc 
 thereabouts, who had kindly entertained them 
 for their Money. 
 
 By this time the King of the Country had No., 
 tice of their Arrival, and not being acquainted 
 with their Intents, he lent down a Dijfuava, or 
 General, with an Army to them, who immedi- 
 ately fent a MeiTenger to the Captain on board, 
 to deftre him to come afhore to him, pretending 
 a Letter from the King. The Captain ialuted 
 the Mcfttgc with Firing of Guns, and ordered 
 his Son Robert Knox, a: id Mr. 'John Level and, Mer- 
 chant of the Ship, to go afhore and wait on him. 
 When they were come before him, he demanded 
 Who they were, and bow lon^ they flwuld fay ? They 
 told him, Tliey were Englimmen, and not to jla) 
 above twenty or thirty Days, and defrred Pertniffion tt 
 trade in his Majefiys Port. MisAnfwer was, ll)at 
 the King was glad to hear in at the Englifh were conn 
 into lis Count ry y and had commanded him to ajfifi them 
 as tbcyflcvld defire, and had fent a Letter to be di 
 livered to none but the Captain himfelf They wer 
 then twelve Miles from the Sea-Side, and there 
 fore replied, That the Captain cculd net leave his Sh 
 to come fo far \ but if he f leafed to go down to t 
 
( 295 ) 
 
 Sea-Side^ the Caftairt would wait on him to receive the 
 Letter: Whereupon the* Diffuava defired them 
 to/ftay that Day, and on the Morrow he would go 
 \vith'them^ which, rather than difpleafe him in 
 fo fmall a Matter, they confented to. In the 
 Evening, the Vitfuava lent a Prefent to the Cap- 
 tain of Cattle and Fruits, &c. which being car- 
 ried all Night by the Meffengers, was delivered 
 to him in the Morning, who told him", withal, 
 that his Men were coming down with the Dljfua- . 
 v<t % and defired his Company on Shore againft his 
 coming, having a Letter from the King to deliver 
 into his own Hand. The Captain miftrufting 
 nothing, came on Shore with his Boat, and fit- 
 ting under a Tamarind -Tree, waited for the 
 Diffuxva. In the mean time, the Native Soldiers- 
 privately furrounded him and the {qv^m Men he 
 had with him, and ieizing them, carrried them' 
 to meet the Dijfuava, bearing the Captain on a 
 Hammock on their Shoulders. 
 
 The nextDay the Long-Boat's Crew, not know- 
 ing what had happen'd, came on Shore to cut 
 down a Tree to make Cheeks for the Main-Mail, 
 and were made Prifbners after the fame Man- 
 ner, tlio' with more Violence, becaufe they were 
 more rough with them, and made Refiftance, yet 
 they were not brought to the Captain and his 
 Company, but quarter'd in another Houfe in the 
 lame Town. 
 
 The Diffiurvd having thus gotten two Boats, 
 *and eighteen Men, his next Care was to gain the 
 Ship, and, to that End, telling the Captain that 
 he and his Men were only detained becaufe the 
 King intended to fend Letters and a Prefent to 
 the Englif!) Nation by him, defired he would 
 lend ibme Men on board his Ship to order her 
 X fc Stay ; 
 
Stay ar.d becaufe the Ship was in Danger of 
 being fired by the Dutch, if me ftayM long m 
 the B?y, to bring her up the River. The Cap- 
 tain did rot appYove of the Advice, but did not 
 dare own his Diflike-, and fo lent his Son with 
 the Order, but with a folemn Conjuration to 
 return again, which he accordingly did, bring- 
 hvj, a Letter from the Company in the Ship, 
 That they would not obey the Captain, nor any ether in' 
 this Matter, but were refolved to fiand on their own 
 Defence. This Letter fatisfied the Diffuava, who 
 thereupon gave the Captain Leave to write for 
 what he would have brought him from the 
 Ship, prerending , that he had not the King's 
 Order to releafe them, though it would Hid- 
 den! y come. 
 
 The Captain feeing he was held in Sufpenfe, 
 and tha Seafonof the Year fpending for the Ship- 
 to proceed on her Voyage to fbme Pktce, fent 
 Order to Mr. John Burford the chief Mate, to 
 take Charge of the Ship, and fet Sail to Tort a 
 Neva, from whence they came, and there to 
 follow the Agent's Order. 
 
 Auf. now begun that long and (ltd Captivity 
 they all along feared-, the Ship being gone, the 
 Diffnava was called up to the King, and they 
 were kept under Guards a while, till a fpecial 
 Order came from the King to part them, and 
 put or,e in a Town, for /the Conveniency of 
 their- Maintenance, which the King ordered to] 
 be at the Charge of the Country. On September, 
 \6, \66o, the Captain and his Son were placed 
 in a Town called Bonder Coof vest, in the Country 
 of Hutrurly, dTtnnt from the City of Catnip 
 Korrhwnrd thirty Miles, and, from the reft of 
 iiaBsrlilhn a full bay's Journey. Here they haj 
 
 their 
 
 . 
 
( 297 ) 
 
 their Provifions brought them twice a Day, 
 without Money, lb much as they could eat, and 
 as good as the Country yielded* The Situation of 
 the Place was very pleatant and commodious, but 
 that Year that Part of the Land was very fickiy 
 by Agues and Fevers, of wh'ch many died. 
 The Captain and his Son, after fome time, were 
 vifited with the common Diftcmper, and the 
 Captain being alfo loaded with Grief for his 
 deplorable Condition, langui/h'd more than three 
 Months, and then died, February the 9th 1 660. 
 
 Robert Knox his Son being now left defolate," 
 
 fick, and in Captivity, having none to comfort 
 
 . him but God, who is the Father of the father- 
 
 lefs, and hears the Groans of fuch as are in 
 
 Captivity, being alone to enter upon a long 
 
 Scene of Mifery and Calamity, opprefs'd with 
 
 VVeaknefs of Body and Grief of Soul, for the 
 
 Lofsof his Father, and his remedilefs Trouble 
 
 that he was like to endure *, and the firfl In- 
 
 ftauce of it was in the Burial of his Father: For 
 
 he lent his Black Boy to the People of the 
 
 Town, to defire tloir Afliftance, becaufe they 
 
 undcrftood not their Language*, but they font 
 
 him only a Rope to drag him by the Keck into 
 
 the Woods, and told him, that they would offer 
 
 him no other Help utile fs he would toy for it. This 
 
 barbarous Anfwer increafed his Trouble, for 
 
 his Father's Death, that now he was like to lye 
 
 unbup'ed, and be made a Prey to the wild Beails 
 
 m the Woods* for the Ground was very hard," 
 
 and they hod not Tools to dig with, and (6 it was 
 
 impo/fible for them to bury him; but having 
 
 a fmall Matter of Money left him, viz.. a Pagoda> 
 
 and a Gold Ring, he hired a Man, and fo buried 
 
 - him 
 
.wnr rntr ,U.<*\ \ 
 
 ... (*9 8 ) 
 
 him in as decent a Manner as their Condition 
 would permit. 
 
 His dead Father being thus removed out of 
 his Sight, but his Ague continuing, he was re- 
 duced very low, partly by Sorrow, and partly 
 by his Difeafe , all the Comfort he had, was to 
 go into the AVood, and Fields with a Book, 
 either the Frattice of Piety,- or Mr. Rogers's Seven 
 Treatlfejy which were the only two Books he . 
 had, and meditate and read, and fometimes pray, 
 in which, his Anguifh made him often 
 invert Elijah's Petition, Tlmt he wight die, becaufe 
 his Life was a burthen to him. God, tho* he 
 was pleafed to prolong his Life, yet he found 
 a Way to lighten his Grief, by removing hisAgue, 
 and granting him a Defire, which above all 
 things, was acceptable to him. He had read his 
 two Books over fb often, that he had both ai- 
 med by Heart, and tho* they were both pious 
 and good Writings, yet he long'd for the Truth 
 from the original Fountain, and thought it his 
 greateft Unhapplnefs, that he had not a Bible, 
 and did believe, that he mould never fee one 
 again : But, contrary to his Expectation, God 
 brought him one after this Manner. As lie was 
 (\ filing one Day, with his Black Boy, to catch 
 fome Filh to relieve his Hunger, an old Man 
 pafs'd by them, and asked his Boy, whether Jits 
 Matter could read , and when the Boy had an- 
 iwered, Yes , he told him, that he hid gotten a 
 Book from the Portuguefe when they left Columbo^ 
 ar.dy if his Mafrer f leafed, he would fell it him. The 
 Boy told his Matter, who bad him go and fee 
 what Book it was. The Boy having ferved the 
 Engl$i fome time, knew the Book, and, as foor* 
 
 as 
 
mii^ifyir 
 
 ( ^99 ) 
 
 as he had got it into his Hand, came running to 
 him, calling out before he came to him, *Ttsth* 
 Bible. The Words ftartled him, and he flung 
 down his Angle to meet him, and, finding it true, 
 was mightily rejoyc'd to fee it , but he was a- 
 fraid he mould not have enough to purchafe it, 
 .tho' he was refblved to part with all the Money ' 
 he had, which was but one Pstgoda, to buy it ; 
 but, his Black Boy perfwading him to flight it; 
 and leave it to him to buy it, he at length, ob- 
 tained it for a knit Cap. 
 
 This Accident he could not but look upon as 
 a great Miracle, that God fhould beftow upon 
 him fuch an extraordinary BleiTmg, and bring 
 him a Bible in his own native Language, in fuch 
 a remote Part of the World, where his Name 
 was not known, and where it was never heard 
 of, that an EngliBman had ever been before. The 
 Enjoyment of this Mercy was a great Comfort 
 to him in his Captivity, and tho' he wanted no 
 bodily Convenience that the Country did afford, 
 for the King immediately after his Father's 
 Peath had lent an exprefs Order to the Peo- 
 ple of the Town, that they fhould be kind to 
 him, and give him good Victuals ; and, after 
 he had been lome time in the Country, and un- 
 derftood the Language, he got him good Conve- 
 niences, as, a Horle and Gardens, and filling 
 to Husbandry, God fo profpered hirh, that he 
 .had Plenty, not only for himfeif, but to lend 
 others*, which being according to the Cuftom 
 of the Country, at 50 per Cent, a Year, much 
 enriched him. He had alio Goats, which ferved 
 him for Mutton, and Hogs and Hens: Notwith- 
 ftanding this, I fay, for he lived as fine as any 
 pf their Noblemen, he could not fo far forget 
 
 his 
 
( 3oo ) 
 
 his native Country, as to be contented to dwell 
 in a ftrange Land, .where there was to him a 
 Famine of God's Word and Sacraments, the 
 Want of which made all other things to be of lit- 
 tle Value to him ; therefore, as he made it his 
 daily and fervent Prayer to God, in his good 
 time, to reftore him to both, fo at length he, 
 with one Stephen Rutland, who had lived with him 
 two Years before, refolved to make their Efcape, 
 and, about the Year 1673, meditated all fecrec 
 Ways to compafs it. They had before taken 
 up a Way ot Peddling about the Country, 
 and buying Tobacco, Pepper, Garlick, Comb:?, 
 and all forts of Iron-Ware, and carried them into 
 thofe Parts of the Country where they want- 
 ed them ; and now, to promote their Defign, 
 as they went with their Commodities from 
 Place to Place, they difcourfed with the 
 Country People, for they could mm fpeak their 
 Language well, concerning the Ways and Inhabi- 
 tants where the Ifle was thinneft and fulleft inha- 
 bited; where and how the Watches lay from' 
 one Country to another ; and what Commodities 
 were proper for them to carry into all Parts ; 
 pretending, that they would furnifli themfelves 
 with fuch Wares as the refpeftive Places wanted. 
 Korte doubted but what they did was upon the 
 Account of Trade, becaufe Mr. Knox was f> well 
 icatcd, and could not be fuppofed to leave fuch 
 an Eflatc, was by travelling Northward, be- 
 caufe that Part of the Land was leaft inhabited; 
 and fo furnifhirg themfelves with fuch Wares 
 as were vendible in thofe Parts, they fet forth, 
 and fleered their Courfe towards the North 
 Part of the Ifland, knowing very little of the 
 'Ways, which were generally intricate and per- 
 
 plex'd, 
 
( 3 01 ) 'r-. 
 
 plexed, becaufe they have no publick Roads* 
 but a Multitude of little Paths from one Town 
 to another, and thole often changing-, and for 
 White Men to enquire about the Ways, was very 
 dangerous, becaufe the People would prefently 
 fufpett their Defign. 
 
