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Further Adventures of Robinson Crusoe · Further Adventures of Robinson Crusoe

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  Chapter one revisits Island. That homely proverb used on so many occasions in England
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  viz. That what is bred in the bone will not go out of the
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  flesh, was never more verified than in the story of my life. Any
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  one would think that after thirty five years affliction and a variety of unhappy circumstances
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  which few men, if any, ever went through before, and after near
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  seven years of peace and enjoyment in the fullness of all things grown old,
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  and when, if ever it might be allowed me to have had experience of
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  every state of middle life, and to know which was most adapted to make
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  a man completely happy, I say, after all this, any one would
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  have thought that the native propensity to rambling, which I gave an account of
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  in my first setting out in the world, to have been so predominant in
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  my thoughts should be worn out, and I might, at sixty one years
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  of age, have been a little in inclined to stay at home and have
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  done venturing life and fortune any more. Nay farther, the common motive of
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  foreign adventures was taken away in me, for I had no fortune to make.
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  I had nothing to seek. If I had gained ten thousand pounds.
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  I had been no richer, for I had already sufficient for me and for
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  those I had to leave it to, and what I had was visibly increasing.
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  For having no great family, I could not spend the income of what
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  I had, unless I would set up for an expensive way of living,
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  such as a great family, servants, equipage, gaiety, and the like,
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  which were things I had no notion of or inclination to, so that
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  I had nothing, indeed to do but to sit still and fully enjoy what
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  I had got, and see it increase daily upon my hands. Yet all
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  these things had no effect upon me, or at least not enough to resist
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  the strong inclination I had to go abroad again, with which hung about me
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  like a chronic distemper. In particular, the desire of seeing my new plantation
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  in the island and the colony I left there, ran in my head continually.
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  I dreamed of it all night, and my imagination ran upon it all
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  day. It was uppermost in all my thoughts, and my fancy worked so
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  steadily and strongly upon it that I talked of it in my sleep. In
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  short, nothing could remove it out of my mind. It even broke so
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  violently into all my discourses, that it made my conversation tiresome, for I
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  could talk of nothing else. All my discourse ran into it, even to
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  impertinence, and I saw it myself. I have often heard persons of good
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  judgment say that all the stir that people make in the world about ghosts and
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  apparitions is owing to the strength of imagination and the powerful operation of fancy in
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  their minds, That there is no such thing as a spirit appearing or a
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  ghost walking. That peoples, pouring affectionately upon the past conversation of their deceased
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  friends, so realizes it to them that they are capable of fancying upon some
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  extraordinary circumstances, that they see them, talk to them, and are answered
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  by them, when in truth there is nothing but shadow and vapor in the
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  thing, and they really know nothing of the matter. For my part,
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  I know not to this hour whether there are any such things as real apparitions,
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  specters, or walking of people after they are dead, or whether there
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  is anything in the stories that they tell us of that kind more than the
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  product of vapors, sick minds, and wandering fancies. But this I know
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  that my imagination worked up to such a height and brought me into such excess
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  of vapors, or what else I may call it, that I actually supposed
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  myself often upon the spot at my old castle, behind the trees, saw
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  my old Spaniard, Friday's father, and the reprobate sailors I left upon the
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  island day I fancied. I talked with them and looked at them steadily,
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  though I was broad awake, as at persons just before me, And this
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  I did till I often frightened myself with the images my fancy represented to me.
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  One time, in my sleep I had the villainy of the three pirate
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  sailors so lively related to me by the first Spaniard and Friday's father, that
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  it was surprising. They told me how they barbarously attempted to murder all the
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  Spaniards, and that they set fire to the provisions they had laid up on
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  purpose to distress and starve them, things that I had never heard of,
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  and that indeed were never all of them true in fact. But it was
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  so warm in my imagination and so realized to me that to the hour I
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  saw them, I could not be persuaded, but that it was or would
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  be true. Also, how I resented it when the Spaniard complained to me,
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  and how I brought them to justice, tried them, and ordered them
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  all three to be hanged. What there was really in this shall be seen
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  in its place, For however I came to form such things in my dream,
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  and what secret converse of spirits injected it. Yet there was, I
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  say, much of it true. I own that this dream had nothing in
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  it literally and specifically true. But the general part was so true. The
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  base villainous behavior of these three hardened rogues was such, and had been so
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  much worse than all I can describe. That the dream had too much similitude
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  of the fact, and as I would afterwards have punished them severely. So
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  if I had hanged them all I had been much in the right, and
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  even should have been justified, both by the laws of God and man.
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  But to return to my story, in this kind of temper I lived some
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  years. I had no enjoyment of my life, no pleasant hours, no
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  agreeable diversion. But what had something or other of this in it? So
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  that my wife, who saw my mind wholly bent upon it, told me
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  very seriously one night that she believed there was some secret, powerful impulse of
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  providence upon me which had determined me to go thither again, and that she
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  found nothing hindered me going but my being engaged to a wife and children.
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  She told me that it was true she could not think of parting with me,
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  but as she was assured that if she was dead, it would be
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  the first thing I would do. So, as it seemed to her that
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  the thing was determined above, she would not be the only obstruction, for
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  if I thought fit and resolved to go here. She found me very intent
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  upon her words, and that I looked very earnestly at her, so that
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  it a little disordered her, and she stopped. I asked her why she
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  did not go on and say out what she was going to say. But
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  I perceived that her heart was too full, and some tears stood in her
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  eyes. Speak out, my dear, said, I are you willing I
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  should go? No, says she very affectionately. I am far from willing.
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  But if you are resolved to go, says she, rather than I
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  would be the only hindrance. I will go with you, for though I
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  think it a most preposterous thing for one of your years and in your condition.
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  Yet if it must be said, she again, weeping. I would
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  not leave you, for if it be of Heaven, you must do it.
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  There is no resisting it. And if Heaven make it your duty to
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  go, he will also make it mine to go with you, or otherwise
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  dispose of me, that I may not obstruct it. This affectionate behavior of
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  my wife's brought me a little out of the vapors, and I began to
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  consider what I was doing. I corrected my wandering fancy and began to argue
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  with myself sedately, what business I had, after three score years, and
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  after such a life of tedious sufferings and disasters, and closed in so happy
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  and easy a manner, I say, what business had I to rush into
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  new hazards and put myself upon adventures fit only for youth and poverty to run
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  into. With those thoughts, I considered my new engagement that I had a
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  wife, one child born, and my wife then great with child of another.
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  That I had all the world could give me, and had no need
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  to seek hazard for gain. That I was declining in years, and ought
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  to think rather of leaving what I had gained than of seeking to increase it.
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  That as what to my wife had said of its being an impulse from
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  heaven, and that it should be my duty to go. I had no
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  notion of that. So after many of these cogitations, I struggled, with
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  the power of my imagination, reasoned myself out of it, as I believe
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  people may always do in like cases if they will. In a word,
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  I conquered it, composed myself with such arguments as occurred to my thoughts,
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  and which my present condition furnished me plentifully with, and particularly as the most
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  effectual method, I resolved to divert myself with other things, and to an
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  gauge in some business that might effectually tie me up from any more excursions of
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  this kind. For I found that thing return upon me chiefly when I was
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  idle and had nothing to do, nor anything of moment immediately before me.
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  To this purpose, I bought a little farm in the County of Bedford,
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  and resolved to remove myself thither. I had a little convenient house upon it,
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  and the land about it I found was capable of great improvement, and
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  it was many ways suited to my inclination, which delighted in cultivating, managing,
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  planting, and improving of land, and particularly being an inland country,
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  I was removed from conversing among sailors and things relating to the remote parts of
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  the world. I went down to my farm, settled my family, bought
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  plows, harrows, a cart, wagon, horses, cows and sheep,
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  and setting seriously to work, became in one half year a mere country gentleman.
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  My thoughts were entirely taken up in managing my servants, cultivating the ground,
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  inclosing, planting, et cetera. And I lived, as I thought,
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  the most agreeable life that nature was capable of directing, or that a
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  man always bred to misfortunes was capable of retreating too. I farmed upon my
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  own land. I had no rent to pay, was limited by no articles.
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  I could pull up or cut down as I pleased. What I planted
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  was for myself, and what I improved was for my family. And having
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  thus left off the thoughts of wandering, I had not the least discomfort in
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  any part of life as to this world. Now, I thought, indeed,
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  that I enjoyed the middle state of life which my father so earnestly recommended
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  to me, and lived a kind of heavenly life something like what is described
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  by the poet upon the subject of a country life free from vices, free
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  from care, age has no pain, and youth no snare. But in
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  the middle of all this felicity, one blow from unseen providence unhinged me at
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  once, and not only made a breach upon me inevitable and incurable, but
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  drove me, by its consequences, into a deep relapse of the wandering disposition,
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  which, as I may say, being born in my very blood,
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  soon recovered its hold of me, and, like the returns of a violent
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  distemper, came on with an irresistible force upon me. This blow was the
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  loss of my wife. It is not my business here to write an elegy
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  upon my wife, give a character of her particular virtues, and make my
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  court to the sex by the flattery of a funeral sermon. She was,
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  in a few words, the stay of all my affairs, the center of
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  all my enterprises, the engine that, by her prudence, reduced me to
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  that happy compass I was in from the most extravagant and ruinous project that filled
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  my head and did more to guide my rambling genius than a mother's tears,
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  a father's instructions, a friend's counsel or all my own reasoning powers could do.
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  I was happy in listening to her, and in being moved by her
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  entreaties, and to the last degree, desolate and dislocated in the world by
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  the loss of her. When she was gone, the world looked awkwardly round
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  me. I was as much a stranger in it in my thoughts as I
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  was in the Brazils when I first went on shore there, and as much
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  alone, except for the assistance of servants, as I was in my island.
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  I knew neither what to think nor what to do. I saw the
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  world busy around me, one part laboring for bread, another part squandering in
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  vile excesses or empty pleasures, but equally miserable because the end they proposed still
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  fled from them. For the men of pleasure every day surfeited of their vice
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  and heaped up work for sorrow and repentance. And the men of labor spent
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  their strength in daily struggling for bread to maintain the vital strength they labored with,
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  so living in a daily circulation of sorrow, living but to work,
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  and working, but to live, as if daily bread were the only end
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  of wearisome life, and a wearisome life, the only occasion of daily bread.
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  This put me in mind of the life I lived in my kingdom,
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  the island where I suffered no more corn to grow because I did not want
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  it, and bread no more goats because I had no more use for them,
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  where the money lay in the drawer till it grew moldy and had scarce
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  the favor to be looked upon. In twenty years all these things had I
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  improved them as I ought to have done, and as reason and religion had
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  dictated to me, would have taught me to search farther than human enjoyments for
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  a full felicity, and that there was something which certainly was the reason and
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  end of life, superior to all these things, and which was either to
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  be possessed or at least hoped for, on this side of the grave.
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  But my sage counselor was gone. I was like a ship without a pilot
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  that could only run afore the wind. My thoughts ran all away again into
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  the old affair. My head was quite turned with the whimsies of foreign adventures
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  and all the pleasant innocent amusements of my farm, my garden, my cattle,
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  and my family, which before entirely possessed me, were nothing to me,
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  had no relish, and were like music to one who has no ear,
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  or food to one that has no taste. In a word, I
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  resolved to leave off housekeeping, let my farm, and return to London.
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  And in a few months after I did so. When I came to London,
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  I was still as uneasy as I was before. I had no relish
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  for the place, no employment in it, nothing to do but to saunter
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  about like an idle person of whom it may be said, he is perfectly
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  useless in God's creation, and it is not one farthing's matter to the rest
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  of his kind, whether he be dead or alive. This also was the
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  thing which, of all circumstances of life, was the most my aversion,
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  who has been all my days used to an active life, and I would
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  often say to myself, a state of idleness is the very dregs of life.
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  And indeed I thought I was much more suitably employed when I was twenty
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  six days making a deal board. It was now the beginning of the year
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  sixteen ninety three when my nephew, whom, as I have observed before,
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  I had brought up to the sea and had made him commander of a ship.
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  Was come home from a short voyage to Bilbao, being the first he
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  had made. He came to me and told me that some merchants of his
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  acquaintance had been proposing to him to go a voyage for them to the East
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  Indies and to China as private traders. And now uncle says he, if
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  you will go to sea with me, I will engage to land you upon
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  your old habitation in the island, for we are to touch at the brazils.
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  Nothing can be a greater demonstration of a future state and of the existence
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  of an invisible world than the concurrence of second causes, with the idea of
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  things which we form in our minds, perfectly reserved and not communicated to any
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  in the world. My nephew knew nothing how far my distemper of wandering was
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  returned upon me, and I knew nothing of what he had in his thought
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  to say. When that very morning before he came to me, I had,
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  in a great deal of confusion of thought, and resolving every part of
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  my circumstances in my mind, come to this resolution that I would go to
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  Lisbon and consult with my old sea Captain, and if it was rational and
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  practicable, I would go and see the island again, and what was become
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  of my people there. I had pleased myself with the thoughts of peopling the
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  place and carrying inhabitants from hence getting a patent for the possession. And I
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  know not what when in the middle of all this, in comes my nephew,
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  as I have said, with his project of carrying me thither in his
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  way to the East Indies. I paused, awhile at his words, and
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  looking steadily at him, what devil said, I sent you on this unlucky
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  Errand my nephew stared as if he had been frightened at first, but perceiving
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  that I was not much displeased at the proposal, he recovered himself. I
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  hope it may not be an unlucky proposal, sir, says he. I
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  dare say you would be pleased to see your new colony there where you once
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  reigned with more felicity than most of your brother monarchs in the world. In
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  a word, the scheme hit so exactly with my temper, that is to
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  say, the prepossession I was under, and of which I have said so
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  much that. I told him in a few words, if he agreed with
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  the merchants, I would go with him. But I told him I would
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  not promise to go any further than my own island. Why, sir,
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  says he, you don't want to be left there again? I hope,
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  but said I, can you not take me up again on your return?
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  He told me it would not be possible to do so, that the merchants
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  would never allow him to come that way with a laden ship of such value,
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  it being a month's sail out of his way, and might be three
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  or four. Besides, Sir, if I should miscarry, said he,
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  and not return at all, then you would be just reduced to the condition
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  you were in before. This was very rational, But we both found out
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  a remedy for it, which was to carry a framed sloop on board the
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  ship, which, being taken in pieces, might, by the help of
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  some carpenters whom we agreed to carry with us, be set up again in
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  the island and finished fit to go to sea in a few days. I
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  was not long resolving, for indeed, the importunities of my nephew joined so
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  effectually with my inclination that nothing could oppose me. On the other hand,
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  my wife being dead, none concerned themselves so much for me as to persuade
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  me one way or the other, except my ancient good friend, the widow,
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  who earnestly struggled with me to consider my years, my easy circumstances,
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  and the needless hazards of a long voyage, and above all my young children.
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  But it was all to no purpose. I had an irresistible desire for
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  the voyage, and I told her I thought there was something so uncommon in
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  the impressions I had upon my mind that it would be a kind of resisting
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  providence if I should attempt to stay at home, after which she seized her
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  expostulations and joined with me not only in making provision for my voyage, but
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  also in settling my family affairs for my absence and providing for the education of
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  my children. In order to do this, I made my will and settled
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  the estate I had in such a manner for my children, and placed in
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  such hands that I was perfectly easy and satisfied they would have justice done them
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  whatever might befall me, and for them education. I left it wholly to
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  the widow, with a sufficient maintenance to herself for her care, all which
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  she richly deserved, for no mother could have taken more care in their education
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  or understood it better. And as she lived till I came home, I
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  also lived to thank her for it. My nephew was ready to sail about
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  the beginning of January sixteen ninety four and five, and I, with my
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  man Friday, went on board in the Downs the eighth, having besides that
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  sloop which I mentioned above, a very considerable cargo of all kinds of necessary
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  things for my colony, which if I did not find it in good condition,
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  I resolved to leave. So first I carried with me some servants,
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  whom I purposed to place there as inhabitants, or at least to set on
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  work there upon my account while I stayed, and either to leave them there
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  or carry them forward as they should appear willing. Particularly, I carried two
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  carpenters, a smith and a very handy, ingenious fellow, who was a
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  cooper by trade, and was also a general mechanic, for he was dexterous
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  at making wheels and handmills to grind corn, was a good turner and a
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  good pot maker. He also made anything that was proper to make of earth
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  or of wood. In a word, we called him our jack of all
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  trades. With these I carried a tailor who had offered himself to go a
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  passenger to the East Indies with my nephew, but afterwards consented to stay on
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  our new plantation, and who proved a most necessary handy fellow as could be
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  desired in many other businesses besides that of his trade. For as I observed
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  formerly, necessity arms us for all employments. My cargo, as near as
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  I can recollect, For I have not kept account of the particulars consisted of
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  a sufficient quantity of linen and some English thin stuffs for clothing the Spaniards that
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  I expected to find there, and enough of them as, by my calculation,
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  might comfortably supply them for seven years. If I remember right. The
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  materials I carried for clothing them, with gloves, hats, shoes, stockings,
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  and all such things as they could want for wearing, amounted to about
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  two hundred pounds, including some beds, bedding, and household stuff, particularly
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  kitchen utensils with pots, kettles, pewter, brass et cetera. And near
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  one hundred pounds more in ironwork, nails, tools of every kind, staples,
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  hooks, hinges, and every necessary thing I could think of. I
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  carried also one hundred spare arms, muskets, and fuses, besides some pistols,
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  a considerable quantity of shot of all sizes, three or four tons of
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  lead, and two pieces of brass cannon. And because I knew not what
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  time and what extremities I was providing for, I carried a hundred barrels of
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  powder, beside swords, cutlasses, and the iron part of some pikes and
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  halberds. In short, we had a large magazine of all sorts of store.
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  And I made my nephew carry two small quarter deck guns, more than
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  he wanted for his ship to leave behind if there was occasion, so that
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  when we came there, we might build a fort and man it against all
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  sorts of enemies. Indeed, I at first thought there would be need enough
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  for all, and much more if we hope to maintain our possession of the
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  island. As shall be seen in the course of that story, I had
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  not such bad luck in this voyage as I had been used to meet with,
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  and therefore shall have the less occasion to interrupt the reader who perhaps may
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  be impatient to hear how matters went with my colony. Yet some odd accidents,
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  cross winds, and bad weather happened on this first setting out, which
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  made the voyage longer than I expected it at first. And I, who
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  had never made but one voyage, my first voyage to Guinea, in which
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  I might be said to come back again, as the voyage was at first
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  designed, began to think the same ill fate attended me, and that I
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  was born to be never contented with being on shore, and yet to be
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  always unfortunate at sea. Contrary winds first put us to the northward, and
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  we were obliged to put in at Galway in Ireland, where we lay wind
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  bound two and twenty days. But we had this satisfaction with the disaster,
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  that provisions were here exceeding cheap and in the utmost plenty, so that while
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  we lay here we never touched the ship's stores, but rather added to them.
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  Here. Also, I took in several live hogs and two cows with
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  their calves, which I resolved if I had a good passage to put on
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  shore in my island. But we found occasion to dispose otherwise of them.
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  We set out on the fifth of February from Ireland, and had a very
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  fair gale of wind for some days. As I remember, it might be
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  about the twentieth of February in the evening late when the mate having the watch
• 25:06
  came into the round house and told us he saw a flash of fire and
• 25:10
  heard a gun fired. And while he was telling us of it, a
• 25:12
  boy came in and told us the bosun heard another. This made us all
• 25:17
  run out upon the quarter deck, where for a while we heard nothing.
• 25:21
  But in a few minutes we saw a very great light and found that there
• 25:25
  was some very terrible fire at a distance. Immediately we had recourse to our
• 25:30
  reckonings, in which we all agreed that there could be no land that way
• 25:33
  in which the fire showed itself, no not for five hundred leagues, for
• 25:38
  it appeared at west northwest. Upon this we concluded it must be some ship
• 25:44
  on fire at sea, and as by our hearing the noise of guns just
• 25:48
  before, we concluded that it could not be far off, we stood directly
• 25:52
  towards it, and were presently satisfied we should discover it, because the further
• 25:57
  we sailed, the greater the light appeared. Though the weather being hazy,
• 26:03
  we could not perceive anything but the light for a while. In about half
• 26:07
  an hour's sailing, the wind being fair for us, though not much of
• 26:11
  it, and the weather clearing up a little, we could plainly discern that
• 26:15
  it was a great ship on fire in the middle of the sea. I
• 26:18
  was most sensibly touched with this disaster, though not at all acquainted with the
• 26:23
  persons engaged in it. I presently recollected my former circumstances, and what condition
• 26:30
  I was in when taken up by the Portuguese captain, and how much more
• 26:33
  deplorable the circumstances of the poor creatures belonging to that ship must be, if
• 26:38
  they had no other ship in company with them. Upon this, I immediately
• 26:44
  ordered that five guns should be fired, one soon after another, that if
• 26:48
  possible, we might give notice to them that there was help for them at
• 26:52
  hand, and that they might endeavor to save themselves in their boat, For
• 26:56
  though we could see the flames of the ship, yet they, being night,
• 27:00
  could see nothing of us. We lay by some time upon this,
• 27:04
  only driving as the burning ship drove, waiting for daylight. When on a
• 27:10
  sudden to our great terror, though we had reason to expect it. The
• 27:14
  ship blew up in the air, and in a few minutes all the fire
• 27:18
  was out, that is to say, the rest of the ship sunk.
• 27:21
  This was a terrible and indeed an afflicting sight for the sake of the poor
• 27:26
  men, who I concluded must be either all destroyed in the ship or be
• 27:30
  in the utmost distress in their boat in the middle of the ocean, which
• 27:36
  at present, as it was dark, I could not see. However,
• 27:40
  to direct them as well as I could, I caused lights to be hung
• 27:44
  out in all parts of the ship where we could, and which we had
• 27:47
  lanterns for, and kept firing guns all the night long, letting them know
• 27:52
  by this that there was a ship not far off. About eight o'clock in
• 27:56
  the morning, we discovered the ship's boats by the help of our perspective glasses,
• 28:02
  and found there were two of them, both thronged with people and deep
• 28:04
  in the water. We perceived they rowed the wind being against them, that
• 28:10
  they saw our ship, and did their utmost to make us see them.
• 28:14
  We immediately spread our ancient to let them know we saw them, and hung
• 28:18
  a waft out as a signal for them to come on board. And then
• 28:22
  made more sail, standing directly to them. In little more than half an
• 28:26
  hour we came up with them and took them all in, being no less
• 28:30
  than sixty four men, women and children, for there were a great many
• 28:34
  passengers. Upon inquiry we found it was a French merchant ship of three hundred
• 28:41
  tons, home bound from Quebec. The master gave us a long account of
• 28:45
  the distress of his ship, how the fire began in the steerage by the
• 28:48
  negligence of the steersmen, which, on his crying out for help, was,
• 28:53
  as everybody thought, entirely put out. But they soon found that some
• 28:59
  sparks of the first had got into some part of the ship so difficult to
• 29:03
  come at that they could not effectually quench it. And afterwards, getting in
• 29:07
  between the timbers and within the ceiling of the ship, it proceeded into the
• 29:11
  hold and mastered all the skill and all the application they were able to exert.
• 29:15
  They had no more to do then but to get into their boats,
• 29:19
  which to their great comfort, were pretty large, being their longboat and a
• 29:25
  great shallop, besides a small skiff, which was of no great service to
• 29:29
  them other than to get some fresh water and provisions into her after they had
• 29:33
  secured their lives from the fire. They had indeed small hopes of their lives
• 29:38
  by getting into these boats at that distance from any land, only, as
• 29:42
  they said that they thus escaped from the fire, and there was a possibility
• 29:48
  that some ship might happen to be at sea and might take them in.
• 29:52
  They had sails, oars, and a compass, and had as much provision
• 29:56
  and water as with sparing it so as to be next door to see starving
• 30:00
  might support them about twelve days, in which if they had no bad weather
• 30:04
  and no contrary winds, the captain said he hoped he might get to the
• 30:08
  banks of Newfoundland and might perhaps take some fish to sustain them till they might
• 30:14
  go on shore. But there were so many chances against them in all these
• 30:18
  cases, such as storms to overset and founder them, rains and cold to
• 30:23
  be numb and perish their limbs, contrary winds to keep them out and starve
• 30:29
  them, that it must have been next to miraculous if they had escaped in
• 30:33
  the midst of their consternation, everyone being hopeless and ready to despair. The
• 30:38
  captain, with tears in his eyes, told me they were on a sudden
• 30:42
  surprised with the joy of hearing a gun fire, and after that four more.
• 30:48
  These were the five guns which I caused to be fired at first seeing
• 30:51
  the light. This revives their hearts and gave them the notice which, as
• 30:56
  above I desired it should, that there was a ship at hand and for
• 31:00
  their help. It was upon the hearing of these guns that they took down
• 31:03
  their masts and sails, the sound coming from the windward, they resolved to
• 31:08
  lie by till morning. Some time after this, hearing no more guns,
• 31:12
  they fired three muskets, one a considerable while after another, but these the
• 31:18
  wind being contrary, we never heard. Some time after that again they were
• 31:23
  still more agreeably surprised with seeing our lights and hearing the guns, which,
• 31:29
  as I have said, I caused to be fired all the rest of the
• 31:33
  night. This set them to work with their oars to keep their boats ahead,
• 31:37
  at least that we might the sooner come up with them. And at
• 31:41
  last, to their inexpressible joy, they found we saw them. It is
• 31:45
  impossible for me to express the several gestures, the strange ecstasies, the variety
• 31:52
  of postures which these poor delivered people ran into to express the joy of their
• 31:57
  souls at so unexpected a deliverance. Grief and fear are easily described. Sighs,
• 32:04
  tears, groans, and a very few motions of the head and hands
• 32:07
  make up the sum of its variety. But an excess of joy, a
• 32:12
  surprise of joy, has a thousand extravagances in it. There were some in
• 32:16
  tears, some raging and tearing themselves as if they had been in the greatest
• 32:22
  agonies of sorrow. Some stark, raving and downright lunatic. Some ran about
• 32:27
  the ships, stamping with their feet, others wringing their hands. Some were
• 32:30
  dancing, some singing, some laughing, more crying. Many quite dumb,
• 32:36
  not able to speak a word, others sick and vomiting, several swooning and
• 32:40
  ready to faint. And a few were crossing themselves and giving God thanks.
• 32:46
  I would not wrong them either. There might be many that were thankful afterwards,
• 32:52
  but the passion was too strong for them at first, and they were
• 32:54
  not able to master it. Then were thrown into ecstasies and a kind of
• 33:00
  frenzy. And it was but a very few that were composed and serious in
• 33:04
  their joy. Perhaps also the case may have some addition to it from the
• 33:08
  particular circumstances of that nation they belonged to. I mean the French, whose
• 33:15
  temper is allowed to be more volatile, more passionate, and more sprightly,
• 33:19
  and their spirits more fluid than in other nations. I am not philosopher enough
• 33:24
  to determine the cause, but nothing I had ever seen before came up to
• 33:29
  it. The ecstasy's poor Friday, my trusty Savage was in when he found
• 33:34
  his father in the boat, came the nearest to it. And the surprise
• 33:37
  of the Master and his two companions, whom I delivered from the villains that
• 33:42
  set them on shore in the island, came a little way towards it.
• 33:45
  But nothing was to compare to this, either that I saw in Friday or
• 33:50
  anywhere else in my life. It is further observable that these extravagances did not
• 33:57
  show themselves in that different manner I have mentioned in different persons only, but
• 34:01
  all the variety would appear in a short succession of moments in one and the
• 34:06
  same person. A man that we saw this minute dumb and as it were,
• 34:10
  stupid and confounded, would the next minute be dancing and hallooing like an
• 34:15
  antic and the next moment be tearing his hair, or pulling his clothes to
• 34:21
  pieces and stamping them under his feet like a madman. In a few moments
• 34:24
  after that we would have him all in tears, then sick, swooning,
• 34:30
  and had not immediate help been had, he would in a few moments have
• 34:34
  been dead. Thus it was not with one or two, or ten or
• 34:37
  twenty, but with the greatest part of them. And if I remember right,
• 34:42
  our surgeon was obliged to let blood of about thirty persons. There were
• 34:47
  two priests among them, one an old man and the other a young man.
• 34:52
  And that which was strangest was the oldest man, was the worst.
• 34:55
  As soon as he set his foot on board our ship and saw himself,
• 35:00
  he dropped down stone dead. To all appearance, not the least sign of
• 35:05
  life could be perceived in him. Our surgeon immediately applied proper remedies to recover
• 35:09
  him, and was the only man in the ship that believed he was not
• 35:14
  dead. At length, he opened a vein in his arm, having first
• 35:17
  chafed and rubbed the part so as to warm it as much as possible.
• 35:22
  Upon this the blood which only dropped at first flowing freely in three minutes after
• 35:28
  the man opened his eyes. A quarter of an hour after that, he
• 35:31
  spoke, grew better, and after the blood was stopped, he walked about,
• 35:36
  told us he was perfectly well, and took a dram of cordial,
• 35:39
  which the surgeon gave him. About a quarter of an hour after this,
• 35:43
  they came running into the cabin to the surgeon, who was bleeding a frenchwoman
• 35:46
  that had fainted, and told him the priest was gone stark mad. It
• 35:52
  seems he had begun to resolve the change of his circumstances in his mind,
• 35:55
  and again this put him in an ecstasy of joy. His spears whirled about
• 36:00
  faster than the vessels could convey them. The blood grew hot and feverish,
• 36:05
  and the man was as fit for bedlam as any creature that ever was in
• 36:08
  it. The surgeon would not bleed him again in that condition, but gave
• 36:13
  him something to doze and put him to sleep, which after some time operated
• 36:17
  upon him, and he awoke next morning perfectly composed and well. The younger
• 36:22
  priest behaved with great command of his passions, and was really an example of
• 36:28
  a serious, well governed mind. At his first coming on board the ship.
• 36:32
  He threw himself flat on his face, prostrating himself in thankfulness for his
• 36:37
  deliverance, in which I unhappily and unseasonably disturbed him, really thinking he had
• 36:44
  been in a swoon. But he spoke calmly, thanked me, told me
• 36:47
  he was giving God thanks for his deliverance, begged me to leave him a
• 36:52
  few moments, and that next to his maker he would give me thanks.
• 36:55
  Also. I was heartily sorry that I disturbed him, and not only left
• 37:00
  him, but kept others from interrupting him. Also. He continued in that
• 37:05
  posture about three minutes or little more after I left him. Then came to
• 37:09
  me as he had said he would, and with a great deal of seriousness
• 37:14
  and affection, but with tears in his eyes, thanked me that had under
• 37:19
  God given him and so many miserable creatures their lives. I told him I
• 37:23
  had no need to tell him to thank God for it rather than me,
• 37:28
  for I had seen that he had done that already. But I added that
• 37:31
  it was nothing but what reason and humanity dictated to all men, and that
• 37:36
  we had as much reason as he to give thanks to God who had blessed
• 37:40
  us so far as to make us the instruments of his mercy to so many
• 37:45
  of his creatures. After this, the young priest applied himself to his countrymen
• 37:50
  and labored to compose them. He persuaded, entreatied, argued, reasoned with
• 37:54
  them, and did his utmost to keep them within the exercise of their reason.
• 38:00
  And with some he had success, though others were for a time out
• 38:04
  of all government of themselves. I cannot help committing this to writing, as
• 38:09
  perhaps it may be useful to those into whose hands it may fall for guiding
• 38:15
  themselves in the extravagances of their passions. For if an excess of joy can
• 38:20
  carry men out to such a length beyond the reach of their reason, what
• 38:23
  will not the extravagances of anger, rage, and a provoked mind carry us
• 38:29
  too? And indeed here I saw reason for keeping an exceeding watch over our
• 38:35
  passions of every kind, as well those of joy and satisfaction as those of
• 38:39
  sorrow and anger. We were somewhat disordered by these extravagances among our new guests
• 38:46
  for the first day, but after they had retired to lodgings, provided for
• 38:51
  them as well as our ship would allow, and had slept heartily as most
• 38:54
  of them did, being fatigued and frightened. They were quite another sort of
• 38:59
  people. The next day, nothing of good manners or civil acknowledgments for the
• 39:04
  kindness shown them was wanting. The French, it is known, are naturally
• 39:08
  apt enough to exceed that way. The captain and one of the priests came
• 39:13
  to me the next day and desired to speak with me and my nephew.
• 39:16
  The commander began to consult with us what should be done with them, And
• 39:21
  first they told us we had saved their lives, so all they had was
• 39:24
  little enough for ever turned to us for that kindness received, the captain said
• 39:30
  they had saved some money and some things of value in their boats, caught
• 39:34
  hastily out of the flames, and if we would accept it, they were
• 39:37
  ordered to make an offer of it all to us. They only desired to
• 39:42
  be set on shore somewhere in our way, where, if possible, they
• 39:45
  might get a passage to France. My nephew wished to accept their money at
• 39:50
  first word, and to consider what to do with them afterwards, but I
• 39:54
  overruled him in that part, for I knew what it was to be set
• 39:58
  on shore in a strain country, and if the Portuguese captain that took me
• 40:02
  up at sea, had served me so and taken all I had for my
• 40:07
  deliverance. I must have been starved, or have been as much a slave
• 40:10
  at the Brazils as I had been at Barbary, the mere being sold to
• 40:15
  a Mohammedan excepted, and perhaps a Portuguese is not a much better master than
• 40:20
  a Turk, if not in some cases much worse. I therefore told the
• 40:25
  French captain that we had taken them up in their distress, it was true,
• 40:30
  but that it was our duty to do so, as we were fellow
• 40:34
  creatures, and we would desire to be so delivered if we were in the
• 40:37
  like or any other extremity. That we had done nothing for them, but
• 40:42
  what we believed they would have done for us if we had been in their
• 40:45
  case and they in ours. But that we took them up to save them,
• 40:49
  not to plunder them. And it would be a most barbarous thing to
• 40:52
  take that little from them which they had saved out of the fire, and
• 40:57
  then set them on shore and leave them. That this would be first to
• 41:00
  save them from death, and then kill them ourselves, save them from drowning,
• 41:06
  and abandon them to starving, and therefore I would not let the least
• 41:09
  thing be taken from them. As to setting them on shore, I told
• 41:14
  them, indeed, that was an exceeding difficulty to us, for that the
• 41:19
  ship was bound to the East Indies. And though we were driven out of
• 41:22
  our course to the westward a very great way, and perhaps were directed by
• 41:27
  Heaven on purpose for their deliverance, yet it was impossible for us wilfully to
• 41:31
  change our voyage on their particular account, nor could my nephew the captain answer
• 41:37
  it to the freighters with whom he was under charter to pursue his voyage by
• 41:42
  way of Brazil. And all I knew we could do for them was to
• 41:45
  put ourselves in the way of meeting with other ships homeward bound from the West
• 41:50
  Indies, and get them a passage, if possible, to England or France.
• 41:55
  The first part of the proposal was so generous and kind they could not
• 42:00
  but be very thankful for it. But they were in very great consternation,
• 42:05
  especially the passengers, at the notion of being carried away to the East Indies.
• 42:09
  They then entreated me that as I was driven so far to the westward,
• 42:14
  before I met with them, I would at least keep on the same
• 42:17
  course to the banks of Newfoundland, where it was probable I might meet with
• 42:22
  some ship or sloop that they might hire to carry them back to Canada.
• 42:27
  I thought this was but a reasonable request on their part, and therefore I
• 42:30
  inclined to agree to it. For indeed, I considered that to carry this
• 42:35
  whole company to the East Indies would not only be an intolerable severity upon the
• 42:39
  poor people, but would be ruining our whole voyage by devouring all our provisions.
• 42:45
  So I thought it no breach of charter party. But what an unforeseen
• 42:49
  accident made absolutely necessary to us, and in which no one could say we
• 42:53
  were to blame for the laws of God and nature would have forbid that we
• 42:59
  should refuse to take up two boats full of people in such a distressed condition,
• 43:04
  And the nature of the thing as well, respecting ourselves as the poor
• 43:07
  people, obliged us to set them on shore somewhere or other for their deliverance.
• 43:13
  So I consented that we would carry them to Newfoundland if wind and weather
• 43:17
  would permit, and if not, I would carry them to Martinico in the
• 43:22
  West Indies. The wind continued fresh easterly, but the weather pretty good,
• 43:28
  and as the winds had continued in the points between northeast and southeast a long
• 43:32
  time, we missed several opportunities of sending them to France. For we met
• 43:37
  several ships bound to Europe, whereof two were French from Saint Christopher's, but
• 43:43
  they had been so long beating up against the wind that they durst take in
• 43:46
  no passengers for fear of wanting provisions for the voyage as well for themselves as
• 43:52
  for those they should take in. So we were obliged to go on.
• 43:57
  It was about a week after this that we met and made the banks of
• 44:00
  Newfoundland, where, to shorten my story, we put all our French people
• 44:05
  on board of bark which they hired at sea there to put them on shore
• 44:09
  and afterwards to carry them to France if they could get provisions to victual themselves
• 44:15
  with. When I say all the French went on shore, I should remember
• 44:20
  that the young priest I spoke of, hearing we were bound to the East
• 44:23
  Indies, desired to go the voyage with us and to be set on shore
• 44:29
  on the coast of Coromandel, which I readily agreed to, for I wonderfully
• 44:34
  liked the man, and had very good reason, as will appear afterwards.