 At this Time they travelled from CW* Vda^ 
 as far as the Country of Neurecalava, which is in 
 the furthermoft Parts of the King's Dominions, 
 .and about three Days Journey from their 
 Dwelling. They were very thankful to Provi- 
 dence that they had paifed all Difficulties fo far ; 
 but yet durftnot go any further, becaufe they 
 had no Wares left to Trafftck with-, and it being 
 the firft time they had been abfent fo long 
 from home, they feared the Townlmen would . 
 come after them to feek for them, and fo they 
 returned home, and went eight or ten times into 
 thofe Parts with their Wares, till they became 
 well acquainted both with the People and the 
 Paths. 
 
 In thefe Parts Mr. Knox met his black Boy,^ 
 whom he had turned away divers Years before. 
 He had now got a Wife and Children, and was 
 very poor , but being acquainted with thefe Quar- 
 ters, he not onlv took Directions of him, but 
 agreed with him for a good Reward, to conduct 
 him and his Companion to the Dutch. He glad- 
 ly undertook it, and a Time was appointed be- 
 tween them -, but Mr. Knox being disabled by a 
 grievous Pain which leized him on his right Side, 
 and held him five Days, that he could not travel, 
 this Appointment proved in vain ; for tho* he 
 went as foon as he was well, his Guide was gene 
 into another Country about his Bufmefs, and they ;. 
 du'rft not at that time venture to run away with- 
 out 
 
out him. Thefe Attempts took up eight or nine 
 Years, various Accidents hindring their Defigns, 
 but moft commonly the dry Weather, becaufe 
 they fear'd, in the Woods, they mould be ftarv'd 
 with Thirft, all the Country being in fuch a Con- 
 dition almoft four or five Years together for Lack 
 of Rain. 
 
 On September 22. 1679, they feC forth again, 
 furnifhed with Knives and fmall Axes, for their 
 Defence, becaufe they could carry them private- 
 ly, and fend all Sorts of Wares to fell, as for- 
 merly, and all neceffary Provifions, the Moon 
 being twenty feveiiDays old, that they might have 
 Light to run away by, to try what Succefs God 
 Almighty would now give them, in feeking their 
 Liberty. Their firft Stage was to Anarodgburro t 
 in the Way to which lay a Wildernefs, called 
 Farraoth Mocolwe, full of wild Elephants, Ty- 
 gers, and Bears ^ and becaufe 'tis the utmoft 
 Confines of the King's Dominions, there is al- 
 ways a Watch kept. 
 
 In the Middle of the Way, they heard that 
 the Governour's Officers of thefe Parts were out: 
 to gather up the King's Revenues and Duties, 
 to fend them up to the City , which put them 
 into no fmall Fear, left finding them, they mould 
 fend them back again: Whereupon they with- 
 drew to the Weftern Parts of Ecpaulpot, and fat 
 down to Knitting, till they heard they Officers 
 were gone. As foon as they were departed, they 
 went onwards of their Journey, having got a | 
 good Parcel of Cotton Yarn to knit Caps with, 
 and having kept their Wares, as they pretended, 
 to exchange for dried Fifh, which was fold only 
 in thofe lower Parts. Their Way lay neceffari- 
 ly thro' the Governour's Yard at ColUniU*, who 
 
 dwells 
 
( '33 ) 
 
 dwells there on Purpofe to examine all that go 
 and come. This greatly diftrefs'd them, becaufe 
 he would eafily fufpett they were out of their 
 Bounds, being Captives ^ however, they went re- 
 fblutely to his Houfe, and meeting him, prefen- 
 ted him with a fmall Parcel of Tobacco and Be- 
 tel , and fhewing him their Wares, told him, they 
 came to get dried Flefh to carry back with them. 
 The Governour did not* fufpeO: them, but told 
 them, he was fbrry they en me in fo dry a Time, 
 when no Deer could be catched, but if fome Rain 
 fell, he would loon fupply them. This Anfwer 
 pleafed them, and they ieemed contented to flay ; 
 and accordingly abiding with him two or three 
 Days, and no Rain falling, they prefented the Go- 
 vernour with five or fix Charges of Gunpowder, 
 which is a Rarity among them} and leaving a Bun- 
 dle at his Houfe, they defired him to fhoot them 
 fbme Deer, while they made a Step to Anzrodg- 
 farro. Here alfo they were put in a great Fright, 
 by the coming of certain Soldiers from the King 
 to the Governour, to give him Orders to fet a 
 lecure Guard at the Watches, that no fufpicious 
 Perfons might pafs ^ which, tho' it was only in- 
 tended to prevent the Flight of the Relations of 
 certain Nobles whom the King had clapt up ; yet 
 they feared they might wonder to fee white Men 
 here, and fo fend them back again : But God fo 
 . ordered it, that they were very kind to them, and 
 Jeft them to their Bufmefs, and fo they got fafe 
 to Jltiarodgburro. Their Pretence was dried Fleih, 
 tho' they knew there was none to be had ; but 
 their real Bufmefs was to fearch the Way down to 
 the Dutchy which they ftaid three Days to do: But 
 finding, that in the Way to Ja/itafaran, which is 
 one of the Dutch Ports, there was a Watch which 
 
 could 
 
j ( 34) 
 
 cou^d hardly be pafsM, and other Incoiwemencles 
 riot furmountable, they refblved to go back, and 
 t^hc the River Mdrvxtogah, which they had before 
 judged would be a probable Guide to lead them to 
 the Sea ; and that they might not be purfued, left 
 Anarodghurro juft at Kight, when the People never 
 travel lor fear of wild Beads. On SuncLy, Oft. 12. 
 being flored with all things needful for their Jour- 
 ney, viz.* Ten Days Provifion, a Bafm to boil their 
 Provifion in, two Calabafhes to fetch Water in, 
 and two great Tallipat Leaves for Tents, with 
 jaggory, Sweet-meats, Tobacco, Betel], Tinder- 
 . Boxes, and a Deer-Skin for Shoes, to keep their 
 Feet from Thorns, becaufe to them they clrefly 
 trufted. Being come to the River, they ftruck 
 into the Woods, and kept by the Side or it ; yec 
 not going on the Sand, left their Footiteps fhould 
 be dilcerned, uulefs forced, and then going 
 backwards. 
 
 Being gotten a good Way into the Wood, it be- 
 gan to rain , wherefore they erected their Tents, 
 made a Fire, and refrefh'd themfelves againft the 
 Rifing of the Moon, which was then eighteen 
 Daysold-,. and having tied Deer-Skins about their 
 Feet, and eafed themfelves or their Wares, they 
 .proceeded in their Journey. When they had tra- 
 velled three or four Hours with Difficulty, be- 
 caufe the Moon gave but little Light among the 
 thick Trees, they found an Elephant in their Way 
 before them, and becaufe they could not Icare him 
 away, they were forced to itay till Morning ; and 
 fo they kindled a Fire, and took a Pipe of Tobac- 
 co. By the Light they could not difcern that ever 
 .any Body had been there, nothing being to be feea 
 :but Woods, and \b they were in great Hopes thac 
 .they were pa ft all Danger, being beyond alllnha- 
 
 bitants - y 
 
( 35 ) 
 
 bitants-, but they were mutaken^ for the River 
 virfdmg Northward, brought them into the ratdft 
 of a Parcel of Towns, balled Tijfca IVava, where 
 being. in Danger of being feen, they were- under* 
 a mighty Terror for had the People found them, 
 they would have beat them, and fent them up to 
 the King) and to avoid it, they crept into an 
 hollow Tree, and fat there in Mud and Wet, till 
 it began to grow dark, and then betaking them- 
 felves to their Legs, travell'd till the Darknefs of 
 Night ftopt them. They heard Voices behind 
 them, and feared 'twas fbmebody in Purfuit of 
 them } but at length difcerning it was only an 
 Hallooing to keep the wild Beafts out of the 
 Corn, they pitched their Tents by the River, 
 and having boiled Rice, and roatted Meat for 
 their Suppers, and fatisfied their Hungers, they 
 committed themfelves to God's Keeping, and laid 
 them down to Sleep. 
 
 The next Morning, to prevent the worfr, they 
 got up early, and haften'd on their Journey, and 
 tho' they were now got out of all Danger of the 
 tame Chiaigulays, they were in great Danger of the 
 wild ones, of whom thofe Woods were full and 
 though they law their Tents, yet they were all 
 gone, fmce the Rains had fallen, from the River 
 into the Woods-, and fo God kept them from that 
 Danger, for had they met the wild Men, they 
 had been fhot. 
 
 Thus they travelled from Morning to Night 
 feverai Days, thro' Bufhes and Thorns, which 
 made their Arms and Shoulders, which were na- 
 ked, all of a Gore Blood. They often met with 
 Bears, Hogs, Deer, and wild Suffices, but they 
 all run away, as foon as they law them. The 
 River was exceeding full of Alligators. In the 
 
 Y Evening 
 
(my : 
 
 Evening they ufed to pitch their Tents, #nd make 
 great Fires both before and behind them, to af- 
 fright the wild Beads, ahd tho' they heard the 
 Voices of all forts, they faw none. 
 
 On Thurfdq at Noo.11 they crofs'd the Rivet' 
 CororJa Oya 7 which parts the Country of the Ma- 
 labars from the King's, and on Friday about Nine 
 or Ten in the Morning, came among the Inhabi- 
 tants, of whom they were as much afraid as of 
 the Cbiavgulays before -, for tho' the Wannlounayy or 
 Prince of this Vcople, payeth Tribute to the 
 Dutch out of Fear, yet he is better affected to the 
 King of Gvidly ami if he had took them, would 
 have fent them up to their old Mafter-, but noc 
 knowing any Way to efcape, they kept on their 
 Journey by the River Side by Day, becaufe the 
 Woods were noc to be travelfd by Night, for 
 Thorns and wild Beafts, who came down then to 
 the River to drink. In all the Afalabars Country 
 they met with only two Bramans, who treated 
 them civilly, and for their Money one of them 
 conduced them till they came into the Territories 
 of the Dutch, and out of all Danger from the King 
 otCartdij which did not a little rejoice them , but: 
 yet they were in no fmall Trouble how to find the 
 Way out of the Woods, till a Malabar for the Lu- 
 cre of a Knife, conduced them to a DutcbTo\vn 9 
 where they found Guides to condufl: them from 
 Town to Town, till they came to the Fort, called 
 ^irepa, where they arrived Saturday , OEbober 18. 
 1679, and there thankfully adord GooTs wonder- 
 ful Providence, in thus compleating their Deli- 
 verance from a long Captivity of Nineteen Years 
 and fix Months. . " 
 
 I come 
 
( 37 ) 
 
 . 1 tome now back to my own Hiftory, which 
 draws near a Conclufion, as to the Travels 
 I took in this Part of the World. We were now 
 at Sea, and we flood away to the North for a 
 while, to try if we could get a Market for 
 our Spice, for we were very rich in Nutmegs, 
 but we ill knew what to do with them ; we durft 
 not go upon the Etiglffc Coaft, or, to fpeak 
 more properly, among the Engllp Factories " to 
 Trade } not that we were afraid to fight any two 
 Ships they had ; and befides that^ we knew, 
 that as they had no Letters of Mart or of Re- , 
 prifals from the Government, fo it was none 
 of their Bufinefs to aft offenfively, no not tho* 
 we were Py rates.' Indeed if we had made any 
 Attempt upon them, they might have juftify'd 
 themfelves in joining together to refift, and 
 a/lifting one another to defend themfelves , but 
 to go out of their Bufinefs to attack a Pyrate 
 Ship of almoft fifty Guns, as we were, it was 
 plain, that it was none of their Bufinefs, and 
 confequently it was none of our Concern, lb we 
 did not trouble our felves about it , but, on the 
 other Hand, it was none of our Bufinefs to be 
 feen among them, and to have the News of us 
 carried from one Fafrory to another: So that 
 whatever Defign we might be upon at another 
 Time, we mould be fure to be prevented and di. 
 covered : Much lefs had we any Occafion to be 
 feen among the Dutch Fa&ories, upon the Coafl 
 of Malabar ; for, being fully loaden with the Spi- 
 ces Which we had in the Senfe of their Trade 
 plundered them of, it would foon have told them 
 what we were, and all that we had been doing, 
 and they would, no doubt, have concerned them- 
 felves all manner of Ways to have fallen upon us. 
 
 7 Y x The 
 
( 3 o8) 
 
 The only Way we had for it was to {land away for 
 Goa> and Trade, if we could, for our Spices witnthe 
 Tortuguefe Factory there. Accordingly we failed 
 almoft thither, for we had made Land two Days 
 before, and, being in the Latitude of Goa y wero 
 Standing in fair for Marma<zocn> on the Head ofSai~ 
 far, at the going up toCct,when I called to the Mart 
 at die Helm to bring theShip to, and bid the Pilot 
 go away K. N. W. till we came out of Sight of the 
 Shore , when William and I called a Council as we 
 ufed to do upon Emergences, what Gourfe we 
 fhould take to trade there, and not be diicovercd 
 and we concluded, at length, that we would, not 
 go thither at all , but that William, with fuch 
 trufty Fellows only as could be depended upon, 
 ihould go in the Sloop to Surat, which was (till 
 farther Northward, and trade there as Mer- 
 chants, with fuch of the Englijb Factory as they 
 could find to be for their Turn. 
 
 To carry this with the more Caution, and fo 
 as not to befufpecled, we agreed to takeout all 
 her Guns, and to put fuch Men into her, and 
 210 other, as would promife us not to deflre or 
 oiler to go on Shore, or to enter into any Talk 
 or Converfation with any that might come on 
 board : And to finifli the Difguife to our Mind, 
 William documented two of our Men, one a Sur- 
 geon, as he himfelf was r and the other a ready- 
 witted Fellow, an old Sailor, that had been a 
 Pilot upon the Coafl of ]SIexo-England> and" was 
 an excellent Mimick-, thefe two William dreifed 
 up like two Quakers, and made them talk like 
 fuch. The old Pilot he made go Captain of the 
 Sloop, and the Surgeon for Dotor, as he wa?, 
 and himfelf Super-Cargo : In this Figure, and 
 the Sloop all plain, no curled Work upon her- 
 
 indeed 
 
( 3o 9 ; 
 
 andeed foe had not much before, and no Guns 
 to be feen, away he went for Surat. 
 
 I mould indeed have obferved, that we went, 
 fome Days before we parted, to a fmall Cindy 
 Ifland, dole under the Shore, where there was 
 a good Cove of deep Water, like a Roach and 
 .out of Sight of any of the Factories, which are 
 here very thick upon the Coaft. Here we fhift- 
 cdthe Loading of the Sloop, and put into her 
 fuch Things only as we had a mind to dif- 
 pofe of there, which was indeed little but Nut- 
 megs and Cloves, but chiefly the former; and 
 from thence William and his two Quakers, with 
 about eighteen Men in the Sloop, went away to 
 jurat, and came to -an Anchor at a Diftance from. 
 ,the Fattory. 
 
 William ufed fuch Caution, that .he found 
 Means to go on Shore himfelf, and the Doctor, as 
 he called him, in a Boat, which came on board 
 them to fell Fifh, rowed with .only Indians of the 
 Country, which Boat he afterwards hired to 
 carry him on board again. It was not long 
 that they were on Shore, but that they found 
 Means to get Acquaintance with fome EngUfli- 
 men, who, though they lived there, and per- 
 haps, were the .Company's. Servants at firftj 
 yet appeared then to be Traders for themfelves, 
 in whatever 'Coaft-BuGnefs efpecially came in 
 their Way, and the Doftor was maae the firft 
 to pick Acquaintance ; fo he recommended his 
 Friend, the t Super-Cargo, till, by Degrees, the 
 Merchants were as * fond of the Bargain as our 
 Men were of the Merchants, only that the ,Carg9 
 .was a little too much for them. 
 
 However, this did not prove a Difficulty long 
 \vith them \ for the next Day they brought two 
 
 Y 3 more 
 
(gio) 
 
 more Merchants, ILnglifo alio, into their Bargain $ 
 and, as William could perceive by their Dif- 
 courfe, they refolved, if they bought them, 
 to carry them to the Gulph of Perfta, upon their 
 own Accounts , William took the Hint, and, as 
 he told me afterwards, concluded we might' 
 carry tjiem there as well as they , but this was 
 not William's prefent Bufinefs , he had here no lefs 
 than three and thirty Ton of Nuts, and eighteen 
 Ton of Cloves. There was a good Quantity, of 
 Mace among' the Nutmegs but we did not 
 ftand'to makemuch Allowance., In ihort, they 
 bargained, and the Merchants, who would 
 gladly have bought Sloop and all, gave William 
 Directions, arid two Men for Pilots, to go to a 
 Creek about fix Leagues from the Fa&ory; 
 where they brought Boats, and unloaded the 
 whole Cargo, and paid William very honeftly 
 for it. The whole Parcel amounting, in Money, 
 to about thirty five thouftnd Pieces of Eighty 
 befides fome Goods of Value, which William was 
 content to take, and two large Diamonds worth 
 about three Hundred Pounds Sterling. 
 
 When they paid the Money, William invited 
 them on board the Sloop, where they came, and 
 the merry old Quaker diverted them exceeding* 
 ly with his Talk, and Thee*d 'em, and Thou'd 'em, 
 till he made 'em fo drunk, that they could not go 
 on Shore for that Night. ' - 
 
 They would fain have known who our People 
 Were, and whence they came, but not a Man ' in 
 the Sloop would anfwer them to any Queftion 
 they ask'd,- but in fuch a Manner as let them 
 think themfelves banter'd and jefted with. How- 
 ever, in Difcourfe, William faid, they were able 
 Men for any Cargo we could have brought them, 
 -" i , and 
 
(v 1 > ... 
 
 and that thev would have bcfught twice as much 
 Spice if we had had ir. He ordered the merry 
 Captain to tell them, that they had atother 
 Sloop that lay at Aiarmagoon^ and. that had a grea$ 
 Quantity of Spice on board alfo ^ and that if it 
 was not fold when he went back, for that thither 
 he was bound, he would bring her up. 
 
 Their new Chaps were lb eager, that they 
 would have bargain'd with the old Captainbe- 
 fore-hand: Nay Friend fald if, 1 will not trade 
 with thee unfight and unfeen } neither do I know 
 whether the Matter of the Sloop may not have 
 fold his Loading already to fbme Merchants of 
 Salfet , but if he has not, when I come to him, I 
 think to bring him up to thee. 
 
 The Doctor had his Employment all this 
 while, as well as William and the old Captain ; for 
 he went on more feveral Times a Day in the hu 
 d'mn Boat, and brought frefii Provifions for the 
 Sloop, which the Men had need enough of; he 
 brought in particularly feventeen large Casks of 
 Arrack, as big as Buts, befides fmaller Quantities, 
 a Quantity of Rice, and Abundance of Fruits, 
 Mangoes, Pompions, and fucli Things, with 
 Fowls and Fifli. He never came on board but 
 he was deep laden ; for, in fliort, he bought for 
 the Ship, as well as for themfelves , and particu- 
 Jy, they half loaded the Ship with Rice and Ar- 
 rack, with fome Hogs, and fix or {'even Cows, a- 
 live , and thus being well victualled, and having 
 Directions for coming again, they returned 
 to us. 
 
 William was always the lucky welcome Mefien- 
 
 ger to us, but never more welcome to us than 
 
 now , for where we had thruft in tlie Ship we could 
 
 get nothing, except a few Mangoes and Roots, 
 
 Y 4 being 
 
( 3" ) 
 
 being, not willing to make any Steps into the 
 Country, or make our ielves known, till we had 
 Kews of our Sloop , and indeed our Mens Pa- 
 tience was almoft tired, for it was feventeen 
 Days that William fpent upon this Enterprise, 
 and well beftowM too. 
 
 When he came back, we had another Con fe-. 
 rer.ce upon the Subject of Trade, namely, whe- 
 ther we mould lend the refr of our Spices, and 
 other Goods we had in the Ship, to Surat\ or, 
 whether we ihould go up to the G if lph of Perfia 
 our felves, where it was probable we might iell 
 them as well as the Ef/glifa Merchants. of Surat. 
 William was for going our felves, which, by the 
 Way, was from the good frugal Merchant-like 
 Temper of the Man, who was for the beft of 
 every Thing : But here I over-ruled William^ 
 which 1 very feldom took upon me to do , but I 
 told him, that, confidering our Circumflances, it 
 was much better for us to fell all our Cargoe 
 here, though we made but half Price of them, 
 than to go with them to the Gulph of Pcr/ia, 
 where we ihould run a greater Rifque, and where 
 People would be much more curious and inquifi- 
 tive into Things than they were here, and where 
 it would not be Co ealy to manage them, feeing 
 they traded freely and openly there, not by 
 Stealth, as thofe Men feemed to do-, andbefides, 
 if they fufpe&ed any Thing, it would be much 
 more difficult for us to retreat, except by meer 
 Force, than here, where we were upon the 
 high Sen, as it were, and could be gone when- 
 ever we pleafed, without any Difguife, or indeed 
 without the leaft Appearance of being purfued, 
 none knpwing where to look for us, 
 
 . ' . - m 
 
 
( 3*3 ) 
 