• 44:37
  Also, four of the seamen entered themselves on our ship and proved very useful
• 44:43
  fellows. From hence we directed our course for the West Indies, steering away
• 44:49
  south and south by east for about twenty days together, sometimes little or no
• 44:53
  wind at all, when we met with another subject for our humanity to work
• 44:59
  upon, almost as deplorable as that before end of chapter one, Chapter two
• 45:07
  intervening History of Colony. It was in the latitude of twenty seven degrees five
• 45:14
  minutes north on the nineteenth day of March sixteen, ninety four and ninety five,
• 45:19
  when we spied a sail our course southeast and by south. We soon
• 45:22
  perceived it was a large vessel, and that she bore up to us,
• 45:27
  but could not at first know what to make of her, till after coming
• 45:30
  a little nearer, we found she had lost her main, topmast, foremast
• 45:36
  and bowsprit, and presently she fired a gun as a signal of distress.
• 45:40
  The weather was pretty good when at north northwest a fresh gale, and we
• 45:45
  soon came to speak with her. We found her a ship of Bristol,
• 45:50
  bound home from Barbados, but had been blown out of the road at Barbados
• 45:53
  a few days before she was ready to sail by a terrible hurricane, while
• 45:59
  the captain and chief mate were both gone on shore, so that besides the
• 46:02
  terror of the storm, they were in an indifferent case for good mariners to
• 46:07
  bring the ship home. They had been already nine weeks at sea, and
• 46:12
  had met with another terrible storm after the hurricane was over, which had blown
• 46:16
  them quite out of their knowledge to the westward, and in which they lost
• 46:21
  their masts. They told us they expected to have seen the Bahama Islands,
• 46:25
  but were then driven away again to the southeast by a strong gale of wind
• 46:30
  at north northwest, the same that blew now, And having no sails to
• 46:35
  work the ship with but a main course and a kind of square sail upon
• 46:39
  a jury foremast which they had set up, they could not lie near the
• 46:44
  wind, but were endeavoring to stand away for the canaries. But that which
• 46:50
  was worst of all was that they were almost starved for want of provisions.
• 46:53
  Besides the fatigues they had undergone. Their bread and flesh were quite gone.
• 46:59
  They had not one ounce left in the ship, and had had none for
• 47:02
  eleven days. The only relief they had was their water was not all spent,
• 47:08
  and they had about half a barrel of flour left. They had sugar
• 47:13
  enough, some ciccades or sweetmeats they had at first, but these were all
• 47:16
  devoured, and they had seven casks of rum. There was a youth and
• 47:21
  his mother and a maid servant on board, who were passengers, and,
• 47:24
  thinking the ship was ready to sail, unhappily came on board the evening before
• 47:30
  the hurricane began, and having no provisions of their own left, they were
• 47:34
  in a more deplorable condition than the rest. For the seamen, being reduced
• 47:38
  to such an extreme necessity themselves, had no compassion, we may be sure,
• 47:44
  for the poor passengers, and they were indeed in such a condition that
• 47:49
  their misery is very hard to describe. I had perhaps not known this part,
• 47:53
  if my curiosity had not led me the weather being fair and the wind
• 47:59
  abated to go on board the ship. The second mate, who upon this
• 48:02
  occasion commanded the ship, had been on board our ship, and he told
• 48:07
  me they had three passengers in the great cabin that were in a deplorable condition.
• 48:13
  Nay, says he, I believe they are dead. For I have
• 48:15
  heard nothing of them for above two days, and I was afraid to inquire
• 48:20
  after them, said he, for I had nothing to relieve them with.
• 48:23
  We immediately applied ourselves to give them what relief we could spare. And indeed,
• 48:30
  I had so far overruled things with my nephew that I would have victualled
• 48:34
  them, though we had gone away to Virginia or any other part of the
• 48:37
  coast of America to have supplied ourselves. But there was no necessity for that.
• 48:44
  But now they were in a new danger, for they were afraid of
• 48:47
  eating too much, even of that little we gave them. The mate,
• 48:52
  or commander, brought six men with him in his boat. But these poor
• 48:55
  wretches looked like skeletons, and were so weak that they could hardly sit to
• 49:00
  their oars. The mate himself was very ill and half starved, for he
• 49:05
  declared he had reserved nothing from the men, and went share and share alike
• 49:09
  with them in every bit they ate. I cautioned him to eat sparingly and
• 49:15
  set meat before him immediately, but he had not eaten three mouthfuls before he
• 49:20
  began to be sick and out of order. So he stopped awhile, and
• 49:23
  our surgeon mixed him up something with some broth, which he said would be
• 49:28
  to him both food and physic and after he had taken it, he grew
• 49:31
  better. In the meantime, I forgot not the men. I ordered victuals
• 49:37
  to be given them, and the poor creatures rather devoured than ate it.
• 49:40
  They were so exceedingly hungry that they were in a manner ravenous, and had
• 49:45
  no command of themselves. And two of them ate with so much greediness that
• 49:50
  they were in danger of their lives. The next morning. The sight of
• 49:53
  these people's distress was very moving to me, and brought to mind what I
• 49:59
  had at te terrible prospect of at my first coming on shore in my island,
• 50:04
  where I had not the least mouthful of food, or any prospect of
• 50:07
  procuring any besides the hourly apprehensions I had of being made the food of other
• 50:14
  creatures. But all the while the mate was thus relating to me the miserable
• 50:17
  condition of the ship's company, I could not put out of my thought the
• 50:22
  story he had told me of the three poor creatures in the great cabin,
• 50:27
  viz. The mother, her son, and the maid servant, whom he
• 50:30
  had heard nothing of for two or three days, and whom he seemed to
• 50:35
  confess they had wholly neglected, their own extremities being so great, by which
• 50:40
  I understood that they had really given them no food at all, and that
• 50:45
  therefore they must be perished and be all lying dead, perhaps on the floor
• 50:50
  or deck of the cabin as. I therefore kept the mate, whom we
• 50:54
  then called captain, on board with his men to refresh them. So I
• 50:59
  also forgot not the starving crew that were left on board, but ordered my
• 51:04
  own boat to go on board the ship, and with my mate and twelve
• 51:07
  men to carry them a sack of bread and four or five pieces of beef
• 51:12
  to boil. Our surgeon charged the men to cause the meat to be boiled
• 51:15
  while they stayed, and to keep guard in the cook room to prevent the
• 51:20
  men taking it to eat raw, or taking it out of the pot before
• 51:23
  it was well boiled, and then to give every man but a very little
• 51:28
  at a time. And by this caution he preserved the men who would otherwise
• 51:32
  have killed themselves, with that very food that was given them on purpose to
• 51:37
  save their lives. At the same time, I ordered the mate to go
• 51:42
  into the great cabin and see what condition the poor passengers were in, and
• 51:45
  if they were alive, to comfort them and give them what refreshment was proper.
• 51:51
  And the surgeon gave him a large pitcher with some of the prepared broth
• 51:54
  which he had given the mate that was on board, and which he did
• 51:59
  not question, would re store them gradually. I was not satisfied with this,
• 52:02
  but, as I said above, having a great mind to see the
• 52:07
  scene of misery, which I knew the ship itself would present me with in
• 52:10
  a more lively manner than I could have it by report, I took the
• 52:14
  captain of the ship, as we now called him, with me, and
• 52:17
  went myself a little after in their boat. I found the poor men on
• 52:23
  board almost in a tumult to get the victuals out of the boiler before it
• 52:28
  was ready. But my mate observed his orders and kept a good guard at
• 52:32
  the cook room door, and the man he placed there after, using all
• 52:37
  possible persuasion to have patience, kept them off by force. However, he
• 52:42
  caused some biscuit cakes to be dipped in the pot and softened with the liquor
• 52:45
  of the meat, which they called brewis, and gave them, every one
• 52:50
  of them, to stay their stomachs, and told them it was for their
• 52:53
  own safety that he was obliged to give them but little at a time.
• 52:58
  But it was all in vain, And had I not come on board and
• 53:00
  their own commander and officers with me, and with good words and some threats
• 53:06
  also of giving them no more, I believed they would have broken into the
• 53:09
  cook room by force and torn the meat out of the furnace. For words
• 53:15
  are indeed of very small force next to a hungry belly. However, we
• 53:20
  pacified them and fed them gradually and cautiously at first, and the next time
• 53:24
  gave them more, and at last filled their bellies. And the men did
• 53:30
  well enough. But the misery of the poor passengers in the cabin was of
• 53:36
  another nature, and far beyond the rest. For as first the ship's company
• 53:40
  had so little for themselves, it was but too true that they had at
• 53:45
  first kept them very low, and at last totally neglected them, so that
• 53:50
  for six or seven days it might be said they had really no food at
• 53:54
  all, and for several days before very little. The poor mother, who
• 54:00
  as the men reported, was a woman of sense and good breeding, had
• 54:04
  spared all she could so affectionately for her son that at last she entirely sank
• 54:09
  under it, And when the mate of our ship went in, she sat
• 54:14
  upon the floor on deck, with her back up against the sides between two
• 54:17
  chairs which were lashed fast, and her head sunk between her shoulders, like
• 54:22
  a corpse, though not quite dead. My mate said all he could to
• 54:27
  revive and encourage her, and with a spoon put some broth into her mouth.
• 54:31
  She opened her lips and lifted up one hand, but could not speak.
• 54:37
  Yet she understood what he said, and made signs to him, intimating
• 54:40
  that it was too late for her, but pointed to her child as if
• 54:45
  she would have said they should take care of him. However, the mate,
• 54:50
  who was exceedingly moved at the sight, endeavored to get some of the
• 54:52
  broth into her mouth, and, as he said, got two or three
• 54:57
  spoonfuls down, though I questioned whether he could be sure of it or not,
• 55:01
  But it was too late, and she died the same night. The
• 55:07
  youth, who was preserved at the price of his most affectionate mother's life was
• 55:12
  not so far gone yet he lay in a cabin bed as one stretched out,
• 55:16
  with hardly any life left in him. He had a piece of an
• 55:21
  old glove in his mouth, having eaten up the rest of it. However,
• 55:24
  being young and having more strength than his mother, the mate got something
• 55:30
  down his throat, and he began sensibly to revive, though by giving him
• 55:35
  some time after but two or three spoonfuls extraordinary, he was very sick and
• 55:39
  brought it up again. But the next care was the poor maid. She
• 55:45
  lay all along upon the deck, hard by her mistress, and just like
• 55:50
  one that had fallen down in a fit of apoplexy and struggled for life.
• 55:54
  Her limbs were distorted. One of her hands was clasped round the frame of
• 55:59
  the and she gripped it so hard that we could not easily make her let
• 56:04
  it go. Her other arm lay over her head, and her feet lay
• 56:07
  both together, set fast against the frame of the cabin table. In short,
• 56:13
  she lay just like one in the agonies of death, and yet she
• 56:16
  was alive too. The poor creature was not only starved with hunger and terrified
• 56:22
  with the thoughts of death, but, as the men told us afterward,
• 56:27
  was broken hearted for her mistress, whom she saw dying for two or three
• 56:30
  days before, and whom she loved most tenderly. We knew not what to
• 56:36
  do with this poor girl. For when our surgeon, who was a man
• 56:39
  of very great knowledge and experience, had with great application recovered her as to
• 56:45
  life, he had her upon his hands still, for she was little less
• 56:51
  than distracted for a considerable time. After Whoever shall read these memorandums must be
• 56:58
  desired to consider that visible at sea or not, like a journey into the
• 57:01
  country, where sometimes people stay a week or a fortnight at a place.
• 57:07
  Our business was to relieve this distressed ship's crew, but not lie by for
• 57:12
  them. And though they were willing to steer the same course with us for
• 57:15
  some days, yet we could carry no sail to keep pace with a ship
• 57:20
  that had no masts. However, as their captain begged of us to help
• 57:24
  him to set up a main topmast and a kind of a topmast to his
• 57:29
  jury foremast, we did, as it were, lie by him for three
• 57:32
  or four days, and then having given him five barrels of beef, a
• 57:37
  barrel of pork, two hogsheads of biscuit, and a proportion of peas,
• 57:42
  flour, and what other things we could spare, and taking three casks of
• 57:46
  sugar, some rum and some pieces of eight from them for satisfaction. We
• 57:52
  left them, taking on board with us at their own earnest request, the
• 57:55
  youth and the maid and all their goods. The young lad was about seventeen
• 58:01
  years of age, a pretty well bred, modest and sensible youth, greatly
• 58:07
  dejected with the loss of his mother and also at having lost his father.
• 58:12
  But a few months before at Barbados, he begged of the surgeon to speak
• 58:16
  to me, to take him out of the ship, for he said that
• 58:19
  the cruel fellows had murdered his mother. And indeed so they had, that
• 58:23
  is to say, passively, for they might have spared a small sustenance to
• 58:28
  the poor, helpless widow, though it had been but just enough to keep
• 58:31
  her alive. But hunger knows no friend, no relation, no justice,
• 58:37
  no right, and therefore is remorseless and capable of no compassion. The surgeon
• 58:44
  told him how far we were going, and that it would carry him away
• 58:47
  from all his friends, and put him perhaps in as bad circumstances almost as
• 58:52
  those we found him in, that is to say, starving in the world.
• 58:57
  He said, it mattered not whither he went, if he was but
• 59:00
  delivered from the terrible crew that he was among. That the captain, by
• 59:05
  which he meant me, for he could know nothing of my nephew, had
• 59:08
  saved his life, and he was sure would not hurt him. And as
• 59:12
  for the maid, he was sure if she came to herself, she would
• 59:15
  be very thankful for it. And let us carry them where we would.
• 59:21
  The surgeon represented the case so affectionately to me that I yielded, and we
• 59:25
  took them both on board, with all their goods except eleven hogsheads of sugar,
• 59:30
  which could not be removed or come at. And as the youth had
• 59:35
  a bill of lading for them, I made his commander sign a writing obliging
• 59:38
  himself to go as soon as he came to Bristol to one mister Rogers,
• 59:44
  a merchant there, to whom the youth said he was related, and to
• 59:47
  deliver a letter which I wrote to him, and all the goods he had
• 59:51
  belonging to the deceased widow, which I suppose was not done, for I
• 59:55
  could never learn that the ship came to Bristol, but was as if most
• 1:00:00
  probable lost at sea, being in so disabled a condition and so far from
• 1:00:05
  any land that I am of opinion the first storm she met with afterwards she
• 1:00:09
  might found her, for she was leaky and had damage in her hold.
• 1:00:14
  When we met with her, I was now in the latitude of nineteen degrees
• 1:00:19
  thirty two minutes, and had hitherto a tolerable voyage as to weather, though
• 1:00:23
  at first the winds had been contrary. I shall trouble nobody with the little
• 1:00:29
  incidents of wind, weather, currents, et cetera on the rest of our
• 1:00:32
  voyage. But to shorten my story, shall observe that I came to my
• 1:00:37
  old habitation the island on the tenth of April sixteen ninety five. It was
• 1:00:43
  with no small difficulty that I found the place, for as I came to
• 1:00:46
  it and went to it before, on the south and east side of the
• 1:00:51
  island, coming from the Brazils, so now coming in between the main and
• 1:00:54
  the island, and having no chart for the coast nor any landmark, I
• 1:01:00
  did not know it when I saw it, or know whether I saw it
• 1:01:02
  or not. We beat about a great while and went on shore several islands
• 1:01:07
  in the mouth of the Great River or Inoco, but none for my purpose.
• 1:01:13
  Only this I learned by my coasting the shore, that I was under
• 1:01:16
  one great mistake before, viz. That the continent which I thought I saw
• 1:01:21
  from the island I lived in, was really no continent, but a long
• 1:01:24
  island, or rather a ridge of islands, reaching from one to the other
• 1:01:29
  side of the extended mouth of that great river. And that the savages who
• 1:01:34
  came to my island were not properly those which we call Caribees, but islanders
• 1:01:39
  and other barbarians of the same kind, who inhabited nearer to our side than
• 1:01:45
  the rest. In short, I visited several of these islands to no purpose.
• 1:01:51
  Some I found were inhabited, and some were not. On one of
• 1:01:53
  them I found some Spaniards, and thought they had lived there, But speaking
• 1:01:59
  with them, they had a sloop lying in a small creek hard by,
• 1:02:02
  and came thither to make salt and to catch some pearl muscles if they could,
• 1:02:07
  but that they belonged to the Isle de Trinidad, which lay farther south,
• 1:02:12
  in the latitude of ten and eleven degrees, thus coasting from one island
• 1:02:17
  to another, sometimes with the ship, sometimes with the Frenchman's shallop, which
• 1:02:22
  we had found a convenient boat, and therefore kept her with their very good
• 1:02:27
  will at length. I came fair on the south side of my island,
• 1:02:30
  and presently knew the very countenance of the place. So I brought the ship
• 1:02:35
  safe to an anchor broadside with the little creek, where my old habitation was.
• 1:02:40
  As soon as I saw the place, I called for Friday and asked
• 1:02:44
  him if he knew where he was. He looked about a little, and,
• 1:02:47
  presently, clapping his hands, cried, oh yes O there, oh
• 1:02:52
  yes o there, pointing to our old habitation, and fell dancing and capering
• 1:02:57
  like a mad fellow. And I had much ado to ki keep him from
• 1:03:00
  jumping into the sea to swim ashore to the place. Well, Friday,
• 1:03:05
  says I, do you think we shall find anybody here? Or no?
• 1:03:08
  And do you think we shall see your father? The fellow stood mute as
• 1:03:12
  a stock a good while, But when I named his father, the poor
• 1:03:15
  affectionate creature looked dejected, and I could see the tears run down his face
• 1:03:21
  very plentifully. What is the matter, Friday, Are you troubled because you
• 1:03:24
  may see your father? No, no, says he shaking his head.
• 1:03:29
  No see him more, No, never more see him again. Why so,
• 1:03:34
  Friday, how do you know that oh no, oh no, says
• 1:03:37
  Friday. He long ago, die, long ago, he much old man.
• 1:03:42
  Well, well, Friday, you don't know, but shall we see
• 1:03:45
  anyone else? Then? The fellow, it seems, had better eyes than
• 1:03:49
  I, and he points to the hill just above my old house. And
• 1:03:52
  though we lay half a league off, he cries out, we see,
• 1:03:57
  we see, yes, we see much man there and there and there.
• 1:04:01
  I looked, but I saw nobody, No, not with a perspective glass,
• 1:04:04
  which was I suppose, because I could not hit the place. For
• 1:04:09
  the fellow was right, as I found upon inquiry the next day, and
• 1:04:14
  there were five or six men all together who stood to look at the ship,
• 1:04:17
  not knowing what to think of us. As soon as Friday told me
• 1:04:23
  he saw people, I caused the English ancient to be spread and fired three
• 1:04:28
  guns to give them notice we were friends. And in about a quarter of
• 1:04:31
  an hour after we perceived a smoke arise from the side of the creek.
• 1:04:36
  So I immediately ordered the boat out, taking Friday with me and hanging out
• 1:04:42
  a white flag. I went directly on shore, taking with me the young
• 1:04:45
  Friar I mentioned to whom I had told the story of my living there,
• 1:04:50
  and the manner of it, and every particular, both of myself and those
• 1:04:55
  I left there, and who was, on that account extremely desirous to go
• 1:04:59
  with me. We had besides about sixteen men, well armed if we had
• 1:05:03
  found any new guests there, which we did not know of, but we
• 1:05:08
  had no need of weapons. As we went on shore upon the tide of
• 1:05:13
  flood near high water, we rowed directly into the creek, and the first
• 1:05:17
  man I fixed my eye upon was the Spaniard whose life I had saved,
• 1:05:21
  and whom I knew by his face perfectly. Well as to his habit,
• 1:05:26
  I shall describe it afterwards. I ordered nobody to go on shore at first
• 1:05:30
  but myself, But there was no keeping Friday in the boat, for the
• 1:05:35
  affectionate creature had spied his father at a distance, a good way off the
• 1:05:40
  Spaniards, where indeed I saw nothing of him, And if they had not
• 1:05:44
  let him go ashore, he would have jumped into the sea. He was
• 1:05:47
  no sooner on shore, but he flew away to his father like an arrow
• 1:05:51
  out of a bow. It would have made any man shed tears in spite
• 1:05:57
  of the firmest resolution, to have seen the first transports of this poor fellow's
• 1:06:01
  joy when he came to his father, how he embraced him, kissed him,
• 1:06:05
  stroked his face, took him up in his arms, set him down
• 1:06:10
  upon a tree, and lay down by him. Then stood and looked at
• 1:06:14
  him as anyone would look at a strange picture, for a quarter of an
• 1:06:17
  hour together, then lay down on the ground and stroked his legs and kissed
• 1:06:23
  them, and then got up again and stared at him. One would have
• 1:06:27
  thought the fellow bewitched, but it would have made a dog laugh the next
• 1:06:30
  day to see how his passion ran out another way. In the morning,
• 1:06:33
  he walked along the shore with his father several hours, always leading him by
• 1:06:39
  the hand, as if he had been a lady. And every now and
• 1:06:42
  then he would come to the boat to fetch something or other for him,
• 1:06:45
  either a lump of sugar, a dram a biscuit, or something or other
• 1:06:49
  that was good. In the afternoon, his frolics ran another way, For
• 1:06:54
  then he would set the old man down upon the ground and dance about him
• 1:06:59
  and make a thousand antic gestures. And all the while he did this,
• 1:07:02
  he would be talking to him and telling him one story or another of his
• 1:07:06
  travels, and of what had happened to him abroad to divert him. In
• 1:07:11
  short, if the same filial affection was to be found in Christians to their
• 1:07:15
  parents in our part of the world, one would be tempted to say,
• 1:07:19
  there would hardly have been any need of the Fifth Commandment. But this is
• 1:07:24
  a digression. I returned to my landing, it would be needless to take
• 1:07:28
  notice of all the ceremonies and civilities that the Spaniards received me. With the
• 1:07:32
  first Spaniard, whom, as I said, I knew very well, was
• 1:07:36
  he whose life I had saved. He came towards the boat, attended by
• 1:07:42
  one more carrying a flag of truce also, and he not only did not
• 1:07:45
  know me at first, but he had no thoughts, no notion of its
• 1:07:49
  being me that was come till I spoke to him signor said I in Portuguese,
• 1:07:55
  do you not know me? At which he spoke not a word,
• 1:07:59
  but giving his mother ski to the man that was with him, threw his
• 1:08:01
  arms abroad, saying something in Spanish that I did not perfectly hear, came
• 1:08:06
  forward and embraced me, telling me he was inexcusable not to know that face.
• 1:08:12
  Again, that he had once seen as of an angel from heaven sent
• 1:08:15
  to save his life. He said, abundance of very handsome things, as
• 1:08:19
  a well bred spaniard always knows how, and then, beckoning to the person
• 1:08:25
  that attended him, bade him go and call out his comrades. He then
• 1:08:29
  asked me if I would walk to my old habitation, where he would give
• 1:08:32
  me possession of my own house again, and where I should see they had
• 1:08:36
  made but mean improvements. I walked along with him, but alas I could
• 1:08:42
  no more find the place than if I had never been there. For they
• 1:08:45
  had planted so many trees and placed them in such a position, so thick
• 1:08:50
  and close to one another, and in ten years time they were grown so
• 1:08:55
  big that the place was inaccessible except by such windings and blind ways, as
• 1:09:00
  they themselves only who made them could find. I asked them what put them
• 1:09:06
  upon all these fortifications. He told me I would say there was need enough
• 1:09:11
  of it. When they had given me an account how they had passed their
• 1:09:15
  time since their arriving in the island, especially after they had the misfortune to
• 1:09:19
  find that I was gone, he told me he could not but have some
• 1:09:24
  pleasure in my good fortune. When he heard that I was gone in a
• 1:09:27
  good ship and to my satisfaction, and that he had oftentimes a strong persuasion
• 1:09:32
  that one time or other he should see me again. But nothing that ever
• 1:09:36
  befell him in his life, he said, was so surprising and afflicting to
• 1:09:42
  him at first as the disappointment he was under when he came back to the
• 1:09:46
  island and found I was not there. As to the three barbarians, so
• 1:09:51
  he called them that were left behind, and of whom he said, he
• 1:09:56
  had a long story to tell me. The Spaniards all thought themselves much better
• 1:10:00
  among the savages, only that their number was so small, And says he,
• 1:10:05
  had they been strong enough, we had been no long ago in purgatory,
• 1:10:10
  And with that he crossed himself on the breast. But sir, says
• 1:10:14
  he, I hope you will not be displeased when I shall tell you how
• 1:10:16
  forced by necessity we were obliged for our own preservation to disarm them and make
• 1:10:23
  them our subjects, as they would not be content with being moderately our masters,
• 1:10:28
  but would be our murderers. I answered, I was afraid of it
• 1:10:32
  when I left them there, and nothing troubled me at my parting from the
• 1:10:36
  island, but that they were not come back, that I might have put
• 1:10:40
  them in possession of everything first, and left the others in a state of
• 1:10:44
  subjection, as they deserved. But if they had reduced them to it,
• 1:10:48
  I was very glad, and should be very far from finding any fault with
• 1:10:53
  it, for I knew they were a parcel of refractory, ungoverned villains,
• 1:10:58
  and were fit for any man of mischief. While I was saying this,
• 1:11:02
  the man came whom he had sent back, and with him eleven more.
• 1:11:06
  In the dress they were in, it was impossible to guess what nation they
• 1:11:11
  were of, but he made all clear, both to them and to me.
• 1:11:15
  First he turned to me, and, pointing to them, said,
• 1:11:17
  these, sir, are some of the gentlemen who owe their lives to you.
• 1:11:21
  And then turning to them and pointing to me, he let them know
• 1:11:26
  who I was, upon which they all came up, one by one,
• 1:11:30
  not as if they had been sailors and ordinary fellows and the like, but
• 1:11:34
  really as if they had been ambassadors or noblemen, and I a monarch or
• 1:11:40
  great conqueror. Their behavior was to the last degree obliging and courteous, and
• 1:11:45
  yet mixed with a manly, majestic gravity, which very well became them.
• 1:11:50
  And in short, they had so much more manners than I that I scarce
• 1:11:55
  knew how to receive their civilities, much less how to return them in kind.
• 1:12:00
  The history of their coming to and conduct in the island after my going
• 1:12:05
  away is so very remarkable, and has so many incidents which the former part
• 1:12:12
  of my relation will help to understand, and which will, in most of
• 1:12:15
  the particulars, refer to the account I have already given that I cannot but
• 1:12:20
  commit them with great delight to the reading of those that come after me.
• 1:12:26
  In order to do this as intelligibly as I can, I must go back
• 1:12:30
  to the circumstances in which I left the island and the persons on it of
• 1:12:34
  whom I am to speak. And first it is necessary to repeat that I
• 1:12:39
  had sent away Friday's father and the Spaniard, the two whose lives I had
• 1:12:44
  rescued from the savages, in a large canoe to the main as I then
• 1:12:47
  thought it to fetch over the Spaniard's companions that he left behind them in order
• 1:12:53
  to save them from the like calamity that he had been in, and in
• 1:12:58
  order to succor them for the present, and that if possible, we might
• 1:13:01
  together find some way for our deliverance afterwards. When I sent them away,
• 1:13:06
  I had no visible appearance of or the least room to hope for my own
• 1:13:11
  deliverance, any more than I had twenty years before. Much less had I
• 1:13:15
  any foreknowledge of what afterwards happened. I mean of an English ship coming on
• 1:13:20
  shore there to fetch me off. And it could not be but a very
• 1:13:25
  great surprise to them when they came back, not only to find that I
• 1:13:29
  was gone, but to find three strangers left on the spot, possessed of
• 1:13:33
  all that I had left behind me, which would otherwise have been their own.
• 1:13:38
  The first thing, however, which I inquired into, that I might
• 1:13:42
  begin where I left off, was of their own part, And I desired
• 1:13:45
  the Spaniard would give me a particular account of his voyage back to his countrymen
• 1:13:50
  with the boat when I sent him to fetch them over. He told me
• 1:13:55
  there was little variety in that part, for nothing remarkable happened to them on
• 1:14:00
  the way, having had very calm weather and a smooth sea. As for
• 1:14:03
  his countrymen, it could not be doubted, he said, But that they
• 1:14:08
  were overjoyed to see him. It seems he was the principal man among them,
• 1:14:13
  the captain of the vessel they had been shipwrecked in, having been dead
• 1:14:16
  some time. They were, he said, the more surprised to see him,
• 1:14:20
  because they knew that he was fallen into the hands of the savages,
• 1:14:25
  who they were satisfied would devour him, as they did all the rest of
• 1:14:29
  their prisoners. That when he told them the story of his deliverance and in
• 1:14:33
  what manner he was furnished for carrying them away, it was like a dream
• 1:14:38
  to them, And their astonishment, he said, was somewhat like that of
• 1:14:42
  Joseph's brethren when he told them who he was and the story of his exultation
• 1:14:46
  in Pharaoh's court. But when he showed them the arms, the powder,
• 1:14:50
  the ball, the provisions that he had brought them for their journey or voyage,
• 1:14:56
  they were restored to themselves, took a just share of the joy of
• 1:15:00
  their deliverance, and immediately prepared to come away with him. Their first business
• 1:15:05
  was to get canoes, and in this they were obliged not to stick so
• 1:15:10
  much upon the honesty of it, but to trespass upon their friendly savages,
• 1:15:15
  and to borrow two large canoes or periaguas, on pretense of going out of
• 1:15:19
  fishing or for pleasure in these. They came away the next morning. It
• 1:15:25
  seems they wanted no time to get themselves ready, for they had neither clothes,
• 1:15:29
  nor provisions, nor anything in the world but what they had on them,
• 1:15:33
  and a few roots to eat, of which they used to make their
• 1:15:36
  bread. They were in all three weeks absent, and in that time,
• 1:15:42
  unluckily for them, I had the occasion offered for my escape, as I
• 1:15:45
  mentioned in the other part, and to get off from the island, leaving
• 1:15:49
  three of the most impudent, hardened, ungoverned, disagreeable villains behind me that
• 1:15:55
  any man could desire to meet with. To the poor Spaniards great grief and
• 1:16:00
  disappointment. The only just thing the rogues did was that when the Spaniards came
• 1:16:06
  ashore, they gave my letter to them and gave them provisions and other relief,
• 1:16:12
  as I had ordered them to do. Also, they gave them the
• 1:16:15
  long paper of directions which I had left with them, containing the particular methods
• 1:16:19
  which I took for managing every part of my life. There the way I
• 1:16:24
  baked my bread, bred up tame goats, and planted my corn, how
• 1:16:29
  I cured my grapes, made my pots, and in a word, everything
• 1:16:33
  I did, all this being written down, they gave to the Spaniards.
• 1:16:38
  Two of them understood English well enough. Nor did they refuse to accommodate the
• 1:16:43
  Spaniards with anything else, for they agreed very well. For some time.
• 1:16:46
  They gave them an equal admission into the house or cave, and they began
• 1:16:51
  to live very sociably, and the head Spaniard, who had seen pretty much
• 1:16:56
  of my methods, together with Friday's father, managed all their affairs. But
• 1:17:01
  as for the Englishmen, they did nothing but ramble about the island, shoot
• 1:17:05
  parrots and catch tortoises. And when they came home at night, the Spaniards
• 1:17:11
  provided their suppers for them. The Spaniards would have been satisfied with this had
• 1:17:16
  the others but let them alone, which, however, they could not find
• 1:17:20
  in their hearts to do long. But like the dog in the manger,
• 1:17:25
  they would not eat themselves, neither would they let the others eat. The
• 1:17:29
  differences, nevertheless, were at first but trivial, and such as are not
• 1:17:33
  worth relating. But at last it broke out into open war, and it
• 1:17:38
  began with all the rudeness and insolence that can be imagined without reason, without
• 1:17:44
  provocation, contrary to nature, and indeed to common sense. And though it
• 1:17:48
  is true the first relation of it came from the Spaniards themselves, whom I
• 1:17:54
  may call the accusers. Yet when I came to examine the Fellows, they
• 1:17:59
  could not deny a word of it. But before I come to the particulars
• 1:18:03
  of this part, I must supply a defect in my former relation. And
• 1:18:08
  this was I forgot to set down among the rest, that just as we
• 1:18:12
  were weighing the anchor to set sail, there happened a little quarrel on board
• 1:18:16
  of our ship, which I was once afraid would have turned to a second
• 1:18:20
  mutiny. Nor was it appeased till the captain, rousing up his courage,
• 1:18:25
  and taking us all to his assistance, parted them by force, and making
• 1:18:30
  two of the most refractory fellows prisoners. He laid them in irons, and
• 1:18:34
  as they had been active in the former disorders, and let fall some ugly
• 1:18:39
  dangerous words. The second time he threatened to carry them in irons to England
• 1:18:44
  and have them hanged there for mutiny and running away with the ship. This,
• 1:18:48
  it seems, though the captain did not intend to do, it,
• 1:18:51
  frightened some other men in the ship, and some of them had put it
• 1:18:56
  into the head of the rest that the captain only gave them good word for
• 1:19:00
  the present till they should come to some English port, and that then they
• 1:19:03
  should be all put into jail and tried for their lives. The Mate got
• 1:19:09
  intelligence of this and acquainted us with it, upon which it was desired that
• 1:19:14
  I, who still passed for a great man among them, should go down
• 1:19:17
  with the Mate and satisfy the men, and tell them that they might be
• 1:19:21
  assured if they behaved well the rest of the voyage, all they had done
• 1:19:26
  for the time past should be pardoned. So I went, and after passing
• 1:19:30
  my honor's word to them, they appeared easy, and the more so when
• 1:19:34
  I caused the two men that were in irons to be released and forgiven.
• 1:19:40
  But this mutiny had brought us to anchor for that night, the wind also
• 1:19:45
  falling calm. Next morning we found that our two men who had been laid
• 1:19:48
  in irons, had stolen each of them a musket and some other weapons.
• 1:19:53
  What powder or shot they had, we knew not, and had taken the
• 1:19:57
  ship's pinnace, which was not yet hot, and run away with her to
• 1:20:01
  their companions in roguery on shore. As soon as we found this, I
• 1:20:06
  ordered the longboat on shore with twelve men and the mate, and away they
• 1:20:11
  went to seek the rogues. But they could neither find them, nor any
• 1:20:15
  of the rest, for they all fled into the woods when they saw the
• 1:20:17
  boat coming on shore. The Mate was once resolved in justice to their roguery
• 1:20:24
  to have destroyed their plantations, burned all their household stuff and furniture, and
• 1:20:29
  left them to shift without it. But having no orders, he let it
• 1:20:32
  all alone, left everything as he found it, and bringing the pinnace way,
• 1:20:38
  came on board. Without them. These two men made their number five.
• 1:20:42
  But the other three villains were so much more wicked than they, that
• 1:20:45
  after they had been two or three days together, they turned the two newcomers
• 1:20:49
  out of doors to shift for themselves, and would have nothing to do with
• 1:20:54
  them, nor could they, for a good while be persuaded to give them
• 1:20:58
  any food. As for the Spaniards, they were not yet come. When
• 1:21:02
  the Spaniards came first on shore, the business began to go forward. The
• 1:21:08
  Spaniards would have persuaded the three English brutes to have taken in their countrymen again,
• 1:21:14
  that, as they said, they might be all one family, but
• 1:21:16
  they would not hear of it. So the two poor fellows lived by themselves,
• 1:21:21
  and, finding nothing but industry and application would make them live comfortably.