 My Apprehenfions prevailed with IVMUml 
 whether my Reafons did or no, and he fubmit- 
 ted-, and we refolved to try another Ship's Load- 
 ing to the fame Merchants , the main Bufmefs 
 was to confider how to get off of that Circum- 
 stance had expofed them with the Englljl) Mer- 
 chants , namely, that it was our other Sloop ; 
 but this the old Quaker Pilot undertook ; for 
 being, as 1 laid, an excellent Mimick himfelf, it 
 was the eafier for him to drefs up the Sloop in 
 new Clothes \ and firft he put on all the carved 
 Work he had taken off before - ? her Stern, which 
 was painted of a dumb white, or dun Colour, be- 
 fore all flat, was now all lacquer'd, and blue, 
 and I know not how many gay Figures in it ; as 
 to her Quarter, the Carpenters made her a neat 
 little Gallery on either Side , ihe had 12 Guns 
 put into her, and fome Patereroes upon her Gun- 
 nel, none of which were there before ^ and to 
 finifh her new Habit or Appearance, and make 
 her Change compleat, he ordered her Sails to be 
 nlter'd ; and as ihe failed before with a Half- 
 Sprit, like a Yacht, fhe failed now with fquare 
 Sail and Mizen Maft, like a Ketch , fo that, in a 
 AVord, ihe was a perfect Cheat, difguifed in e- 
 very Thing that a Stranger could be fuppofed to 
 'take any 'Notice of, that had never had but one 
 View , for they had been but once on board. 
 \ : In this mean Figure the Sloop returned ; me 
 had a new Man put into her for Captain, one we 
 knew how to trufi ; and the old Pilot appearing 
 only as a Paffenger, the Do&or and William 
 . a&ing as the Super-Cargoes, by a formal Procu- 
 . ration from one Captain Singlctou, and all Things 
 /ordered in Form. 
 .-: " 'V-. We 
 
(3H) 
 
 We had a compleat Loading for the Sloop 
 for befides a very great Quantity of Nutmegs 
 and Cloves, Mace, and fbme Cinnamon, fhe had 
 on board feme Goods, which we took in as we 
 lay about the Philippine Iflands, while we waited . 
 as looking for Purchafe. 
 
 William made no Difficulty of felling this Car-' 
 goe alio, and in about twenty Days returned 
 again, freighted with all neceffhry Proviffons for. 
 our Voyage, and for a long Time-, and, as I fay, 
 Ave had a great deal of other Goods, he brought 
 nsback about three and thirty thoufand Pieces 
 of Eight, and fbme Diamonds -,* which, tho'JF//- 
 Uam did not pretend to much Skill in, yet he 
 made fliift to aft, fb as not to be impofed upon, 
 the Merchants he had to dell with too being 
 very fair Men. 
 
 They had no Difficulty at all with thefe Mer- 
 chants } for the Profpett they had of Gain made 
 them not at all inqaifitive ; nor did they make 
 the leaf* Difcovery of the Sloop*, and as to the 
 Selling them Spices which were fetch'd fb far 
 from thence, it feems it was not fb much a No- 
 velty there as we believed \ for the Tonuguezje 
 had frequently VefTels which came from Macao 
 in China, who brought Spices, which they bought 
 .of the ClAncfc Traders, who again frequently 
 dealt among the Dutch Spice Iflands, and re- 
 ceived Spices in Exchange for fuch Goods as they 
 ca r r ied from China. 
 
 This might be called indeed the only trading 
 Voyage we had made , and now we were really 
 . very rich , and it came now naturally before us 
 to confider whither we fhould go next \ 'our pro- 
 per Delivery Port, as we ought to have called it, 
 was at Jtf4da*afcar 9 in the Bay o Mangahtlkj : But 
 
 WdlUm 
 
(3>5) 
 
 William took me by my felf into the Cabbin of 
 the Sloop one Day, and told me, he wanted to 
 talk ferioufly with me a little % fo we fhut our 
 felves in, and William began with me. 
 
 Wilt thou give me Leave, fays William, to talk 
 plainly with thee upon thy prefent Circumftan- 
 ces, and the future Profpeft of living, and wile 
 thou promife on thy Word to take nothing 
 ill of me. 
 
 With all my Heart, faidl, William, I have al- 
 ways found your Advice good, and your Defigns 
 have not only been well laid, but your Counfel 
 has been very lucky to us \ and therefore fay 
 what you will, .1 promife you I will not take 
 kill.. 
 
 - But that is not all my Demand, fays William, if 
 thou doft not like what I am going to propofe to 
 thee, thou malt promife me not to make it pub- 
 lick among the Men. 
 
 I will not, William, fays J, upon my Word, and 
 (wore to him too very heartily. 
 
 Why then, fays William, 1 have but one Thing 
 more to article with thee about, and that is, 
 that thou wilt confent, that if thou doft not ap- 
 prove of it for thy felf, thou wilt yet confent 
 that I fliall put (b much of it in Prattice as re- 
 lates to my felf, and my new Comrade DoBor, 
 lb that it be in nothing to thy Detriment and 
 Lofs. 
 
 In any Thing, fays /, William/ but leaving 
 me, I will , but 1 cannot part with you upon any 
 Terms .whatever. 
 
 Well, fays William, I am not deftgning to pare 
 from thee, unlefs it is thy own Doing , but allure 
 me in all thefe Points ^ and I will tell my Mind 
 freely. 
 
 So 
 
( 3 i6 ) 
 
 -So I promlfed him every Thing he defired of 
 ine in the folemneft Manner poilible, and (b feri- 
 ttufly and frankly withal, thai William made no 
 Scruple to open his Mind to me. 
 
 Why then, in the ftrft Place, fays William, mall 
 I ask thee if thou doft not think thou and all thy 
 Men are rich enough, and have really gotten as' 
 much Wealth together (by whatfoever Way it 
 has been gotten, that is not the Queflion) as ye 
 all know what to do with ? 
 ^ Why truly William, [aid I, thou art pretty 
 right, I think we have had pretty good 
 Luck. 
 
 Well then, fays William, I would ask, whether ' 
 if thou haft gotten enough L'hou haft any 
 Thought of leaving oil this Tic^e \ for moft Peo- 
 ple leave oil Trading when they are fatisfied 
 with getting, and are rich enough , for no body 
 trades for the Hike of Trading, much lefs do any 
 Men rob for the fake of Thieving. 
 
 Well, Willi am. Jays I, now I perceive what it is 
 thou art driving at , I warrant you, fays J, you 
 "begin to hanker after Home. 
 
 Why truly, fays William, thou haft faid it,* 
 and fo I hope thou doft too ; it is natural for moft 
 J.len that are abroad to defire to come Home 
 again at laft, efpecially when they are grown rich, 
 and when they are (as thou owneft thy felf to be) 
 rich enough, and.fo rich, as they know not what: 
 to do with more if they had it. 
 
 Well, William, faid /, , but now you think' 
 you have laid your Preliminary at firft Co 
 home, that I fhould have nothing to fay , that 
 is, that when I had got Money enough, it would 
 be natural to think of going Home \ but you 
 have not explained what you mean by Home, 
 
 and 
 
(Vl) 
 
 , ind there you and I fhall differ. Why, Man/ 1 
 1 am at Home, here is my Habitation, I never had 
 any other in my Life time , I was a kind of Cha- 
 rity School-Boy, fb that I can have no Defire of 
 going any where for being rich or poor, for I 
 have no where to go. 
 
 Why , fays William, looking a little confufed, art 
 not thou an Etigliflmmn ? Yes, fays I, I think fb, you 
 fee I fpeak Ettglijlt ; but I came out of England a 
 Child, and never was in it but once fince 1 was a 
 Man, and then 1 was cheated and impofed upon, 
 and ufed fo ill, that I care not if I never fee it 
 more. 
 
 m Why hafl thou no Relations or Friends there, 
 fays he, no Acquaintance, none that thou haft 
 any Kindnefs for, or any remains of-Refpeclr 
 for? 
 
 Not I, William, faid I, not one, no more than 
 1 have in the Court 'of the Great Mogul. 
 
 Nor any. Kindnefs for the Country, where 
 thou waft born, fays William. 
 
 Not I, any more than for the Ifland of Mada* 
 gdfcary nor lb much neither, for that has been a 
 fortunate Ifland to me more than once, as thou 
 k no weft, Willi am, faid J. 
 
 William was quite ftunnM at my Difcourfe, and 
 neld his Peace \ and I faid to him, go on, William, 
 what haft thou to fay farther ? For I hear you 
 have fbme Project in your Head, fays he, come, 
 let's have it out. 
 
 Nay, fays William, thou haft put me to Silence^ 
 and all I had to fay is Over-thrown , all my Pro- 
 jects are come to nothing, and gone* 
 * Well, buc William, faid I, let me hear what 
 they were, for tho' it is fb that what I have to 
 aim at does not look your Way ^ and tho' I have 
 
 '>..'' no 
 
no Relation, no Friend, no # Acquaintance In Eng- 
 land) yet I do not fay I like this roving, cruifmg 
 Life, fo well as never to give it over : Let me 
 hear if thou canft propoie to me any thing be- 
 yond it. 
 
 Certainly Friend, fays Willlsm* very gpavely, 
 there is lome thing beyond it, and lifting up his 
 Hands, he ieemed very much affe&ed, and I 
 thought I fee Tears (land in his Eyes; but I, that 
 was too hardned a Wretch to be moved with thefe 
 Things, laughed at him , what, fays /, you 
 mean Death, I warrant you, don't you, that is 
 beyond this Trade , why, when it comes, ic 
 comes, then we are all provided for. 
 
 Ay, fays William, that is true , but it wouM be 
 better that Come Things were thought on before 
 that came. 
 
 Thought on, fays /, what fignifies thinking of 
 it ; to think of Death, is to* dye , and to be al- 
 ways thinking of it, is to be all one's Life-long a 
 dying , 'tis Time enough to think of it when it 
 comes. 
 
 You will eafily believe I was well qualified for 
 'a Pirate that could talk thus , but let me leave it 
 upon Record for the Remark of other hardned 
 Rogues like my felf. My Conlcience gave me a 
 Pang that I had never -felt before, when I laid, 
 What fifimfies thinking tf if, and told me, I fliou'd 
 one Day think of thele Words with a fad Heart, 
 but the Time of my Reflexion was not yet 
 come , (b I went on. 
 
 Says William, very ferioufly, I muft tell thee, 
 Friend, I am lorry to hear thee talk fo-, they that 
 never think of dying, ' . often dye without think- 
 ing of it. 
 
 ' I car* 
 
. I carried on the jefting Way a while farther,* 
 'and faid, prithee do not talk of dying-, how do 
 we know we fhall ever dye, and began to laugh ? 
 
 I need not anfwer thee to that, faysWtlliam, it 
 is not my Place to reprove thee who art Comman- 
 der over me here, but I had rather thou wouldft 
 talk otherwife of Death , 'tis a coarfe Thing. 
 
 Say any Thing to me, William , [aid I, I will take 
 it kindly: I began now to be very much moved at his 
 Difcovrfe. 
 
 Says William, Tears running down his Face, it 
 is becaufe Men live as if they were never to dye, 
 that fo many dye before they know how to live - y 
 but it was not Death that I meant, when I faid, 
 77;rff there was fomething to be thought of beyond this 
 Way of. Living. 
 
 Why, William , faid /, what was that ? 
 It was Repentance, fays he. 
 Why, fays /, did you ever know a Pirate re-* 
 pent ? 
 
 At this he flarted a little, and return'd, at the 
 Gallows, I have one before, and I hope thou wile 
 be the lecond. 
 
 He fpoke this very affectionately, and with an. 
 Appearance of Concern for me. 
 
 Well, William, fays I, I thank you, and I am 
 not fo fenfelefs of thefe Things, perhaps, as I 
 make my felf feem to be 7 but come, let me hear 
 your Proposal. 
 
 My Propofal, fays William, is for thy Good, as 
 well as ray own *, we may put an End to this kind 
 ofLife,.and repent-, and I think the fai reft Oc- 
 casion offers for both at this very Time that 
 ever did, or ever will, or indeed, can happen 
 again. 
 
 Look 
 
( 3*) 
 
 Look you, William, fays /, let me have your 
 tropofal for putting an End to our prefent Way 
 of Living firft, for that is the Cafe bsfore us, 
 and you and I will talk of the other afterward. 
 I am not fo infenfible, [aid /, as you may think 
 me to be \ but let us get out of this hellifh Con- 
 dition we are in firft. 
 
 Kay, fays William, thou art in the right there ; 
 we muft never talk of repenting while we con- 
 tinue Pirates. 
 
 Well, fays I, William, that's what I meant, For 
 5f we muft not reform, as well as be lorry for 
 what's done, 1 have no Kotion what Repentance 
 means -, indeed, at beftl know little of the Mat- 
 ter *, but the Nature of the thing feems to tell 
 me, that the firft Step we have to take, is to 
 break off this wretched Co.urfe, and I'll begin 
 there with you with all my Heart. 
 
 I could' fee by his Countenance^ that William 
 was throughly pleafed with the Oiler ; and if he 
 had Tears in his Eyes before, he had more now, 
 but it was from a quite differing Paflion, for he 
 was fo fwallow'd up with Joy, he could not 
 ipeak. 
 
 Come, William, fays J, thou fheweft me plain 
 enough thou haft an honeft Meaning. Doft thou 
 think 'tis practicable for us to put an End to our 
 unhappy Way of Living here, and get off? 
 
 Yes, fays he> I think 'tis very practicable for 
 me, whether 'tis for thee or no, that will depend 
 upon thy felf. 
 
 Well, fays I, I give you my Word, that as I 
 have commanded you all along, from the Time I 
 firft took you on Board, Co you fhall command me , 
 from this Hour , and every thing you dirett me, 
 
 nuo. 
 
 WilC 
 
( 3" ) 
 
 Wilt thou leave it all to me ? Doft thou lay 
 this freely ? 
 
 Yes, William, fays I, freely, and I'll perform it 
 faithfully. 
 
 . Why then, fays William, my -Scheme h this, 
 we are now at the Mouth of the Gulph of Verfa, 
 we have fold fo much ot our Cargo here at Surat, 
 that we have Money enough , fend me away for 
 Bajfora with the Sloop, loaden with the China 
 Goods we have on Board, which will nuke ano- 
 ther good Cargo- and Til warrant thee I'll find 
 Means among the EufrliJJ) and the Dutch Merchants 
 there, to lodge a Quantity of Goods and Money 
 alio its a Merchant, lb as we will be able to have 
 Recourfe to it again upon any Occafion, and 
 when I come Home we will contrive the reft % 
 md in the mean Time do you bring the Ship's 
 Crew to take a Refolution to go to MaAagafcar % 
 as loon as I return. 
 
 I told him, I thought he need not go lb far as 
 Bajfora, but might run into Gombaroon, or to Or- 
 mus, and pretend the fame Bufmels. 
 
 No, fays he, I cannot aft with the lame Free- 
 dom there, becauie the Company's Faftory are 
 there, and I may be laid hold of there on Pre- 
 tence of Interloping. 
 
 Well, but, fitid I, you may go to Ormus then, 
 for I am loath to part with you Co long as to go to 
 the Bottom of the Verfian Gulph. He returned 
 that I mould leave it to him to do as he ihould 
 fee Caufe. 
 
 We had taken a large Sum of Money at $ur.xt ; 
 fo that we kid near a hundred thou land Pounds 
 in Money at our Command , but on board the 
 great Ship we h;d ftill a gre.a deal more. 
 
 Z I or- 
 
( p2 ) 
 
 I ordered Win publickly to keep the Money op 
 board which he had, $nd tdjb'uy up with it a 
 Quantity of Ammunition if-fie could get it, and 
 fo to furnim us (or new Exploits -, and in the 
 mean Time I reiblved to get a Quantity of Gold 
 and feme Jewels, which I had on board the 
 great SH>p, and place them fo, that I might car- 
 ry them oif without Notice, as foon as he came 
 back -, and Co according to Williams Directions, 1 
 Jeft him to go the Voyage, and I went on board 
 the great Ship, in which we had indeed an im- 
 men (e Treat".; re. 
 
 We waited no lefs than two Months, for WiflU 
 Ws Return-, and indeed I began to be very 
 lir.ctifv I'bo'ut Willi Atn> fometimes thinking he had ' 
 -abandoned mc, and that he might h*ve ufed tho 
 i;:me Artifice to have engaged the other Men to 
 comply with him, and ib they were gone away < 
 together-, and it was but three Days before his 
 Return, that I wasjuft upon the Point of rcfol- 
 ving to go away to JiiaJagafcar^ and give him 
 over -, but the old Surgeon, who mimicked the 
 Quaker, and palled for the Matter of the Sloop 
 atSuMy pcrfwaded me agaiuft that-, for which 
 good Advice, and his apparent Faithfulncfs in 
 what he had been trufted with, I made him a 
 Party to my Defign, and he prbved very 
 hone ft. 
 
 At length William came back, to our inexpreP 
 fible Jcy, and brought a great many neceJftry ' 
 Things "with him \ as particularly, he brought 
 fixty Barrels of Powder, lome Iron Shot, and a* 
 bout thirty Ton of Lead-, alio lie brought a 
 great deal of Pronfions ; and in a Word, William 
 gave me a publick Account of lvs Voyage, in the 
 Hearing of whoever happened to be upon the 
 
 Quarter- 
 
 & 
 
-Quarter-Deck, -that<no Sufpicio'ns might' be 
 found about us.* i .."..,' . : 
 
 After all was done', 'William moved, that he 
 t mtght go up again, and that I would go with 
 ;him \ named leveral .Things which we had on 
 .board that he could not fell there, and particu- 
 larly told usj he had been obliged to leave ieve- 
 ral Things there, the Caravans being not come 
 in ; and that he had ingaged to come back again 
 with Gcods. 
 
 This was what I wanted ; the Men were eager 
 for his Going, and particularly becaufe he told 
 <them they nvght load the Sloop back with 
 Rice and Provifions: But I feemed backward to 
 
 .-going' , wlien the old Surgeon flood up, and per- 
 .iwa'Jed me to go,* and with many Arguments 
 
 preJlcd me toit.*, as.part'cularly, if I did not go, 
 there would be i*o Order, and feveral of the 
 
 i Men might drop nway, and perhaps betray all 
 the reft ; and that .they fliould no 1 : think it fafe 
 
 , for the .Sloop to go again, if I did not go , and 
 
 to -urge me to it, Jie offered himfelf to go 
 with me. 
 
 \ :; 'Upon the (b Confiderations I feemed to be over- 
 
 rperfwaded to go , and all the Company ieemed 
 
 the better iatished when 1 had contented: And 
 ^accordingly we took all the Powder, Lead, and 
 - Jron but of the Sloop into the great Ship, and 
 
 all the other Things that were for the Ship's 
 
 Ufe, and put in fome Bales of Spices, and Casks 
 ;. or Frailcs of Cloves, in all about feven Ton, and 
 
 dome other Goods, among the Bales of which I 
 had couvey'd all my private Treafure, which, 1 
 
 -allure you, was of no fmall Value *, and away 
 r 1 Audit. 
 
 Z 2 At 
 
( 3H ) 
 
 At going off,' I called a Council of all the Offi- 
 cers in the Ship, to confider in what Place they 
 mould wait for me, and how long, where we ap- 
 pointed the Ship to ftay eight and twenty Days, 
 at a little Ifland on the Arabian Side of the Gulph^ 
 ;mU that if the Sloop did not come in that Time, 
 (hey ihould fail to another Ifland to the Weft of 
 that Place, and wait there fifteen Days more \ 
 and that then if the Sloop did not come, they 
 ihould conclude fome Accident muft have hap- 
 pened, and the Rendezvous ihould be at M&+ 
 tiigiifatr. ' .'. 
 
 Beinn; thus refolved, we left the Ship, which 
 both William, and I, and the Surgeon never in- 
 tended to lee any more : Wc fleered dire&ly 
 for the Gulph, and through to Fsfftro, or Balfara, 
 This City of Bdfitra lies at feme Diftance from 
 the Place where our Sloop lay, and the River 
 rot being very fife, and we. but ill acquainted 
 with it, having but an ordinary Pilot, we went 
 on Shore at a Village where fome Merchants live, 
 and which is very populous, for the fake of (mall 
 Vcilels riding there. 
 
 Here we ftay'd, and traded three or four 
 Days, landing all our Bales and Spices, and in- 
 deed the whole Cargoe, that was of any confide- 
 rable Value-, which, we chofe to do rather than 
 go up immediately to Balfnra y till the Project' 
 we had laid was put in Execution. 
 
 After we had bought fevcral Goods, and we're 
 preparing to buy ieveral others, the Boat being 
 on Shore with twelve Men, my feif, William, the 
 Surgeon, and one Fourth Man, whom we had 
 fingledout, we contrived to fend a Turk, juft at 
 the Pusfc of the Evening, with a Letter to the 
 Eoatfonin , and giving the Fellow a Charge to 
 
 run 
 
( ?*5 / 
 
 run with all poiTible Speed, we flood at a fmall 
 Diftance to obferve the Event. The Contents 
 of the Letter were thus written by the old 
 
 Doftor. 
 
 .-*' 
 
 c Boatfwain Tfjcmas, 
 4 \KT are all betrayMj for God's Sake 
 V V l make off with the Boat, and get on 
 * board, or you are all loft. The Captain, Wit* 
 c Ham the Quaker, and George the Rcformade are 
 1 feized and Carried away % I am e leaped and hid, 
 c but cannot ftir out , If I do I am a dead Man : 
 As foon as you are on board, cut or flip, and 
 J make Sail for your Lives* 
 
 c Adieu. 
 
 tf. 5. 
 
 ' We flood undifcovered, as above*, it being 
 the Dusk of the Evening, and faw the Turk deli- 
 ver the Letters; and in three Minutes we faw 
 all the Men hurry into the Boat, and put off; 
 and no fooner were they on board, but they 
 took the Hint, as we fuppofed; for the next 
 Morning they were out ot Sight; and we 
 never heard Tale or Tidings of them fmce. 
 
 We were now in a good Place, and in very 
 good Circumftances, for we paft for Mer- 
 chants of Perfiit. 
 
 It is not material to record here what a 
 Mafs of ill-gotten Wealth we had got together i 
 It will be more to the Purpofe to tell you, that I 
 began to be fenflble of the Crime of getting of it 
 in fuch a Manner as 1 had done, that I had very 
 . little Satisfaction in the Poffeilion of it ; and, as 
 1 told William, I had no Expe&ation of keeping it, 
 
 Zj nqr 
 
nor much Defire , but as I faid to him One Day 
 walking put into the Fields near the Town at' 
 ^tjf.iroylb I depended upon it, that it would be*. 
 the Cafe, which you will hear presently. 
 
 t We \yere perfc&Iy fecured at Btffaro, by ha- 
 ving frighted away "the Rogues, our Comrades ; 
 sind we had nothing to do but to confider how to 
 vert our Treafure in Things proper to make us 
 look like Merchants, as we were now to be, 
 And not like Free-booters, as we really had 
 been. 
 