• 1:21:26
  They pitched their tents on the north shore of the island, but a little
• 1:21:30
  more to the west, to be out of danger of the savages who always
• 1:21:33
  landed on the east parts of the island. Here they built them two huts,
• 1:21:39
  one to lodge in and the other to lay up their magazines and stores
• 1:21:43
  in. And the Spaniards, having given them some corn for seed, and
• 1:21:46
  some of the peas which I had left them, they dug planted and enclosed
• 1:21:51
  after the pattern I had set for them all, and began to live pretty
• 1:21:56
  well. Their first crop of corn was on the ground, And though it
• 1:22:00
  was but a little bit of land which they had dug up at first,
• 1:22:02
  having had but a little time, yet, it was enough to relieve them
• 1:22:08
  and find them with bread and other eatables. And one of the fellows,
• 1:22:12
  being the cook's mate of the ship, was very ready at making soup puddings,
• 1:22:16
  and such other preparations as the rice and the milk, and such little
• 1:22:20
  flesh as they got furnished him to do. They were going on in this
• 1:22:26
  little thriving position when the three unnatural rogues, their own countrymen, too,
• 1:22:30
  in mere humor and to insult them, came and bullied them and told them
• 1:22:35
  the island was theirs, that the governor, meaning me, had given them
• 1:22:41
  the possession of it, and nobody else had any right to it, and
• 1:22:45
  that they should build no houses upon their ground unless they would pay rent for
• 1:22:48
  them. The two men, thinking they were jesting, at first asked them
• 1:22:53
  to come in and sit down and see what fine houses they were that they
• 1:22:58
  had built, and to tell them what rent they demanded. And one of
• 1:23:01
  them merrily said, if they were the ground landlords, he hoped if they
• 1:23:05
  built tenements upon their land and made improvements, they would, according to the
• 1:23:11
  custom of landlords, grant a long lease, and desired they would get a
• 1:23:15
  scrivener to draw the writings. One of the three, cursing and raging,
• 1:23:19
  told them they should see they were not in jest, and going to a
• 1:23:23
  little place at a distance where the honest men had made a fire to dress
• 1:23:27
  their victuals. He takes a firebrand and claps it to the outside of their
• 1:23:31
  hut and set it on fire. Indeed, it would have been all burned
• 1:23:35
  down in a few minutes if one of the two had not run to the
• 1:23:39
  fellow, thrust him away, and trod the fire out with his feet,
• 1:23:44
  and that not without some difficulty too. The fellow was in such a rage
• 1:23:48
  at the honest man's thrusting him away that he returned upon him with a pole
• 1:23:54
  he had in his hand and had not. The man avoided the blow very
• 1:23:58
  nimbly and run into the hut he had ended his days at once. His
• 1:24:02
  comrade, seeing the danger they were both in, ran after him, and
• 1:24:06
  immediately they came both out with their muskets, and the man that was first
• 1:24:12
  struck at with the pole knocked the fellow down that began the quarrel with the
• 1:24:15
  stalk of his musket, and that before the other two could come to help
• 1:24:19
  him. And then, seeing the rest come at them, they stood together,
• 1:24:24
  and, presenting the other ends of their pieces to them, bade them
• 1:24:28
  stand off. The others had fire arms with them too, But one of
• 1:24:32
  the two honest men, bolder than his comrade, and made desperate by his
• 1:24:38
  danger, told them if they offered to move hand or foot, they were
• 1:24:42
  dead men, and boldly commanded them to lay down their arms. They did
• 1:24:46
  not indeed lay down their arms, but seeing him so resolute, it brought
• 1:24:51
  them to a parley, and they consented to take their wounded man with them
• 1:24:56
  and be gone. And indeed it seems the fellow w wounded sufficiently with the
• 1:25:00
  blow. However, they were much in the wrong, since they had the
• 1:25:04
  advantage that they did not disarm them effectually as they might have done, and
• 1:25:11
  have gone immediately to the Spaniards and given them an account how the rogues had
• 1:25:15
  treated them. For the three villains studied nothing but revenge, and every day
• 1:25:20
  gave them some intimation that they did so. End of chapter two. Chapter
• 1:25:27
  three fight with cannibals, but not to crowd this part with an account of
• 1:25:32
  the lesser part of the rogueries with which they plagued them continually night and day.
• 1:25:38
  It forced the two men to such a desperation that they resolved to fight
• 1:25:42
  them all three the first time they had a fair opportunity. In order to
• 1:25:45
  do this, they resolved to go to the castle, as they called my
• 1:25:49
  old dwelling, where the three rogues and the Spaniards all lived together at that
• 1:25:54
  time, intending to have a fair battle, and the Spaniards should stand by
• 1:25:59
  to see fair. So they got up in the morning before day and came
• 1:26:03
  to the place and called the Englishmen by their names, telling a Spaniard that
• 1:26:08
  answered that they wanted to speak with them. It happened that the day before
• 1:26:13
  two of the Spaniards, having been in the woods, had seen one of
• 1:26:16
  the two Englishmen, whom for distinction I called the honest men, and he
• 1:26:21
  had made a sad complaint to the Spaniards of the barbarous usage they had met
• 1:26:26
  with from their three countrymen, and how they had ruined the plantation and destroyed
• 1:26:30
  their corn that they had labored so hard to bring forward, and killed the
• 1:26:34
  milch goat and their three kids, which was all they had provided for their
• 1:26:39
  sustenance, and that if he and his friends, meaning the Spaniards, did
• 1:26:43
  not assist them again, they should be starved. When the Spaniards came home
• 1:26:47
  at night and they were all at supper, one of them took the freedom
• 1:26:51
  to reprove the three Englishmen, though in very gentle and mannerly terms, and
• 1:26:57
  asked them how they could be so cruel, they being harmless, inoffensive fellows,
• 1:27:01
  that they were putting themselves in a way to subsist by their labor,
• 1:27:04
  and that it had cost them a great deal of pains to bring things to
• 1:27:09
  such perfection as they were then in. One of the Englishmen returned, very
• 1:27:13
  briskly. What had they to do there? That they came on shore without
• 1:27:17
  leave? And that they should not plant or build upon the island. It
• 1:27:20
  was none of their ground way, says the Spaniard, very calmly, Senor
• 1:27:26
  Englais. They must not starve. The Englishmen replied, like a rough tarpaulin,
• 1:27:30
  they might starve. They should not plant nor build in that place.
• 1:27:34
  But what must they do, then, signor, said the Spaniard. Another
• 1:27:39
  of the brutes returned, Do they should be servants and work for them?
• 1:27:44
  But how can you expect that of them, says the Spaniard. They are
• 1:27:46
  not bought with your money. You have no right to make them servants.
• 1:27:50
  The Englishman answered, the island was theirs. The governor had given it to
• 1:27:56
  them, and no man had anything to do there but themselves. And with
• 1:28:00
  that he swore that he would go and burn all their new huts, they
• 1:28:03
  should build none upon their land. Why signor, says the Spaniard, by
• 1:28:09
  the same rule, we must be your servants too, ay, returned the
• 1:28:13
  bold dog, And so you shall too, before we have done with you,
• 1:28:17
  mixing two or three oaths in the proper intervals of his speech. The
• 1:28:21
  Spaniard only smiled at that and made him no answer. However, this little
• 1:28:27
  discourse had heated them, and starting up, one says to the other,
• 1:28:30
  I think it was he, they called will Atkins, come Jack, Let's
• 1:28:34
  go and have t'other brush with them. We'll demolish the castle. I'll warrant
• 1:28:39
  you they shall plant no colony in our dominions. Upon this, they were
• 1:28:44
  all trooping away, with every man a gun, a pistol and a sword,
• 1:28:48
  and muttered some insolent things among themselves of what they would do to the
• 1:28:53
  Spaniards too, when opportunity offered. But the Spaniards, it seems, did
• 1:28:57
  not so perfectly understand them as to know all the particulars, only that in
• 1:29:01
  general they threatened them hard for taking the two englishmen's part whither they went,
• 1:29:08
  or how they bestowed their time. That evening, the Spaniards said they did
• 1:29:12
  not know, but it seems they wandered about the country part of the night,
• 1:29:15
  and then lying down in the place which I used to call my bower,
• 1:29:19
  they were weary and overslept themselves. The case was this, they had
• 1:29:24
  resolved to stay till midnight and so take the two poor men when they were
• 1:29:29
  asleep, and as they acknowledged afterwards, intended to set fire to their huts
• 1:29:32
  while they were in them, and either burned them there or murder them.
• 1:29:36
  As they came out. As malice seldom sleeps very sound, it was very
• 1:29:42
  strange they should not have been kept awake, however, as the two men
• 1:29:45
  had also a design upon them, as I have said, though a much
• 1:29:49
  fairer one than that of burning and murdering. It happened, and very luckily
• 1:29:55
  for them all that they were up and gone abroad before the bloody minded rose
• 1:30:00
  came to their huts. When they came there and found the men gone,
• 1:30:04
  Atkins, who it seems was the forwardest man, called out to his comrade,
• 1:30:10
  Ha, Jack, here is the nest, but the birds are flown.
• 1:30:13
  They mused, awhile to think what should be the occasion of their being
• 1:30:16
  gone abroad so soon? And suggested presently that the Spaniards had given them notice
• 1:30:21
  of it, and with that they shook hands and swore to one another that
• 1:30:26
  they would be revenged of the Spaniards. As soon as they had made this
• 1:30:30
  bloody bargain, they fell to work with the poor men's habitation. They did
• 1:30:33
  not set fire, indeed, to anything, but they pulled down both their
• 1:30:38
  houses and left not the least stick standing, or scarce any sign on the
• 1:30:43
  ground where they stood. They tore all their household stuff in pieces, and
• 1:30:47
  threw everything about in such a manner that the poor men afterwards found some of
• 1:30:53
  their things a mile off. When they had done this, they pulled up
• 1:30:57
  all the young trees which the poor men had planted, broke down an enclosure
• 1:31:00
  they had made to secure their cattle in their corn, and in a word,
• 1:31:05
  sacked and plundered everything as completely as a horde of tartars would have done.
• 1:31:11
  The two men were at this juncture gone to find them out, and
• 1:31:15
  had resolved to fight them wherever they had been, though they were but two
• 1:31:18
  to three, so that had they met, there certainly would have been bloodshed
• 1:31:24
  among them, for they were all very stout, resolute fellows to give them
• 1:31:28
  their due. But Providence took more care to keep them asunder than they themselves
• 1:31:32
  could do to meet, For as if they had dogged one another. When
• 1:31:36
  the three were gone thither, the two were here. And afterwards, when
• 1:31:42
  the two went back to find them, the three were come to the old
• 1:31:45
  habitation again, we shall see their different conduct. Presently, when the three
• 1:31:49
  came back, like furious creatures, flushed with the rage which the work they
• 1:31:54
  had been about had put them into, they came up to the Spaniards and
• 1:31:58
  told them what they had done by way of scoff and bravado. And one
• 1:32:01
  of them, stepping up to one of the Spaniards, as if they had
• 1:32:04
  been a couple of boys at play, takes hold of his hat as it
• 1:32:09
  was upon his head, and giving it a twirl about, fleering in his
• 1:32:12
  face, says to him, and you, Senor Jack's Spaniard, shall have
• 1:32:15
  the same sauce if you do not mind your manners. The Spaniard, who
• 1:32:19
  though a quiet civil man, was as brave a man as could be,
• 1:32:24
  and withal a strong, well made man, looked at him for a good
• 1:32:28
  while, and then, having no weapon in his hand, stepped gravely up
• 1:32:31
  to him, and with one blow of his fist knocked him down as an
• 1:32:35
  ox Is felled with a pole axe, at which one of the rogues,
• 1:32:40
  as insolent as the first, fired his pistol at the Spaniard. Immediately.
• 1:32:44
  He missed his body, indeed, for the bullets went through his hair,
• 1:32:47
  but one of them touched the tip of his ear, and he bled pretty
• 1:32:51
  much. The blood made the Spaniard believe he was more hurt than he really
• 1:32:56
  was, and not put him into some heat, for before he acted it
• 1:33:00
  all in a perfect calm. But now resolving to go through with his work,
• 1:33:03
  he stooped and, taking the fellow's musket whom he had knocked down,
• 1:33:08
  was just going to shoot the man who had fired at him, when the
• 1:33:11
  rest of the Spaniards, being in the cave, came out and calling to
• 1:33:15
  him not to shoot. They stepped in, secured the other two and took
• 1:33:19
  their arms from them. When they were thus disarmed and found they had made
• 1:33:25
  all the Spaniards their enemies as well as their own countrymen, they began to
• 1:33:29
  cool and, giving the Spaniards better words, would have their arms again.
• 1:33:33
  But the Spaniards, considering the feud that was between them and the other two
• 1:33:38
  Englishmen, and that it would be the best method they could take to keep
• 1:33:42
  them from killing one another. Told them they would do them no harm,
• 1:33:45
  and if they would live peaceably, they would be very willing to assist and
• 1:33:49
  associate with them, as they did before, but that they could not think
• 1:33:54
  of giving them their arms again. While they appeared so resolved to do mischief
• 1:33:58
  with them to their own country men, and had even threatened them all to
• 1:34:01
  make them their servants, the rogues were now quite deaf to all reason,
• 1:34:06
  and being refused their arms, they raved away like madmen, threatening what they
• 1:34:12
  would do, though they had no firearms. But the Spaniards, despising their
• 1:34:16
  threatening, told them they should take care how they offered any injury to their
• 1:34:20
  plantation or cattle, for if they did, they would shoot them as they
• 1:34:25
  would ravenous beasts wherever they found them, and if they fell into their hands
• 1:34:30
  alive, they should certainly be hanged. However, this was far from cooling
• 1:34:33
  them, but away they went, raging and swearing like furies. As soon
• 1:34:39
  as they were gone, the two men came back in passion and rage enough
• 1:34:43
  also, though of another kind, for having been at their plantation and finding
• 1:34:47
  it all demolished and destroyed. As above mentioned, it will easily be supposed
• 1:34:53
  they had provocation enough they could scarce have room to tell their tale. The
• 1:34:58
  Spaniards were so eager to tell tell them theirs. And it was strange enough
• 1:35:01
  to find that three men should thus bully nineteen and receive no punishment at all.
• 1:35:08
  The Spaniards indeed despised them, and, especially having thus disarmed them,
• 1:35:14
  made light of their threatenings. But the two Englishmen resolved to have their remedy
• 1:35:17
  against them, what pains soever it cost to find them out. But the
• 1:35:23
  Spaniards interposed here too, and told them that as they had disarmed them,
• 1:35:28
  they could not consent that they the two should pursue them with fire arms and
• 1:35:31
  perhaps kill them. But said the grave Spaniard, who was their governor,
• 1:35:36
  we will endeavor to make them do you justice if you will leave it to
• 1:35:41
  us, For there is no doubt but that they will come to us again
• 1:35:44
  when their passion is over, being not able to subsist without our assistants.
• 1:35:49
  We promise you to make no peace with them without having full satisfaction for you,
• 1:35:55
  And upon this condition we hope you will promise to use no violence against
• 1:35:59
  them other than in your own defense. The two Englishmen yielded to this very
• 1:36:03
  awkwardly and with great reluctance. But the Spaniards protested that they did it only
• 1:36:09
  to keep them from bloodshed, and to make them all easy at last,
• 1:36:14
  For said they, we are not so many of us, here is room
• 1:36:17
  enough for us all, and it is a great pity that we should not
• 1:36:20
  be all good friends. At length, they did consent and waited for the
• 1:36:25
  issue of the thing, living for some days with the Spaniards, for their
• 1:36:29
  own habitation was destroyed. In about five days time. The vagrants, tired
• 1:36:34
  with wandering and almost starved with hunger, having chiefly lived on turtles eggs all
• 1:36:40
  that while, came back to the grove, and finding my Spaniard, who,
• 1:36:44
  as I have said, was the governor, and two more with him,
• 1:36:47
  walking by the side of the creek. They came up in a very
• 1:36:50
  submissive, humble manner, and begged to be received again into the society.
• 1:36:56
  The Spaniards used them civilly, but told them they had acted so unnaturally to
• 1:37:00
  their countrymen, and so very grossly to themselves, that they could not come
• 1:37:05
  to any conclusion without consulting The two Englishmen and the rest. But however,
• 1:37:11
  they would go to them and discourse about it, and they should know in
• 1:37:15
  half an hour. It may be guessed that they were very hard put to
• 1:37:18
  it, for as they were to wait this half hour for an answer,
• 1:37:21
  they begged they would send them out some bread in the meantime, which they
• 1:37:26
  did, sending at the same time a large piece of goat's flesh and a
• 1:37:30
  boiled parrot, which they ate very eagerly. After half an hour's consultation,
• 1:37:35
  they were called in, and a long debate ensued, their two countrymen,
• 1:37:40
  charging them with the ruin of all their labor and a design to murder them
• 1:37:45
  all which they owned before and therefore could not deny. Now upon the whole.
• 1:37:49
  The Spaniards acted the moderators between them, and as they had obliged the
• 1:37:55
  two Englishmen not to hurt the three while they were naked and unarmed, so
• 1:37:59
  they now obli lodged the three to go and rebuild their fellows two huts,
• 1:38:02
  one to be of the same and the other of larger dimensions than they were
• 1:38:06
  before, to fence their ground again, plant trees in the room of those
• 1:38:11
  pulled up, dig up the land again for planting corn, and in a
• 1:38:15
  word, to restore everything to the same state as they found it, that
• 1:38:19
  is, as near as they could well. They submitted to all this,
• 1:38:24
  and as they had plenty of provisions given them, all the while, they
• 1:38:28
  grew very orderly, and the whole society began to live pleasantly and agreeably together
• 1:38:33
  again, only that these three fellows could never be persuaded to work i mean,
• 1:38:39
  for themselves, except now and then a little, just as they pleased.
• 1:38:43
  However, the Spaniards told them plainly that if they would but live sociably
• 1:38:46
  and friendly together, and study the good of the whole plantation, they would
• 1:38:51
  be content to work for them and let them walk about and be as idle
• 1:38:56
  as they pleased. And thus, having lived pretty well together for a month
• 1:39:00
  or two, the Spaniards let them have arms again and gave them liberty to
• 1:39:04
  go abroad with them as before. It was not above a week after they
• 1:39:10
  had these arms and went abroad before the ungrateful creatures began to be as insolent
• 1:39:15
  and troublesome as Ever, However, an accident happened presently upon this which endangered
• 1:39:21
  the safety of them all, and they were obliged to lay by all private
• 1:39:26
  resentments and look to the preservation of their lives. It happened one night that
• 1:39:31
  the governor, the Spaniard whose life I had saved, who was now the
• 1:39:34
  governor of the rest, found himself very uneasy in the night, and could
• 1:39:40
  by no means get any sleep. He was perfectly well in body, only
• 1:39:44
  found his thoughts tumultuous. His mind ran upon men fighting and killing one another,
• 1:39:49
  But he was broad awake and could not by any means get any sleep.
• 1:39:54
  In short, he lay a great while, but growing more and more
• 1:39:57
  uneasy, he resolved to rise as they lay, Being so many of them
• 1:40:01
  on goat skins, laid thick upon such couches and pads as they made for
• 1:40:05
  themselves, so they had little to do when they were willing to rise,
• 1:40:11
  but to get upon their feet, and perhaps put on a coat, such
• 1:40:14
  as it was, and their pumps. And they were ready for going any
• 1:40:17
  way that their thoughts guided them. Being thus got up, he looked out,
• 1:40:23
  but being dark, he could see little or nothing, and besides the
• 1:40:27
  trees which I had planted, and which were now grown tall, intercepted his
• 1:40:30
  sight, so that he could only look up and see that it was a
• 1:40:34
  starlight night, and hearing no noise, he returned and lay down again,
• 1:40:39
  but to no purpose. He could not compose himself to anything like rest.
• 1:40:44
  But his thoughts were to the last degree uneasy, and he knew not for
• 1:40:47
  what. Having made some noise with rising and walking about, going out and
• 1:40:53
  coming in, another of them waked and asked who it was that was up.
• 1:40:57
  The governor told him how it had been with him. Say you so,
• 1:41:00
  says the other Spaniard. Such things are not to be slighted. I
• 1:41:03
  assure you. There is certainly some mischief working near us. And presently he
• 1:41:08
  asked him where are the Englishmen? They are all in their huts, says
• 1:41:13
  he. Safe enough. It seems the Spaniards had kept possession of the main
• 1:41:16
  apartment and had made a place for the three Englishmen, who, since their
• 1:41:21
  last mutiny, were always quartered by themselves and could not come at the rest.
• 1:41:27
  Well, says the Spaniard, there is something in it. I am
• 1:41:30
  persuaded from my own experience. I am satisfied that our spirits embodied have a
• 1:41:34
  converse with and receive intelligence from the spirits unembodied and inhabiting the invisible world.
• 1:41:42
  And this friendly notice is given for our advantage. If we knew how to
• 1:41:45
  make use of it, Come let us go and look abroad. And if
• 1:41:48
  we find nothing at all in it to justify the trouble, I'll tell you
• 1:41:51
  a story to the purpose that shall convince you of the justice of my proposing
• 1:41:57
  it. They went out presently to go up to the top of the hill
• 1:42:00
  where I used to go, But they, being strong and a good company,
• 1:42:04
  nor alone, as I was, used none of my cautions to go
• 1:42:09
  up by the ladder and pulling it up after them, to go up a
• 1:42:12
  second stage to the top, but were going round through the grove unwarily,
• 1:42:16
  when they were surprised with seeing a light as of fire a very little way
• 1:42:20
  from them, and hearing the voices of men, not of one or two,
• 1:42:25
  but of a great number. Among the precautions I used to take on
• 1:42:30
  the savages landing on the island, it was my constant care to prevent them
• 1:42:33
  making the least discovery of there being any inhabitant upon the place. And when
• 1:42:39
  by any occasion they came to know it, they felt it so effectually that
• 1:42:43
  they that got away were scarce able to give any account of it. For
• 1:42:46
  we disappeared as soon as possible, Nor did ever any that had seen me
• 1:42:50
  escape to tell anyone else, except it was the three savages in our last
• 1:42:56
  encounter who jumped into the boat, of whom I mentioned, I was afraid
• 1:43:00
  they should go home and bring more help. Whether it was the consequence of
• 1:43:03
  the escape of those men that so great a number came now together, or
• 1:43:09
  whether they came ignorantly and by accident on their usual bloody errand, the Spaniards
• 1:43:15
  could not understand. But whatever it was, it was their business either to
• 1:43:18
  have concealed themselves or not to have seen them at all, much less to
• 1:43:23
  have let the savages have seen there were any inhabitants in the place, or
• 1:43:28
  to have fallen upon them so effectually as not a man of them should have
• 1:43:30
  escaped, which could only have been by getting in between them and their boats.
• 1:43:35
  But this presence of mind was wanting to them, which was the ruin
• 1:43:40
  of their tranquility for a great while. We need not doubt but that the
• 1:43:45
  governor and the man with him, surprised with this sight, ran back immediately
• 1:43:49
  and raised their fellows, giving them an account of the imminent danger they were
• 1:43:54
  all in, And they again as readily took the alarm, but it was
• 1:43:58
  impossible to persuade them to stay close within where they were, but they must
• 1:44:02
  all run out to see how things stood while it was dark. Indeed,
• 1:44:06
  they were safe, and they had opportunity enough for some hours to view the
• 1:44:11
  savages by the light of three fires they had made at a distance from one
• 1:44:15
  another. What they were doing they knew not. Neither did they know what
• 1:44:18
  to do themselves, for first the enemy were too many, and secondly they
• 1:44:24
  did not keep together, but were divided into several parties, and were on
• 1:44:28
  shore in several places. The Spaniards were in no small consternation at this site,
• 1:44:33
  and as they found that the fellows went straggling all over the shore,
• 1:44:38
  they made no doubt but first or last some of them would chop in upon
• 1:44:42
  their habitation, or upon some other place where they would see the token of
• 1:44:46
  inhabitants. And they were in great perplexity also for fear of their flock of
• 1:44:50
  goats, which if they should be destroyed, would have been little less than
• 1:44:56
  starving them. So the first thing they resolved upon was to dispatch three men
• 1:45:00
  away before it was light, two Spaniards and one Englishman, to drive away
• 1:45:04
  all the goats to the great valley where the cave was, and if need
• 1:45:09
  were to drive them into the very cave itself, could they have seen the
• 1:45:13
  savages all together in one body and at a distance from their canoes. They
• 1:45:17
  were resolved if there had been a hundred of them to attack them, but
• 1:45:21
  that could not be done, for they were, some of them two miles
• 1:45:25
  off from the other, and as it appeared afterwards, were of two different
• 1:45:30
  nations. After having mused a great while on the course they should take,
• 1:45:34
  they resolved at last, while it was still dark, to send the old
• 1:45:38
  savage Friday's father out as a spy, to learn, if possible, something
• 1:45:43
  concerning them, as what they came for, what they intended to do,
• 1:45:47
  and the like. The old man readily undertook it, and, stripping himself
• 1:45:51
  quite naked, as most of the savages were away, he went. After
• 1:45:56
  he had been gone an hour or two, he brings word that he had
• 1:46:00
  been among them undiscovered, that he found they were two parties, and of
• 1:46:03
  two several nations, who had war with one another and had a great battle
• 1:46:08
  in their own country, and that both sides, having had several prisoners taken
• 1:46:13
  in the fight. They were by mere chance landed all on the same island
• 1:46:17
  for the devouring their prisoners and making merry. But their coming so by chance
• 1:46:21
  to the same place had spoiled all their mirth. That they were in a
• 1:46:26
  great rage at one another, and were so near that he believed they would
• 1:46:29
  fight again as soon as daylight began to appear. But he did not perceive
• 1:46:33
  that they had any notion of anybody being on the island but themselves. He
• 1:46:38
  had hardly made an end of telling his story. When they could perceive by
• 1:46:43
  the unusual noise they made, that the two little armies were engaged in a
• 1:46:46
  bloody fight. Friday's father used all the arguments he could to persuade our people
• 1:46:51
  to lie close and not be seen. He told them their safety consisted in
• 1:46:56
  it, and that they had nothing to do but lie still, and the
• 1:47:00
  savages would kill one another to their hands, and then the rest would go
• 1:47:03
  away. And it was so to a tittle, but it was impossible to
• 1:47:08
  prevail, especially upon the Englishmen. Their curiosity was so importunate that they must
• 1:47:13
  run out and see the battle. However, they used some caution too.
• 1:47:17
  They did not go openly just by their own dwelling, but went farther into
• 1:47:21
  the woods, and placed themselves to advantage where they might securely see them manage
• 1:47:27
  the fight, and as they thought, not be seen by them. But
• 1:47:30
  the savages did see them, as we shall find hereafter. The battle was
• 1:47:35
  very fierce, and if I might believe the Englishmen, one of them said,
• 1:47:40
  he could perceive that some of them were men of great bravery, of
• 1:47:43
  invincible spirit, and of great policy in guiding the fight. The battle,
• 1:47:47
  they said, held two hours before they could guess which party would be beaten.
• 1:47:53
  But then that party, which was nearest our people's habitation, began to
• 1:47:57
  appear weakest, and after some time more some of them began to fly.
• 1:48:00
  And this put our men into a great consternation, lest any one of those
• 1:48:05
  that fled should run into the grove before their dwelling for shelter, and thereby
• 1:48:10
  involuntarily discover the place, and that by consequence the pursuers would also do the
• 1:48:15
  like in search of them. Upon this they resolved that they would stand armed
• 1:48:20
  within the wall, and whoever came into the grove they resolved to sally out
• 1:48:26
  over the wall and kill them, so that if possible, not one should
• 1:48:30
  return to give an account of it. They ordered also that it should be
• 1:48:33
  done with their swords, or by knocking them down with the stocks of their
• 1:48:36
  muskets, but not by shooting them, for fear of raising an alarm.
• 1:48:42
  By the noise, as they expected it fell out, three of the routed
• 1:48:46
  army fled for life, and, crossing the creek, ran directly into the
• 1:48:49
  place, not in the least knowing whither they went, but running as into
• 1:48:55
  a thick wood for shelter. The scout they kept to look abroad, gave
• 1:48:59
  notice of this within, with this comforting addition that the conquerors had not pursued
• 1:49:04
  them or seen which way they were gone. Upon this, the Spanish governor,
• 1:49:09
  a man of humanity, would not suffer them to kill the three fugitives,
• 1:49:13
  but, sending three men out by the top of the hill, ordered
• 1:49:16
  them to go round, come in behind them, and surprise and take them
• 1:49:20
  prisoners, which was done. The residue of the conquered people fled to their
• 1:49:25
  canoes and got off to sea. The victors retired, made no pursuit or
• 1:49:30
  very little, but drawing themselves into a body together, gave two great screaming
• 1:49:34
  shouts, most likely by way of triumph, and so the fight ended the
• 1:49:40
  same day about three o'clock in the afternoon. They also marched to their canoes,
• 1:49:45
  and thus the Spaniards had the island again free to themselves. Their fright
• 1:49:49
  was over, and they saw no savages for several years after. After they
• 1:49:56
  were all gone, the Spaniards came out of their den, and, viewing
• 1:49:59
  the fear yield of battle, they found about two and thirty men dead on
• 1:50:02
  the spot. Some were killed with long arrows, which were found sticking in
• 1:50:06
  their bodies, but most of them were killed with great wooden swords, sixteen
• 1:50:12
  or seventeen of which they found in the field of battle, and as many
• 1:50:15
  bows with a great many arrows. These swords were strange, unwieldy things,
• 1:50:20
  and they must be very strong men that used them. Most of those that
• 1:50:25
  were killed with them had their heads smashed to pieces, as we may say,
• 1:50:29
  or as we call it in English, their brains knocked out, and
• 1:50:32
  several of their arms and legs broken, so that it is evident they fight
• 1:50:38
  with inexpressible rage and fury. We found not one man that was not stone
• 1:50:43
  dead. For either they stay by their enemy till they have killed him,
• 1:50:46
  or they carry all the wounded men that are not quite dead away with them.
• 1:50:51
  This deliverance tamed our ill disposed Englishmen for a great while. The sight
• 1:50:56
  had filled them with horror, and the consequences appeared terrible to the last degree,
• 1:51:01
  especially upon supposing that some time or other they should fall into the hands
• 1:51:05
  of those creatures who would not only kill them as enemies, but for food,
• 1:51:11
  as we kill our cattle. And they professed to me that the thoughts
• 1:51:14
  of being eaten up like beef and mutton, though it was supposed it was
• 1:51:17
  not to be till they were dead, had something in it so horrible that
• 1:51:21
  it nauseated their very stomachs, made them sick when they thought of it,
• 1:51:26
  and filled their minds with such unusual terror that they were not themselves for some
• 1:51:30
  weeks after this, as I said, tamed even the three English brutes I
• 1:51:35
  have been speaking of. And for a great while after they were tractable,
• 1:51:40
  and went about the common business of the whole society well enough, planted,
• 1:51:44
  sowed, reaped, and began to be all naturalized to the country. But
• 1:51:48
  some time after this they fell into such simple measures again as brought them into
• 1:51:53
  a great deal of trouble. They had taken three prisoners as I observed,
• 1:51:58
  and these three, being stout young fellows, they made them servants and taught
• 1:52:02
  them to work for them, And as slaves they did well enough. But
• 1:52:06
  they did not take their measures as I did by my man Friday viz.
• 1:52:11
  To begin with them upon the principle of having saved their lives, and then
• 1:52:15
  instruct them in the rational principles of life. Much less did they think of
• 1:52:19
  teaching them religion, or attempting civilizing and reducing them by kind usage and affectionate
• 1:52:26
  arguments. As they gave them their food every day, so they gave them
• 1:52:30
  their work too, and kept them fully employed in drudgery enough. But they
• 1:52:34
  failed in this by it that they never had them to assist them and fight
• 1:52:39
  for them, as I had my man Friday, who was as true to
• 1:52:42
  me as the very flesh upon my bones. But to come to the family
• 1:52:46
  part. Being all now good friends for common danger, as I said above,
• 1:52:51
  had effectually reconciled them, they began to consider their general circumstances. And
• 1:52:58
  the first thing that came under considerable was weather. Seeing the savages particularly haunted
• 1:53:02
  that side of the island, and that there were more remote and retired parts
• 1:53:08
  of it equally adapted to their way of living and manifestly to their advantage,
• 1:53:13
  they should not rather move their habitation and plant in some more proper place for
• 1:53:17
  their safety and especially for the security of their cattle and corn. Upon this,
• 1:53:24
  after long debate, it was concluded that they would not remove their habitation
• 1:53:29
  because that some time or other they thought they might hear from their governor again
• 1:53:33
  meaning me, and if I should send anyone to seek them, I should
• 1:53:38
  be sure to direct them to that side, where if they should find the
• 1:53:42
  place demolished, they would conclude the savages had killed us all, and we
• 1:53:45
  were gone, and so our supply would go too. But as to their
• 1:53:49
  corn and cattle, they agreed to remove them into the valley where my cave
• 1:53:54
  was, where the land was as proper for both, and where indeed there
• 1:53:58
  was land enough. However, upon second thoughts, they altered one part of
• 1:54:01
  their resolution too, and resolved only to remove part of their cattle thither and
• 1:54:08
  part of their corn there, so that if one part was destroyed, the
• 1:54:12
  other might be saved. And one part of prudence they luckily used. They
• 1:54:15
  never trusted those three savages which they had taken prisoners with knowing anything of the
• 1:54:20
  plantation they had made in that valley, or of any cattle they had there,
• 1:54:26
  much less of the cave at that place, which they kept in case
• 1:54:30
  of necessity as a safe retreat. And thither they carried also the two barrels
• 1:54:34
  of powder which I had sent them at my coming away. They resolved,
• 1:54:39
  however, not to change their habitation yet, as I had carefully covered it
• 1:54:44
  first with a wall or fortification, and then with a grove of trees,
• 1:54:47
  and as they were now fully convinced their safety consisted entirely in their being concealed,
• 1:54:54
  they set to work to cover and conceal the place, yet more effectually
• 1:54:58
  than before. For this purpose, as I planted trees, or rather thrust
• 1:55:01
  in stakes, which in time all grew up to be trees, for some
• 1:55:05
  good distance before the entrance into my apartments, they went on in the same
• 1:55:11
  manner and filled up the rest of that whole space of ground from the trees
• 1:55:15
  I had set, quite down to the side of the creek where I landed
• 1:55:17
  my floats, and even into the very ooze where the tide flowed, not
• 1:55:23
  so much as leaving any place to land, or any sign that there had
• 1:55:26
  been any landing. Thereabouts. These steaks, also, being of a wood
• 1:55:30
  very forward to grow, they took care to have them generally much larger and
• 1:55:34
  taller than those which I had planted. As they grew apace. They planted
• 1:55:39
  them so very thick and close together, that when they had been three or
• 1:55:42
  four years grown, there was no piercing with the eye any considerable way into
• 1:55:46
  the plantation. As for that part which I had planted, the trees were
• 1:55:50
  grown as thick as a man's thigh, and among them they had placed so
• 1:55:55
  many other short ones and so thick that it stood like a palisado a quarter
• 1:56:00
  of a mile thick, and it was next to impossible to penetrate it,
• 1:56:03
  for a little dog could hardly get between the trees they stood so close.
• 1:56:10
  But this was not all, for they did the same by all the ground
• 1:56:13
  to the right hand and to the left, and round even to the side
• 1:56:16
  of the hill, leaving no way, not so much as for themselves to
• 1:56:20
  come out, but by the ladder placed up to the side of the hill,
• 1:56:24
  and then lifted up and placed again from the first stage up to the
• 1:56:28
  top, so that when the ladder was taken down, nothing but what had
• 1:56:31
  wings or witchcraft to assist it could come at them. This was excellently well
• 1:56:35
  contrived, nor was it less than what they afterwards found occasion for, which
• 1:56:41
  served to convince me that as human prudence has the authority of Providence to justify
• 1:56:46
  it, so it has doubtless the direction of Providence to set it to work.
• 1:56:50
  And if we listened carefully to the voice of it, I am persuaded,
• 1:56:55
  we might prevent many of the disasters which our lives are now, by
• 1:56:59
  our own negligence, subjected to. They lived two years after this in perfect
• 1:57:04
  retirement, and had no more visits from the savages. They had indeed an
• 1:57:10
  alarm given them one morning, which put them into a great consternation. For
• 1:57:15
  some of the Spaniards. Being out early one morning on the west side or
• 1:57:18
  end of the island, which was that end where I never went for fear
• 1:57:21
  of being discovered, they were surprised with seeing about twenty canoes of Indians just
• 1:57:27
  coming on shore. They made the best of their way home in hurry enough,
• 1:57:30
  and giving the alarm to their comrades. They kept close all that day
• 1:57:34
  and the next, going out only at night to make their observation. But
• 1:57:39
  they had the good luck to be undiscovered. For wherever the savages went,
• 1:57:44
  they did not land that time on the island, but pursued some other design.
• 1:57:49
  End of chapter three. Chapter four renewed invasion of savages. And now
• 1:57:57
  they had another broil with the three Englishmen, one of whom a most turbulent
• 1:58:01
  fellow, being in a rage at one of the three captive slaves because the
• 1:58:05
  fellow had not done something right which he bade him to do, and seemed
• 1:58:10
  a little untractable in his showing him, drew a hatchet out of a frog
• 1:58:14
  belt which he wore by his side, and fell upon the poor savage,
• 1:58:17
  not to correct him, but to kill him. One of the spaniards,
• 1:58:20
  who was by seeing him, give the fellow a barbarous cut with the hatchet,
• 1:58:26
  which he aimed at his head but stuck into his shoulder, so that
• 1:58:29
  he thought he had cut the poor creature's arm off, ran to him,
• 1:58:32
  and, entreating him not to murder, the poor man, placed himself between
• 1:58:38
  him and the savage to prevent the mischief. The fellow, being enraged the
• 1:58:43
  more at this, struck at the spaniard with his hatchet and swore he would
• 1:58:46
  serve him as he intended to serve the savage, which the Spaniard, perceiving,
• 1:58:51
  avoided the blow, and with a shovel which he had in his hand,
• 1:58:56
  for they were all working in the field about their corn land, knocked
• 1:58:59
  the bow down. Another of the Englishmen, running up at the same time
• 1:59:03
  to help his comrade, knocked the Spaniard down, and then two Spaniards more
• 1:59:08
  came in to help their man, and a third Englishman fell upon them.
• 1:59:12
  They had none of them any firearms or any other weapons, but hatchets and
• 1:59:16
  other tools, except this third Englishman. He had one of my rusty cutlasses,
• 1:59:21
  with which he made at the last two Spaniards and wounded them both.
• 1:59:26
  This fray set the whole family in an uproar, and more help coming in.