 We happened very opportunely here upon. 
 a Dutchm.w, who had travelled from Bcv.gd tor 
 jtgrt, the Capital City of the Great Mogul, and 
 from thence was come to the Coafl of ALtUihar by 
 Land, and got Shipping lome how or other up 
 the Gulph , and we found his Defign was to go 
 up the great River to BagJdt or Btbyhn \ and ib 
 by the Caravan to Jlc^o and Scanderoert. As Willi* 
 am-fyoVs Dutch, and was of an agreeable infinua- 
 ting Behaviour, he foon got acquainted with this' 
 Dutchman , and di (covering our Ci re um fiances to 
 one another, we found he had considerable Eifefls 
 with him *, and that he had traded long in thatr 
 Country, and was making homeward to his own 
 Country -, and that he had Servants with him, 
 one an Armenian, whom he had taught to ipcak 
 Dutch, and who had ibmething of his own, but 
 had a Mind to travel into Europe \ and the other 
 a Dutch Sailor, whom he had picl'ed up by his Fan- 
 cy, and repofed a great Trull in him, and a very 
 honeft Fellow he was. 
 
 This -Dutchman was very glad of an Acquain- 
 tance, becaufe lie loon found that we direct- 
 ed our Thoughts to Eurcfc fllfb, and a* he 
 found we were encumber a with Goods only, 
 
 - " for 
 
( 3*7 ) 
 
 for we let him know nothing of our Money, he 
 readily offer'd us his Afliftance, to difpofe of as 
 many of them as the Place we were In would put 
 oft*, and his Advice what to do with the reft. 
 
 While this was doing, William and I confulted 
 what to do with our lelves, and what we had; 
 and firft werefblved we would never talk ferioufly 
 of any of our Meafures, but in the open Fields, 
 where we were fure no Body could hear ; fb every 
 Evening, when the Sun began to decline, and the 
 Air to be moderate, we walk'd out fbmetimes 
 this Way, ibmetimes that, to confult of our Af- 
 fairs. 
 
 I fhould have obferved, tliat we had new 
 cloathed our (elves here after the Terfian Manner, 
 in lung Vefts of Silk, a Gown or Robe of Eft?lijh 
 Crimfon Cloth, very fine and handfome, and had 
 let our Beards grow fo after the Vcrfian Manner, 
 that we paft for Fcrfian Merchants, in View only, 
 tho', by the Wajf 9 we could not underftand or fpeak 
 one Word of the Language of Pcrfia, or indeed 
 of any other but Engltfi and Dutch, and of the 
 latter I underflood very little. 
 
 However, the Dutchman fupply'd all this for 
 us, and as we had refolved to keep our felves as 
 retired as we could, though there were feverai 
 Englifl) Merchants upon the Place, yet we never 
 acquainted our felves with one of them, or ex- 
 changed a Word with them, by which Means we 
 prevented their Enquiry of us now, or their 
 giving any Intelligence of us, if any News of 
 our Landing here (hould happen to come, which it 
 was eafy for us to know, was poflible enough, if 
 any of our Comrades fell into bad Hands, or by 
 many Accidents which we could not fcrefee. 
 
 2 4 It 
 
. Ic was during my being here, for here wq 
 ftay'd near two Months, that I grew very thought- 
 ful about my Cuxum fiances, not as to the Dm* 
 ger, neither . indeed were we in any, but were 
 entirely couceafd and unfufpe&ed-, but I really 
 began to have other Thoughts of my felf, and of 
 the World, than ever I had before. 
 
 William had (truck fo deep into my unthinking 
 Temper, with hinting to me, that there was 
 ibmethir.g beyond all this, that the p'refent Time 
 was the Time of Enjoyment, but that the Time 
 of Account approached ; that the Work that re- 
 mained was gentler than the Labour paft, viz.* 
 JRcpevrsjivCy and that it was high Time to think of 
 it ^ I fay thefe, and fuch Thoughts as thefe, en- 
 urofsM my Hours, and in a Word, I grew very 
 lad. 
 
 As to the Wealth I had, which was immenfely 
 great, it was all like Dirt under my Feet , I had 
 no Value for it, no Peace in the Poffefiion of it, 
 no great Concern about me for the leaving of it. 
 I I'M Jam had perceiv'd my Thoughts to be 
 troubled, and my Mind heavy and oppreft for 
 ibmcrTime*, and one Evening, in one of our cool 
 Walks, I began with him about the leaving our 
 Etfects. William was a wile and wary Man, and 
 indeed all the Prudentials of my Conduct, had 
 for a long Time been owing to his Advice, and fo 
 now all the Methods for preferving our Effefls, 
 and even our felves lay upon Irm \ and he had 
 been telling me of fome of theMeafures he ha<J' 
 been taking for our making homeward, and for 
 the Security of our Wealth/ when I took him 
 veryfhort." Why> Willum* fays I, dofl thou think 
 ivc j!).:!i ever be able to reach Europe mth all this Cargo. 
 tb.it rve have about us. 
 
 Ay, 
 
(3*9 ) 
 
 M>f a y $ William, without doubt, as well as other. 
 Merchants with theirs, as long as it is not pub- 
 lickly known what Quantity, or of what Value 
 our Cargo confifts. 
 
 Why, William, fays I, fmiling, do you think 
 that if there is a God above, as you have fb long 
 been telling me there is, and that we muft: give an 
 Account to him ? 1 fay, Do you think if he be 
 a righteous Judge, he will let us efcape thus with 
 the Plunder, as we may call it, of fo many inno- 
 cent People, nay, I might fay Nations, and not 
 call us to an Account for it before we can get to 
 Europe, where we pretend to enjoy it ? 
 William appeared ftruck and furprizedat the 
 Queftion, and made no Anfwer.for a great while, 
 and 1 repeated the Queftion, adding, that it was 
 not to be expe&ed. . .< 
 
 After a little Paufe, fays William, Thou haft 
 ftarted a very weighty Queftion, and I can make . 
 no pofitive-Anfwer to it, but I will ftate it thus; 
 firft, it is Time, that if we confider the Juftice of 
 God, we ha,ve no Reafon to expert any Prote&ion, 
 but as the ordinary Ways of Providence are out 
 of the common Road of numan Aflairs, fo we may 
 hope for Mercy ftiil upon our Repentance, and 
 we know not how good he may be to us ; fb we 
 are to aQ: as if we rather depended upon the laft, 
 1 mean the merciful Part, than claimed the 
 firft, which muft produce nothing but Judgment 
 and Vengeance. i - 
 
 But hark ye, William, fays I, the Nature of Re- 
 pentance, as you hinted once to me, included 
 Reformation, and we can never reform } how 
 then can we repent ? . 
 
 , Why, can we never reform, fays William ? 
 v .- ' . ; "-;'* --< Becaufe, 
 
( 33 ) 
 
 .. Becaufe, faid /, we cannot reftore what tve 
 have taken away by Rapine and Spoil. 
 
 'Tis true, fays William, we can never do that, 
 for we can never come to the Knowledge of the 
 Owners- 
 
 But what then muftbedone with our Wealth," 
 
 faid I> the Effects of Plunder and Rapine ? If we 
 
 keep it, we continue to be Robbers and Thieves, 
 
 and if we quit it, we cannot do Juftice with it,- 
 
 for we cannot reftore it to the right Owners? 
 
 Kay, fays William, the Anfwer to it is ihort y 
 to quit what we have, and do it here, is to throw 
 it away to thole who have no Claim to it, and to 
 diveft our lelves of ir, but to do no Right with 
 it } whereas we ought to keep it carefully toge- 
 ther, with a Refolution to do what Right with it 
 we are able , and who knows what Opportunity 
 Providence may put into our Hands, to do Juftice 
 at leaft to fome of thofe we have injured, fo we 
 ought at leaft to leave it to him, and go on, as ic 
 is, without doubt, our prefent Bufmefs to do, to 
 fbme Place of Safety, where we may wait his 
 Will. 
 
 This Refolution of William was very fatisfying 
 to me indeed, as, the Truth is, all he faid, and at 
 all Times, was folid and good , and had not Wit* 
 Ham thus, as it were, quieted my Mind, I think 
 verily I was fo alarmed at the juft Rcafori I had to 
 expert Vengeance from Heaven upon me for mv 
 ill-gotten Wealth, that I mould have run away 
 from it as the Devil's Goods , that 1 had nothing 
 to do with that did not belong to me, and that \ 
 had no Right to keep, and was in certain Danger 
 of being deftroy'd for. 
 
 However, William fettled my Mind to more 
 prudent Steps than thefe, and I concluded that I 
 
 ought, 
 
. (Mr . 
 
 ought, however, to proceed to a Place of Safetjiy v 
 and leave the Event to God Almighty's Mercy i ' 
 but this I muft leave unon Record, that I had \ 
 from this Time no Joy of the Wealth I had got ; 
 1 looked upon it alias a ftolen, and fo indeed the.; 
 greateft Part of it was; I look'd upon it as a [ 
 Hoard of other Mens Goods, which I had robbed * 
 the innocent Owners of, and which I ought, in a * 
 Word, to be hanged for here, and damned for ; 
 hereafter ; and now indeed I began fincerely to 
 hate my felf for a Dog, a Wretch that had been ' 
 a Thief, and a Murtherer', a V/retch, that was! 
 in a Condition which no Body was ever m\ for I 
 had robb'd, and tho' I had the Wealth by me, 
 yet it was impoiTible 1 mould ever make any 
 Reftitution , and upon this Account it run in my 
 Head, that I could never repent, for that Re-~ 
 peutance could not be fmcere without Reftituti- 
 on, and therefore I muft of Neceillty be damned,' 
 there was no room for me to efcape : I went about 
 with my Heart full of thefe Thoughts, little bet- 
 ter than a diftra&ed Fellow in ihort, running" 
 headlong into the dreadfulleft Defpair, and pre-* 
 meditated nothing but how to rid my felf out of 
 the World , and indeed the Devil, if fuch Things 
 are of the Devil's immediate doing, followed his 
 Work very clofe with me, and nothing lay upon 
 my Mind for feveral Days, but to moot my felf 
 into the "Head with my Piftol. 
 
 I was all this while in a vagrant Life, among 
 Infidels, Turks, Pagans, and fuch Sort of People; 
 I had no Minifter, no Chriftian, to converfe with, 
 but poor William^ he was my Ghoftly Father, or 
 ConfefTor, and he was all the Comfort I had. As 
 for my Knowledge of Religion, you have heard 
 my Hiilory - 7 you may fuppofe I had not much, 
 
 and 
 
and as for the Word of God, I don't remember 
 that I ever read a Chapter in the Bible m my Life- 
 time; I was little Bob at Bujfcltw, and went to , 
 School to learn my Tcftamcnt. 
 
 However, it pleated God to mate William the 
 Quaker every thing to me , upon this Occafion T 
 took him out one Evening as ufual, and hurried 
 him away into the Fields with me, in more Hade . 
 than ordinary, and there, in fhort, 1 told him - 
 the Perplexity of my Mind, and under what ter- 
 rible Temptations of the Devil 1 had been, that- 
 I muft moot my felf, fori could not fupport the 
 Weight and Terror that was upon me. ' 
 
 Shoot your felf, fays William, why, what will , 
 that do for you? \ 
 
 Why, fays I, 'twill put an End to a milerable' 
 Life. 7 
 
 Well, fays William, are you fatisfied the next' 
 will be better ? 
 