• 1:59:30
  They took the three englishmen prisoners. The next question was what should be
• 1:59:34
  done with them. They had been so often mutinous, and were so very
• 1:59:39
  furious, so desperate, and so idle withal. They knew not what course
• 1:59:44
  to take with them, for they were mischievous to the highest degree and cared
• 1:59:47
  not what hurt they did to any man, so that, in short,
• 1:59:51
  it was not safe to live with them. The Spaniard, who was governor,
• 1:59:56
  told them in so many words that if they had been of his own
• 2:00:00
  country, he would have hanged them. For all laws and all governors were
• 2:00:03
  to preserve society, and those who were dangerous to the society ought to be
• 2:00:09
  expelled out of it. But as they were Englishmen, and that it was
• 2:00:13
  to the generous kindness of an Englishman that they all owed their preservation and deliverance,
• 2:00:17
  he would use them with all possible lenity, and would leave them to
• 2:00:21
  the judgment of the other two Englishmen who were their countrymen. One of the
• 2:00:27
  two honest Englishmen stood up and said they desired it might not be left to
• 2:00:30
  them, For says he, I am sure, we ought to sentence them
• 2:00:34
  to the gallows. And with that he gives an account how will Atkins,
• 2:00:39
  one of the three, had proposed to have all the five Englishmen join together
• 2:00:43
  and murder all the Spaniards while they were in their sleep. When the Spanish
• 2:00:47
  governor heard this, he calls to will Atkins, how signor Atkins, would
• 2:00:53
  you murder us all? What have you to say to that? The hardened
• 2:00:56
  villain was so far from denying it that he said it was true and swore
• 2:01:00
  they would do it. Still before they had done with them. Well,
• 2:01:03
  But Signor Atkins says the Spaniard, What have we done to you that you
• 2:01:08
  will kill us? What would you get by killing us? And what must
• 2:01:12
  we do to prevent you killing us? Must we kill you or you kill
• 2:01:15
  us? Why will you put us to the necessity of this? Signor Atkins
• 2:01:19
  says the Spaniard, very calmly and smiling. Signor Atkins was in such a
• 2:01:25
  rage at the Spaniards, making a jest of it, that had he not
• 2:01:29
  been held by three men and withal had no weapon near him, it was
• 2:01:32
  thought he would have attempted to kill the Spaniard in the middle of all the
• 2:01:35
  company. This hair brained carriage obliged them to consider seriously what was to be
• 2:01:42
  done. The two Englishmen and the Spaniard who saved the poor savage were of
• 2:01:45
  the opinion that they should hang one of the three for an example to the
• 2:01:49
  rest, and that particularly it should be he that had twice attempted to commit
• 2:01:55
  murder with his hatchet. Indeed, there was some reason to believe he had
• 2:01:59
  done it, for the poor savage was in such a miserable condition with the
• 2:02:02
  wound he had received that it was thought he could not live. But the
• 2:02:05
  governor Spaniard still said, no, it was an Englishman that had saved all
• 2:02:10
  their lives, and he would never consent to put an Englishman to death,
• 2:02:15
  though he had murdered half of them. Nay, he said, if he
• 2:02:17
  had been killed himself by an Englishman and had time left to speak, it
• 2:02:21
  should be that they should pardon him. This was so positively insisted on by
• 2:02:28
  the Governor's Spaniard that there was no gain saying it. And as merciful counsels
• 2:02:32
  are most apt to prevail where they are so earnestly pressed, so they all
• 2:02:36
  came into it. But then it was to be considered what should be done
• 2:02:41
  to keep them from doing the mischief they designed For all agreed Governor, and
• 2:02:45
  all that means were to be used for preserving the society from danger. After
• 2:02:50
  a long debate, it was agreed that they should be disarmed and not permitted
• 2:02:55
  to have either gun powder, shot, sword, or any weapon. That
• 2:02:59
  they should be turned out of the society and left to live where they would
• 2:03:02
  and how they would, by themselves, but that none of the rest,
• 2:03:06
  either Spaniards or English, should hold any kind of converse with them, or
• 2:03:12
  have anything to do with them. That they should be forbid to come within
• 2:03:15
  a certain distance of the place where the rest dwelt. And if they offered
• 2:03:19
  to commit any disorder so as to spoil, burn, kill, or destroy
• 2:03:24
  any of the corn plantings, buildings, fences, or cattle belonging to the
• 2:03:29
  society, they should die without mercy, and they would shoot them wherever they
• 2:03:32
  could find them. The Humane Governor, musing upon the sentence, considered a
• 2:03:38
  little upon it, and turning to the two honest Englishmen, said, hold,
• 2:03:43
  you must reflect that it will be long ere they can raise corn and
• 2:03:45
  cattle of their own, and they must not starve. We must therefore allow
• 2:03:50
  them provisions. So he caused to be added that they should have a proportion
• 2:03:55
  of corn given to them to last them eight months, and for seed to
• 2:03:59
  sow, by which time they might be supposed to raise some of their own.
• 2:04:02
  That they should have six milch goats, four he goats, and six
• 2:04:06
  kids given them, as well for present subsistence as for a store. And
• 2:04:12
  that they should have tools given them for their work in the fields. But
• 2:04:15
  they should have none of these tools or provisions unless they would swear solemnly that
• 2:04:19
  they would not hurt or injure any of the Spaniards with them, or of
• 2:04:24
  their fellow Englishmen. Thus they dismissed them the society and turned them out to
• 2:04:29
  shift for themselves. They went away, sullen and refractory, as neither content
• 2:04:33
  to go away nor to stay. But as there was no remedy, they
• 2:04:38
  went, pretending to go and choose a place where they would settle themselves,
• 2:04:43
  And some provisions were given them, but no weapons. About four or five
• 2:04:46
  days after they came again for some victuals, and gave the governor an account
• 2:04:51
  where they had pitched their tents and marked themselves out a habitation and a plantation.
• 2:04:57
  And it was a very convenient place, indeed, on the remotest part
• 2:05:00
  of the island northeast, much about the place where I providentially landed in my
• 2:05:05
  first voyage, when I was driven out to sea in my foolish attempt to
• 2:05:09
  sail round the island. Here they built themselves two handsome huts, and contrived
• 2:05:15
  them in a manner like my first habitation, being close under the side of
• 2:05:18
  a hill, having some trees already growing on three sides of it, so
• 2:05:24
  that by planting others, it would be very easily covered from the sight,
• 2:05:28
  unless narrowly searched for they desired. Some dried goat skins for beds and covering,
• 2:05:32
  which were given them, And upon giving their words that they would not
• 2:05:36
  disturb the rest or injure any of the plantations, they gave them hatchets,
• 2:05:41
  and what other tools they could spare, some peas, barley, and rice
• 2:05:45
  for sowing, and in a word, anything they wanted except arms and ammunition.
• 2:05:51
  They lived in this separate condition about six months and had got in their
• 2:05:57
  first harvest, though the quantity was but small, the parcel of land they
• 2:06:00
  had planted being but little. Indeed, having all their plantation to form,
• 2:06:05
  they had a great deal of work upon their hands, and when they came
• 2:06:09
  to make boards and pots and such things, they were quite out of their
• 2:06:13
  element and could make nothing of it. Therefore, when the rainy season came
• 2:06:16
  on, for want of a cave in the earth, they could not keep
• 2:06:20
  their grain dry, and it was in great danger of spoiling. This humbled
• 2:06:25
  them much so they came and begged the Spaniards to help them, which they
• 2:06:29
  very readily did, and in four days worked a great hole in the side
• 2:06:32
  of the hill for them, big enough to secure their corn and other things
• 2:06:36
  from the rain, but it was a poor place at best compared to mine,
• 2:06:42
  and especially as mine was then, for the Spaniards had greatly enlarged it
• 2:06:45
  and made several new apartments in it. About three quarters of a year after
• 2:06:50
  this separation, a new frolic took these rogues, which, together with the
• 2:06:55
  former villainy they had committed, brought mischief enough upon them, and had very
• 2:07:00
  near been the ruin of the whole colony. The three new associates began,
• 2:07:04
  it seems, to be weary of the laborious life they led, and that
• 2:07:09
  without hope of bettering their circumstances, and a whim took them that they would
• 2:07:14
  make a voyage to the continent from whence the savages came, and would try
• 2:07:17
  if they could seize upon some prisoners among the natives there and bring them home,
• 2:07:23
  so as to make them do the laborious part of the work for them.
• 2:07:27
  The project was not so preposterous if they had gone no further. But
• 2:07:31
  they did nothing and proposed nothing, but had either mischief in the design or
• 2:07:35
  mischief in the event. And if I may give my opinion, they seemed
• 2:07:40
  to be under a blast from heaven, For if we will not allow a
• 2:07:44
  visible curse to pursue visible crimes. How shall we reconcile the events of things
• 2:07:48
  with the divine justice? It was certainly an apparent vengeance on their crime of
• 2:07:54
  mutiny and piracy that brought them to the state they were in, and they
• 2:07:57
  showed not the least remorse for the crime, but added new villainies to it,
• 2:08:01
  such as the peace of monstrous cruelty, of wounding a poor slave because
• 2:08:05
  he did not, or perhaps could not understand to do what he was directed,
• 2:08:09
  and to wound him in such a manner as made him a cripple all
• 2:08:13
  his life, and in a place where no surgeon or medicine could be had
• 2:08:16
  for his cure. And what was still worse, the intentional murder for such
• 2:08:22
  To be sure, it was as was afterwards the formed design. They all
• 2:08:26
  laid to murder the Spaniards in cold blood and in their sleep. The three
• 2:08:31
  fellows came down to the Spaniards one morning, and, in very humble terms,
• 2:08:35
  desired to be admitted to speak with them. The Spaniards very readily heard
• 2:08:39
  what they had to say, which was this that they were tired of living
• 2:08:43
  in the manner they did, and that they were not handy enough to make
• 2:08:48
  the necessaries they wanted, and that, having no help, they found they
• 2:08:52
  should be starved. But if the Spaniards would give them leave to take one
• 2:08:56
  of the canoes which they came over in, and give them arms up and
• 2:09:00
  ammunition proportioned to their defense, they would go over to the main and seek
• 2:09:05
  their fortunes, and so deliver them from the trouble of supplying them with any
• 2:09:09
  other provisions. The Spaniards were glad enough to get rid of them, but
• 2:09:15
  very honestly represented to them the certain destruction they were running into. Told them
• 2:09:20
  they had suffered such hardships upon that very spot that they could, without any
• 2:09:24
  spirit of prophecy, tell them they would be starved or murdered, and bade
• 2:09:28
  them consider of it. The men replied audaciously that they should be starved if
• 2:09:33
  they stayed here, for they could not work and would not work, and
• 2:09:37
  they could but be starved abroad, and if they were murdered there was an
• 2:09:41
  end of them. They had no wives or children to cry after them,
• 2:09:46
  and in short insisted importunately upon their demand, declaring they would go whether they
• 2:09:52
  gave them any arms or not. The Spaniards told them with great kindness,
• 2:09:58
  that if they were resolved to go, they should not go like naked men
• 2:10:01
  and be in no condition to defend themselves, and that though they could ill
• 2:10:05
  spare firearms, not having enough for themselves, yet, they would let them
• 2:10:11
  have two muskets, a pistol, and a cutlass, and each man a
• 2:10:15
  hatchet, which they thought was sufficient for them. In a word, they
• 2:10:18
  accepted the offer, and, having baked bread enough to serve them a month,
• 2:10:22
  given them and as much goat's flesh as they could eat while it was
• 2:10:26
  sweet, with a great basket of dried grapes, a pot of fresh water,
• 2:10:31
  and a young kid alive, they boldly set out in the canoe for
• 2:10:33
  a voyage over the sea, where it was at least forty miles broad.
• 2:10:37
  The boat, indeed was a large one, and would very well have carried
• 2:10:41
  fifteen or twenty men, and therefore was rather too big for them to manage.
• 2:10:46
  But as they had a fair breeze and flood tied with them, they
• 2:10:50
  did well enough. They had made a mast of a long pole, and
• 2:10:54
  a sale of four large goat skins dried, which they had sewed or laced
• 2:10:58
  together. Away they went merrily together the Spaniards called after them bauvoyajo, and
• 2:11:05
  no man ever thought of seeing them any more. The Spaniards were often saying
• 2:11:09
  to one another and to the two honest Englishmen who remained behind, how quietly
• 2:11:15
  and comfortably they lived. Now these three turbulent fellows were gone. As for
• 2:11:20
  their coming again, that was the remotest thing from their thoughts that could be
• 2:11:24
  imagined. When behold, after two and twenty days absence, one of the
• 2:11:28
  Englishmen, being abroad upon his planting work, sees three strange men coming towards
• 2:11:33
  him at a distance, with guns upon their shoulders. Away runs the Englishmen,
• 2:11:39
  frightened and amazed, as if he was bewitched, to the Governor's Spaniard,
• 2:11:43
  and tells him they were all undone, for there were strangers upon the
• 2:11:48
  island, but he could not tell who they were. The spaniard, pausing
• 2:11:52
  awhile, says to him, how do you mean, who cannot tell who
• 2:11:56
  they are? The savages? To be sure? No, no, says
• 2:11:58
  the Englishman, And they are men in clothes with arms. Nay, then
• 2:12:03
  says the spaniard, Why are you so concerned? If they are not savages?
• 2:12:05
  They must be friends, for there is no Christian nation upon earth,
• 2:12:09
  but would do us good rather than harm? While they were debating, thus
• 2:12:13
  came up the three Englishmen, and, standing without the wood which was new
• 2:12:18
  planted, halloed to them. They presently knew their voices, and so all
• 2:12:22
  the wonders ceased. But now the admiration was turned upon another question. What
• 2:12:28
  could be the matter? And what made them come back again? It was
• 2:12:31
  not long before they brought the men in, and, inquiring where they had
• 2:12:35
  been and what they had been doing, they gave them a full account of
• 2:12:39
  their voyage in a few words, that they reached the land in less than
• 2:12:43
  two days. But finding the people alarmed at their coming, and preparing with
• 2:12:48
  bows and arrows to fight them, they durst not go on shore, but
• 2:12:52
  sailed on to the northward six or seven hours till they came to a great
• 2:12:56
  opening, by which they perceived that the land they saw from our island was
• 2:13:01
  not the main but an island. That upon entering that opening of the sea,
• 2:13:05
  they saw another island on the right hand north, and several more west,
• 2:13:11
  And, being resolved to land somewhere, they put over to one of
• 2:13:15
  the islands which lay west, and went boldly on shore that they found the
• 2:13:18
  people very courteous and friendly to them, and they gave them several roots and
• 2:13:24
  some dried fish, and appeared very sociable, and that the women as well
• 2:13:28
  as the men, were very forward to supply them with anything they could get
• 2:13:33
  for them to eat, and brought it to them a great way on their
• 2:13:37
  heads. They continued here for four days and inquired as well as they could
• 2:13:41
  of them by signs what nations were this way and that way, and were
• 2:13:46
  told of several fierce and terrible people that lived almost every way, who,
• 2:13:50
  as they made known by signs to them, used to eat men. But
• 2:13:54
  as for themselves, they said they never ate men or women, except only
• 2:14:00
  such as they took in the wars. And then they owned they made a
• 2:14:03
  great feast and ate their prisoners. The Englishmen inquired when they had had a
• 2:14:09
  feast of that kind, and they told them about two moons ago, pointing
• 2:14:13
  to the moon and to two fingers, and that their great king had two
• 2:14:16
  hundred prisoners now which he had taken in his war, and they were feeding
• 2:14:22
  them to make them fat for the next feast. The Englishmen seemed mighty desirous
• 2:14:26
  of seeing those prisoners, but the others mistaking them, thought they were desirous
• 2:14:31
  to have some of them to carry away for their own eating. So they
• 2:14:35
  beckoned to them, pointing to the setting of the sun and then to the
• 2:14:39
  rising, which was to signify that the next morning, at sunrising, they
• 2:14:43
  would bring some for them. And accordingly, the next morning they brought down
• 2:14:46
  five women and eleven men, and gave them to the Englishmen to carry with
• 2:14:50
  them on their voyage, just as we would bring so many cows and oxen
• 2:14:54
  down to a seaport town to victual a ship. As brutish and barbarous as
• 2:15:01
  these fellows were at home, their stomachs turned at this sight, and they
• 2:15:05
  did not know what to do. To refuse the prisoners would have been the
• 2:15:09
  highest affront to the savage gentry that could be offered them, and what to
• 2:15:13
  do with them they knew not. However, after some debate, they resolved
• 2:15:16
  to accept of them, and in return they gave the savages that brought them
• 2:15:22
  one of their hatchets, an old key, a knife, and six or
• 2:15:24
  seven of their bullets, which, though they did not understand their use,
• 2:15:28
  they seemed particularly pleased with, and then tying the poor creature's hands behind them,
• 2:15:35
  they dragged the prisoners into the boat. For our men, the Englishmen
• 2:15:39
  were obliged to come away as soon as they had them, or else they
• 2:15:43
  that gave them this noble present would certainly have expected that they should have gone
• 2:15:46
  to work with them, have killed two or three of them the next morning,
• 2:15:50
  and perhaps have invited the donors to dinner. But having taken their leave
• 2:15:54
  with all the respect and thanks that could well pass between people, where on
• 2:16:00
  either side they understood not one word they could say, they put off with
• 2:16:03
  their boat and came back towards the first island, where when they arrived they
• 2:16:09
  set eight of their prisoners at liberty, there being too many of them for
• 2:16:13
  their occasion. In their voyage, they endeavored to have some communication with their
• 2:16:16
  prisoners, but it was impossible to make them understand anything. Nothing they could
• 2:16:22
  say to them, or give them, or do for them, but was
• 2:16:26
  looked upon as going to murder them. They first of all unbound them.
• 2:16:30
  But the poor creatures screamed at that, especially the women, as if they
• 2:16:33
  had just felt the knife at their throats, for they immediately concluded they were
• 2:16:39
  unbound on purpose to be killed. If they gave them a thing to eat.
• 2:16:43
  It was the same thing. They then concluded it was for fear they
• 2:16:46
  should sink in flesh and so not be fat enough to kill. If they
• 2:16:50
  looked at one of them more particularly, the party presently concluded it was to
• 2:16:56
  see whether he or she was fattest and fittest to kill first. Nay,
• 2:17:00
  after they had brought them quite over and began to use them kindly and treat
• 2:17:03
  them well, still they expected every day to make a dinner or supper for
• 2:17:09
  their new masters. When the three wanderers had given this unaccountable history or journal
• 2:17:15
  of their voyage, the Spaniard asked them where their new family was, and,
• 2:17:18
  being told that they had brought them on shore and put them into one
• 2:17:22
  of their huts and were come up to beg some victuals for them, they,
• 2:17:26
  the Spaniards and the other two Englishmen, that is to say, the
• 2:17:31
  whole colony, resolved to go all down to the place and see them,
• 2:17:35
  and did so, and Friday's father with them. When they came into the
• 2:17:39
  hut, there they sat all bound, for when they had brought them on
• 2:17:43
  shore, they bound their hands that they might not take the boat and make
• 2:17:46
  their escape. There I say they sat, all of them stark naked.
• 2:17:50
  First, there were three comely fellows, well shaped with straight limbs, about
• 2:17:56
  thirty to thirty five years of age, and five women, whereas two might
• 2:18:00
  be from thirty to forty, two more about four or five and twenty,
• 2:18:05
  and the fifth a tall comely maiden about seventeen. The women were well favored,
• 2:18:09
  agreeable persons, both in shape and features, only tawny, and two
• 2:18:15
  of them, had they been perfect white, would have passed for very handsome
• 2:18:18
  women even in London, having pleasant countenances, and of a very modest behavior,
• 2:18:24
  especially when they came afterwards to be clothed and dressed. Though that dress
• 2:18:28
  was very indifferent. It must be confessed, the sight, you may be
• 2:18:33
  sure, was something uncouth to our Spaniards, who were to give them a
• 2:18:37
  just character. Men of the most calm, sedate tempers and perfect good humor
• 2:18:43
  that ever I met with, and in particular of the utmost modesty. I
• 2:18:48
  say the sight was very uncouth to see three naked men and five naked women
• 2:18:52
  altogether bound and in the most miserable circumstances that human nature could be supposed to
• 2:18:58
  be. Is to be expecting every moment to be dragged out and have their
• 2:19:03
  brains knocked out, and then to be eaten up like a calf that is
• 2:19:07
  killed for a dainty. The first thing they did was to cause the old
• 2:19:11
  Indian Friday's father to go in and see first if he knew any of them,
• 2:19:16
  and then if he understood any of their speech. As soon as the
• 2:19:18
  old man came in, he looked seriously at them, but knew none of
• 2:19:24
  them. Neither could any of them understand a word he said or a sign
• 2:19:28
  he could make, except one of the women. However, this was enough
• 2:19:31
  to answer the end, which was to satisfy them that the men into whose
• 2:19:35
  hands they were fallen were Christians, that they abhorred eating men or women,
• 2:19:39
  and that they might be sure they would not be killed. As soon as
• 2:19:43
  they were assured of this, they discovered such a joy and by such awkward
• 2:19:46
  gestures several ways as is hard to describe, for it seems they were of
• 2:19:52
  several nations. The woman who was their interpreter was bid in the next place
• 2:19:56
  to ask them if they were willing to be servants and to work for the
• 2:20:00
  men who had brought them away to save their lives, at which they all
• 2:20:03
  fell a dancing, and presently one fell to taking up this and another that
• 2:20:09
  anything that lay next to carry on their shoulders to intimate they were willing to
• 2:20:13
  work. The governor, who found that the having women among them would presently
• 2:20:18
  be attended with some inconvenience and might occasion some strife and perhaps blood, asked
• 2:20:24
  the three men what they intended to do with these women, and how they
• 2:20:28
  intended to use them, whether as servants or as wives. One of the
• 2:20:33
  Englishmen answered very boldly and readily that they would use them as both, to
• 2:20:37
  which the Governor said, I am not going to restrain you from it.
• 2:20:41
  You are your own masters as to that. But this I think is but
• 2:20:45
  just for avoiding disorders and quarrels among you, and I desire it of you
• 2:20:48
  for that reason only, viz. That you will all engage that if any
• 2:20:52
  of you take any of these women as a wife, he shall take but
• 2:20:56
  one, and that having taken one, none else shall touch her. For
• 2:21:01
  though we cannot marry any one of you, yet it is but reasonable that
• 2:21:05
  while you stay here, the woman any of you takes shall be maintained by
• 2:21:09
  the man that takes her, and should be his wife. I mean,
• 2:21:13
  says he while he continues here and that none else shall have anything to do
• 2:21:16
  with her. All this appeared so just that everyone agreed to it without any
• 2:21:22
  difficulty. Then the Englishmen asked the Spaniards if they designed to take any of
• 2:21:28
  them, but every one of them answered no. Some of them said they
• 2:21:31
  had wives in Spain, and the others did not like women that were not
• 2:21:35
  Christians, and altogether declared that they would not touch one of them, which
• 2:21:39
  was an instance of such virtue as I have not met with in all my
• 2:21:43
  travels. On the other hand, the five Englishmen took them, every one
• 2:21:46
  a wife, that is to say, a temporary wife. And so they
• 2:21:50
  set up a new form of living for the Spaniards, and Friday's father lived
• 2:21:54
  in my old habitation, which they had enlarged exceedingly within. The three servants
• 2:22:00
  which were taken in the last battle of the savages lived with them, and
• 2:22:03
  these carried on the main part of the colony, supplied all the rest with
• 2:22:07
  food, and assisted them in anything as they could, or as they found
• 2:22:11
  necessity required. But the wonder of the story was how five such refractory,
• 2:22:18
  ill matched fellows should agree about these women, and that some two of them
• 2:22:22
  should not choose the same woman, especially, seeing two or three of them
• 2:22:26
  were, without comparison, more agreeable than the others. But they took a
• 2:22:31
  good way enough to prevent quarreling among themselves, For they set the five women
• 2:22:35
  by themselves in one of their huts, and they went all into the other
• 2:22:39
  hut, and drew lots among them who should choose first. Him that drew
• 2:22:43
  to choose first, went away by himself to the hut where the poor naked
• 2:22:46
  creatures were, and fetched out her he chose. And it was worth observing
• 2:22:52
  that he that chose first took her that was reckoned, the homeliest and oldest
• 2:22:56
  of the five, which made mirth enough amongst the rest, and even the
• 2:23:00
  Spaniards laughed at it. But the fellow considered better than any of them that
• 2:23:03
  it was application and business that they were to expect assistance in, as much
• 2:23:09
  as in anything else, And she proved the best wife of all the parcel.
• 2:23:13
  When the poor women saw themselves set in a row thus and fetched out
• 2:23:18
  one by one, the terrors of their condition returned upon them again, and
• 2:23:22
  they firmly believed they were now going to be devoured. Accordingly, when the
• 2:23:26
  English sailor came in and fetched out one of them. The rest set up
• 2:23:31
  a most lamentable cry, and hung about her, and took their leave of
• 2:23:35
  her, with such agonies and affection as would have grieved the hardest heart in
• 2:23:37
  the world. Nor was it possible for the Englishmen to satisfy them that they
• 2:23:43
  were not to be immediately murdered, till they fetched the old man Friday's father,
• 2:23:48
  who immediately let them know that the five men who were to fetch them
• 2:23:50
  out one by one had chosen them for their wives. When they had done,
• 2:23:56
  and the fright the women were in was a little over, the men
• 2:24:00
  went to work, and the Spaniards came and helped them. In a few
• 2:24:03
  hours they had built them every one a new hut or tent for their lodging,
• 2:24:07
  apart for those they had already were crowded with their tools, household stuff
• 2:24:13
  and provisions. The three wicked ones had pitched farthest off, and the two
• 2:24:16
  honest ones nearer, but both on the north shore of the island, so
• 2:24:20
  that they continued separated as before. And thus my island was peopled in three
• 2:24:26
  places, and as I might say, three towns were begun to be built.
• 2:24:31
  And here it is very well worth observing that, as it often happens
• 2:24:35
  in the world, what the wise ends and God's providence are in such a
• 2:24:39
  disposition of things, I cannot say. The two honest fellows had the two
• 2:24:45
  worst wives, and the three reprobates that were scarce worth hanging, that were
• 2:24:48
  fit for nothing, and neither seemed born to do themselves good, nor any
• 2:24:52
  one else, had three clever, careful, and ingenious wives. Not that
• 2:24:58
  the first two were bad wives as to their temper or humor, For all
• 2:25:01
  the five were most willing, quiet, passive, and subjected creatures, rather
• 2:25:07
  like slaves than wives. But my meaning is they were not alike capable,
• 2:25:11
  ingenious, or industrious, or alike cleanly and neat. Another observation I must
• 2:25:16
  make to the honor of a diligent application on one hand, and to the
• 2:25:20
  disgrace of a slothful, negligent, idle temper on the other, that when
• 2:25:24
  I came to the place and viewed the several improvements, plantings, and management
• 2:25:30
  of the several little colonies, the two men had so far out gone the
• 2:25:35
  three that there was no comparison. They had, Indeed, both of them
• 2:25:39
  as much ground laid out for corn as they wanted and the reason was because,
• 2:25:43
  according to my rule, nature dictated that it was to no purpose to
• 2:25:48
  sow more corn than they wanted. But the difference of the cultivation, of
• 2:25:52
  the planting of the fences, and indeed of everything else, was easy to
• 2:25:56
  be seen at first view. The two men had innumerable young trees planted about
• 2:26:01
  their huts, so that when you came to the place, nothing was to
• 2:26:05
  be seen but a wood. And though they had twice had their plantation demolished,
• 2:26:11
  once by their own countrymen and once by the enemy, as shall be
• 2:26:15
  shown in its place, yet they had restored all again, and everything was
• 2:26:18
  thriving and flourishing about them. They had grapes planted in order and managed like
• 2:26:24
  a vineyard, though they had themselves never seen anything of that kind, And
• 2:26:28
  by their good ordering their vines, their grapes were as good again as any
• 2:26:33
  of the others. They had also found themselves out a retreat in the thickest
• 2:26:37
  part of the woods, where though there was not a natural cave, as
• 2:26:41
  I had found, yet they made one with incessant labor of their hands,
• 2:26:46
  and where when the mischief which followed happened, they secured their wives and children,
• 2:26:50
  so as they could never be found. They having by sticking innumerable steaks
• 2:26:54
  and poles of the wood, which as I said, grew so readily made
• 2:27:00
  made the grove impassable, except in some places when they climbed up to get
• 2:27:03
  over the outside part, and then went on by ways of their own.
• 2:27:07
  Leaving as to the three reprobates, as I justly call them, though they
• 2:27:13
  were much civilized by their settlement compared to what they were before, and were
• 2:27:18
  not so quarrelsome having not the same opportunity. Yet one of the certain companions
• 2:27:22
  of a profligate mind never left them, and that was their idleness. It
• 2:27:28
  is true they planted corn and made fences, but Solomon's words were never better
• 2:27:33
  verified than in them. I went by the vineyard of the Slothful, and
• 2:27:37
  it was all overgrown with thorns, for when the spaniards came to view their
• 2:27:41
  crop, they could not see it in some places for weeds. The hedge
• 2:27:45
  had several gaps in it where the wild goats had got in and eaten up
• 2:27:48
  the corn. Perhaps here and there a dead bush was crammed in to stop
• 2:27:52
  them out for the present, but it was only shutting the stable door after
• 2:27:56
  the steed was stolen, whereas when they looked on the colony of the other
• 2:28:01
  two, there was the very face of industry and success upon all they did.
• 2:28:05
  There was not a weed to be seen in all their corn, or
• 2:28:09
  a gap in any of their hedges. And they, on the other hand,
• 2:28:13
  verified Solomon's words in another place that the diligent hand maketh rich. For
• 2:28:18
  everything grew and thrived, and they had plenty within and without. They had
• 2:28:22
  more tame cattle than the others, more utensils and necessaries within doors, and
• 2:28:28
  yet more pleasure and diversion too. It is true the wives of the three
• 2:28:33
  were very handy and cleanly within doors, and having learned the English ways of
• 2:28:37
  dressing and cooking from one of the other Englishmen, who, as I said,
• 2:28:41
  was a cook's mate on board the ship, they dressed their husband's victuals
• 2:28:46
  very nicely and well, whereas the others could not be brought to understand it.
• 2:28:50
  But then the husband, who, as I say, had been cook's
• 2:28:54
  mate, did it himself. But as for the husbands of the three wives,
• 2:28:58
  they loitered about, fetched turtles, eggs, and caught fish and birds,
• 2:29:03
  in a word, anything but labor, and they fared accordingly the diligent
• 2:29:07
  lived well and comfortably, and the slothful hard and beggarly. And so I
• 2:29:13
  believe, generally speaking, it is all over the world. But I now
• 2:29:18
  come to a scene different from all that had happened before, either to them
• 2:29:22
  or to me. And the origin of the story was this. Early one
• 2:29:26
  morning there came on shore five or six canoes of Indians or savages, call
• 2:29:31
  them what you please, and there is no room to doubt. They came
• 2:29:33
  upon the old errand of feeding upon their slaves. But that part was now
• 2:29:37
  so familiar to the Spaniards, and to our men too, that they did
• 2:29:41
  not concern themselves about it, as I did. But having been made sensible
• 2:29:46
  by their experience, that their only business was to lie concealed, and that
• 2:29:52
  if they were not seen by any of the savages, they would go off
• 2:29:54
  again quietly when their business was done, having as yet not the least notion
• 2:30:00
  of there being any inhabitants in the island, I say, having been made
• 2:30:03
  sensible of this, they had nothing to do but to give notice to all
• 2:30:07
  the three plantations to keep within doors and not show themselves, only placing a
• 2:30:13
  scout in a proper place to give notice when the boats went to sea again.
• 2:30:18
  This was, without doubt very right, but a disaster spoiled all these
• 2:30:22
  measures and made it known among the savages that there were inhabitants there, which
• 2:30:26
  was in the end the desolation of almost the whole colony. After the canoes
• 2:30:31
  with the savages were gone off, the Spaniards peeped abroad again, and some
• 2:30:37
  of them had the curiosity to go to the place where they had been to
• 2:30:39
  see what they had been doing. Here. To their great surprise, they
• 2:30:43
  found three savages left behind and lying fast asleep upon the ground. It was
• 2:30:48
  supposed they had either been so gorged with their inhuman feast that like beasts they
• 2:30:54
  were falling asleep and would not stir when the others went, or they had
• 2:30:58
  wandered into the woods and did not come back in time to be taken in.
• 2:31:03
  The Spaniards were greatly surprised at this site, and perfectly at a loss
• 2:31:07
  what to do. The Spaniard governor, as it happened, was with them,
• 2:31:11
  and his advice was asked, but he professed he knew not what to
• 2:31:16
  do. As for slaves, they had enough already, and as to killing
• 2:31:20
  them, there was none of them inclined to do that. The Spaniard governor
• 2:31:24
  told me they could not think of shedding innocent blood, for as to them,
• 2:31:28
  the poor creatures had done them no wrong, invaded none of their property,
• 2:31:31
  and they thought they had no just quarrel against them to take away their
• 2:31:35
  lives. And here I must, in justice to these Spaniards observe that let
• 2:31:41
  the accounts of Spanish cruelty in Mexico and Peru be what they will. I
• 2:31:46
  never met with seventeen men of any nation whatsoever, in any foreign country who
• 2:31:52
  were so universally modest, temperate, virtuous, so very good humored, and
• 2:31:56
  so courteous as these Spaniards. And as to cruelty, they had nothing of
• 2:32:01
  it in their very nature, no inhumanity, no barbarity, no outrageous passions.
• 2:32:07
  And yet all of them men of great courage and spirit, Their temper
• 2:32:11
  and calmness had appeared in their bearing the unsufferable usage of the three Englishmen,
• 2:32:18
  and their justice and humanity appeared now in the case of the savages above.
• 2:32:22
  After some consultation, they resolved upon this that they would lie still a while
• 2:32:28
  longer till, if possible, these three men might be gone. But then
• 2:32:33
  the governor recollected that the three savages had no boat, and if they were
• 2:32:37
  left to rove about the island, they would certainly discover that there were inhabitants
• 2:32:41
  in it, and so they should be undone that way. Upon this they
• 2:32:46
  went back again, and there lay the fellows fast asleep still, and so
• 2:32:50
  they resolved to awaken them and take them prisoners, and they did so.
• 2:32:56
  The poor fellows were strangely frightened when they were seized upon and bound, and
• 2:33:01
  afraid like the women, that they should be murdered and eaten, for it
• 2:33:05
  seems those people think all the world does as they do in eating men's flesh.
• 2:33:09
  But they were soon made easy as to that, and away they carried
• 2:33:13
  them. It was very happy for them that they did not carry them home
• 2:33:18
  to the castle, I mean, to my palace under the hill. But
• 2:33:20
  they carried them first to the bower, which was the chief of their country
• 2:33:24
  work, such as the keeping the goats, the planting the corn et cetera.
• 2:33:28
  And afterward they carried them to the habitation of the two englishmen. Here
• 2:33:33
  they were set to work, though it was not much they had for them
• 2:33:37
  to do, and whether it was by negligence in guarding them, or that
• 2:33:41
  they thought the fellows could not mend themselves. I know not. But one
• 2:33:45
  of them ran away, and taking to the woods. They could never hear
• 2:33:48
  of him any more. They had good reason to believe he got home again
• 2:33:52
  soon after in some other boats or canoes of savages, who came on shore
• 2:33:56
  three or four weeks afterwards, and who, carrying on their revels as usual,
• 2:34:01
  went off in two days time. This thought terrified them exceedingly, for
• 2:34:07
  they concluded, and that not without good cause, indeed, that if this
• 2:34:11
  fellow came home safe among his comrades, he would certainly give them an account
• 2:34:16
  that there were people in the island, and also how few and weak they
• 2:34:20
  were. For this savage, as observed before, had never been told,
• 2:34:24
  and it was very happy he had not how many there were, or where
• 2:34:28
  they lived, nor had he ever seen or heard the fire of any of
• 2:34:33
  their guns, much less had they shown him any of their other retired places,
• 2:34:37
  such as the cave in the valley, or the new retreat which the
• 2:34:41
  two Englishmen had made, and the like. The first testimony they had that
• 2:34:46
  this fellow had given intelligence of them was that about two months after this,
• 2:34:50
  six canoes of savages with about seven eight or ten men in a canoe,
• 2:34:56
  came rowing along the north side of the island, where they never used to
• 2:35:00
  come before, and landed about an hour after sunrise at a convenient place,
• 2:35:05
  about a mile from the habitation of the two Englishmen, where this escaped man
• 2:35:09
  had been kept. As the chief spaniard said, had they been all there,
• 2:35:13
  the damage would not have been so much, for not a man of
• 2:35:18
  them would have escaped. But the case differed now very much. For two
• 2:35:22
  men to fifty was too much odds. The two men had the happiness to
• 2:35:26
  discover them about a league off, so that it was above an hour before
• 2:35:30
  they landed, and as they landed a mile from their huts, it was
• 2:35:33
  some time before they could come at them. Now, having great reason to
• 2:35:37
  believe that they were betrayed, the first thing they did was to bind the
• 2:35:41
  two slaves which were left, and cause two of the three men whom they
• 2:35:46
  brought with the women, who it seems proved very faithful to them, to
• 2:35:50
  lead them, with their two wives and whatever they could carry away with them
• 2:35:54
  to their retired places in the woods which I have spoken of above, and
• 2:36:00
  there to bind the two fellows hand and foot till they heard farther in the
• 2:36:03
  next place. Seeing the savages were all come on shore, and that they
• 2:36:09
  had bent their course directly that way, they opened the fences where the milch
• 2:36:13
  cows were kept and drove them all out, leaving their goats to straggle in
• 2:36:16
  the woods whither they pleased, that the savages might think they were all bred
• 2:36:22
  wild. But the rogue who came with them was too cunning for that,
• 2:36:26
  and gave them an account of it all, for they went directly to the
• 2:36:30
  place. When the two poor frightened men had secured their wives and goods.