 No, no, fays I, much worfe to be fure* 
 
 Why then, fays he, ihoot your felf is the De? 
 viPs Notion, no doubt, for 'tis the Devil of a 
 Realbn, that becaufe thou art in an ill Cafe, that 
 therefore thou muft put thy felf into a worfe. 
 
 This mock'dmy Realbn indeed: Well, but 
 fays I, there is no bearing the miferable Condition 
 I am in. 
 
 , Very well, fays William, but it feems there \% 
 fome bearing a wcrfe Condition, and lb you will 
 Ihoot your felf, that you may be paft Remedy. 
 
 I am paft Remedy already, fays L \ 
 
 Kow do you know that, fays he * 
 . I am fatisfied of it, faid L 
 . Well, fays he, but you are not fure, fb you wijf 
 ihoot your "felf to make it certain-, for tho' on this 
 fide Death vou can't be fure you will be damned 
 
 ac 
 
w 
 
 <( 333 ) 
 
 at all, yet.the Moment yoa Aep on the other fide 
 
 of Time, you are fure of it ; for when 'tis done, 
 .'tis not to be faid then that you will, but that you 
 
 are damned. 
 
 Welly buty fays William, m if he had been between 
 
 Jeft and Earnejty pray, what didft thou dream of 
 
 Jaft Night ? 
 
 Why, faid /, I had frightful Dreams all Night,' 
 
 and particularly I dreamt that the Devil came for 
 'me, and asked me what my Name was? and I 
 
 told him, then he askt me what Trade I was? 
 
 Trade, fays /, I am a Thief, a Rogue, by my Cal- 
 . ling ; 1 am a Pirate, and a Murtherer, and ought 
 . to be hanged ; ay, ay, fays the Devil, fo you do, 
 : andyou are the Man I lookM for, and therefore 
 .come along with me, at which I was moft horri- 
 i bly frighted, and cried out, fo "that it waked me, 
 ; and I have been in a horrible Agony ever fince. 
 . ! Very well, fays lVi!liam y come,, give me the 
 .Piflol thou .talk'il ofjuft now. ,. : 
 v ,. Why, fitys I 7 what will you do with it ? 
 y, .Do with it, fays \ViUiam y why, thou needfl not 
 \ flioot thy felf, I fhall be obliged to do it for thee, 
 . why, thou wilt deftroy us all. < - 
 
 ^.,; What do you mean, IVttHam, fold J? 
 ,.: Meari, faid he, nay, what dift thou mean ? to 
 \ cry out aloud in thy Sleep, / am a Tlriefy a Pirate 9 
 : u Alurthtrery and ought to be hanged ; why, thou 
 
 wilt mine us all, 'twas well the Dutchman did noc 
 underftand Eitglifh : In fliort, I mufl Ihoot thee to 
 - fave my own Life *, come, come, fays he y give me 
 >thyPiilol. . 
 
 .x Iconfefs, this terrified me again another Way,' 
 . and I began to be fenfible, that if any Body had 
 t been near me to underftand Englifiy I had been 
 
 "undone, and the Thought of /hooting my felf 
 
 - forfook 
 
forfook me from that.Time, and I turned to WiU 
 
 - Ham \ you di (order me extremely, William, faid /, 
 why, I am never ife, r.or is it: fafe to keep me 
 Company, what fhall I do ? .1 fhall betray you all. 
 
 Come, come, Friend B*b, fays he, V\\ put art 
 End to it all, if you will take my Advice. 
 
 .How's that, faJd If 
 ; Why only, fays he, that the next Time thou 
 talhft with the Devil, thou wilt talk a little fof titer 9 
 'or we ihall be all undone, and you too. 
 
 * This frighted me, 1 mud confefs, andaltayMa 
 "great deal of tH Trouble of Mind I was in \ bye 
 
 iVMiam, after he had done jetting with me, enter- 
 
 cd upon a very long and fcrious Difeourfe with me 
 about the Nature of my Circumdances, and about 
 
 " Repentance, that it ought to be attended indeed 
 <\vith a deep Abhorrence of the Crime that I had 
 to charge my fetf with, but that to defpair of 
 God's Mercy was no Part of Repentance, but put- 
 ting my felt into the Condition of the Devil ; in- 
 deed, that I mud apply my felf with a fincere 
 '"humble Confefiion of my Crime \ to ask Pardon of 
 i God whom I had offended, and cad my felf upon 
 his Mercy, relblving to be willing to make lle- 
 ftitntion, if ever it fhould ptea(e*God to put it in- 
 to my Power, even to the utmod of what I had in 
 
 - the World , and this he told me was the Method 
 which he had rciblvcd upon himfelf, and in this 
 
 Jie told me he had found Comfort. 
 
 ' I had a great deal of Satisfaction in William's 
 'Difeourfe, and it quieted me very much; but 
 
 William was very anxious ever after about my 
 f ; talking in my Sleep, and took care to lye with me 
 'always himfelf, and to keep me from Lodging in 
 . nny Houfe, where fo much as a Word of-Engtijb 
 
 was underdood. '. " 
 
 : - - However, 
 
C 355 > ;. 
 
 l However, there was not the like Occafion a 
 terward, for I was much more compofed in my 
 Mind, and refolved for the future to live a quite 
 differing Life from -what I had done : As to the 
 Wealth I had, 1 look'd upon it as nothing ; I re- 
 Jblved to fet it apart to any fuch Opportunity of 
 doing Juftice, that God fhould put into my 
 Hand, and the miraculous Opportunity I had af- 
 terwards of applying lomc Parts of it to preferve 
 ft ruined Family, whom I had plundered, may be 
 worth reading, if I have Roqmfor it in this Ac- 
 count. 
 
 With thefe Refolutions I began to be reftored 
 to feme Degrees of Quiet in my Mind, and 
 having after\i!moft three Months Stay at Buf- 
 fer* difpofed of fbme Goods ; but having a 
 great Quantity left, we hired Boats according 
 to the Dutchman's Direftion, and went up to Bu%- 
 dat y or Babylon, on the River Tygris, or rather Eu- 
 phrates \ we had a very confiderable Cargo of 
 Goods with us, and therefore made a great Fi- 
 gure there, and were receiv'd with Refpeft \ we 
 had in Particular, two and Forty Bales of Indian 
 Stuffs of fundry Sorts, Silk, Muflins, and fine 
 Chints; we had Fifteen Bales of very Rue China 
 Silks, and Seventy Packs or Bales of Spices, par- 
 ticularly Cloves and Nutmegs, with other Goods ; 
 we were bid Money here for our Cloves, but the 
 Dutchman advifed us not to part with them, and 
 told us, we fhould get a better Price at jileppo, 
 pr in the Levant, fo we prepared for the Ca- 
 ravan. 
 
 y We concealed our having any Gold, or Pearls,' 
 as much as we could, and therefore ibid Three 
 or Four Bales of China Silks, and Indian Callicoes, 
 'to raife Money to boy Camels, and to pay the 
 
 Cuftoms, 
 
( 31*> ) 
 
 Cuftoms, which are taken at fevcral Places, and 
 for our Provifions over the Defarts, 
 ., I. travelled this Journey caretefs to the laft De- 
 gree of my Goods or Wealth, believing, that as 
 1 came by it all by Rapine and Violence, God 
 would direft, that it mould be taken from me 
 again in the lame Manner ; and indeed, I think I 
 might fay, I was very willing it mould be fb ; 
 but as I had a merciful Prote&or above me, fb I 
 had a mod faithful Steward, Counfellor, Partner, 
 or whatever I might call him, who was my Guide, 
 my Pilot, my Governor, my every thine, and 
 took care both of me, and of all we had; and 
 tho' he had never been in any of thefe Parts of 
 the World, yet he took the Care of all upon htm; 
 and in about Kine and Fifty Days we arriv'd 
 from Bajfira, at the Mouth of the River Tygrls 
 and Euphrates, thro' the Deiart, and thro* Ale^o 
 to Alexandria, or as we call it, Scanderoon, in the 
 
 Here William and !, and the other two, our 
 faithful Comrades, debated what we mould do ; 
 and here William and I refolved V. feparatc from 
 the other Two, they refolving to go with the 
 Dutchman into Holland, and by the Means of 
 ibme Dutch Ship which lay then in the Road : 
 William and I told them, we refolved to go and 
 fettle in the Morea, whicli then belonged to the 
 Venetians, 
 
 It is true, we a&cd wifely in it not to let them 
 .know whither we went, feeing we had refolved 
 to feparate, but we took our old Doftor's Di- 
 regions how to write to him .in Holland, and 
 in England, that we might have Intelligence 
 from him on Occafion, and promifed to give 
 him an Account how to write to us, which 
 
 we 
 
V3 afterwards did, as may m Time fce made 
 but. ... 7 , 
 
 We. ftay'd here' feme Time after they werei 
 gone, till at length hot being thoroughly refolved 
 .whither to go till then, a Venetian Ship touched at 
 Cyprus, and put in at Scandcroon to look for Freight 
 Home : We took the Hint, and bargaining for our 
 PafTnge,* and the Freight of our Goods, we em- 
 fcark'd for Venice, where in two and Twenty 
 Days we arrived fafe with all our Treafure, and 
 with fuch a Cargo, take our Goods, and our Mo- 
 ney, and our Jewels together, as I believe was 
 never brought into the City by Two fingte Men, 
 fince the State of Venice had a Being. 
 
 We kept our felves here incognito for a great 
 while, pamng for Two Armenian Merchants ftiJL 
 &s we had done before \ and by this Time we had 
 gotten fb much of the Per/Ian and Armenian Jargon,' 
 which they talk'd at Bajfera, and Bagdat, and eve- 
 ry where that we came in the Country, as was 
 iufiicient to make us able to talk to one another,' 
 "fo as not to be underftood by any Body, though 
 ibmetimes hardly by our felves. 
 ; Here we converted all our Effe&s into Money,' 
 fettled our Abode as for a confiderable Time, and 
 William and I maintaining an inviolable Friendfhip 
 and Fidelity to one another, lived like two Bro- 
 thqrs \ we neither had or fought any feparate In-* 
 tereft * we conversed ierioufly and gravely, and 
 upon the Subject -of our Repentance continually ; 
 'we never changed, that ts to fay, fbas to leave 
 *off our Armenian Garbs, and we were called at Vc\ 
 tike the two Grecians. 
 
 I have been two or three times going to give a 
 
 Detail of our Wealth, but it will appear incredi- 
 
 *fctej and we had the greateft Difficulty in the 
 
 ~- A a - World 
 
. (03 
 
 V/orld how to conceal it, being juftly apprehend 
 five left we might be afTaflinated in tnat Country 
 for our Treafure ; at length William told me, he 
 began to think low that he muft never fee Eng- 
 land any more, and that indeed he did not much 
 concern himfelf about it} but feeing we had 
 gained fo great a Wealth, and he had fbme poor 
 Relations in England, and, ifl was willing,he would 
 write to know if they were living, and to know 
 what Condition they were in ; and if he found 
 fuch of them were alive, as he had fbme Thoughts 
 about, he would, with my Confent, fend them 
 fbmething to better their Condition, 
 
 I confented mod willingly, and accordingly 
 William wrote to a Sifter, and an Uncle, and in 
 about five Weeks Time receiv'dan Anfwer from 
 them both, directed to himfelf, under Cover of a 
 hard Armenian Name that he had given himfelf, 
 viz.* Seignior Ccnflanttnc Alcxion of Jfjahan at Ve- 
 nice* ".. . i ;'. , .... 
 
 It was a very moving Letter he received from 
 his Sifter, who after the moft paflionate ExprefU- 
 ons of Joy to hear he was alive, feeing ihe had 
 long ago hadan Account that he was murtheredby 
 the Pirates in thelVeft Indies ,, . fhe intreats him to 
 " let her know what Circumftanceshe was in ; tells 
 him, fhe was not in any Capacity to do any thing 
 ' considerable for him, "but that he mould be wel- 
 come to her with all her Heart; that 'fhe wasjleft 
 a Widow with Four Children, but kept a little 
 Shop in the Minorics, by which me madefhift to 
 ' maintain her Family *, and that me had fent him 
 Five Pound, left he mould want Money, in a 
 tf range Country, to bring him Home. .... . 
 
 Icoul4 
 
/ - 
 
 I could fee the Letter, brought Tears out of hi* 
 Eyes, as he read it, and indeed when he {hewed it 
 me, and the little Bill for Five Pounds upon an 
 Englifi Merchant in Venice, it brought Tears out 
 oi my Eyes too. '*.'" 
 
 After we had been both affe&ed fufficiently. 
 with the Tendernefs and Kindnefs of this Letter, 
 he turns to me, fays he, what fhall I do for this 
 
 foor Woman? I muled a while, at laft,/^/ /, 
 will tell you what you (hall do for her , fhe 
 has fent you Five Pounds, and fhe has Four Chil- 
 dren, and her felf, that's Five ; fuch a Sum from 
 a poor Woman in her Circumllances, is as much 
 as Five Thoufand Pounds is to us : You fhall fend 
 her a Bill of Exchange for Five Thoufand Pounds 
 Englip Money, and bid her conceal her Surprize 
 at it, till fhe hears from you again, but bid her 
 leave off her Shop, and go and take a Houfe fome 
 where in the Country, not far off from London, 
 and flay there in a moderate Figure, till flie hears 
 from you again. 
 
 , Now, lays William, I. perceive by it that you 
 have fome Thoughts of venturing into England. 
 . Indeed William, faid I, you miftake me, but it 
 prefently occurred to me that you fhould venture ^ 
 for what have you done that you may not be feea 
 there? Why fhould I defire to keep you from 
 your Relations purely to keep me Company ? 
 - William lookM very affe&ionately upon me 
 nay, fays he, we have embarked together fo long, 
 And come together fo far, I am refolved Til never 
 part with thee as long as I live, go where thou 
 .wilt, or fhy where thou wilt-, and as for my 
 Sifler, fiiidiyilliam, I cannot fend her fuch a Sum 
 of Money , for whofe is all this Money we have ^ 
 ftismoftof it thine. 
 
 Aa i JZ6 
 
No, William, fyd I, there is' not a Penny of it 
 
 'mine but what is yours too, and I won't have 
 any tiling but an equal'Share with you, and 
 therefore you fhall fend it to her, if not. I will 
 fend it. - V -?..: - 
 
 Why, fays William, it will make the poor Wo^ 
 man diftracled, me will be fo furprized, ihe will 
 go out of her Wits ; well, fatd William, you may 
 clo it prudently , fend her a Bill back'd of a Hun- 
 dred Pounds, and bid her expeft more in a JPoft 
 or two-, and that you will fend her enough to 
 live on without keeping Shop, and then fend her 
 more. 
 
 Accordingly William fent her a very kind Let* 
 ter, with a Bill upon a Merchant in London for % 
 Hundred and Sixty Bound, and bid her comfort 
 her felf with the Hope, that he mould be abl.e in 
 a little Time to fend her more. About ten Day? 
 after he fent her another Bill of Five Hundred 
 and Forty Pound, and a Poft or two after another 
 for Three Hundred Pound, making in all a Thou- 
 fand Pound *, and told her he would fend her fuf- 
 ficient to leave oil her Shop, and directed her to 
 take a Houfe, as above. "..: j 
 
 He waited then till he received an Anfwer to 
 "all the Three Letters, with an Account, that ihe 
 had received the Money, and which I did not 
 expetl:, that me had not let any other Acquain- 
 tance know that me had received a Shilling from 
 any Body, or fomuch as that he was alive, and 
 would not till me heard again. 
 
 When he mewed me this Letter, well, William} 
 faid I, this Woman is fit to be truftedwith Life 
 or any thing, fend her the reft of the Five Thou- 
 sand Pound^ and I'll venture to England with you, 
 
 to this Woman's Houfe, whenever you will* " 
 mHr ^ ~ ..- ,--.. t -., ..... i - , ,. T rf 
 
Ill .5 Word, we fent her J?ivfc Thdufand Pound 
 in good Bills, and fhe received tjiera punttually, 
 thd in a little Time fent her Brother Word, that * 
 Ine had pretended to her XJncle that ihe was 
 fickly, and could, not carry on the Trade any 
 longer, and that fhe had taken a large Houie 
 about Four Miles from London, under Pretence of 
 letting Lodgings for her Livelihood; and, in ihortr, 1 
 intimated as if {he underftood that he intended to % 
 come over to be Incognito , affuring him he fhoulcj 
 be as retired as he pl^afed. 
 - This was opening the very Door for us, that 
 we thought had been effectually fhut for this Life ; 
 and in a Word, we refolved to venture, but to 
 Iceep our lelves entirely concealed, both as to 
 ^ Name, and every other Circumftance ; and ac- 
 '\vrdingly William fent his Sifter Word, ho^r 
 ^ i.uid!y he took her prudent Steps, and that Hie 
 hod gueffed right, that he defired to be retired,' 
 : mi A that he obliged her not to increafe her Fj> 
 ^ pure, Jnit li /e private, tillflie might perhaps fee 
 - him. 
 * He was going to fend the Letter away; come^ 
 lytfiam, faid /, you flian't fend her an empty Let- 
 ter, tell her, you have a Friend coming with' 
 you. that muft be as retired as your felf, and I'll 
 lend her Five Thouftnd Pound more. 
 
 So in fhort we made this poor Woman's Fa,rm* 
 ly rjch,\and yet when it came to the Point, my 
 Heart failed me, and I durft not venture, and 
 for Williarn y he would not .ftir without me, and fa 
 v/e flayed about two Year after this, confidering 
 what we mould dq, . 
 
 You miy think, perhaps, that I was verypro^ 
 Gjgal of my ill-gotten Goods, thus to Joad a Strand 
 ker .with my' -Bounty, a.nd jgive.a Gift like a 
 : r r ' Prince 
 
... Ik, - ( W ' I.-V-- 
 
 Prince to one that had been able to merit nothing/ 
 of me, or indeed know me: But my Condition" 
 ought to be confidered in this Cafe*, though I. 
 had Money to Profufion, yet I was perfectly de- 
 ftitute of a Friend in the World to hare the leaft 
 Obligation or Afllftance from, or knew not either 
 where to difpofe or truft any Thing I had while I 
 lived, or whom to give it to, if I died. 
 
 When I had refle&ed upon the Manner of my. 
 Getting of it, I was fonutimes for giving of it ail 
 to charitable Ufes, as a Debt due to Mankind; 
 though I was a Roraan-Catholick, and not at all 
 of the Opinion, that it would purchafe me any 
 Repofe to my Soul , but I thought, as it was goc 
 by a general Plunder, and which I could make no 
 Satisfaction for, it was due to the Community, 
 and I ought to diftribute it for the general Good. 
 But frill I was at a Lofs how, and where, and by 
 whom to fettle this Charity, not daring to go* 
 Home to my own Country, left feme of my Com- 
 rades ftroled Home ftiould fee and detect me; 
 -and, for the- very Spoil of my Money, or the Pur- 
 chafe of his own Pardon, betray andexpofe me to 
 an- untimely End. 
 
 Being thus djftitute," I fay, of a Friend, I' 
 pltch'd thus upo.i William* Sifter , the kind Step 
 of her's to her Brother, who fhe thought to be 
 in Diftrefs, fignifying a generous Mind, and a 
 charitable Difpofition , and having refolved to 
 make hur the ObjeO: of my Rrft Bounty, I did noc 
 doubt but I fhould purchafe fomathing of a Refuge 
 fbrmyfelf, and a kind of a Centre, to which I 
 Should tend in my future Actions , for really a 
 Man that has a Subfiftmce, and no Refidence, nqi 
 Place that has a Mignetick Influence upon his 
 Affections, is in one of the npft odd uneafy Con- 
 V' * *" *: " " dicio/ts 
 
rCmJ 
 
 HitionsJn the World \ nor is it in the Power of 
 
 all his Money to make it up to him. . 
 
 * It was, as I told you, two Year and upwards,' 
 
 that we remained at Venice, and thereabout, in 
 
 the greateft Hefitation imaginable, irrefolute and 
 
 imfixed to the laft Degree. Williams Sifter im- 
 
 'portuned us daily to come to England, and woiv- 
 
 dered we mould not dare to truft her, whom we 
 
 had to fuch a Degree obliged to be faithful , and- 
 
 in a Manner lamented her being fufpctted by us. : 
 
 At laft I began to incline , and I faid to William} 
 
 Come, Brother William, faid J, t for ever fnce cur 
 
 -XJiJcourfe ai f.Balfara, I called him Brother, if you 
 
 . will agree to two or three Things with me, I'll go 
 
 Home to England with all my Heart. 
 
 Says William'^ let me know what they are! 
 .. Why firft, fays J, you mall not difclofe your 
 Telf to any of your Relations in England, but your 
 Sifter, no not to one. 
 
 Secondly, we will not fhave off our Muftachoes 
 or Beards, (for we had all along worn our Beards 
 after the Grecian Manner) nor leave off our long 
 Vefts, that we may pafs for Grecians and Foreigners. 
 Thirdly, That we fhall never fpeak Englify m 
 publick before any body, your Sifter excepted. 
 
 Fourthly, That we will always live together,' 
 and pafs for Brothers. 
 
 William faid, he would agree to them all with 
 all his Heart} but that the not fpeaking Englifi 
 would be the hardeft ; but he would do his beft 
 for that too: So, in a Word, we agreed to go 
 from Venice /to Naples, where we Verted a large 
 Sum of Money in Bales of Silk, left a large Sum 
 in a Merchant's Hands at Venice, rind another con- 
 siderable Sum at Naples, and took Bills of Ex- 
 change for a great deal too j and yet we came 
 
 with 
 
;Oh).. . . ... 
 
 ?/itli fucli S Cdrcoe to London, 4S fW' Amtrlcih 
 Merchants had done for fom'e Yeairs; for we 
 loaded in two Ships feventy three Bales of thrown 
 Silk, befides thirteen Bales* of wrought Silks from 
 the Dutchy of . Mil An, fliipt at Genoa \ with all 
 which I arrived fafely, and fome time after mar- 
 ried my/ faithful Protect re'fs, William* Siller, 
 with whom lam much more happy than I dclerve. 
 And now, having fo plainly told you, that I 
 am come to 'England, after I have fo boldly o'wnM 
 what Life I have led abroad, 'tis Time to leave 
 off, and lay no more for the prefent, left {onto. 
 ftiould be willing to inquire too nicely after 
 
 Tour Old Friend', ; 
 
 C.ApfiiH flpfl 
 
 ?XW : I^P 
 
 
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