• 2:36:35
  They sent the other slave they had of the three who came with the women,
• 2:36:39
  and who was at their place by accident, away to the Spaniards with
• 2:36:43
  all speed, to give them the alarm and desire speedy help. And in
• 2:36:48
  the meantime they took their arms and what ammunition they had, and retreated towards
• 2:36:52
  the place in the wood where their wives were sent, keeping out a distance
• 2:36:56
  yet so they might see, if possible, which way the savages took.
• 2:37:01
  They had not gone far, but that from a rising ground they could see
• 2:37:05
  the little army of their enemies come on directly to their habitation, and in
• 2:37:09
  a moment more could see all their huts and household stuff flaming up together,
• 2:37:15
  to their great grief and mortification, for this was a great loss to them,
• 2:37:20
  irretrievable. Indeed, for some time they kept their station for a while
• 2:37:24
  till they found the savages, like wild beasts, spread themselves all over the
• 2:37:28
  place, rummaging every way and every place they could think of, in search
• 2:37:33
  of prey, and in particular for the people of whom now it plainly appeared
• 2:37:39
  they had intelligence. The two Englishmen, seeing this, thinking themselves not secure
• 2:37:45
  where they stood, because it was likely some of the wild people might come
• 2:37:48
  that way, and they might come too many together, thought it proper to
• 2:37:52
  make another retreat about half a mile farther, believing, as it afterwards happened,
• 2:37:58
  that the further they soe strolled, the fewer would be together. Their
• 2:38:01
  next halt was at the entrance into a very thick grown part of the woods,
• 2:38:05
  and where an old trunk of a tree stood, which was hollow and
• 2:38:09
  very large. And in this tree they both took their standing, resolving to
• 2:38:13
  see there what might offer. They had not stood there long before two of
• 2:38:18
  the savages appeared, running directly that way, as if they had already had
• 2:38:22
  noticed where they stood and were coming up to attack them. And a little
• 2:38:26
  way farther they espied three more coming after them, and five more beyond them,
• 2:38:33
  all coming the same way. Besides which they saw seven or eight more
• 2:38:37
  at a distance running another way. For in a word, they ran every
• 2:38:41
  way like sportsmen beating for their game. The poor men were now in great
• 2:38:46
  perplexity whether they should stand and keep their posture or fly. But after a
• 2:38:50
  very short debate with themselves, they considered that if the savages ranged the country
• 2:38:56
  thus before help came, they might perhaps find their rear treat in the woods,
• 2:39:01
  and then all would be lost. So they resolved to stand them there,
• 2:39:05
  and if they were too many to deal with, then they would get
• 2:39:07
  up to the top of the tree, from whence they doubted not to defend
• 2:39:11
  themselves fire, excepted as long as their ammunition lasted, though all the savages
• 2:39:16
  that were landed, which were near fifty, were to attack them. Having
• 2:39:22
  resolved upon this, they next considered whether they should fire at the first two
• 2:39:26
  or wait for the three, and so take the middle party, by which
• 2:39:30
  the two and the five that followed would be separated at length, they resolved
• 2:39:35
  to let the first two pass by, unless they should spy them upon the
• 2:39:39
  tree and come to attack them. The first two savages confirmed them also in
• 2:39:43
  this resolution by turning a little from them towards another part of the wood.
• 2:39:48
  But the three and the five after them came forward directly to the tree,
• 2:39:52
  as if they had known the Englishmen were there. Seeing them come so straight
• 2:39:56
  towards them, they resolved to take them in a line. As they came,
• 2:40:01
  and as they resolved to fire, but one at a time, perhaps
• 2:40:05
  the first shot might hit them all three, for which purpose the man who
• 2:40:09
  was to fire put three or four small bullets into his piece, and having
• 2:40:13
  a fair loophole, as it were, from a broken hole in the tree,
• 2:40:16
  he took a sure aim without being seen, waiting till they were within
• 2:40:20
  about thirty yards of the tree, so that he could not miss. While
• 2:40:26
  they were thus waiting, and the savages came on, they plainly saw that
• 2:40:31
  one of the three was the runaway savage that had escaped from them, and
• 2:40:35
  they both knew him distinctly, and resolved that if possible, he should not
• 2:40:39
  escape, though they should both fire. So the other stood ready with his
• 2:40:43
  piece that if he did not drop at the first shot, he should be
• 2:40:46
  sure to have a second. But the first was too good a marksman to
• 2:40:50
  miss his aim, for as the savages kept near one another a little behind
• 2:40:56
  in a line, he fired and hit two of them directly. The foremost
• 2:41:00
  was killed outright, being shot in the head, The second, which was
• 2:41:03
  the runaway Indian, was shot through the body and fell, but was not
• 2:41:07
  quite dead. And the third had a little scratch in the shoulder, perhaps
• 2:41:13
  by the same ball that went through the body of the second, and,
• 2:41:16
  being dreadfully frightened, though not so much hurt, sat down upon the ground,
• 2:41:20
  screaming and yelling in a hideous manner. The five that were behind,
• 2:41:26
  more frightened with the noise than sensible of the danger, stood still at first,
• 2:41:31
  for the woods made the sound a thousand times bigger than it really was,
• 2:41:35
  the echoes rattling from one side to another, and the fowls rising from
• 2:41:39
  all parts, screaming, and every sort making a different noise according to their
• 2:41:45
  kind, just as it was when I fired the first gun that perhaps was
• 2:41:48
  ever shot off in the island. However, all being silent again, and
• 2:41:54
  they not knowing what the matter, was came on unconcerned till they came to
• 2:41:58
  the place where their companions lay in a condition miserable enough. Here, the
• 2:42:03
  poor ignorant creatures, not sensible that they were within reach of the same mischief,
• 2:42:09
  stood altogether over the wounded man, talking, and, as may be
• 2:42:13
  supposed, inquiring of him how he came to be hurt, and who,
• 2:42:18
  it is very rational to believe, told them that a flash of fire first,
• 2:42:22
  and immediately after that thunder from their gods had killed those two and wounded
• 2:42:26
  him. This, I say is rational, for nothing is more certain than
• 2:42:31
  that, as they saw no man near them, so they had never heard
• 2:42:35
  a gun in all their lives, nor so much as heard of a gun.
• 2:42:39
  Neither knew they anything of killing and wounding at a distance with fire and
• 2:42:43
  bullets. If they had, one might reasonably believe, they would not have
• 2:42:48
  stood so unconcerned to view the fate of their fellows without some apprehensions of their
• 2:42:52
  own. Our two men, as they confessed to me, were grieved to
• 2:42:58
  be obliged to kill some man, many poor creatures, who had no notion
• 2:43:01
  of their danger. Yet having them all thus in their power, and the
• 2:43:05
  first having loaded his piece again resolved to let fly both together among them,
• 2:43:11
  and singling out by agreement which to aim at, they shot together and killed
• 2:43:16
  or very much wounded four of them. The fifth, frightened even to death,
• 2:43:20
  though not hurt, fell with the rest, so that our men,
• 2:43:24
  seeing them all fall together, thought they had killed them all. The belief
• 2:43:30
  that the savages were all killed made our two men come boldly out from the
• 2:43:33
  tree before they had charged their guns, which was a wrong step, and
• 2:43:37
  they were under some surprise when they came to the place and found no less
• 2:43:41
  than four of them alive, and of them two very little hurt, and
• 2:43:46
  one not at all. This obliged them to fall upon them with the stalks
• 2:43:50
  of their muskets. And first they made sure of the runaway savage that had
• 2:43:54
  been the cause of all the mischief, and of another that was hurt in
• 2:43:58
  the knee, and put them out of their pain. Then the man that
• 2:44:01
  was not hurt at all came and kneeled down to them with his two hands
• 2:44:05
  held up, and made piteous moans to them by gestures and signs for his
• 2:44:11
  life, but could not say one word to them that they could understand.
• 2:44:15
  However, they made signs to him to sit down at the foot of a
• 2:44:18
  tree hard by, and one of the Englishmen, with a piece of rope
• 2:44:22
  yarn which he had by great chance in his pocket, tied his two hands
• 2:44:26
  behind him, and there they left him, and with what speed they could,
• 2:44:30
  made after the other two which were gone before, fearing they or any
• 2:44:35
  more of them, should find way to their covered place in the woods,
• 2:44:37
  where their wives and the few goods they had left lay, They came once
• 2:44:43
  in sight of the two men, but it was at a great distance.
• 2:44:46
  However, they had the satisfaction to see them cross over a valley towards the
• 2:44:50
  sea, quite the contrary way from that which led to their retreat, which
• 2:44:54
  they were afraid of, And being satisfied with that, they went back to
• 2:44:58
  the tree where they left their prisoner, who, as they supposed, was
• 2:45:03
  delivered by his comrades, for he was gone, and the two pieces of
• 2:45:07
  rope yarn with which they had bound him lay just at the foot of the
• 2:45:11
  tree. They were now in as great concern as before, not knowing what
• 2:45:16
  course to take, or how near the enemy might be, or in what
• 2:45:20
  number, so they resolved to go away to the place where their wives were,
• 2:45:24
  to see if all was well. There and to make them easy.
• 2:45:28
  They were in fright enough, to be sure, for though the savages were
• 2:45:31
  their own countrymen, yet they were most terribly afraid of them, and perhaps
• 2:45:37
  the more for the knowledge they had of them. When they came there,
• 2:45:39
  they found the savages had been in the wood and very near that place,
• 2:45:45
  but had not found it, for it was indeed inaccessible from the trees standing
• 2:45:48
  so thick, unless the persons seeking it had been directed by those that knew
• 2:45:54
  it, which these did not. They found therefore everything very safe, only
• 2:45:58
  the women in a terrible fright. While they were here, they had the
• 2:46:03
  comfort to have seven of the Spaniards come to their assistants. The other ten,
• 2:46:07
  with their servants and Friday's father, were gone in a body to defend
• 2:46:11
  their bower and the corn and cattle that were kept there in case the savages
• 2:46:16
  should have roved over to that side of the country, but they did not
• 2:46:20
  spread so far. With the seven Spaniards came one of the three savages,
• 2:46:24
  who, as I said, were their prisoners formerly, And with them also
• 2:46:28
  came the savage whom the Englishmen had left bound hand and foot at the tree.
• 2:46:33
  For it seems they came that way saw the slaughter of the seven men,
• 2:46:37
  and unbound the eighth and brought him along with them, where however,
• 2:46:41
  they were obliged to bind again, as they had the two others who were
• 2:46:46
  left when the third ran away. The prisoners now began to be a burden
• 2:46:52
  to them, and they were so afraid of their escaping that they were once
• 2:46:56
  resolving to kill them, all, believing they were under an absolute necessary to
• 2:47:00
  do so for their own preservation. However, the chief of the Spaniards would
• 2:47:03
  not consent to it, but ordered for the present that they should be sent
• 2:47:09
  out of the way to my old cave in the valley, and be kept
• 2:47:11
  there with two spaniards to guard them and have food for their subsistence. Which
• 2:47:16
  was done, and they were bound their hand and foot for that night.
• 2:47:22
  When the Spaniards came, the two Englishmen were so encouraged that they could not
• 2:47:26
  satisfy themselves to stay any longer there, But taking five of the Spaniards and
• 2:47:31
  themselves, with four muskets and a pistol among them, and two stout quarter
• 2:47:35
  staves away, they went in quest of the savages. And first they came
• 2:47:41
  to the tree where the men lay that had been killed but it was easy
• 2:47:45
  to see that some more of the savages had been there, for they had
• 2:47:48
  attempted to carry their dead men away, and had dragged two of them a
• 2:47:52
  good way, but had given it over. From thence they advanced to the
• 2:47:56
  first rising ground, where they had stood and seen their camp destroyed, and
• 2:48:01
  where they had the mortification still to see some of the smoke, But neither
• 2:48:05
  could they here see any of the savages. Then they resolved, though with
• 2:48:09
  all possible caution, to go forward towards their ruined plantation. But a little
• 2:48:15
  before they came thither, coming in sight of the seashore, they saw plainly
• 2:48:18
  the savages all embarked again in their canoes in order to be gone. They
• 2:48:24
  seemed sorry at first that there was no way to come at them, to
• 2:48:28
  give them a parting blow, but upon the whole they were very well satisfied
• 2:48:33
  to be rid of them. The poor Englishmen being now twice ruined and all
• 2:48:37
  their improvements destroyed, the rest all agreed to come and help them to rebuild,
• 2:48:43
  and assist them with needful supplies. Their three countrymen, who were not
• 2:48:48
  yet noted for having the least inclination to do any good. Yet, as
• 2:48:52
  soon as they heard of it, for they, living remote eastward, knew
• 2:48:56
  nothing of the matter till all was over, came and offered their head help
• 2:49:00
  and assistance, and did very friendly work for several days to restore their habitation
• 2:49:05
  and make necessaries for them, And thus in a little time they were set
• 2:49:09
  upon their legs again. About two days after this they had the farther satisfaction
• 2:49:16
  of seeing three of the savages canoes come driving on shore, and at some
• 2:49:20
  distance from them two drowned men, by which they had reason to believe that
• 2:49:24
  they had met with a storm at sea, which had overset some of them,
• 2:49:28
  for it had blown very hard the night after they went off. However,
• 2:49:33
  as some might miscarry. So, on the other hand, enough of
• 2:49:37
  them escaped to inform the rest as well of what they had done, as
• 2:49:41
  of what had happened to them, and to wet them on another enterprise of
• 2:49:45
  the same nature, which they, it seems, resolved to attempt with sufficient
• 2:49:50
  force to carry all before them. For except what the first man had told
• 2:49:54
  them of inhabitants, they could say little of it of their own knowledge,
• 2:49:58
  for they never saw one man and the fellow being killed that had affirmed it.
• 2:50:03
  They had no other witness to confirm it to them. End of Chapter
• 2:50:07
  four, Chapter five, A great victory. It was five or six months
• 2:50:13
  after this before they heard any more of the savages, in which time our
• 2:50:18
  men were in hopes they had either forgot their former bad luck or given over
• 2:50:22
  hopes of better, when on a sudden they were invaded with a most formidable
• 2:50:28
  fleet of no less than eight and twenty canoes, full of savages, armed
• 2:50:33
  with bows and arrows, great clubs, wooden swords, and such like engines
• 2:50:37
  of war. And they brought such numbers with them that, in short,
• 2:50:41
  it put all our people into the utmost consternation. As they came on shore
• 2:50:46
  in the evening, and at the easternmost side of the island. Our men
• 2:50:50
  had that night to consult and consider what to do. In the first place,
• 2:50:56
  knowing that their being entirely concealed was their only safety before, and would
• 2:51:00
  be much more so now, while the number of their enemies would be so
• 2:51:03
  great, they resolved first of all to take down the huts which were built
• 2:51:07
  for the two Englishmen, and drive away their goats to the old cave,
• 2:51:13
  because they supposed the savages would go directly thither as soon as it was day
• 2:51:18
  to play the old game over again, though they did not now land within
• 2:51:22
  two leagues of it. In the next place, they drove away all the
• 2:51:26
  flocks of goats they had at the old Bower, as I called it,
• 2:51:28
  which belonged to the Spaniards, and in short left as little appearance of inhabitants
• 2:51:35
  anywhere as was possible. And the next morning early they posted themselves with all
• 2:51:39
  their force, at the plantation of the two Men, to wait for their
• 2:51:43
  coming. As they guessed, so it happened, these new invaders, leaving
• 2:51:48
  their canoes at the east end of the island, came ranging along the shore
• 2:51:52
  directly towards the place, to the number of two hundred and fifty. As
• 2:51:58
  near as our men could judge, our army was but small, indeed,
• 2:52:01
  but that which was worse, they had not arms for all their number.
• 2:52:07
  The whole account, it seems, stood thus first as to men, seventeen
• 2:52:11
  Spaniards, five Englishmen, Old Friday, the three slaves taken with the women
• 2:52:16
  who proved very faithful, and three other slaves who lived with the Spaniards.
• 2:52:22
  To arm these they had eleven muskets, five pistols, three fowling pieces,
• 2:52:28
  five muskets or fowling pieces, which were taken by me from the mutinous seamen,
• 2:52:31
  whom I reduced two swords and three old halbirds to their slaves. They
• 2:52:37
  did not give either musket or fusey, but they had each a halbird or
• 2:52:41
  a long staff like a quarter staff, with a great spike of iron fastened
• 2:52:46
  into each end of it, and by his side a hatchet. Also,
• 2:52:50
  every one of our men had a hatchet. Two of the women could not
• 2:52:54
  be prevailed upon, but they would come into the fight, and they had
• 2:52:58
  bows and arrows, which the Spaniards had taken from the savages. When the
• 2:53:01
  first action happened, which I have spoken of, where the Indians fought with
• 2:53:07
  one another, and the women had hatchets too. The chief Spaniard whom I
• 2:53:13
  described so often, commanded the whole and will Atkins, who though a dreadful
• 2:53:18
  fellow for wickedness, was a most daring bold fellow, commanded under him.
• 2:53:24
  The savages came forward like lions, and our men, which was the worst
• 2:53:28
  of their fate, had no advantage in their situation, only that will Atkins,
• 2:53:33
  who now proved a most useful fellow with six men, was planted just
• 2:53:37
  behind a small thicket of bushes as an advanced guard, with orders to let
• 2:53:41
  the first of them pass by, and then fire into the middle of them,
• 2:53:46
  and as soon as he had fired, to make his retreat as nimbly
• 2:53:50
  as he could round a part of the wood, and so come in behind
• 2:53:54
  the spaniards where they stood, having a thicket of trees before them. When
• 2:53:58
  the savage viages came on, they ran straggling about every way in heaps,
• 2:54:03
  out of all manner of order, and will Atkins let about fifty of them
• 2:54:07
  pass by him. Then, seeing the rest come in a very thick throng,
• 2:54:11
  he orders three of his men to fire, having loaded their muskets with
• 2:54:16
  six or seven bullets apiece, about as big as large pistol bullets. How
• 2:54:20
  many they killed or wounded, they knew not, but the consternation and surprise
• 2:54:26
  was inexpressible among the savages. They were frightened to the last degree to hear
• 2:54:31
  such a dreadful noise and see their men killed and others hurt. But see
• 2:54:35
  nobody that did it. When in the middle of their fright Will Atkins and
• 2:54:39
  his other three let fly again among the thickest of them, and in less
• 2:54:43
  than a minute, the first three, being loaded again, gave them a
• 2:54:46
  third volley. Had will Atkins and his men retired immediately as soon as they
• 2:54:52
  had fired as they were ordered to do, or had the rest of the
• 2:54:56
  body been at hand, to have poured in their shotguts continually, the savages
• 2:55:01
  had been effectually routed, for the terror that was among them came principally from
• 2:55:05
  this that they were killed by the gods with thunder and lightning, and could
• 2:55:09
  see nobody that hurt them, but will Atkins, staying to load again,
• 2:55:15
  discovered the cheat. Some of the savages, who were at a distance spying
• 2:55:18
  them, came upon them behind, and though Atkins and his men fired at
• 2:55:24
  them also two or three times and killed above twenty, retiring as fast as
• 2:55:28
  they could, yet they wounded Atkins himself and killed one of his fellow Englishmen
• 2:55:33
  with their arrows, as they did afterwards, one Spaniard, and one of
• 2:55:39
  the Indian slaves who came with the women. This slave was a most gallant
• 2:55:43
  fellow, and fought most desperately, killing five of them with his own hand,
• 2:55:48
  having no weapon but one of the armed slaves and a hatchet. Our
• 2:55:52
  men being thus hard laid at Atkins, wounded and two other men killed,
• 2:55:56
  retreated to a rising ground in the wood, and the Spaniards, after firing
• 2:56:01
  three volleys upon them, retreated also, for their number was so great and
• 2:56:07
  they were so desperate, that though above fifty of them were killed, and
• 2:56:11
  more than as many wounded, yet they came on in the teeth of our
• 2:56:13
  men, fearless of danger, and shot their arrows like a cloud. And
• 2:56:18
  it was observed that their wounded men, who were not quite disabled, were
• 2:56:22
  made outrageous by their wounds, and fought like madmen. When our men retreated,
• 2:56:28
  they left the Spaniard and the Englishmen that were killed behind them, and
• 2:56:33
  the savages, when they came up to them, killed them over again in
• 2:56:37
  a wretched manner, breaking their arms, legs and heads with their clubs and
• 2:56:41
  wooden swords like true savages. But finding our men were gone, they did
• 2:56:46
  not seem inclined to pursue them, but drew themselves up in a ring,
• 2:56:50
  which is it seems their custom, and shouted twice in token of their victory,
• 2:56:56
  after which they had the mortification to see several of their wounded men fall,
• 2:57:01
  dying with the mere loss of blood. The Spaniard governor. Having drawn
• 2:57:07
  his little body up together upon a rising ground, Atkins, though he was
• 2:57:11
  wounded, would have had them march and charge again altogether at once. But
• 2:57:16
  the spaniard replied, Signor Atkins, you see how their wounded men fight.
• 2:57:20
  Let them alone till morning. All the wounded men will be stiff and sore
• 2:57:24
  with their wounds, and faint with the loss of blood, and so we
• 2:57:26
  shall have the fewer to engage. This advice was good, but will Atkins
• 2:57:31
  replied merrily, that is true, Signor, and so shall I too,
• 2:57:35
  And that is the reason I would go on while I am warm. Well,
• 2:57:39
  Signor Atkins, says the Spaniard, you have behaved gallantly and done your
• 2:57:43
  part. We will fight for you if you cannot come on, But I
• 2:57:46
  think it best to stay till morning. So they waited. But as it
• 2:57:52
  was a clear moonlight night, and they found the savages in great disorder about
• 2:57:56
  their dead and wounded men, and a great noise and hurry among them where
• 2:58:00
  they lay, they afterwards resolved to fall upon them in the night, especially
• 2:58:05
  if they could come to give them but one more volley before they were discovered,
• 2:58:09
  which they had a fair opportunity to do. For one of the Englishmen
• 2:58:13
  in whose quarter it was where the fight began, led them round between the
• 2:58:18
  woods and the seaside westward, and then turning short south. They came so
• 2:58:22
  near where the thickest of them lay, that before they were seen or heard,
• 2:58:26
  eight of them fired in among them, and did dreadful execution upon them.
• 2:58:31
  In half a minute more, eight others fired after them, pouring in
• 2:58:35
  their small shot in such a quantity that abundance were killed and wounded, And
• 2:58:41
  all this while they were not able to see who hurt them or which way
• 2:58:45
  to fly. The Spaniards charged again with the utmost expedition, and then divided
• 2:58:50
  themselves into three bodies, and resolved to fall in among them. All together.
• 2:58:56
  They had in each body eight persons, that is to say, twenty
• 2:58:58
  two two men and the two women, who, by the way, fought
• 2:59:03
  desperately. They divided the fire arms equally in each party, as well as
• 2:59:07
  the halberds and staves. They would have had the women keep back, but
• 2:59:11
  they said they were resolved to die with their husbands. Having thus formed their
• 2:59:16
  little army, they marched out from among the trees and came up to the
• 2:59:20
  teeth of the enemy shouting and hallooing as loud as they could. The savages
• 2:59:24
  stood all together, but were in the utmost confusion, hearing the noise of
• 2:59:28
  our men shouting from three quarters together. They would have fought if they had
• 2:59:33
  seen us, For as soon as we came near enough to be seen,
• 2:59:37
  some arrows were shot, and poor old Friday was wounded, though not dangerously.
• 2:59:41
  But our men gave them no time, but running up to them,
• 2:59:46
  fired among them three ways, and then fell in with the butt ends of
• 2:59:50
  their muskets, their swords, armed staves and hatchets, and laid about them
• 2:59:54
  so well that in a word they set up a dismal screaming and howling,
• 2:59:58
  flying to save their lives which way soever they could. Our men were tired
• 3:00:05
  with the execution, and killed or mortally wounded in the two fights, about
• 3:00:09
  one hundred and eighty of them, the rest, being frightened out of their
• 3:00:11
  wits, scoured through the woods and over the hills with all the speed that
• 3:00:16
  fear and nimble feet could help them to. And as we did not trouble
• 3:00:20
  ourselves much to pursue them, they got all together to the sea side,
• 3:00:24
  where they landed, and where their canoes lay but their disaster was not at
• 3:00:28
  an end yet, for it blew a terrible storm of wind that evening from
• 3:00:33
  the sea, so that it was impossible for them to go off, Nay,
• 3:00:37
  the storm continuing all night. When the tide came up, Their canoes
• 3:00:41
  were, most of them driven by the surge of the sea so high upon
• 3:00:45
  the shore that it required infinite toil to get them off, and some of
• 3:00:48
  them were even dashed to pieces against the beach. Our men, though glad
• 3:00:54
  of their victory, yet got little rest that night. But having refreshed themselves
• 3:00:58
  as well as they could, they resolved to march to that part of the
• 3:01:01
  island where the savages were fled and see what posture they were in. This
• 3:01:05
  necessarily led them over the place where the fight had been, and where they
• 3:01:09
  found several of the poor creatures, not quite dead and yet past recovering life,
• 3:01:15
  a sight disagreeable enough to generous minds. For a truly great man,
• 3:01:20
  though obliged by the law of battle to destroy his enemy, takes no delight
• 3:01:24
  in his misery. However, there was no need to give any orders in
• 3:01:28
  this case, for their own savages, who were their servants, despatched these
• 3:01:31
  poor creatures, with their hatchets at length. They came in view of the
• 3:01:37
  place where the more miserable remains of the savage's army lay, where there appeared
• 3:01:41
  about one hundred. Still. Their posture was generally sitting upon the ground,
• 3:01:46
  with their knees up towards their mouth, and the head put between the two
• 3:01:50
  hands, leaning down upon the knees. When our men came within two musket
• 3:01:56
  shots of them, the Spaniard governor ordered two muskets to be fired without ball
• 3:02:01
  to alarm them. This he did that by their countenance he might know what
• 3:02:05
  to expect, whether they were still in heart to fight, or were so
• 3:02:09
  heartily beaten as to be discouraged, and so he might manage accordingly. This
• 3:02:13
  stratagem took for as soon as the savages heard the first gun and saw the
• 3:02:18
  flash of the second, they started up upon their feet in the greatest consternation
• 3:02:24
  imaginable. And as our men advanced swiftly towards them, they all ran screaming
• 3:02:28
  and yelling away, with a kind of howling noise which our men did not
• 3:02:33
  understand and had never heard before. And thus they ran up the hills into
• 3:02:39
  the country. At first our men had much rather, the weather had been
• 3:02:43
  calm, and they had all gone away to sea. But they did not
• 3:02:46
  then consider that this might probably have been the occasion of their coming again in
• 3:02:50
  such multitudes as not to be resisted, or at least to come so many
• 3:02:56
  and so often as would quite desolate the island and stop them. Will Atkins,
• 3:03:01
  therefore, who notwithstanding his wound, kept always with them, proved the
• 3:03:05
  best counselor in this case. His advice was to take the advantage that offered,
• 3:03:11
  and step in between them and their boats, and so deprive them of
• 3:03:16
  the capacity of ever returning any more to plague the island. They consulted long
• 3:03:20
  about this, and some were against it, for fear of making the wretches
• 3:03:24
  fly to the woods and live there desperate. And so they should have them
• 3:03:28
  to hunt like wild beasts, be afraid to stir about their business, and
• 3:03:33
  have their plantations continually rifled, all their tame goats destroyed, and in short
• 3:03:39
  be reduced to a life of continual distress. Will Atkins told them they had
• 3:03:45
  better have to do with a hundred men than with a hundred nations, that
• 3:03:48
  as they must destroy their boats, so they must destroy the men, or
• 3:03:52
  be all of them destroyed themselves in a word. He showed them the necessity
• 3:03:56
  of it so plainly that they all came in too. So they went to
• 3:04:01
  work immediately with the boats, and getting some dry wood together from a dead
• 3:04:05
  tree. They tried to set some of them on fire, but they were
• 3:04:09
  so wet that they would not burn. However, the fire so burned the
• 3:04:13
  upper part that it soon made them unfit for use at sea. When the
• 3:04:18
  Indians saw what they were about, some of them came running out of the
• 3:04:22
  woods, and, coming as near as they could to our men, kneeled
• 3:04:24
  down and cried oa, oa, wharamokoa, and some other words of their
• 3:04:30
  language, which none of the others understood anything of. But as they made
• 3:04:33
  pitiful gestures and strange noises, it was easy to understand they begged to have
• 3:04:39
  their boats spared, and that they would be gone and never come there again.
• 3:04:43
  But our men were now satisfied that they had no way to preserve themselves
• 3:04:48
  or to save their colony, but effectually to prevent any of these people from
• 3:04:52
  ever going home again, depending upon this that if even so much as one
• 3:04:56
  of them got back into their country to te tell the story, the colony
• 3:05:01
  was undone, so that, letting them know that they should not have any
• 3:05:05
  mercy, they fell to work with their canoes and destroyed every one that the
• 3:05:09
  storm had not destroyed before, at the sight of which the savages raised a
• 3:05:13
  hideous cry in the woods, which our people heard plain enough, after which
• 3:05:18
  they ran about the island like distracted men, so that, in a word,
• 3:05:22
  our men did not really know what at first to do with them.
• 3:05:26
  Nor did the Spaniards, with all their prudence, consider that while they made
• 3:05:31
  those people thus desperate, they ought to have kept a good guard at the
• 3:05:33
  same time upon their plantations. For though it is true they had driven away
• 3:05:39
  their cattle and the Indians did not find out their main retreat, I mean
• 3:05:43
  my old castle at the hill, nor the cave in the valley, yet
• 3:05:46
  they found out my plantation at the bower, and pulled it all to pieces,
• 3:05:52
  and all the fences and planting about it, trod all the corn under
• 3:05:54
  foot, tore up the vines and grapes, being just then almost ripe,
• 3:06:00
  and did our men inestimable damage, though to themselves not one farthing's worth of
• 3:06:05
  service. Though our men were able to fight them upon all occasions, yet
• 3:06:11
  they were in no condition to pursue them or hunt them up and down,
• 3:06:15
  for as they were too nimble of foot for our people when they found them
• 3:06:18
  single, so our men durst not go abroad single for fear of being surrounded
• 3:06:24
  with their numbers. The best was they had no weapons, for though they
• 3:06:28
  had bows, they had no arrows left, nor any materials to make any,
• 3:06:33
  nor had they any edge tool among them. The extremity and distress they
• 3:06:37
  were reduced to was great, and indeed deplorable. But at the same time
• 3:06:43
  our men were also brought to very bad circumstances by them, for though their
• 3:06:48
  retreats were preserved, yet their provision was destroyed and their harvest spoiled. And
• 3:06:52
  what to do or which way to turn themselves they knew not The only refuge
• 3:06:58
  they had now us the stock of cattle they had in the valley by the
• 3:07:01
  cave, and some little corn which grew there, and the plantation of the
• 3:07:07
  three englishmen. Will Atkins and his comrades were now reduced to two, one
• 3:07:11
  of them being killed by an arrow which struck him on the side of his
• 3:07:15
  head just under the temple, so that he never spoke more. And it
• 3:07:20
  was very remarkable that this was the same barbarous fellow that cut the poor savage
• 3:07:24
  slave with his hatchet, and who afterwards intended to have murdered the spaniards.
• 3:07:31
  I looked upon their case to have been worse at this time than mine was
• 3:07:35
  at any time after I first discovered the grains of barley and rice and got
• 3:07:39
  into the manner of planting and raising my corn and my tame cattle. For
• 3:07:43
  now they had, as I may say, a hundred wolves upon the island,
• 3:07:48
  which would devour everything they could come at, yet could be hardly come
• 3:07:52
  at themselves. When they saw what their circumstances were, the first thing they
• 3:07:58
  concluded was that they would, if possible, drive the savages up to the
• 3:08:03
  farther part of the island southwest, that if any more came on shore they
• 3:08:07
  might not find one another. Then that they would daily hunt and harass them,
• 3:08:11
  and kill as many of them as they could come at, till they
• 3:08:15
  had reduced their number. And if they could at last tame them and bring
• 3:08:18
  them to anything, they would give them corn and teach them how to plant
• 3:08:24
  and live upon their daily labor. In order to do this, they so
• 3:08:28
  followed them, and so terrified them with their guns, that in a few
• 3:08:31
  days, if any of them fired a gun at an Indian, if he
• 3:08:35
  did not hit him, yet, he would fall down for fear. So
• 3:08:39
  dreadfully frightened were they that they kept out of sight farther and farther till at
• 3:08:43
  last our men followed them, and almost every day, killing or wounding some
• 3:08:48
  of them. They kept up in the woods or hollow places, so much
• 3:08:52
  that it reduced them to the utmost misery for want of food, and many
• 3:08:56
  were afterwards found dead in the woods without any hurt, absolutely starved to death.
• 3:09:03
  When our men found this, it made their hearts relent, and pity
• 3:09:07
  moved them, especially the generous minded Spaniard governor, and he proposed, if
• 3:09:13
  possible, to take one of them alive and bring him to understand what they
• 3:09:16
  meant, so far as to be able to act as interpreter, and go
• 3:09:20
  among them and see if they might be brought to some conditions that might be
• 3:09:24
  depended upon to save their lives and do us no harm. It was some
• 3:09:30
  while before any of them could be taken, but being weak and half starved,
• 3:09:35
  one of them was at last surprised and made a prisoner. He was
• 3:09:39
  sullen at first and would neither eat nor drink, But finding himself kindly used
• 3:09:43
  and victuals given to him, and no violence offered him, he at last
• 3:09:48
  grew tractable and came to himself. They often brought Old Friday to talk to
• 3:09:54
  him, who always told him how kind the others would be to them,
• 3:09:56
  all, that they would not only save their lif lives, but give them
• 3:10:01
  part of the island to live in, provided they would give satisfaction that they
• 3:10:05
  would keep in their own bounds and not come beyond it to injure or prejudice
• 3:10:09
  others, and that they should have corn given to them to plant and make
• 3:10:13
  it grow for their bread, and some bread given them for their present subsistence.
• 3:10:18
  And Old Friday bade the fellow go and talk with the rest of his
• 3:10:22
  countrymen and see what they said to it, assuring them that if they did
• 3:10:26
  not agree immediately, they should be all destroyed. The poor wretches, thoroughly
• 3:10:31
  humbled and reduced in number to about thirty seven, closed with the proposal at
• 3:10:37
  the first offer, and begged to have some food given them, upon which
• 3:10:41
  twelve Spaniards and two Englishmen, well armed with three Indian slaves, and Old
• 3:10:46
  Friday marched to the place where they were The three Indian slaves carried them a
• 3:10:50
  large quantity of bread, some rice boiled up to cakes and dried in the
• 3:10:56
  sun, and three live goats, and they were ordered to go to the
• 3:10:58
  site of a hill, where they sat down ate their provisions very thankfully,
• 3:11:03
  and were the most faithful fellows to their words that could be thought of,
• 3:11:07
  For except when they came to beg victuals and directions, they never came out
• 3:11:11
  of their bounds. And there they lived. When I came to the island
• 3:11:16
  and I went to see them, they had taught them both to plant corn,
• 3:11:20
  make bread, breed tame goats, and milk them. They wanted nothing
• 3:11:24
  but wives in order for them soon to become a nation. They were confined
• 3:11:28
  to a neck of land, surrounded with high rocks behind them, and lying
• 3:11:33
  plain towards the sea before them, on the southeast corner of the island.
• 3:11:37
  They had land enough, and it was very good and fruitful, about a
• 3:11:41
  mile and a half broad and three or four miles in length. Our men
• 3:11:46
  taught them to make wooden spades, such as I had made for myself,
• 3:11:50
  and gave among them twelve hatchets and three or four knives, and there they
• 3:11:54
  lived the most subjected, innocent creatures that ever were heard of. After this,
• 3:12:01
  the colony enjoyed a perfect tranquility with respect to the savages till I came
• 3:12:05
  to revisit them, which was about two years after. Not but that now
• 3:12:11
  and then some canoes of savages came on shore for their triumphal unnatural feasts.
• 3:12:16
  But as they were of several nations, and perhaps had never heard of those
• 3:12:20
  that came before, or the reason of it, they did not make any
• 3:12:24
  search or inquiry after their countrymen, and if they had, it would have
• 3:12:28
  been very hard to have found them out. Thus, I think I have
• 3:12:33
  given a full account of all that happened to them till my return. At
• 3:12:37
  least that was worth notice. The Indians were wonderfully civilized by them, and
• 3:12:41
  they frequently went among them, but they forbid, on pain of death,
• 3:12:46
  any one of the Indians coming to them, because they would not have their
• 3:12:50
  settlement betrayed again. One thing was very remarkable, viz. That they taught
• 3:12:54
  the savages to make wicker work or baskets. But they soon outdid their masters,
• 3:13:00
  for they made abundance of ingenious things in wicker work, particularly baskets,
• 3:13:05
  sieves, bird cages, cupboards, et cetera, as also chairs, stools,
• 3:13:11
  beds, couches, being very ingenious at such work when they were once
• 3:13:15
  put in the way of it. My coming was a particular relief to these
• 3:13:20
  people, because we furnished them with knives, scissors, spades, shovels,
• 3:13:24
  pickaxes, and all things of that kind which they could want. With the
• 3:13:28
  help of those tools, they were so very handy that they came at last
• 3:13:31
  to build up their huts or houses, very handsomely, rattling or working it
• 3:13:37
  up like basket work all the way round. This piece of ingenuity, although
• 3:13:41
  it looked very odd, was an exceeding good fence as well against heat,
• 3:13:46
  as against all sorts of vermin. And our men were so taken with it
• 3:13:50
  that they got the Indians to come and do the like for them, So
• 3:13:52
  that when I came to see the two englishmen's colonies, they looked at a
• 3:13:56
  distance as if they all lived like bees in os. As for will Atkins,
• 3:14:03
  who was now become a very industrious, useful and sober fellow, he
• 3:14:07
  had made himself such a tent of basket work, as I believe was never
• 3:14:11
  seen it was one hundred and twenty paces round on the outside, as I
• 3:14:16
  measured by my steps. The walls were as close, worked as a basket
• 3:14:20
  in panels or squares, of thirty two in number, and very strong,
• 3:14:24
  standing about seven feet high. In the middle was another not above twenty two
• 3:14:28
  paces round, but built stronger, being octagon in its form. And in
• 3:14:33
  the eight corners stood eight very strong posts, round the top of which he
• 3:14:39
  laid strong pieces knit together with wooden pins, from which he raised a pyramid
• 3:14:43
  for a handsome roof of eight rafters joined together very well, though he had
• 3:14:48
  no nails, and only a few iron spikes, which he made himself too,
• 3:14:52
  out of the old iron that I had left there. Indeed, this
• 3:14:56
  fellow showed abundance of ingenuity in several things which he had no knowledge of.
• 3:15:01
  He made him a forge with a pair of wooden bellows to blow the fire.
• 3:15:05
  He made himself charcoal for his work, and he formed out of the
• 3:15:09
  iron crows a middling good anvil to hammer upon. In this manner he made
• 3:15:13
  many things, but especially hooks, staples and spikes, bolts and hinges.
• 3:15:18
  But to return to the house after he had pitched the roof of his innermost
• 3:15:22
  tent. He worked it up between the rafters with basket work so firm,
• 3:15:28
  and thatched that over again so ingeniously with rice straw, and over that a
• 3:15:33
  large leaf of a tree which covered the top. That his house was as
• 3:15:37
  dry as if it had been tiled or slated. He owned indeed that the
• 3:15:41
  savages had made the basket work for him. The outer circuit was covered as
• 3:15:46
  a lean to all round this inner apartment, and long rafters lay from the
• 3:15:50
  thirty two angles to the top posts of the inner house, being about twenty
• 3:15:54
  feet distant, so that there was a space like a walk within the outer
• 3:15:58
  wicker wall and within the inner near twenty feet wide. The inner place he
• 3:16:03
  partitioned off with the same wicker work, but much fairer, and divided into
• 3:16:09
  six apartments, so that he had six rooms on a floor, and out
• 3:16:13
  of every one of these there was a door first into the entry or coming
• 3:16:16
  into the main tent, another door into the main tent, and another door
• 3:16:22
  into the space or walk that was round it. So that walk was also
• 3:16:26
  divided into six equal parts, which served not only for a retreat, but
• 3:16:30
  to store up any necessaries which the family had occasion. For these six spaces,
• 3:16:35
  not taking up the whole circumference. What other apartments the outer circle had
• 3:16:41
  were thus ordered. As soon as you were in at the door of the
• 3:16:43
  outer circle, you had a short passage straight before you to the door of
• 3:16:46
  the inner house. But on either side was a wicker partition, and a
• 3:16:50
  door in it, by which you went first into a large room or storehouse
• 3:16:56
  twenty feet wide and about thirty feet long, and through that into another not
• 3:17:01
  quite so long, So that in the outer circle were ten handsome rooms,
• 3:17:05
  six of which were only to become at through the apartments of the inner tent,
• 3:17:09
  and served as closets or retiring rooms to the respective chambers of the inner
• 3:17:13
  circle, And four large warehouses or barns, or what you please to call
• 3:17:18
  them, which went through one another, two on either hand of the passage
• 3:17:22
  that led through the outer door to the inner tent. Such a piece of
• 3:17:26
  basket work, I believe was never seen in the world, nor a house
• 3:17:31
  or tent so neatly contrived, much less so built. In this great beehive
• 3:17:35
  lived the three families, that is to say, will Atkins and his companion.
• 3:17:41
  The third was killed, but his wife remained with three children, and
• 3:17:45
  the other two were not at all backward to give the widow her full share
• 3:17:48
  of everything, I mean as to their corn, milk, grapes, et
• 3:17:52
  cetera, and when they killed a kid or found a turtle on the shore,
• 3:17:56
  so that they all lived well enough. Though it was true they were
• 3:17:58
  not so industrious as the other two, as has been observed already. One
• 3:18:05
  thing, however, cannot be omitted, viz. That, as for religion,
• 3:18:09
  I do not know that there was anything of that kind among them.
• 3:18:13
  They often indeed put one another in mind that there was a God, by
• 3:18:18
  the very common method of seamen swearing by his name. Nor were their poor,
• 3:18:22
  ignorant, savage wives much better for having been married to Christians, as
• 3:18:26
  we must call them, for as they knew very little of God themselves,
• 3:18:31
  so they were utterly incapable of entering into any discourse with their wives about a
• 3:18:35
  God, or to talk anything to them concerning religion. The utmost of all
• 3:18:41
  the improvement which I can say the wives had made from them was that they
• 3:18:46
  had taught them to speak English pretty well. And most of their children,
• 3:18:50
  who were near twenty in all, were taught to speak English two from their
• 3:18:54
  first learning to speak though they at first spoke it in a very broken manner.
• 3:18:58
  Like their mothers. None of these children were above six years old when
• 3:19:03
  I came thither, for it was not much above seven years since they had
• 3:19:07
  fetched these five savage ladies over. They had all children more or less.
• 3:19:11
  The mothers were all a good sort of well governed, quiet, laborious women,
• 3:19:16
  modest and decent, helpful to one another, mighty observant, and subject
• 3:19:20
  to their masters. I cannot call them husbands, and lacked nothing but to
• 3:19:26
  be well instructed in the Christian religion and to be legally married, both of
• 3:19:31
  which were happily brought about afterwards by my means, or at least in consequence
• 3:19:35
  of my coming among them. End of Chapter five, Chapter six, the
• 3:19:43
  French Clergyman's Council, Part one. Having thus given an account of the colony
• 3:19:48
  in general, and pretty much of my runagate englishmen, I must say something
• 3:19:52
  of the Spaniards, who were the main body of the family, and in
• 3:19:56
  whose story there are some incidents also remarkable enough. I had a great many
• 3:20:03
  discourses with them about their circumstances when they were among the savages. They told
• 3:20:07
  me readily that they had no instances to give of their application or ingenuity in
• 3:20:13
  that country, that they were a poor, miserable, dejected handful of people,
• 3:20:18
  that even if means had been put into their hands, yet they had
• 3:20:20
  so abandoned themselves to despair, and were so sunk under the weight of their
• 3:20:26
  misfortune that they thought of nothing but starving. One of them, a grave
• 3:20:31
  and sensible man, told me he was convinced they were in the wrong,
• 3:20:35
  that it was not the part of wise men to give themselves up to their
• 3:20:39
  misery, but always to take hold of the helps which reason offered, as
• 3:20:43
  well for present support as for future deliverance. He told me that grief was
• 3:20:48
  the most senseless, insignificant passion in the world, for that it regarded only
• 3:20:52
  things past, which were generally impossible to be recalled or to be remedied,
• 3:20:58
  but had no views of things to come, and had no share in anything
• 3:21:01
  that looked like deliverance, but rather added to the affliction than proposed a remedy.
• 3:21:07
  And upon this he repeated a Spanish proverb, which, though I cannot
• 3:21:11
  repeat it in the same words that he spoke it in, yet I remember
• 3:21:16
  I made it into an English proverb of my own. Thus, in trouble
• 3:21:20
  to be troubled is to have your trouble doubled. He then ran on in
• 3:21:24
  remarks upon all the little improvements I had made in my solitude, my unwearied
• 3:21:30
  application, as he called it, and how I had made a condition which,
• 3:21:33
  in its circumstances, was at first much worse than theirs, a thousand
• 3:21:39
  times more happy than theirs, was even now when they were all together.
• 3:21:43
  He told me it was remarkable that Englishmen had a greater presence of mind in
• 3:21:46
  their distress than any people that ever he met, with, that their unhappy
• 3:21:52
  nation and the Portuguese were the worst men in the world to struggle with misfortunes,
• 3:21:56
  for that their first step in dangers, after the common efforts were over,
• 3:22:01
  was to despair, lie down under it, and die, without rousing
• 3:22:05
  their thoughts up to proper remedies for escape. I told him their case and
• 3:22:09
  mine differed exceedingly, that they were cast upon the shore without necessaries, without
• 3:22:15
  supply of food or present sustenance till they could provide for it. That it
• 3:22:20
  was true I had this further disadvantage and discomfort that I was alone. But
• 3:22:26
  then the supplies I had providentially thrown into my hands by the unexpected driving of
• 3:22:31
  the ship on the shore was such a help as would have encouraged any creature
• 3:22:35
  in the world to have applied himself as I had done, signor, says
• 3:22:39
  the Spaniard. Had we poor Spaniards been in your case, we should never
• 3:22:43
  have got half those things out of the ship as you did. Nay,
• 3:22:46
  says he. We should never have found means to have got a raft to
• 3:22:50
  carry them, or to have got the raft on shore without boat or sail.
• 3:22:54
  And how much less should we have done if any of us had been
• 3:22:56
  alone. Well, I desired him to obey his compliments and go on with
• 3:23:01
  the history of their coming on shore. Where they landed. He told me
• 3:23:05
  they unhappily landed at a place where there were people, without provisions, whereas
• 3:23:09
  had they had the common sense to put off to sea again and gone to
• 3:23:13
  another island a little further, they had found provisions, though without people,
• 3:23:18
  there being an island that way, as they had been told where there were
• 3:23:22
  provisions though no people. That is to say that the Spaniards of Trinidad had
• 3:23:28
  frequently been there, and had filled the island with goats and hogs at several
• 3:23:33
  times, where they had bred in such multitudes, and where turtle and sea
• 3:23:37
  fowls were in such plenty that they could have been in no want of flesh,
• 3:23:41
  though they had found no bread, whereas here they were only sustained with
• 3:23:46
  a few roots and herbs, which they understood not, and which had no
• 3:23:50
  substance in them, and which the inhabitants gave them sparingly enough, and they
• 3:23:56
  could treat them no better unless they would turn cannibals and deep men's flesh.
• 3:24:01
  They gave me an account how many ways they strove to civilize the savages they
• 3:24:05
  were with, and to teach them rational customs in the ordinary way of living,
• 3:24:11
  but in vain, and how they retorted upon them as unjust that they
• 3:24:15
  who came there for assistance and support should attempt to set up for instructors to
• 3:24:20
  those who gave them food, intimating it seems that none should set up for
• 3:24:24
  the instructors of others, but those who could live without them. They gave
• 3:24:28
  me dismal accounts of the extremities they were driven to, how sometimes they were
• 3:24:33
  many days without any food at all. The island they were upon, being
• 3:24:37
  inhabited by a sort of savages that lived more indolent and for that reason,
• 3:24:43
  were less supplied with the necessaries of life than they had reason to believe others
• 3:24:48
  were in the same part of the world. And yet they found that these
• 3:24:50
  savages were less ravenous and voracious than those who had better supplies of food.
• 3:24:56
  Also, they added, they could not but see what demos wonstruations of wisdom
• 3:25:01
  and goodness. The governing providence of God directs the events of things in this
• 3:25:05
  world, which they said appeared in their circumstances. For if pressed by the
• 3:25:09
  hardships they were under and the barrenness of the country where they were, they
• 3:25:15
  had searched after a better to live in. They had then been out of
• 3:25:18
  the way of the relief that happened to them by my means. They then
• 3:25:22
  gave me an account how the savages whom they lived amongst expected them to go
• 3:25:28
  out with them into their wars. And it was true that, as they
• 3:25:31
  had firearms with them, had they not had the disaster to lose their ammunition,
• 3:25:37
  they could have been serviceable not only to their friends, but have made
• 3:25:41
  themselves terrible both to friends and enemies. But being without powder and shot,
• 3:25:46
  and yet in a condition that they could not in reason, declined to go
• 3:25:50
  out with their landlords to their wars. So when they came into the field
• 3:25:54
  of battle, they were in a worse condition than the savages themselves, for
• 3:25:58
  they had neither bose arrows, nor could they use those the savages gave them,
• 3:26:03
  so they could do nothing but stand still and be wounded with arrows till
• 3:26:07
  they came up to the teeth of the enemy. And then indeed the three
• 3:26:11
  halbirds they had were of use to them, and they would often drive a
• 3:26:15
  whole little army before them with those halberds and sharpened sticks put into the muzzles
• 3:26:20
  of their muskets. But for all this they were sometimes surrounded with multitudes and
• 3:26:24
  in great danger from their arrows, till at last they found the way to
• 3:26:28
  make themselves large targets of wood, which they covered with skins of wild beasts
• 3:26:33
  whose names they knew not, and these covered them from the arrows of the
• 3:26:37
  savages. That notwithstanding these they were sometimes in great danger, and five of
• 3:26:43
  them were once knocked down together with the clubs of the savages. Which was
• 3:26:48
  the time when one of them was taken prisoner, that is to say,
• 3:26:52
  the Spaniard, whom I relieved. At first they thought he had been killed.
• 3:26:56
  But when they afterwards heard he was taken prisoner, they were under the
• 3:27:00
  greatest grief imaginable, and would willingly have all ventured their lives to have rescued
• 3:27:05
  him. They told me that when they were so knocked down, the rest
• 3:27:09
  of their company rescued them and stood over them, fighting till they were come
• 3:27:13
  to themselves, all but him, whom they thought had been dead. And
• 3:27:18
  then they made their way with their halberds and pieces, standing close together in
• 3:27:22
  a line, through a body of above a thousand savages, beating down all
• 3:27:26
  that came in their way, got the victory over their enemies, but to
• 3:27:31
  their great sorrow, because it was with the loss of their friend, whom
• 3:27:35
  the other party, finding alive, carried off with some others. As I
• 3:27:39
  gave an account before, they described most affectionately, how they were surprised with
• 3:27:43
  joy at the return of their friend and companion in misery, who they thought
• 3:27:48
  had been devoured by wild beasts of the worst kind wild men. And yet
• 3:27:52
  how more and more they were surprised with the account he gave them of his
• 3:27:56
  errand, and that there was a Christian in any place near, much more,
• 3:28:01
  one that was able and had humanity enough to contribute to their deliverance.
• 3:28:07
  They described how they were astonished at the sight of the relief I sent them,
• 3:28:11
  and at the appearance of loaves of bread, things they had not seen
• 3:28:15
  since their coming to that miserable place. How often they crossed it and blessed
• 3:28:20
  it as bread sent from heaven, And what a reviving cordial it was to
• 3:28:24
  their spirits to taste it, as also the other things I had sent for
• 3:28:28
  their supply. And after all, they would have told me something of the
• 3:28:31
  joy they were in at the sight of a boat and pilots to carry them
• 3:28:35
  away to the person and place from whence all these new comforts came. But
• 3:28:39
  it was impossible to express it by words, for their excessive joy naturally driving
• 3:28:45
  them to unbecoming extravagances. They had no way to describe them, but by
• 3:28:50
  telling me they bordered upon lunacy, having no way to give vent to their
• 3:28:54
  passions suitable to the sense that was upon them that in some it worked one
• 3:28:58
  way in and in some another, and that some of them, through a
• 3:29:03
  surprise of joy, would burst into tears, others be stark mad, and
• 3:29:07
  others immediately faint. This discourse extremely affected me and called to my mind Friday's
• 3:29:13
  ecstasy when he met his father, and the poor people's ecstasy when I took
• 3:29:18
  them up at sea after their ship was on fire, the joy of the
• 3:29:22
  mate of the ship when he found himself delivered in the place where he expected
• 3:29:26
  to perish. And my own joy when, after twenty eight years captivity,
• 3:29:31
  I found a good ship ready to carry me to my own country. All
• 3:29:35
  these things made me more sensible of the relation of these poor men and more
• 3:29:39
  affected with it. Having thus given a view of the state of things as
• 3:29:45
  I found them, I must relate the heads of what I did for these
• 3:29:48
  people and the condition in which I left them. It was their opinion and
• 3:29:52
  mine too, that they would be troubled no more with the savages, or
• 3:29:56
  if they were, they would be able to cut them them off if they
• 3:30:01
  were twice as many as before, so they had no concern about that.
• 3:30:05
  Then I entered into a serious discourse with the Spaniard, whom I call Governor,
• 3:30:09
  about their stay in the island. For as I was not come to
• 3:30:13
  carry any of them off, so it would not be just to carry off
• 3:30:18
  some and leave others, who perhaps would be unwilling to stay. If their
• 3:30:22
  strength was diminished. On the other hand, I told them I came to
• 3:30:26
  establish them there, not to remove them. And then I let them know
• 3:30:30
  that I had brought with me relief of sundry kinds for them, that I
• 3:30:33
  had been at a great charge to supply them with all things necessary, as
• 3:30:37
  well for their convenience as their defense, and that I had such and such
• 3:30:43
  particular persons with me as well to increase and recruit their number, as by
• 3:30:48
  the particular necessary employments which they were bred to, being artificers, to assist
• 3:30:54
  them in those things in which at present they were in want. They were
• 3:30:58
  all together when I talked thus to them, and before I delivered to them
• 3:31:03
  the stores I had brought, I asked them one by one if they had
• 3:31:07
  entirely forgot and buried the first animosities that had been among them, and would
• 3:31:11
  shake hands with one another and engage in a strict friendship and union of interest,
• 3:31:16
  that so there might be no more misunderstandings and jealousies. Will Atkins,
• 3:31:22
  with abundance of frankness and good humor, said they had met with affliction enough
• 3:31:26
  to make them all sober, and enemies enough to make them all friends.
• 3:31:31
  That for his part, he would live and die with them, and was
• 3:31:35
  so far from designing anything against the Spaniards that he owned they had done nothing
• 3:31:39
  to him but what his own mad humor made necessary, and what he would
• 3:31:43
  have done, and perhaps worse in their case, and that he would ask
• 3:31:48
  them pardon if I desired it, for the foolish and brutish things he had
• 3:31:52
  done to them, and was very willing and desirous of living in terms of
• 3:31:56
  entire friendship and union with them, and would do anything that lay in his
• 3:32:01
  power to convince them of it. And as for going to England, he
• 3:32:05
  cared not if he did not go thither these twenty years. The Spaniards said
• 3:32:11
  they had indeed at first disarmed and excluded will Atkins and his two countrymen for
• 3:32:16
  their ill conduct, as they had let me know, and they appealed to
• 3:32:20
  me for the necessity they were under to do so, But that will Atkins
• 3:32:24
  had behaved himself so bravely in the great fight they had with the savages,
• 3:32:28
  and on several occasions since, and had showed himself so faithful to and concerned
• 3:32:33
  for the general interest of them all that they had forgotten all that was past,
• 3:32:39
  and thought he merited as much to be trusted with arms and supplied with
• 3:32:43
  necessaries as any of them. That they had testified their satisfaction in him by
• 3:32:48
  committing the command to him, next to the Governor himself, and as they
• 3:32:52
  had entire confidence in him and all his countrymen, so they acknowledged they had
• 3:32:56
  merited that confidence by all the methods that honest men could merit to be valued
• 3:33:01
  and trusted. And they most heartily embraced the occasion of giving me this assurance
• 3:33:07
  that they would never have any interest separate from one another. Upon these frank
• 3:33:13
  and open declarations of friendship, we appointed the next day to dine altogether,
• 3:33:18
  and indeed we made a splendid feast. I caused the ship's cook and his
• 3:33:22
  mate to come on shore and dress our dinner, and the old cook's mate
• 3:33:26
  we had on shore assisted. We brought on shore six pieces of good beef
• 3:33:31
  and four pieces of pork out of the ship's provisions, with our punch bowl
• 3:33:35
  and materials to fill it. And in particular I gave them ten bottles of
• 3:33:39
  French claret and ten bottles of English beer, things that neither the Spaniards nor
• 3:33:45
  the English had tasted for many years, and which it may be supposed they
• 3:33:50
  were very glad of The Spaniards added to our feast five hole kids, which
• 3:33:54
  the cooks roasted, and three of them were sent covered up close on board
• 3:33:58
  the ship to the seamen, that they might feast on fresh meat from on
• 3:34:03
  shore, as we did with their salt meat from on board. After this
• 3:34:07
  feast, at which we were very innocently merry, I brought my cargo of
• 3:34:11
  goods wherein that there might be no dispute about dividing. I showed them that
• 3:34:16
  there was a sufficiency for them all, desiring that they might take an equal
• 3:34:22
  quantity when made up of the goods that were for wearing. At first I
• 3:34:26
  distributed linen sufficient to make every one of them four shirts, and at the
• 3:34:31
  Spaniard's request, afterwards made them up six. These were exceeding comfortable to them,
• 3:34:37
  having been what they had long since forgot the use of, or what
• 3:34:41
  it was to wear them. I allotted the thin English stuffs which I mentioned
• 3:34:45
  before, to make every one a light coat like a frock, which I
• 3:34:48
  judged fittest for the heat of the season, cool and loose, and ordered
• 3:34:54
  that whenever they decayed they should make more as they thought fit the like for
• 3:34:58
  pump's shoes, stockings, hats, et cetera. I cannot express what pleasure
• 3:35:03
  sat upon the countenances of all these poor men when they saw the care I
• 3:35:07
  had taken of them, and how well I had furnished them. They told
• 3:35:11
  me I was a father to them, and that having such a correspondent as
• 3:35:16
  I was, in so remote a part of the world, it would make
• 3:35:20
  them forget that they were left in a desolate place, and they all voluntarily
• 3:35:24
  engaged to me not to leave the place without my consent. Then I presented
• 3:35:30
  to them the people I had brought with me, particularly the tailor, the
• 3:35:33
  smith, and the two carpenters, all of them most necessary people, but
• 3:35:39
  above all my general artificer, than whom they could not name anything that was
• 3:35:43
  more useful to them. And the tailor, to show his concern for them,
• 3:35:48
  went to work immediately, and with my leave, made them every one
• 3:35:52
  a shirt the first thing he did. And what was still more, he
• 3:35:56
  taught the women not only how to sew and stitch and used the needle,
• 3:36:01
  but made them assist to make the shirts for their husbands and for all the
• 3:36:05
  rest. As to the carpenters, I scarce need mention how useful they were,
• 3:36:09
  for they took to pieces all my clumsy, unhandy things, and made
• 3:36:13
  clever, convenient tables, stools, bedsteads, cupboards, lockers, shelves,
• 3:36:18
  and everything they wanted of that kind. But to let them see how nature
• 3:36:22
  made artificers at first, I carried the carpenters to see will Atkins basket House,
• 3:36:28
  as I called it, and they both owned they never saw an instance
• 3:36:31
  of such natural ingenuity before, nor anything so regular and so handily built,
• 3:36:37
  at least of its kind. And one of them, when he saw it,
• 3:36:41
  after musing a good while turning about to me, I am sure,
• 3:36:45
  says he that man has no need of us. You need do nothing but
• 3:36:48
  give him tools. Then I brought them out all my store of tools,
• 3:36:54
  and gave every man a digging spade, a shovel, and a rake,
• 3:36:56
  for we had no barrows or plows, and to every separate place a pickaxe,
• 3:37:01
  a crow, a broad axe, and a saw, always appointing that
• 3:37:05
  as often as any were broken or worn out, they should be supplied without
• 3:37:09
  grudging. Out of the general stores that I left behind nails, staples,
• 3:37:15
  hinges, hammers, chisels, knives, scissors, and all sorts of iron
• 3:37:18
  work they had, without reserve as they required, for no man would take
• 3:37:24
  more than he wanted, and he must be a fool that would waste or
• 3:37:26
  spoil them on any account whatever. And for the use of the smith,
• 3:37:31
  I left two tons of unwrought iron for a supply. My magazine of powder
• 3:37:37
  and arms, which I brought them was such even to profusion, that they
• 3:37:41
  could not but rejoice at them. For now they could march as I used
• 3:37:46
  to, with a musket upon each shoulder if there was occasion, and were
• 3:37:50
  able to fight a thousand savages if they had but some little advantages of situation,
• 3:37:54
  which also they could not miss if they had occasion. I carried on
• 3:38:00
  shore with me the young man whose mother was starved to death, and the
• 3:38:03
  maid also. She was a sober, well educated, religious young woman,
• 3:38:09
  and behaved so inoffensively that everyone gave her a good word. She had indeed
• 3:38:13
  an unhappy life with us, there being no woman in the ship but herself,
• 3:38:18
  but she bore it with patience. After a while, seeing things so
• 3:38:22
  well ordered and in so fine a way of thriving upon my island, and
• 3:38:26
  considering that they had neither business nor acquaintance in the East Indies, or reason
• 3:38:31
  for taking so long a voyage. Both of them came to me and desired
• 3:38:35
  I would give them leave to remain on the island and be entered among my
• 3:38:41
  family, as they called it. I agreed to this readily, and they
• 3:38:45
  had a little plot of ground allotted to them, where they had three tents
• 3:38:48
  or houses set up, surrounded with a basket work palisadoed like Atkins's adjoining to
• 3:38:54
  his plantation. Their tents were contrived so that they had each of them a
• 3:38:58
  room a part to lodge in, and a middle tent like a great storehouse,
• 3:39:03
  to lay their goods in, and to eat and to drink in.
• 3:39:07
  And now the other two Englishmen removed their habitation to the same place, and
• 3:39:11
  so the island was divided into three colonies, and no more viz. The
• 3:39:16
  Spaniards with Old Friday and the first servants at my habitation under the hill,
• 3:39:22
  which was in a word, the capital city, and where they had so
• 3:39:26
  enlarged and extended their works, as well under as on the outside of the
• 3:39:30
  hill that they lived, though perfectly concealed, yet full at large, Never
• 3:39:35
  was there such a little city in a wood, and so hid in any
• 3:39:39
  part of the world. For I verily believe that a thousand men might have
• 3:39:43
  ranged the island a month, And if they had not known there was such
• 3:39:46
  a thing, and looked on purpose for it, they would not have found
• 3:39:50
  it. Indeed, the trees stood so thick and so close, and grew
• 3:39:56
  so fast woven one into another, that nothing but cutting them down first could
• 3:40:01
  discover the place, except the only two narrow entrances where they went in and
• 3:40:05
  out could be found, which was not very easy. One of them was
• 3:40:09
  close down at the water's edge on the side of the creek, and it
• 3:40:13
  was afterwards above two hundred yards to the place, and the other was up
• 3:40:16
  a ladder at twice, as I have already described it. And they had
• 3:40:20
  also a large wood thickly planted on the top of the hill, containing above
• 3:40:26
  an acre, which grew apace and concealed the place from all discovery. There,
• 3:40:31
  with only one narrow place between the two trees, not easily to be
• 3:40:35
  discovered to enter on that side. The other colony was that of will Atkins,
• 3:40:41
  where there were four families of Englishmen, I mean those I had left
• 3:40:45
  there with their wives and children, three savages that were slaves, the widow
• 3:40:50
  and children of the englishman that was killed, the young man and the maid,
• 3:40:54
  and by the way we made a wife of her. Before we went
• 3:40:56
  away. There were besides the two cars, carpenters and the tailor, whom
• 3:41:01
  I brought with me for them. Also the smith, who was a very
• 3:41:03
  necessary man to them, especially as a gunsmith, to take care of their
• 3:41:09
  arms. And my other man, whom I called Jack of all trades,
• 3:41:13
  who was in himself as good almost as twenty men, for he was not
• 3:41:16
  only a very ingenious fellow, but a very merry fellow. And before I
• 3:41:20
  went away we married him to the honest maid that came with the youth in
• 3:41:24
  the ship I mentioned before. And now I speak of marrying. It brings
• 3:41:30
  me naturally to say something of the French ecclesiastic that I had brought with me
• 3:41:33
  out of the ship's crew, whom I took up at sea. It is
• 3:41:37
  true this man was a Roman, and perhaps it may give offense to some
• 3:41:41
  hereafter if I leave anything extraordinary upon record of a man whom, before I
• 3:41:46
  begin, I must to set him out in just colors, represent in terms
• 3:41:50
  very much to his disadvantage. In the account of Protestants, as first that
• 3:41:56
  he was a papist, secondly a Popish priest, and thirdly a French Popish
• 3:42:01
  priest. But justice demands of me to give him a due character, and
• 3:42:05
  I must say he was a grave, sober, pious and most religious person,
• 3:42:11
  exact in his life, extensive in his charity, and exemplary in almost
• 3:42:16
  everything he did. What then, can any one say against being very sensible
• 3:42:20
  of the value of such a man, notwithstanding his profession. Though it may
• 3:42:24
  be my opinion, perhaps as well as the opinion of others who shall read
• 3:42:28
  this, that he was mistaken. The first hour that I began to converse
• 3:42:35
  with him, after he had agreed to go with me to the East Indies,
• 3:42:37
  I found reason to delight exceedingly in his conversation, And he first began
• 3:42:43
  with me about religion in the most obliging manner imaginable, Sir, says he.
• 3:42:48
  You have not only under God, and at that he crossed his breast
• 3:42:52
  saved my life, but you have admitted me to go this voyage in your
• 3:42:56
  ship, and by your obliging civility, have taken me into your family,
• 3:43:01
  giving me an opportunity of free conversation. Now, Sir, you see by
• 3:43:05
  my habit what my profession is, and I guess by your nation what yours
• 3:43:09
  is. I may think it is my duty, and doubtless it is so,
• 3:43:13
  to use my utmost endeavors on all occasions, to bring all the souls
• 3:43:18
  I can to the knowledge of the truth, and to embrace the Catholic doctrine.
• 3:43:22
  But as I am here under your permission and in your family, I
• 3:43:28
  am bound in justice to your kindness, as well as in decency and good
• 3:43:31
  manners, to be under your government. And therefore I shall not, without
• 3:43:37
  your leave, enter into any debate on the points of religion in which we
• 3:43:41
  may not agree further than you shall give me leave. I told him his
• 3:43:46
  carriage was so modest that I could not but acknowledge it. That it was
• 3:43:50
  true we were such people as they call heretics, but that he was not
• 3:43:54
  the first Catholic I had conversed with without falling into inconveniences or carrying the questions
• 3:44:01
  to any height in debate. That he should not find himself the worse used
• 3:44:05
  for being of a different opinion from us. And if we did not converse
• 3:44:09
  without any dislike on either side, it should be his fault, not ours.
• 3:44:13
  He replied that he thought all our conversation might be easily separated from disputes,
• 3:44:20
  that it was not his business to cap principles with every man he conversed
• 3:44:24
  with, and that he rather desired me to converse with him as a gentleman
• 3:44:28
  than as a religionist, and that if I would give him leave at any
• 3:44:31
  time to discourse upon religious subjects, he would readily comply with it, and
• 3:44:37
  that he did not doubt but I would allow him also to defend his own
• 3:44:41
  opinions as well as he could, but that without my leave he would not
• 3:44:45
  break in upon me with any such thing. He told me further that he
• 3:44:48
  would not cease to do all that became him in his office as a priest
• 3:44:52
  as well as a private Christian, to procure the good of the ship and
• 3:44:56
  the safety of all that was in her. And though perhaps we would not
• 3:45:01
  join with him and he could not pray with us, he hoped he might
• 3:45:05
  pray for us, which he would do upon all occasions. In this manner
• 3:45:09
  we conversed. And as he was of the most obliging gentlemanlike behavior, so
• 3:45:15
  he was, if I may be allowed to say so, a man of
• 3:45:18
  good sense and as I believe of great learning, he gave me a most
• 3:45:24
  diverting account of his life and of the many extraordinary events of it, of
• 3:45:28
  many adventures which had befallen him in the few years that he had been abroad
• 3:45:33
  in the world, and particularly it was very remarkable that in the voyage he
• 3:45:37
  was now engaged in, he had had the misfortune to be five times shipped
• 3:45:41
  and unshipped, and never to go to the place whither any of the ships
• 3:45:46
  he was in were at first designed. That his first intent was to have
• 3:45:50
  gone to Martinico, and that he went on board a ship bound thither at
• 3:45:54
  Saint Malo, but being forced into Lisbon by bad weather, the ship received
• 3:46:00
  some damage by running aground in the mouth of the River Tagus, and was
• 3:46:03
  obliged to unload her cargo there. But finding a Portuguese ship there bound for
• 3:46:09
  the Maderras and ready to sail, and supposing he should meet with a ship
• 3:46:13
  there bound to Martinico, he went on board in order to sail to the
• 3:46:18
  Maderas. But the master of the Portuguese ship, being an indifferent mariner,
• 3:46:22
  had been out of his reckoning, and they drove to Fayal, where However,
• 3:46:28
  he happened to find a very good market for his cargo, which was
• 3:46:31
  corn, and therefore resolved not to go to the Maderras, but to load
• 3:46:35
  salt at the Isle of May and to go away to Newfoundland. He had
• 3:46:39
  no remedy in this exigence but to go with the ship, and had a
• 3:46:43
  pretty good voyage as far as the banks, so they called a place where
• 3:46:48
  they catched the fish. Where meeting with a French ship bound from France to
• 3:46:52
  Quebec and from thence to Martinico to carry provisions, he thought he should have
• 3:46:56
  an opportunity to complete his first design. But when he came to Quebec,
• 3:47:01
  the master of the ship died and the vessel proceeded no further. So the
• 3:47:05
  next voyage he shipped himself for France in the ship that was burned when we
• 3:47:11
  took them up at sea, and then shipped with us for the East Indies.
• 3:47:15
  As I have already said, thus he had been disappointed in five voyages,
• 3:47:20
  all as I may call it in one voyage. Besides what, I
• 3:47:24
  shall have occasion to mention further of him, but I shall not make digression
• 3:47:28
  into other men's stories which have no relation to my own, so I returned
• 3:47:33
  to what concerns our affair in the island. He came to me one morning,
• 3:47:37
  for he lodged among us all the while we were upon the island,
• 3:47:41
  and it happened to me just when I was going to visit the Englishman's colony
• 3:47:45
  at the furthest part of the island. I say, he came to me
• 3:47:48
  and told me with a very grave countenance that he had for two or three
• 3:47:52
  days desired an opportunity of some discourse with me, which he hoped would not
• 3:47:56
  be displeasing to me, because he thought it might, in some measure correspond
• 3:48:01
  with my general design, which was the prosperity of my new colony, and
• 3:48:05
  perhaps might put it, at least more than he yet thought it was in
• 3:48:09
  the way of God's blessing. I looked a little surprised at the last of
• 3:48:13
  his discourse, and turning a little short, how Sir said, I can
• 3:48:18
  it be said that we are not in the way of God's blessing after such
• 3:48:22
  visible assistances and deliverances as we have seen here, and of which I have
• 3:48:26
  given you a large account. If you have pleased, sir, said he,
• 3:48:31
  with a world of modesty, and yet great readiness to have heard me,
• 3:48:35
  you would have found no room to have been displeased, much less to
• 3:48:39
  think so hard of me that I should suggest that you have not had wonderful
• 3:48:43
  assistances and deliverances. And I hope on your behalf that you are in the
• 3:48:48
  way of God's blessing, and your design is exceeding good and will prosper.
• 3:48:52
  But sir, though it were more so than is even possible to you,
• 3:48:56
  yet there may be some among you that are not equally right in their actions.
• 3:49:01
  And you know that in the story of the children of Israel, one
• 3:49:05
  Achan in the camp removed God's blessing from them and turned his hand so against
• 3:49:09
  them that six and thirty of them, though not concerned in the crime,
• 3:49:13
  were the objects of divine vengeance and bore the weight of that punishment. I
• 3:49:20
  was sensibly touched with this discourse, and told him his inference was so just,
• 3:49:24
  and the whole design seemed so sincere, and was really so religious in
• 3:49:28
  its own nature, that I was very sorry I had interrupted him, and
• 3:49:33
  begged him to go on, and in the meantime, because it seemed that
• 3:49:37
  what we had both to say might take up some time I told him I
• 3:49:41
  was going to the Englishman's plantations, and asked him to go with me and
• 3:49:46
  we might discourse of it. By the way. He told me he would
• 3:49:48
  the more willingly wait on me thither, because there partly the thing was acted
• 3:49:52
  which he desired to speak to me about. So we walked on, and
• 3:49:56
  I pressed him to be free and plain with me in what he had to
• 3:50:00
  say. Why, then, Sir, said, he be pleased to give
• 3:50:03
  me leave to lay down a few propositions as the foundation of what I have
• 3:50:07
  to say. That we may not differ in the general principles, though we
• 3:50:13
  may be of some differing opinions in the practice of particulars. First, Sir,
• 3:50:18
  though we differ in some of the doctrinal articles of religion, and it
• 3:50:22
  is very unhappy. It is so, especially in the case before us,
• 3:50:26
  as I shall show afterwards. Yet there are some general principles in which we
• 3:50:30
  both agree that there is a God, and that this God, having given
• 3:50:33
  us some stated general rules for our service and obedience, we ought not willingly
• 3:50:39
  and knowingly to offend him, either by neglecting to do what he has commanded,
• 3:50:45
  or by doing what he has expressly forbidden. And let our different religions
• 3:50:48
  be what they will. This general principle is readily owned by us all that
• 3:50:54
  the blessing of God does not ordinarily follow presumptious sinning against His command, and
• 3:51:00
  every good Christian will be affectionately concerned to prevent any that are under His care
• 3:51:05
  living in a total neglect of God and his commands. It is not your
• 3:51:09
  men, being Protestants, whatever my opinion may be, of such that discharges
• 3:51:13
  me from being concerned for their souls and from endeavoring if it lies before me,
• 3:51:20
  that they should live in as little distance from enmity with their Maker as
• 3:51:24
  possible, especially if you give me leave to meddle so far in your circuit.
• 3:51:28
  I could not yet imagine what he aimed at, and told him I
• 3:51:33
  granted all he had said, and thanked him that he would so far concern
• 3:51:37
  himself for us, and begged he would explain the particulars of what he had
• 3:51:41
  observed, that, like Joshua to take his own parable, I might put
• 3:51:45
  away the accursed thing from us. Why, then, sir, says he,
• 3:51:50
  I will take the liberty you give me. And there are three things
• 3:51:52
  which, if I am right, must stand in the way of God's blessing
• 3:51:56
  upon your endeavors here, and which I should should rejoice for your sake and
• 3:52:01
  their own to see removed. And Sir, I promise myself that you will
• 3:52:05
  fully agree with me in them all as soon as I name them, especially
• 3:52:09
  because I shall convince you that every one of them may, with great ease
• 3:52:15
  and very much to your satisfaction, be remedied. First, sir, says
• 3:52:20
  he you have herefore Englishmen who have fetched women from among the savage as,
• 3:52:24
  and have taken them as their wives, and have had many children by them
• 3:52:28
  all, and yet are not married to them after any stated legal manner,
• 3:52:33
  as the laws of God and man require. To this, Sir, I
• 3:52:37
  know you will object that there was no clergyman or priest of any kind to
• 3:52:41
  perform the ceremony, nor any pen and ink or paper to write down a
• 3:52:46
  contract of marrage and have it signed between them. And I know also,
• 3:52:50
  Sir, what the Spaniard governor has told you. I mean of the agreement
• 3:52:54
  that he obliged them to make when they took these women, viz. That
• 3:52:58
  they should choose them them out by consent and keep separately to them, which
• 3:53:03
  by the way, is nothing of a marriage, no agreement with the women
• 3:53:07
  as wives, but only an agreement among themselves to keep them from quarreling.
• 3:53:11
  But, Sir, the essence of the sacrament of matrimony, so he called
• 3:53:16
  it, being a Roman, consists not only in the mutual consent of the
• 3:53:20
  parties to take one another as man and wife, but in the formal and
• 3:53:24
  legal obligation to own and acknowledge each other, obliging the man to abstain from
• 3:53:30
  all other women, to engage in no other contract while these subsist, and
• 3:53:33
  on all occasions as ability allows to provide honestly for them and their children,
• 3:53:39
  and to oblige the women to the same or like conditions on their side.
• 3:53:43
  Now, Sir, says he, these men may, when they please,
• 3:53:48
  or when occasion presents, abandon these women, disown their children, leave them
• 3:53:52
  to perish, and take other women and marry them while these are living.
• 3:53:58
  And here, he added, with some warmth, how Sir, is God
• 3:54:01
  honored in this unlawful liberty, And how shall a blessing succeed your endeavors in
• 3:54:07
  this place, however good in themselves, and however sincere in your design.
• 3:54:11
  While these men, who at present all your subjects, live, under your
• 3:54:16
  absolute government and domignon are allowed by you to live in open adultery. I
• 3:54:22
  confess I was struck with the thing itself, but much more with the convincing
• 3:54:26
  arguments he supported it with. But I thought to have got off my young
• 3:54:31
  priest by telling him that all that part was done when I was not there,
• 3:54:35
  and that they had lived so many years with them now that if it
• 3:54:39
  was adultery, it was past remedy. Nothing could be done in it now,
• 3:54:43
  sir, says he asking your pardon for such freedom. You are right
• 3:54:48
  in this, that it being done in your absence, you could not be
• 3:54:50
  charged with that part of the crime. But I beseech you flatter not yourself
• 3:54:54
  that you are not therefore under an obligation to do your utmost nos. Now
• 3:55:00
  to put an end to it, you shall legally and effectually marry them.
• 3:55:03
  And as Sir, my way of marrying may not be easy to reconcile them
• 3:55:09
  too, though it will be effectual even by your own laws. So your
• 3:55:13
  way may be as well before God and as valid among men. I mean
• 3:55:16
  by a written contract signed by both man and woman and by all the witnesses
• 3:55:22
  present, which all the laws of Europe would decree to be valied. I
• 3:55:26
  was amazed to see so much true piety and so much sincerity of zeal,
• 3:55:31
  besides the usual impartiality in his discourse as to his own party or church,
• 3:55:37
  and such true warmth for preserving people that he had no knowledge of or relation
• 3:55:41
  to, from transgressing the laws of God. But recollecting what he had said
• 3:55:46
  of marrying them by a written contract, which I knew he would stand to,
• 3:55:50
  I returned it back upon him and told him I granted all that he
• 3:55:54
  said to be just, and on his part very kind, that I would
• 3:55:58
  discord corse with the men upon the point now when I came to them,
• 3:56:03
  and I knew no reason why they should scruple to let him marry them,
• 3:56:07
  All which I knew well enough would be granted to be as authentic and valid
• 3:56:11
  in England as if they were married by one of our own clergymen. I
• 3:56:15
  then pressed him to tell me what was the second complaint, which he had
• 3:56:18
  to make. Acknowledging that I was very much as debtor for the first,
• 3:56:22
  and thanking him heartily for it, he told me he would use the same
• 3:56:26
  freedom and plainness in the second, and hoped I would take it as well.
• 3:56:31
  And this was that, notwithstanding these English subjects of mine, as he
• 3:56:35
  called them, had lived with these women almost seven years, had taught them
• 3:56:39
  to speak English and even to read it, and that they were, as
• 3:56:43
  he perceived, women of tolerable understanding and capable of instruction. Yet they had
• 3:56:48
  not to this hour taught them anything of the Christian religion. No, not
• 3:56:54
  so much as to know there was a God, or a worship, or
• 3:56:58
  in what manner God was to be so, or that their own idolatry and
• 3:57:01
  worshiping they knew, not whom was false and absurd. This, he said,
• 3:57:05
  was an unaccountable neglect, and what God would certainly call them to account
• 3:57:11
  for, and perhaps at last take the work out of their hands. He
• 3:57:15
  spoke this very affectionately and warmly. End of Chapter six, Part one,
• 3:57:20
  Chapter six, The French Clergyman's Council, Part two, I am persuaded,
• 3:57:28
  says he had those men lived in the savage country, whence their wives came
• 3:57:31
  the savage as would have taken more pains to have brought them to be idolatas
• 3:57:37
  and to worship the devil than any of these men, so far as I
• 3:57:39
  can see, have taken with them to teach the knowledge of the True God.
• 3:57:45
  Now, sir, said he, Though I do not acknowledge your religion
• 3:57:48
  or you mine, yet we would be glad to see the Devil's servants and
• 3:57:52
  the subjects of his kingdom taught to no religion, and that they might at
• 3:57:56
  least hear of God and a Redeemer, and the resurrection, and of a
• 3:58:01
  future state, things which we all believe. That they might at least be
• 3:58:07
  so much nearer coming into the bosom of the True Church than they are now
• 3:58:11
  in the public profession of idolatry and devil worship. I could hold no longer.
• 3:58:16
  I took him in my arms and embraced him eagerly. How far,
• 3:58:20
  said I to him, have I been from understanding the most essential part of
• 3:58:24
  a Christian viz. To love the interest of the Christian Church and the good
• 3:58:30
  of other men's souls? I scarce have known what belongs to the being a
• 3:58:33
  Christian. Oh, sir, do not say so, replied he. This
• 3:58:37
  thing is not your fault, no, said I, But why did I
• 3:58:41
  never lay it to heart as well as you? It is not too late
• 3:58:45
  yet, said he, be not too forward to condemn yourself. But what
• 3:58:50
  can be done. Now, said I. You see I am going away.
• 3:58:54
  Will you give me leave to talk with these poor men about it?
• 3:58:56
  Yes, with all my heart, said I, and obligin ledge them to
• 3:59:00
  give heed to what you say too. As to that, said he,
• 3:59:03
  we must leave them to the mercy of Christ. But it is your business
• 3:59:07
  to assist them, encourage them, and instruct them. And if you give
• 3:59:11
  me leave and God his blessing, I do not doubt but the poor ignorant
• 3:59:16
  souls shall be brought home to the great circle of Christianity, if not into
• 3:59:22
  the particular faith we all embrace. And that even while you stay here.
• 3:59:26
  Upon this, I said, I shall not only give you leave, but
• 3:59:30
  give you a thousand thanks for it. I now pressed him for the third
• 3:59:35
  article in which we were to blame. Why, really, says he?
• 3:59:39
  It is of the same nature it is about your poor savages, who are,
• 3:59:43
  as I may say, your conquereds objects. It is a maxim,
• 3:59:46
  sir, that is or ought to be received among all Christians, of what
• 3:59:50
  church are pretended Churchsoever, that the Christian knowledge ought to be propagated by all
• 3:59:56
  possible means and on all possible o co. It is on this principle that
• 4:00:01
  our Church since missionaries into Persia, India and China, and that our clergy,
• 4:00:07
  even of the superior sort, willingly engage in the most hazardous voyage as
• 4:00:13
  and the most dangerous residents amongst murderers and barbarians, to teach them the knowledge
• 4:00:18
  of the true God and to bring them over to embrace the Christian faith.
• 4:00:24
  Now, sir, you have such an opportunity here to have six or seven
• 4:00:28
  and thirty poor savage as brought over from a state of idolatry to the knowledge
• 4:00:31
  of God, their Maker and Redeemer, that I wonder how you can pass
• 4:00:37
  such an occasion of doing good, which is really worth the expense of a
• 4:00:41
  man's whole life. I was now struck, dumb, indeed, and had
• 4:00:46
  not one word to say. I had here the spirit of true Christian zeal
• 4:00:50
  for God and religion before me. As for me, I had not so
• 4:00:54
  much as entertained a thought of this in my heart before, And I believe
• 4:00:58
  I should not have thought of it, for I looked upon these savages as
• 4:01:01
  slaves and people whom, had we not had any work for them to do,
• 4:01:07
  we would have used as such, or would have been glad to have
• 4:01:09
  transported them to any part of the world, for our business was to get
• 4:01:13
  rid of them, and we would all have been satisfied if they had been
• 4:01:18
  sent to any country, so they had never seen their own I was confounded
• 4:01:22
  at his discourse, and knew not what answer to make him. He looked
• 4:01:26
  earnestly at me, seeing my confusion, Sir says he, I shall be
• 4:01:31
  very sorry if what I have said gives you any offense. No, no,
• 4:01:35
  said I. I am offended with nobody but myself. But I am
• 4:01:39
  perfectly confounded, not only to think that I should never take any notice of
• 4:01:45
  this before, but with reflecting what notice I am able to take of it
• 4:01:48
  now? You know, sir, said I, what circumstances I am in.
• 4:01:52
  I am bound to the East Indies in a ship freighted by merchants,
• 4:01:56
  and to whom it would be an insufferable piece of juct is to detain their
• 4:02:01
  ship here. The men lying all this while at victuals and wages on the
• 4:02:05
  owner's account. It is true I agreed to be allowed twelve days here,
• 4:02:09
  and if I stay more, I must pay three pounds sterling per diem demurage.
• 4:02:15
  Nor can I stay upon demurridge above eight days more, and I have
• 4:02:18
  been here thirteen already, so that I am perfectly unable to engage in this
• 4:02:24
  work unless I would suffer myself to be left behind here again, in which
• 4:02:28
  case, if this single ship should miscarry in any part of her voyage,
• 4:02:33
  I should be just in the same condition that I was left in here at
• 4:02:37
  first, and from which I have been so wonderfully delivered. He owned the
• 4:02:41
  case was very hard upon me as to my voyage, but laid it home
• 4:02:45
  upon my conscience whether the blessing of saving thirty seven souls was not worth venturing
• 4:02:50
  all I had in the world. For I was not so sensible of that
• 4:02:54
  as he was. I replied to him. Thus, why, sir,
• 4:02:58
  it is a valuable thing, indeed, to be an instrument in God's hand
• 4:03:01
  to convert thirty seven heathens to the knowledge of Christ. But as you are
• 4:03:07
  an ecclesiastic and are given over to the work, so it seems naturally to
• 4:03:11
  fall in the way of your profession. How is it then, that you
• 4:03:15
  do not rather offer yourself to undertake it than to press me to do it.
• 4:03:20
  Upon this, he faced about just before me as he walked along,
• 4:03:24
  and putting me to a full stop made me a very low bow. I
• 4:03:28
  most haughtily thank God and you, sir, said he for giving me so
• 4:03:31
  evident a call to so blessed a work. And if you think yourself decharged
• 4:03:37
  from it and desire me to undertake it, I will most readily do it,
• 4:03:41
  and think it a happy reward. For all the hazards and difficulties of
• 4:03:45
  such a broken, disappointed voyage as I have met with that, I am
• 4:03:50
  dropped at last into so glorious I work. I discovered a kind of rapture
• 4:03:54
  in his face while he spoke this to me. His eyes sparkled like fire,
• 4:04:00
  his face glowed, and his color came and went. In a word,
• 4:04:03
  he was fired with the joy of being embarked in such a work.
• 4:04:07
  I paused a considerable while before I could tell what to say to him,
• 4:04:11
  for I was really surprised to find a man of such sincerity, and who
• 4:04:16
  seemed possessed of a zeal beyond the ordinary rate of men. But after I
• 4:04:20
  had considered it a while, I asked him seriously if he was in earnest
• 4:04:24
  and that he would venture on the single consideration of an attempt to convert those
• 4:04:30
  poor people to be locked up in an unplanted island for perhaps his life,
• 4:04:33
  and at last might not know whether he should be able to do them good
• 4:04:37
  or not. He turned short upon me and asked me what I called a
• 4:04:41
  venture? Pray? Sir, said he, what do you think I consented
• 4:04:46
  to go in your ship to the East Indies? For aye, said I
• 4:04:50
  that I know not, unless it was to preach to the Indians. Doubtless,
• 4:04:54
  it was, said he. And do you think if I can convert
• 4:04:58
  these studies seven men to the faith of Jesus Christ, it is not worth
• 4:05:01
  my time? Though I should never be fetched off the island again? Nay,
• 4:05:07
  is it not infinitely of more worth to save so many souls than my
• 4:05:09
  life is or the life of twenty more of the same profession, Yes,
• 4:05:15
  sir, says he. I would give God thanks all my days if I
• 4:05:18
  could be made the happy estramant of saving the souls of these poor men,
• 4:05:22
  though I were never to get my foot off this island or see my native
• 4:05:26
  country any more. But since you will honor me with putting me into this
• 4:05:30
  work, for which I will pray for you all the days of my life,
• 4:05:33
  I have but one humble petition to you. Besides, what is that
• 4:05:37
  said I? Why says he? It is that you will leave your man
• 4:05:41
  Friday with me to be my interpreter to them and to assist me, for
• 4:05:46
  without some help I cannot speak to them or they to me. I was
• 4:05:52
  sensibly touched at his requesting Friday, because I could not think of parting with
• 4:05:56
  him, and that, for many reasons he had been the companion of my
• 4:06:01
  travels. He was not only faithful to me, but sincerely affectionate to the
• 4:06:05
  last degree, and I had resolved to do something considerable for him if he
• 4:06:09
  outlived me, as it was probable he would. Then I knew that,
• 4:06:15
  as I had bred Friday up to be a Protestant, it would quite confound
• 4:06:18
  him to bring him to embrace another religion, and he would never, while
• 4:06:22
  his eyes were open, believe that his old master was a heretic, and
• 4:06:26
  would be damned, and this might in the end ruin the poor fellow's principles,
• 4:06:31
  and so turn him back again to his first idolatry. However, a
• 4:06:35
  sudden thought relieved me in this strait, and it was this I told him.
• 4:06:39
  I could not say that I was willing to part with Friday on any
• 4:06:43
  account whatever, though a work that to him was of more value than his
• 4:06:46
  life ought to be of much more value than the keeping or parting with a
• 4:06:50
  servant. On the other hand, I was persuaded that Friday would by no
• 4:06:54
  means agree to part with me, and I could not force him to it
• 4:06:58
  without his concerit without manifest injustice. Because I had promised I would never send
• 4:07:03
  him away, and he had promised and engaged that he would never leave me
• 4:07:09
  unless I sent him away. He seemed very much concerned at it, for
• 4:07:13
  he had no rational access to these poor people, seeing he did not understand
• 4:07:18
  one word of their language, nor they one of his. To remove this
• 4:07:22
  difficulty, I told him Friday's father had learned Spanish, which I found he
• 4:07:28
  also understood, and he should serve him as an interpreter. So he was
• 4:07:31
  much better satisfied, and nothing could persuade him, but he would stay and
• 4:07:35
  endeavor to convert them. But Providence gave another very happy turn to all this.
• 4:07:41
  I come back now to the first part of his objections. When we
• 4:07:46
  came to the Englishmen, I sent for them all together, and after some
• 4:07:50
  account given them of what I had done for them, viz. What necessary
• 4:07:54
  things I had provided for them, and how they were distributed, which they
• 4:07:58
  were very sensible of and very thankful for. I began to talk to them
• 4:08:03
  of the scandalous life they led, and gave them a full account of the
• 4:08:05
  notice the clergymen had taken of it, and arguing how unchristian and irreligious life
• 4:08:11
  it was. I first asked them if they were married men or bachelors.
• 4:08:16
  They soon explained their condition to me, and showed that two of them were
• 4:08:20
  widowers and the other three were single men or bachelors. I asked them with
• 4:08:24
  what conscience they could take these women and call them their wives, and have
• 4:08:28
  so many children by them, and not be lawfully married to them. They
• 4:08:33
  all gave me the answer I expected, viz. That there was nobody to
• 4:08:37
  marry them, that they agreed before the governor to keep them as their wives,
• 4:08:41
  and to maintain them and own them as their wives. And they thought,
• 4:08:46
  as things stood with them, they were as legally married as if they
• 4:08:50
  had been married by a parson, and with all the formalities in the world.
• 4:08:54
  I told them that, no doubt they were married in the sight of
• 4:08:58
  God, and were bound in conscience to keep them as their wives, but
• 4:09:03
  that the laws of men being otherwise, they might desert the poor women and
• 4:09:07
  children hereafter, and that their wives, being poor, desolate, women,
• 4:09:11
  friendless, and moneyless, would have no way to help themselves. I therefore
• 4:09:16
  told them that unless I was assured of their honest intent, I could do
• 4:09:20
  nothing for them, but would take care that what I did should be for
• 4:09:24
  the women and children without them, And that unless they would give me some
• 4:09:28
  assurances that they would marry the women, I could not think it was convenient
• 4:09:33
  they should continue together as man and wife, for that it was both scandalous
• 4:09:37
  to men and offensive to God, who they could not think would bless them
• 4:09:41
  if they went on. Thus. All this went on as I expected,
• 4:09:46
  and they told me, especially will Atkins, who now seemed to speak for
• 4:09:50
  the rest, that they loved their wives as well as if they had been
• 4:09:54
  born in their own native country, and would not leave them on any account
• 4:09:58
  whatever. And they he did verily believe that their wives were as virtuous and
• 4:10:03
  as modest, and did to the utmost of their skill, as much for
• 4:10:07
  them and for their children as any woman could possibly do, and they would
• 4:10:11
  not part with them on any account. Will Atkins, for his own particular,
• 4:10:16
  added that if any man would take him away and offer to carry him
• 4:10:20
  home to England and make him captain of the best man of war in the
• 4:10:24
  navy, he would not go with him if he might not carry his wife
• 4:10:28
  and children with him, and if there was a clergyman in the ship,
• 4:10:31
  he would be married to her now with all his heart. This was just
• 4:10:37
  as I would have it. The priest was not with me at that moment,
• 4:10:39
  but he was not far off, so to try him further, I
• 4:10:43
  told him I had a clergyman with me, and if he was sincere,
• 4:10:48
  I would have him married next morning, and bade him consider of it and
• 4:10:52
  talk with the rest. He said, as for himself, he need not
• 4:10:56
  consider of it at all, for he was very ready to do it,
• 4:10:58
  and was glad I had a minister with me, and he believed they would
• 4:11:03
  be all willing also. I then told him that my friend the minister was
• 4:11:07
  a Frenchman and could not speak English, but I would act the clerk between
• 4:11:11
  them. He never so much as asked me whether he was a papist or
• 4:11:16
  Protestant, which was indeed what I was afraid of. We then parted,
• 4:11:20
  and I went back to my clergyman, and will Atkins went in to talk
• 4:11:24
  with his companions. I desired the French gentleman not to say anything to them
• 4:11:28
  till the business was thoroughly ripe, and I told him what answer the men
• 4:11:33
  had given me before I went from their quarter. They all came to me
• 4:11:37
  and told me they had been considering what I had said, that they were
• 4:11:41
  glad to hear I had a clergyman in my company, and they were very
• 4:11:45
  willing to give me the satisfaction I desired, and to be formally married as
• 4:11:50
  soon as I pleased, For they were far from desiring to part with their
• 4:11:54
  wives, and that they meant nothing but what was very honest when they chose
• 4:11:58
  them. So I appointed them to meet me the next morning, and in
• 4:12:01
  the meantime they should let their wives know the meaning of the marriage law,
• 4:12:05
  and that it was not only to prevent any scandal, but also to oblige
• 4:12:11
  them that they should not forsake them whatever might happen. The women were easily
• 4:12:16
  made sensible of the meaning of the thing, and were very well satisfied with
• 4:12:20
  it, as indeed they had reason to be. So they failed not to
• 4:12:24
  attend altogether at my apartment next morning where I brought out my clergyman. And
• 4:12:30
  though he had not on a minister's gown after the manner of England, or
• 4:12:35
  the habit of a priest after the manner of France, yet having a black
• 4:12:39
  vest something like a cassock with a sash round it, he did not look
• 4:12:43
  very unlike a minister. And as for his language, I was his interpreter.
• 4:12:48
  But the seriousness of his behavior to them, and the scruples he made
• 4:12:52
  of marrying the women because they were not baptized and professed Christians, gave them
• 4:12:58
  an exceeding reverence for his and there was no need after that to inquire whether
• 4:13:03
  he was a clergyman or not. Indeed, I was afraid his scruples would
• 4:13:07
  have been carried so far as that he would not have married them at all.
• 4:13:11
  Nay, notwithstanding all I was able to say to him, he resisted
• 4:13:16
  me, though modestly, yet very steadily, and at last refused absolutely to
• 4:13:20
  marry them unless he had first talked with the men, and the women too.
• 4:13:26
  And though at first I was a little backward to it, yet at
• 4:13:30
  last I agreed to it with a good will, perceiving the sincerity of his
• 4:13:33
  design. When he came to them. He let them know that I had
• 4:13:37
  acquainted him with their circumstances and with the present design, that he was very
• 4:13:43
  willing to perform that part of his function and marry them as I had desired,
• 4:13:48
  but that before he could do it, he must take the liberty to
• 4:13:50
  talk with them. He told them that in the sight of all indifferent men,
• 4:13:56
  and in the sense of the laws of society, they had lived all
• 4:13:58
  this while in a state of sin. And it was true that nothing but
• 4:14:03
  the consenting to marry or effectually separating them from one another, could now put
• 4:14:07
  an end to it. But there was a difficulty in it too, with
• 4:14:11
  respect to the laws of Christian matrimony, which he was not fully satisfied about,
• 4:14:16
  that of marrying one that is, a professed Christian to a savage,
• 4:14:20
  an idolater, and a heathen one that is not baptized. And yet he
• 4:14:24
  did not see that there was time left to endeavor to persuade the women to
• 4:14:28
  be baptized, or to profess the name of Christ, whom they had he
• 4:14:33
  doubted heard nothing of, and without which they could not be baptized. He
• 4:14:39
  told them, he doubted they were but indifferent Christians, themselves, that they
• 4:14:43
  had but little knowledge of God or of His ways, and therefore he could
• 4:14:48
  not expect that they had said much to their wives on that head yet,
• 4:14:52
  but that unless they would promise him to use their endeavors with their wives to
• 4:14:56
  persuade them to become Christians, and would as well as they could instruct them
• 4:15:01
  in the knowledge and belief of God that made them, and to worship Jesus
• 4:15:05
  Christ that redeemed them, he could not marry them, for he would have
• 4:15:09
  no hand in joining Christians with savages, nor was it consistent with the principles
• 4:15:15
  of the Christian religion, and was indeed expressly forbidden in God's law. They
• 4:15:20
  heard all this very attentively, and I delivered it very faithfully to them from
• 4:15:24
  his mouth as near his own words as I could, only sometimes adding something
• 4:15:30
  of my own to convince them how just it was, and that I was
• 4:15:33
  of his mind. And I always very carefully distinguished between what I said from
• 4:15:37
  myself and what were the clergyman's words. They told me it was very true
• 4:15:43
  what the gentlemen said, that they were very indifferent Christians themselves, and that
• 4:15:48
  they had never talked to their wives about religion. Lord Sir, says will
• 4:15:52
  Atkins, how should we teach them religion? Why we know nothing ourselves?
• 4:15:56
  And besides, Sir said he, should we talk to them of God and
• 4:16:00
  Jesus Christ and heaven in hell, it would make them laugh at us and
• 4:16:04
  ask us what we believe ourselves. And if we should tell them that we
• 4:16:08
  believe all the things we speak of to them, such as of good people
• 4:16:12
  going to heaven and wicked people to the devil, they would ask us where
• 4:16:17
  we intend to go ourselves that believe all this? And are such wicked fellows
• 4:16:22
  as we indeed are? Why Sir tis enough to give them a surfeit of
• 4:16:26
  religion at first earring folks must have some religion themselves before they begin to teach
• 4:16:32
  other people. Will Atkins said, I to him, though I am afraid
• 4:16:36
  that what you say has too much truth in it. Yet can you not
• 4:16:38
  tell your wife she is in the wrong, that there is a God and
• 4:16:41
  a religion better than her own, that her gods are idols, that they
• 4:16:45
  can neither hear nor speak, That there is a great being that made all
• 4:16:49
  things, and that can destroy all that he has made, That he rewards
• 4:16:55
  the good and punishes the bad, and that we are to be judged by
• 4:16:59
  Him at last, for all we do here. You are not so ignorant,
• 4:17:02
  But even nature itself will teach you that all this is true. And
• 4:17:06
  I am satisfied you know it all to be true, and believe it yourself.
• 4:17:10
  That is true, sir, said Atkins. But with what face can
• 4:17:14
  I say anything to my wife of all this? When she will tell me
• 4:17:17
  immediately it cannot be true, not true? Said I. What do you
• 4:17:22
  mean by that? Why, sir? Said he. She will tell me
• 4:17:25
  it cannot be true that this God I shall tell her of can be just,
• 4:17:29
  or can punish or reward, since I am not punished and sent to
• 4:17:33
  the devil, that have been such a wicked creature, as she knows I
• 4:17:36
  have been, even to her and to everybody else, and that I should
• 4:17:40
  be suffered to live, that have been always acting so contrary to what I
• 4:17:45
  must tell her is good and to what I ought to have done. Why,
• 4:17:48
  truly, Atkins said, I I am afraid thou speakest too much truth.
• 4:17:53
  And with that I informed the clergyman of what Atkins had said, for
• 4:17:56
  he was impatient to know. Oh, said the priest, tell him,
• 4:18:00
  there is one thing that will make him the best minister in the world to
• 4:18:03
  his wife. And that is repentance, for none teach repentance like true penitence.
• 4:18:10
  He wants nothing but to repent, and then he will be so much
• 4:18:14
  the better qualified to instruct his wife. He will then be able to tell
• 4:18:18
  her that there is not only a God and that he is the just rewarder
• 4:18:22
  of good and evil, but that he is a merciful being, and with
• 4:18:26
  infinite goodness and long suffering for bears to punish those that offend, waiting to
• 4:18:30
  be gracious and willing not the death of a sinner, but rather that he
• 4:18:34
  should return and live, and even reserves damnation to the general day of retribution.
• 4:18:41
  That it is a clear evidence of God and of a future state,
• 4:18:45
  that righteous men receive not their reward or wicked men their punishment till they come
• 4:18:51
  into another world. And this will lead him to teach his wife the doctrine
• 4:18:55
  of the resurrection and of the last judgment. Let him but repent himself,
• 4:19:00
  he will be an excellent preacher of repentance to his wife. I repeated all
• 4:19:06
  this to Atkins, who looked very serious all the while, and as we
• 4:19:10
  could easily perceive, was more than ordinarily affected with it, when being eager
• 4:19:15
  and hardly suffering me to make an end. I know all this, master,
• 4:19:19
  says he, and a great deal more. But I have not the
• 4:19:22
  impudence to talk thus to my wife, when God and my conscience know,
• 4:19:26
  and my wife will be an undeniable evidence against me that I have lived as
• 4:19:32
  if I had never heard of a god, or future state or anything about
• 4:19:36
  it. And a talk of my repenting alas, And with that he fetched
• 4:19:40
  a deep sigh, and I could see that the tears stood in his eyes.
• 4:19:44
  Tis past all that, with me past it? Atkins said, I
• 4:19:48
  what dost thou mean by that? I know well enough what I mean,
• 4:19:52
  says he. I mean tis too late, and that is too true.
• 4:19:56
  I told the clergyman word for word what he said, and this affectionate man
• 4:20:00
  could not refrain from tears, But, recovering himself, said to me,
• 4:20:06
  ask him, but one question. Is he easy that it is too late?
• 4:20:10
  Or is he troubled and wishes it were not? So? I put
• 4:20:14
  the question fairly to Atkins, and he answered, with a great deal of
• 4:20:18
  passion, how could any man be easy in a condition that must certainly end
• 4:20:22
  in eternal destruction? That he was far from being easy, but that,
• 4:20:26
  on the contrary, he believed it would one time or other ruin him.
• 4:20:30
  What do you mean by that, said I? Why he said he believed
• 4:20:34
  he should, one time or other got his throat to put an end to
• 4:20:37
  the terror of it. The clergyman shook his head with great concern in his
• 4:20:42
  face when I told him all this, but turning quick to me upon it,
• 4:20:47
  says, if that be his case, we may assure him it is
• 4:20:49
  not too late. Christ will give him repentance. But pray, says he
• 4:20:55
  explain this to him, that, as no man is saved but by Christ
• 4:21:00
  and the merit of his passion, procuring divine mercy for him, how can
• 4:21:03
  it be too late for any man to receive mercy? Does he think he
• 4:21:07
  is able to sin beyond the power or reach of divine mercy? Pray tell
• 4:21:12
  him there may be a time when provoked mercy will no longer strive, and
• 4:21:18
  when God may refuse to hear, But that it is never too late for
• 4:21:22
  men to ask mercy. And we that are Christ's servants are commanded to preach
• 4:21:26
  mercy at all times in the name of Jesus Christ, to all that sincerely
• 4:21:32
  repent, so that it is never too late to repent. I told at
• 4:21:37
  Gons all this, and he heard me with great earnestness. But it seemed
• 4:21:41
  as if he turned off the discourse to the rest, for he said to
• 4:21:45
  me he would go and have some talk with his wife. So he went
• 4:21:48
  out a while, and we talked to the rest. I perceived they were
• 4:21:52
  all stupidly ignorant as to matters of religion, as much as I was when
• 4:21:56
  I went rambling away from my father. Yet there were or none of them
• 4:22:00
  backward to hear what had been said, and all of them seriously promised that
• 4:22:04
  they would talk with their wives about it and do their endeavors to persuade them
• 4:22:08
  to turn Christians. The clergyman smiled upon me when I reported what answer they
• 4:22:15
  gave, but said nothing a good while, but at last, shaking his
• 4:22:18
  head, we that are Christ's Saervance, said he can go no further than
• 4:22:23
  to exhort and instruct. And when men comply submit to the reproof and promise
• 4:22:29
  what we ask, tis all we can do. We are bound to accept
• 4:22:33
  their good words. But believe me, sir, said he, whatever you
• 4:22:37
  may have known of the life of that man you call will Atkins, I
• 4:22:40
  believe he is the only sincere convert among them. I will not despair of
• 4:22:45
  the rest. But that man is apparently struck with the sense of his past
• 4:22:48
  life, and I doubt not when he comes to talk of religion to his
• 4:22:52
  wife, he will talk himself effectually into it, For attempting to teach others
• 4:22:57
  is sometimes the best way of teaching ourselves. If that poor Atkins begins but
• 4:23:03
  once to talk seriously of Jesus Christ to his wife, he will assuredly talk
• 4:23:08
  himself into a thorough convert, make himself a pennant hand. And who knows
• 4:23:14
  what may follow upon this discourse, however, and their promising as above,
• 4:23:18
  to endeavor to persuade their wives to embrace Christianity, he married the other two
• 4:23:25
  couples, but Will Atkins and his wife were not yet come in. After
• 4:23:29
  this, my clergyman, waiting a while, was curious to know where Atkins
• 4:23:33
  was gone, and turning to me, said, I entreat you, sir,
• 4:23:37
  Let us walk out of your labyrinthier and look. I dare say,
• 4:23:41
  we shall find this poor man somewhere or other, talking seriously to his wife
• 4:23:45
  and teaching her. Already something of religion, I began to be of the
• 4:23:49
  same mind. So we went out together, and I carried him away,
• 4:23:53
  which none knew but myself, and where the trees were so very thick that
• 4:23:57
  it was not easy to see through the thicket of leaves, and far harder
• 4:24:02
  to see in than to see out. When coming to the edge of the
• 4:24:06
  wood, I saw Atkins and his tawny wife sitting under the shade of a
• 4:24:10
  bush. Very eager in discourse, I stopped short till my clergyman came up
• 4:24:15
  to me, And then, having showed him where they were, he stood
• 4:24:18
  and looked very steadily at them. A good while. We observed him very
• 4:24:22
  earnest, with her pointing up to the sun and to every quarter of the
• 4:24:26
  heavens, and then down to the earth, then out to the sea,
• 4:24:30
  then to himself, then to her, to the woods, to the trees.
• 4:24:34
  Now, says the clergyman, You see my words are made good.
• 4:24:38
  The man preaches to her. Mark him. Now he is telling her that
• 4:24:42
  our God has made him ah and the heavens, the earth, the sea,
• 4:24:47
  the woods, the trees, et cetera. I believe he is said.
• 4:24:51
  I. Immediately we perceived, will Atkins start upon his feet, fall
• 4:24:56
  down on his knees, and lift up both his hands. We supposed he
• 4:25:00
  said something, but we could not hear him. It was too far for
• 4:25:03
  that. He did not continue kneeling half a minute, but comes and sits
• 4:25:07
  down again by his wife and talks to her again. We perceived then the
• 4:25:12
  woman very attentive, but whether she said anything to him, we could not
• 4:25:17
  tell. While the poor fellow was upon his knees, I could see the
• 4:25:19
  tears run plentifully down my clergyman's cheeks, and I could hardly forbear myself.
• 4:25:26
  But it was a great affliction to us both that we were not near enough
• 4:25:29
  to hear anything that passed between them. Well, however, we could come
• 4:25:33
  no nearer for fear of disturbing them. So we resolved to see an end
• 4:25:37
  of this piece of still conversation, and it spoke loud enough to us without
• 4:25:41
  the help of voice. He sat down, again, as I have said,
• 4:25:45
  close by her, and talked again earnestly to her, and two or
• 4:25:49
  three times we could see him embrace her most passionately. Another time we saw
• 4:25:55
  him take out his handkerchief and wipe her eyes, and then kiss her again
• 4:25:59
  with a kind of transport very unusual. And after several of these things,
• 4:26:03
  we saw him, on a sudden jump up again and lend her his hand
• 4:26:07
  to help her up. When immediately leading her by the hand a step or
• 4:26:11
  two, they both kneeled down together and continued so about two minutes. My
• 4:26:18
  friend could bear it no longer, but cries out aloud, Saint, poor,
• 4:26:22
  Saint, poor, behold, he prayeth. I was afraid Atkins would
• 4:26:26
  hear him. Therefore I entreated him to withhold himself a while that we might
• 4:26:30
  see an end of the scene, which to me, I must confess,
• 4:26:34
  was the most affecting that ever I saw in my life. Well, he
• 4:26:37
  strove with himself for a while, but was in such raptures to think that
• 4:26:42
  the poor heathen woman was become a Christian, that he was not able to
• 4:26:45
  contain himself. He wept several times, then, throwing up his hands and
• 4:26:51
  crossing his breast, said over several things ejaculatory and by the way of giving
• 4:26:56
  God thanks for so miraculous a testimony of the success of our endeavors. Some
• 4:27:00
  he spoke softly, and I could not well hear others. Some things he
• 4:27:04
  said in Latin, some in French. Then two or three times the tears
• 4:27:08
  would interrupt him, that he could not speak at all. But I begged
• 4:27:12
  that he would contain himself and let us more narrowly and fully observe what was
• 4:27:18
  before us, which he did for a time, the scene not being near
• 4:27:22
  ended yet, for after the poor man and his wife were risen again from
• 4:27:26
  their knees, we observed he stood talking still eagerly to her, and we
• 4:27:30
  observed her motion that she was greatly affected with what he said, by her
• 4:27:36
  frequently lifting up her hands, laying her hand to her breast, and such
• 4:27:40
  other postures as expressed the greatest seriousness and attention. This continued about half a
• 4:27:45
  quarter of an hour, and then they walked away, so we could see
• 4:27:49
  no more of them. In that situation, I took this interval to say
• 4:27:53
  to the clergyman first that I was glad to see the particulars we had both
• 4:27:59
  been witnessed, that though I was hard enough of belief in such cases,
• 4:28:03
  yet that I began to think it was all very sincere here, both in
• 4:28:07
  the man and his wife, however ignorant they might both be, And I
• 4:28:11
  hoped such a beginning would yet have a more happy end. But my friend
• 4:28:15
  added, I will you give me leave to start one difficulty here. I
• 4:28:19
  cannot tell how to object the least thing against that affectionate concern which you show
• 4:28:25
  for the turning of the poor people from their paganism to the Christian religion.
• 4:28:29
  But how does this comfort you? While these people are, in your account,
• 4:28:33
  out of the pale of the Catholic Church, without which you believe there
• 4:28:37
  is no salvation, So that you esteem these but heretics as effectually lost as
• 4:28:41
  the Pagans themselves. To this, he answered with abundance of candor. Thus,
• 4:28:48
  Sir, I am a Catholic of the Roman Church, and a priest
• 4:28:52
  of the Order of Saint Benedict, and I embrace all the principles of the
• 4:28:56
  Roman faith. But yet, if you will believe me and that I do
• 4:29:00
  not speak in compliment to you, or in respect to my circumstances and your
• 4:29:04
  civilities, I say, nevertheless, I do not look upon you who call
• 4:29:10
  yourselves reformed without some charity. I dare not say, though I know it
• 4:29:15
  is our opinion in general that you cannot be saved, I will by no
• 4:29:18
  means limit the mercy of Christ, so far as you think that he cannot
• 4:29:22
  receive you into the bosom of His Church in a manner to us unperceivable.
• 4:29:27
  And I hope you have the same charity for us. I pray daily for
• 4:29:33
  you being or restored to Christ's Church, by whatsoever method he who is all
• 4:29:37
  wise is pleased to direct. In the meantime, surely you will allow.
• 4:29:42
  It consists with me, as a Roman, to distinguish far between a Protestant
• 4:29:47
  and a pagan, between one that calls on Jesus Christ, though in a
• 4:29:51
  way which I do not think is according to the true faith, and a
• 4:29:53
  savage or a Barbarian that knows no God, no Christ, no redeemer.
• 4:29:59
  And if you are not within the pale of the Catholic Church, we hope
• 4:30:03
  you are nearer being restored to it than those who know nothing of God or
• 4:30:07
  of His Church. And I rejoice therefore when I see this poor man,
• 4:30:11
  who you say has been a profligate and almost a murderer, kneel down and
• 4:30:17
  pray to Jesus Christ, as we suppose he did, though not fully enlightened,
• 4:30:22
  believing that God from whom every sash work proceeds, will sensibly toush his
• 4:30:26
  heart and bring him to the further knowledge of that truth in his own time.
• 4:30:30
  And if God shall influence this poor man to convert and instruct the ignorant
• 4:30:36
  savage his wife, I can never believe that he shall be cast away himself.
• 4:30:41
  And have I not reason then to rejoice the nearer any are brought to
• 4:30:45
  the knowledge of Christ, though they may not be brought quite home into the
• 4:30:48
  bosom of the Catholic Church, just at the time when I desire it,
• 4:30:52
  leaving it to the goodness of Christ to perfect his work in his own time
• 4:30:56
  and in his own way. Certainly I would rejoice if all the savages in
• 4:31:00
  America were brought like this poor woman to pray to God, though they were
• 4:31:06
  all to be Protestants at first, rather than that they should continue pagans or
• 4:31:11
  heathens, firmly believing that He that had bestowed the first light on them,
• 4:31:15
  would Father illuminate them with a beam of his heavenly grace and bring them into
• 4:31:21
  the pale of His Church when he should see good. End of Chapter six,
• 4:31:26
  Chapter seven, conversation betwixt will Atkins and his wife. I was astonished
• 4:31:33
  at the sincerity and temper of this pious papist, as much as I was
• 4:31:37
  oppressed by the power of his reasoning, and it presently occurred to my thoughts
• 4:31:41
  that if such a temper was universal, we might be all Catholic Christians,
• 4:31:47
  whatever church or particular profession. We joined in that a spirit of charity would
• 4:31:52
  soon work us all up into right principles. And as he thought that the
• 4:31:56
  like charity would make us all Catholics, so I told him I believed had
• 4:32:00
  all the members of his church the like moderation, they would soon all be
• 4:32:04
  Protestants. And there we left that part, for we never disputed at all.
• 4:32:08
  However, I talked to him another way, and taking him by the
• 4:32:12
  hand, my friend says I, I wish all the clergy of the Romish
• 4:32:17
  Church were blessed with such moderation and had an equal share of your charity.
• 4:32:22
  I am entirely of your opinion, but I must tell you that if you
• 4:32:26
  should preach such doctrine in Spain or Italy, they would put you into the
• 4:32:30
  inquisition. It may be so, said he. I know not what they
• 4:32:33
  would do in Spain or Italy, but I will not say they would be
• 4:32:37
  the better Christians for that severity, For I am sure there is no heresy
• 4:32:41
  in abounding with charity well. As will Atkins and his wife were gone,
• 4:32:48
  our business there was over, so we went back our own way, and
• 4:32:52
  when we came back we found them waiting to be called in. Observing this,
• 4:32:56
  I asked my clergyman if we should not discover to him that we had
• 4:33:00
  seen him under the bush or not, and it was his opinion we should
• 4:33:03
  not, but that we should talk to him first and hear what he would
• 4:33:07
  say to us. So we called him in alone, nobody being in the
• 4:33:11
  place but ourselves, and I began by asking him some particulars about his parentage
• 4:33:17
  and education. He told me, frankly enough, that his father was a
• 4:33:19
  clergyman who would have taught him well, but that he will Atkins despised all
• 4:33:25
  instruction and correction, and by his British conduct, cut the thread of all
• 4:33:30
  his father's comforts and shortened his days. For that he broke his heart by
• 4:33:33
  the most ungrateful, unnatural return for the most affectionate treatment a father ever gave.
• 4:33:41
  In what he said, there seemed so much sincerity of repentance that it
• 4:33:45
  painfully affected me. I could not but reflect that I too, had shortened
• 4:33:49
  the life of a good, tender father by my bad conduct and obstinate self.
• 4:33:53
  Will. I was indeed so surprised with what he had told me that
• 4:33:59
  I thought, instead of my going about to teach and instruct him, the
• 4:34:03
  man was made a teacher and instructor to me in a most unexpected manner.
• 4:34:07
  I laid all this before the young clergyman, who was greatly affected with it,
• 4:34:12
  and said to me, did I not say, sir, that when
• 4:34:15
  this man was converted, he would preach to us? All? I tell
• 4:34:18
  you, sir, if this one man be made a true penitant, there
• 4:34:22
  will be no need of me. He will make Christians of all in the
• 4:34:26
  island. But having a little composed myself, I renewed my discourse with will
• 4:34:30
  Atkins. But Will said, I, how comes the sense of this matter
• 4:34:34
  to touch you? Just now? Sir, you have set me about a
• 4:34:38
  work that has struck a dart through my very soul. I have been talking
• 4:34:42
  about God and religion to my wife in order as you directed me to make
• 4:34:48
  a Christian of her, And she has preached such a sermon to me as
• 4:34:52
  I shall never forget while I live. No, no, it is not
• 4:34:56
  your wife has preached to you. But when you were moving religious arguments to
• 4:35:00
  her conscience has flung them back upon you. Ay, sir, with such
• 4:35:04
  force as is not to be resisted. Pray will let us know what passed
• 4:35:08
  between you and your wife. For I know something of it already, Sir.
• 4:35:12
  It is impossible to give you a full account of it. I am
• 4:35:15
  too full to hold it, and yet have no tongue to express it.
• 4:35:19
  But let her have said what she will. Though I cannot give you an
• 4:35:23
  account of it. This I can tell you that I have resolved to amend
• 4:35:27
  and reform my life. But tell us some of it. How did you
• 4:35:32
  begin? Will? For this has been an extraordinary case. That is certain.
• 4:35:37
  She has preached a sermon. Indeed, if she has wrought this upon
• 4:35:40
  you, why I first told her the nature of our laws about marriage,
• 4:35:44
  and what the reasons were that men and women were obliged to enter into such
• 4:35:48
  compacts, as it was neither in the power of one nor other to break
• 4:35:52
  that otherwise order and justice could not be maintained, and men would run from
• 4:35:57
  their wives and abandon and their children mix confusedly with one another, and neither
• 4:36:03
  families be kept entire nor inheritance, says be settled by legal descent. You
• 4:36:10
  talk like a civilian. Will, could you make her understand what you meant
• 4:36:12
  by inheritance and families? They know no such things among the savages. But
• 4:36:18
  marry anyhow without regard to relation, consanguinity or family, brother and sister,
• 4:36:23
  nay, as I have been told, even the father and the daughter,
• 4:36:27
  and the son and the mother. I believe, sir, you are misinformed.
• 4:36:32
  And my wife assures me of the contrary, and that they abhor it.
• 4:36:36
  Perhaps for any further relations they may not be so exact as we are,
• 4:36:41
  But she tells me never in the near relationship you speak of. Well,
• 4:36:45
  what did she say to what you told her? She said she liked
• 4:36:48
  it very well, as it was much better than in her country. But
• 4:36:52
  did you tell her what marriage was? I? Ay, there began our
• 4:36:56
  dialogue. I asked her if she would be married to me our way?
• 4:37:00
  She asked me what way that was? I told her marriage was appointed by
• 4:37:04
  God. And here we had a strange talk together, indeed, as ever
• 4:37:10
  man and wife had. I believe n b. This dialogue between Will Atkins
• 4:37:15
  and his wife, which I took down in writing just after he told it
• 4:37:18
  me, was as follows, appointed by your God. Why have you a
• 4:37:22
  god? In your country. Yes, my dear, God is in every
• 4:37:26
  country. Know your God in my country, my country? Have the great
• 4:37:30
  old been a mooky god? Child? I am very unfit to show you
• 4:37:33
  who God is. God is in heaven and made the heaven and the earth,
• 4:37:37
  the sea, and all that is in them. No make ye the
• 4:37:41
  earth, No you God, makee all earth? No make ye my country.
• 4:37:45
  Will Atkins laughed a little at her expression of God not making her country.
• 4:37:49
  No laugh? Why laugh me tis no ting to laugh. He was
• 4:37:53
  justly reproved by his wife, for she was more serious than he at first.
• 4:37:57
  That's true, indeed, I will not laugh anymore, my dear.
• 4:38:02
  Why you say you God make ye all? Yes, child, Our God
• 4:38:06
  made the whole world and you and me and all things. For He is
• 4:38:10
  the only true God, and there is no God but him. He lives
• 4:38:14
  forever in heaven. Why you no tell me long ago? That's true indeed,
• 4:38:18
  But I have been a wicked wretch and have not only forgotten to acquaint
• 4:38:22
  thee with anything before, but have lived without God in the world myself.
• 4:38:27
  What have you a great God in your country? You no know him?
• 4:38:30
  No say oh to him? No too good thing for him? That no
• 4:38:34
  possible. It is true though, for all that we live as if there
• 4:38:38
  was no God in heaven, or that he had no power on earth.
• 4:38:42
  But why God let you do so? Why he no makee you good?
• 4:38:45
  Live? It is all our own fault. But you say me, he
• 4:38:48
  is great, much great, have much great power? Can make ye kill
• 4:38:52
  when he will? Why he no make ye kill when you no serve him?
• 4:38:56
  No? Say oh to him? No, be good man's That is
• 4:38:59
  true. He might strike me dead, and I ought to expect it,
• 4:39:03
  for I have been a wicked wretch. That is true. But God is
• 4:39:07
  merciful and does not deal with us as we deserve. But then do you
• 4:39:11
  not tell God thankee for that too? No? Indeed, I have not
• 4:39:15
  thanked God for his mercy any more than I have feared God from his power?
• 4:39:19
  Then you God, no God, me no think believe he be such
• 4:39:22
  one great, much power strong, Nor make he kill you though you make
• 4:39:26
  him much angry? What will my wicked life hinder you from believing in God?
• 4:39:32
  What a dreadful creature am I? And what a sad truth is it?
• 4:39:36
  That the horrid lives of Christians hinder the conversion of Heathens? And me
• 4:39:41
  tink you have great, much God up there, she points up to heaven.
• 4:39:44
  And yet no do well, no do good? Ting? Can he
• 4:39:47
  tell? Sure? He no tell what you do? Yes, yes,
• 4:39:49
  he knows and sees all things. He hears us speak, sees what we
• 4:39:55
  do, knows what we think, though we do not speak what He no
• 4:39:59
  hear you curse speak the great damn, Yes, yes he hears it.
• 4:40:03
  All will be then, the much great power strong. He is merciful.
• 4:40:07
  That is all we can say for it. And this proves him to be
• 4:40:11
  the true God. He is God and not man, and therefore we are
• 4:40:15
  not consumed Here. Will Atkins told us he was struck with horror to think
• 4:40:19
  how he could tell his wife so clearly that God sees and hears and knows
• 4:40:25
  the secret thoughts of the heart and all that we do. And yet that
• 4:40:29
  he had dared to do all the vile things he had done. Merciful what
• 4:40:33
  you call that? He is our father and maker, and he pities and
• 4:40:37
  spares us. So then he never make you kill, never angry when you
• 4:40:41
  do wicked. Then he no good himself or no great able. Yes,
• 4:40:45
  yes, my dear, he is infinitely good and infinitely great, and able
• 4:40:49
  to punish too, and sometimes to show his justice and vengeance, he lets
• 4:40:55
  fly his anger to destroy sinners and make examples. Many are cut off in
• 4:40:59
  there sins. But no make ye kill you. Yet, then he tell
• 4:41:03
  you maybe that he no makee you kill. So you make ye the bargain
• 4:41:06
  with him. You do bad thing, He no be angry at you when
• 4:41:10
  he be angry at other man's. No. Indeed, my sins are all
• 4:41:12
  presumptions upon his goodness, and he would be infinitely just if he destroyed me
• 4:41:18
  as he has done other men well. And yet no kill, No makee
• 4:41:22
  you dead. What you say to him for that? You no tell him
• 4:41:26
  thank'e for all that too. I am an unthankful, ungrateful dog, that
• 4:41:30
  is true. Why he no makee you much good? Better you say he
• 4:41:34
  makee you? He made me as he made all the world. It is.
• 4:41:38
  I have deformed myself and abused his goodness and made myself an abominable wretch.
• 4:41:45
  I wish you make ye God know me, I know, make ye
• 4:41:48
  him angry. I no do bad wicked thing. Here, Will Atkins said,
• 4:41:52
  his heart sunk within him to hear a poor, untaught creature desire to
• 4:41:56
  be taught to know God, and he such a wicked wretch that he not
• 4:42:00
  say one word to her about God. But what the reproach of his own
• 4:42:03
  carriage would make most irrational to her to believe? Nay that already she had
• 4:42:08
  told him that she could not believe in God because he that was so wicked
• 4:42:12
  was not destroyed. My dear you mean you wish I could teach you to
• 4:42:18
  know God, not God to know you, for He knows you already and
• 4:42:22
  every thought in your heart. Why then he know what I say to you?
• 4:42:26
  Now he know me wish to know him? How shall me know?
• 4:42:29
  Who? MAKEE me poor creature? He must teach THEE. I cannot teach
• 4:42:33
  THEE. I will pray to him to teach THEE to know him, and
• 4:42:37
  forgive me that I am unworthy to teach THEE. The poor fellow was in
• 4:42:41
  such an agony at her desiring him to make her know God and her wishing
• 4:42:45
  to know him, that he said he fell down on his knees before her
• 4:42:49
  and prayed to God to enlighten her mind with the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ,
• 4:42:55
  and to pardon his sins and accept of his being the unworthy instrument of
• 4:43:00
  instructing her in the Principles of religion, after which he sat down by her
• 4:43:03
  again, and their dialogue went on. This was the time when we saw
• 4:43:07
  him kneel down and hold up his hands. What you put down the knee
• 4:43:11
  for what you hold up the hand? For what you say? Who you
• 4:43:15
  speak to? What is all that? My dear, I bow my knees
• 4:43:18
  in token of my submission to him that made me. I said, oh
• 4:43:22
  to him, as you call it, and as your old men do to
• 4:43:26
  their idol, beIN a mucky that is, I prayed to him what you
• 4:43:30
  say, Oh to him, for I prayed to him to open your eyes
• 4:43:33
  and your understanding that you may know him and be accepted by him. Can
• 4:43:37
  he do that too? Yes he can. He can do all things.
• 4:43:41
  But now he hear what you say. Yes, he has bid us pray
• 4:43:45
  to him, and promise to hear us. Bid you pray when he bid
• 4:43:49
  you. How he bid you? What you hear him speak? No,
• 4:43:52
  we do not hear him speak. But He has revealed himself many ways to
• 4:43:56
  us. Here he was at a great loss to make her understand that God
• 4:44:00
  has revealed himself to us by his word and what his word was. But
• 4:44:06
  at last he told it to her. Thus God has spoken to some good
• 4:44:10
  men in former days, even from heaven, by plain words. And God
• 4:44:14
  has inspired good men by his spirit, and they have written all His laws
• 4:44:18
  down in a book. Me no understand that where his book alas my poor
• 4:44:23
  creature, I have not this book, but I hope I shall one time
• 4:44:26
  or other get it for you and help you to read it. Here he
• 4:44:30
  embraced her with great affection, but with inexpressible grief that he had not a
• 4:44:36
  bible. But how you makee me know that God teache them to write that
• 4:44:40
  book by the same rule that we know him to be. God? What
• 4:44:44
  rule? What way you know him? Because he teaches and commands nothing but
• 4:44:48
  what is good, righteous and holy, and tends to make us perfectly good
• 4:44:52
  as well as perfectly happy. And because he forbids and commands us to avoid
• 4:44:57
  all that is wicked, that is he evil in itself or evil in its
• 4:45:02
  consequence, that me would understand. Let me fain see. If he teach
• 4:45:07
  ye all good thing, he make ye all good thing, He give all
• 4:45:10
  thing. He hear me when I say o to him as you do just
• 4:45:14
  now, he make ye me good. If I wish to be good,
• 4:45:17
  he spare me, nor make ye kill me when I know be good all
• 4:45:21
  this you say he do, Yet he be great God. Me take think,
• 4:45:23
  believe him to be great God. Me say o to him with you,
• 4:45:27
  my dear Here the poor man could forbear no longer, but raised her
• 4:45:33
  up, made her kneel by him, and he prayed to God aloud to
• 4:45:36
  instruct her in the knowledge of himself by his spirit, and that by some
• 4:45:41
  good providence, if possible, she might some time or other come to have
• 4:45:45
  a bible, that she might read the word of God and be taught by
• 4:45:49
  it to know him. This was the time that we saw him lift her
• 4:45:52
  up by the hand, and saw him kneel down by her. As above.
• 4:45:57
  They had several other discourses, it seems, after this, and particularly
• 4:46:02
  she made him promise that, since he confessed his own life had been a
• 4:46:06
  wicked, abominable course of provocations against God, that he would reform it and
• 4:46:11
  not make God angry any more, lest he should make him dead, as
• 4:46:15
  she called it, and then she would be left alone and never be taught
• 4:46:18
  to know this God better, and lest he should be miserable, as he
• 4:46:22
  had told her, wicked men would be after death. This was a strange
• 4:46:26
  account and very affecting to us both, but particularly to the young clergyman.
• 4:46:32
  He was indeed wonderfully surprised with it, but under the greatest affliction, imaginable
• 4:46:37
  that he could not talk to her, that he could not speak English to
• 4:46:41
  make her understand him, and as she spoke but very broken English, he
• 4:46:45
  could not understand her. However, he turned himself to me and told me
• 4:46:48
  that he believed there must be more to do with this woman than to marry
• 4:46:52
  her. I did not understand him at first, but at length he explained
• 4:46:56
  himself viz. That she ought to be back. I agreed with him in
• 4:47:02
  that part readily, and wished it to be done presently. No no hold
• 4:47:06
  sir, says he. Though I would have her be baptized by all means.
• 4:47:10
  I must observe that will Atkins, her husband, has indeed brought her
• 4:47:14
  in a wonderful manner to be willing to embrace a religious life, and has
• 4:47:18
  given her just ideas of the being of a God, of his power,
• 4:47:22
  justice and mercy. Yet I desire to know of him if he has said
• 4:47:26
  anything to her of Jesus Christ and of the salvation of sinners. Of the
• 4:47:30
  nature of faith in Him, and redemption on by him, of the Holy
• 4:47:33
  Spirit, the Resurrection, the last Judgment, and the future state. I
• 4:47:38
  called will Atkins again and asked him. But the poor fellow fell immediately into
• 4:47:44
  tears, and told us he had said something to her of all those things,
• 4:47:48
  but that he himself was so wicked a creature, and his own conscience
• 4:47:52
  so reproached him with his horrid, ungodly life, that he trembled at the
• 4:47:56
  apprehensions that her knowledge of him should lessen the attention she should give to those
• 4:48:00
  things, and made her rather condemn religion than receive it. But he was
• 4:48:06
  assured. He said that her mind was so disposed to receive new impressions of
• 4:48:10
  all those things, and that if I would but discourse with her, she
• 4:48:14
  would make it appear to my satisfaction that my labor would not be lost upon
• 4:48:18
  her. Accordingly, I called her in, and, placing myself as interpreter
• 4:48:23
  between my religious priest and the woman, I entreated him to begin with her.
• 4:48:27
  But sure such a sermon was never preached by a popish priest in these
• 4:48:32
  latter ages of the world. And as I told him, I thought he
• 4:48:36
  had all the zeal, all the knowledge, all the sincerity of a Christian,
• 4:48:40
  without the error of a Roman Catholic, and that I took him to
• 4:48:42
  be such a clergyman as the Roman bishops were before the Church of Rome assumed
• 4:48:47
  spiritual sovereignty over the consciences of men. In a word, he brought the
• 4:48:52
  poor woman to embrace the knowledge of Christ and of redemption by him, not
• 4:48:56
  with wonder and astonishment, only as he did the first notions of a God,
• 4:49:02
  but with joy and faith, with an affection and a surprising degree of
• 4:49:06
  understanding scarce to be imagined, much less to be expressed. And at her
• 4:49:11
  own request, she was baptized. When he was preparing to baptize her,
• 4:49:15
  I entreated him that he would perform that office with some caution that the man
• 4:49:21
  might not perceive he was of the Roman Church, if possible, because of
• 4:49:25
  other ill consequences which might attend a difference among us in that very religion which
• 4:49:30
  we were instructing the other in. He told me that, as he had
• 4:49:33
  no consecrated chapel nor proper things for the office, I should see, he
• 4:49:37
  would do it in a manner that I should not know by it that he
• 4:49:41
  was a Roman Catholic myself if I had not known it before, And so
• 4:49:45
  he did, for saying only some words over to himself in Latin which I
• 4:49:49
  could not understand. He poured a whole dishful of water upon the woman's head,
• 4:49:55
  pronouncing in French very loud, marry, which was the name her husband
• 4:50:00
  desired me to give her, for I was her godfather. I baptized the
• 4:50:04
  Indian name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost,
• 4:50:08
  so that none could know anything by it what religion he was of. He
• 4:50:12
  gave the benediction afterwards in Latin, but either will Atkins did not know but
• 4:50:18
  it was French, or else did not take notice of it at that time.
• 4:50:22
  As soon as this was over, we married them. And after the
• 4:50:26
  marriage was over, he turned to will Atkins, and in a very affectionate
• 4:50:30
  manner, exhorted him not only to persevere in that good disposition he was in,
• 4:50:34
  but to support the convictions that were upon him by a resolution to reform
• 4:50:40
  his life. Told him it was in vain to say he repented if he
• 4:50:42
  did not forsake his crimes. Represented to him how God had honored him with
• 4:50:48
  being the instrument of bringing his wife to the knowledge of the Christian religion,
• 4:50:52
  and that he should be careful he did not dishonor the grace of God,
• 4:50:56
  and that if he did, he would see the heathen a better Christian than
• 4:50:59
  us himself. The savage converted and the instrument cast away. He said a
• 4:51:03
  great many things to them both, and then, recommending them to God's goodness,
• 4:51:08
  gave them the benediction again, I repeating everything to them in English,
• 4:51:12
  and thus ended the ceremony. I think it was the most pleasant and agreeable
• 4:51:18
  day to me that ever I passed in my whole life. But my clergyman
• 4:51:22
  had not done yet. His thoughts hung continually upon the conversion of the thirty
• 4:51:26
  seven savages, and fain Bee would have stayed upon the island to have undertaken
• 4:51:30
  it. But I convinced him first that his understanding was impracticable in itself,
• 4:51:37
  and secondly that perhaps I would put it into a way of being done in
• 4:51:41
  his absence to his satisfaction. Having thus brought the affairs of the island to
• 4:51:45
  a narrow compass, I was preparing to go on board the ship when the
• 4:51:49
  young man I had taken out of the famished ship's company came to me and
• 4:51:53
  told me he understood I had a clergyman with me, and that I had
• 4:51:57
  caused the Englishman to be married to the savages, that he had a match
• 4:52:02
  too, which he desired might be finished before I went between two Christians,
• 4:52:07
  which he hoped would not be disagreeable to me. I knew this must be
• 4:52:11
  the young woman who was his mother's servant, for there was no other Christian
• 4:52:15
  woman on the island. So I began to persuade him not to do anything
• 4:52:18
  of that kind rashly or because he found himself in this solitary circumstance. I
• 4:52:23
  represented to him that he had some considerable substance in the world and good friends,
• 4:52:29
  as I understood by himself and the maid. Also that the maid was
• 4:52:33
  not only poor and a servant, but was unequal to him, she being
• 4:52:37
  six or seven and twenty years old, and he not above seventeen or eighteen.
• 4:52:42
  That he might, very probably, with my assistance, make a remove
• 4:52:47
  from this wilderness and come into his own country again, and that then it
• 4:52:51
  would be one thousand to one, but he would repent his choice, and
• 4:52:55
  the dislike of that circumstance might be disadvantageous to both. I was going to
• 4:52:59
  say more, but he interrupted me, smiling, and told me, with
• 4:53:03
  a great deal of modesty, that I mistook in my guesses that he had
• 4:53:07
  nothing of that kind in his thoughts, and he was very glad to hear
• 4:53:11
  that I had an intent of putting them in a way to see their own
• 4:53:14
  country again, and nothing should have made him think of staying there, but
• 4:53:18
  that the voyage I was going was so exceeding long and hazardous, and would
• 4:53:22
  carry him quite out of the reach of all his friends. That he had
• 4:53:26
  nothing to desire of me, but that I would settle him in some little
• 4:53:29
  property in the island where he was, give him a servant or two,
• 4:53:33
  and some few necessaries, and he would live here like a planter, waiting
• 4:53:37
  the good time, when, if ever I returned to England, I would
• 4:53:41
  redeem him. He hoped I would not be unmindful of him when I came
• 4:53:45
  to England, that he would give me some letters to his friends in London,
• 4:53:48
  to let them know how good I had been to him, and in
• 4:53:52
  what part of the world, and what circumstances I had left him in.
• 4:53:56
  And he promised me that whenever I redeemed him, the plantation and all the
• 4:54:00
  improvements he had made upon it. Let the value be what it would should
• 4:54:03
  be, wholly mine. His discourse was very prettily delivered, considering his youth,
• 4:54:10
  and was the more agreeable to me because he told me positively the match
• 4:54:14
  was not for himself. I gave him all possible assurances that if I lived
• 4:54:18
  to come safe to England, I would deliver his letters and do his business
• 4:54:22
  effectually, and that he might depend I should never forget the circumstances I had
• 4:54:26
  left him in. But still I was impatient to know who was the person
• 4:54:30
  to be married, upon which he told me it was my jack of all
• 4:54:34
  trades and his maid, Susan. I was most agreeably surprised when he named
• 4:54:38
  the match, for indeed, I thought it very suitable the character of that
• 4:54:44
  man I have given already. And as for the maid, she was a
• 4:54:47
  very honest, modest, sober and religious young woman, had a very good
• 4:54:52
  share of sense, was agreeable enough in her person, spoke very handsomely and
• 4:54:56
  to the purpose, always with decency and good mann, and was neither too
• 4:55:00
  backward to speak when requisite, nor impertinently forward when it was not her business.
• 4:55:07
  Very handy and housewifely, and an excellent manager, fit indeed to have
• 4:55:11
  been governess to the whole island, and she knew very well how to behave
• 4:55:15
  in every respect. The match being proposed in this manner, we married them
• 4:55:21
  the same day, And as I was father at the altar and gave her
• 4:55:25
  away, so I gave her a portion, for I appointed her and her
• 4:55:29
  husband a handsome, large space of ground for their plantation. And indeed,
• 4:55:33
  this match, and the proposal the young gentleman made to give him a small
• 4:55:37
  property in the island, put me upon parceling it out amongst them, that
• 4:55:41
  they might not quarrel afterwards about their situation. This sharing out the land to
• 4:55:48
  them I left to will Atkins, who was now grown a sober, grave
• 4:55:52
  managing fellow, perfectly reformed, exceedingly pious and religious, and as far as
• 4:55:56
  I may be allowed to speak positively in in such a case, I verily
• 4:56:00
  believe he was a true penitent. He divided things so justly, and so
• 4:56:06
  much to everyone's satisfaction, that they only desired one general writing under my hand
• 4:56:11
  for the whole which I caused to be drawn up and signed and sealed,
• 4:56:15
  setting out the bounds and situation of every man's plantation, and testifying that I
• 4:56:21
  gave them thereby severally a right to the whole possession and inheritance of the respective
• 4:56:26
  plantations or farms, with their improvements to them and their heirs, reserving all
• 4:56:32
  the rest of the island as my own property, and a certain rent for
• 4:56:36
  every particular plantation after eleven years, if I or anyone from me or in
• 4:56:41
  my name came to demand it, producing an attested copy of the same writing.
• 4:56:45
  As to the government and laws among them, I told them I was
• 4:56:49
  not capable of giving them better rules than they were able to give themselves.
• 4:56:53
  Only I made them promise me to live in love and good neighborhood with one
• 4:56:57
  another. And so I prepared to leave them one thing I must not omit,
• 4:57:03
  and that is that, being now settled in a kind of commonwealth among
• 4:57:07
  themselves, and having much business in hand, it was odd to have seven
• 4:57:11
  and thirty Indians live in a nook of the island, independent, and indeed
• 4:57:15
  unemployed, for except the providing themselves food, which they had difficulty enough to
• 4:57:21
  do. Sometimes they had no manner of business or property to manage. I
• 4:57:26
  proposed, therefore to the governor's spaniard that he should go to them with Friday's
• 4:57:30
  father, and proposed to them to remove and either plant for themselves, or
• 4:57:36
  be taken in to their several families as servants, to be maintained for their
• 4:57:40
  labor, but without being absolute slaves, For I would not permit them to
• 4:57:45
  make them slaves by force by any means, because they had their liberty given
• 4:57:49
  them by capitulation, as it were articles of surrender which they ought not to
• 4:57:55
  break. They most willingly embraced the proposal, and came all very cheerful along
• 4:58:00
  with him. So we allotted them land and plantations, which three or four
• 4:58:04
  excepted of but all the rest chose to be employed as servants in the several
• 4:58:08
  families we had settled. Thus my colony was in a manner settled as follows.
• 4:58:15
  The Spaniards possessed my original habitation, which was the capital city, and
• 4:58:19
  extended their plantations all along the side of the brook which made the creek that
• 4:58:23
  I have so often described as far as my bower, And as they increased
• 4:58:29
  their culture, it went always eastward. The English lived in the northeast part,
• 4:58:33
  where will Atkins and his comrades began, and came on southward and southwest
• 4:58:38
  towards the back part of the Spaniards, and every plantation had a great addition
• 4:58:44
  of land to take in if they found occasion, so that they need not
• 4:58:47
  jostle one another for want of room. All the east end of the island
• 4:58:52
  was left uninhabited, that if any of the savages should come on shore there
• 4:58:56
  only for their customary barbarities, they might come and go if they disturbed nobody.
• 4:59:00
  Nobody would disturb them, and no doubt they were often ashore and went
• 4:59:06
  away again, for I never heard that the planters were ever attacked or disturbed
• 4:59:11
  any more. End of chapter seven, Chapter eight Sails from the Island for
• 4:59:18
  the Brazils. It now came into my thoughts that I had hinted to my
• 4:59:22
  friend the clergyman, that the work of converting the savages might perhaps be set
• 4:59:26
  on foot in his absence, to his satisfaction, And I told him that
• 4:59:30
  now I thought that it was put in a fair way for the savages being
• 4:59:34
  thus divided among the Christians. If they would, but every one of them
• 4:59:38
  do their part with those which came under their hands, I hoped it might
• 4:59:42
  have a very good effect. He agreed presently, in that if they did
• 4:59:47
  their part, But how says he shall re obtain that of them? I
• 4:59:52
  told him I would call them altogether and leave it in charge with them,
• 4:59:56
  or go to them one by one, which he thought best. So we
• 5:00:00
  divided it. He to speak to the Spaniards, who were all Papists,
• 5:00:03
  and I to speak to the English, who were all Protestants. And we
• 5:00:07
  recommended it earnestly to them, and made them promise that they would never make
• 5:00:11
  any distinction of Papist or Protestant in their exhorting the savages to turn Christians,
• 5:00:18
  but teach them the general knowledge of the True God and of their savior,
• 5:00:22
  Jesus Christ. And they likewise promised us that they would never have any differences
• 5:00:26
  or disputes one with another about religion. When I came to will Atkins's house,
• 5:00:33
  I found that the young woman I have mentioned above and will Atkins's wife
• 5:00:37
  were become intimates. And this prudent religious young woman had perfected the work will
• 5:00:42
  Atkins had begun. And though it was not above four days after what I
• 5:00:47
  have related, yet, the new baptized savage woman was made such a Christian
• 5:00:52
  as I have seldom heard of in all my observation or conversation in the world.
• 5:00:56
  It came next into my mind in the morning before I went to them,
• 5:01:00
  that amongst all the needful things I had to leave with them, I
• 5:01:04
  had not left them a Bible, in which I showed myself less considering for
• 5:01:08
  them than my good friend. The widow was for me when she sent me
• 5:01:11
  the cargo of a hundred pounds from Lisbon, where she packed up three Bibles
• 5:01:17
  and the prayer book. However, the good woman's charity had a greater extent
• 5:01:21
  than ever she imagined, for they were reserved for the comfort and instruction of
• 5:01:25
  those that made much better use of them than I had done. I took
• 5:01:30
  one of the bibles in my pocket, and when I came to will Atkins's
• 5:01:33
  tent or house and found the young woman and Atkins's baptized wife had been discoursing
• 5:01:37
  of religion together. For will Atkins told me with a great deal of joy,
• 5:01:41
  I asked if they were together now, and he said yes. So
• 5:01:45
  I went into the house and he with me, and we found them together
• 5:01:49
  very earnest in discourse, Oh sir, says will Atkins. When God has
• 5:01:55
  sinners to reconcile to himself, and aliens to bring home he never wanted.
• 5:02:00
  It's a messenger. My wife has got a new instructor. I knew I
• 5:02:03
  was unworthy, as I was incapable of that work. That young woman has
• 5:02:07
  been sent hither from heaven. She is enough to convert a whole island of
• 5:02:11
  savages. The young woman blushed and rose up to go away, but I
• 5:02:15
  desired her to sit still. I told her she had a good work upon
• 5:02:19
  her hands, and I hoped God would bless her in it. We talked
• 5:02:25
  a little, and I did not perceive that they had any book among them,
• 5:02:27
  though I did not ask. But I put my hand into my pocket
• 5:02:32
  and pulled out my bible. Here, said I to Atkins, I have
• 5:02:36
  brought you an assistant that perhaps you had not before. The man was so
• 5:02:41
  confounded that he was not able to speak for some time, but recovering himself,
• 5:02:45
  he takes it with both his hands, and turning to his wife,
• 5:02:48
  Here, my dear, says, he did not I tell you our God,
• 5:02:52
  though he lives above, could hear what we have said. Here's the
• 5:02:56
  book I prayed for when you and I kneeled down on the bush. Now
• 5:03:00
  God has heard us and sent it. When he had said so the man
• 5:03:04
  fell into such passionate transports that between the joy of having it and giving God
• 5:03:10
  thanks for it, the tears ran down his face like a child that was
• 5:03:14
  crying. The woman was surprised, and was like to have run into a
• 5:03:18
  mistake that none of us were aware of, for she firmly believed God had
• 5:03:22
  sent the book upon her husband's petition. It is true that providentially it was
• 5:03:27
  so, and might be taken so in a consequent sense. But I believe
• 5:03:32
  it would have been no difficult matter at that time to have persuaded the poor
• 5:03:36
  woman to have believed that an express messenger came from heaven on purpose to bring
• 5:03:41
  that individual book. But it was too serious a matter to suffer any delusion
• 5:03:45
  to take place. So I turned to the young woman and told her we
• 5:03:48
  did not desire to impose upon the new convert in her first and more ignorant
• 5:03:53
  understanding of things, and begged her to explain to her that God may be
• 5:03:57
  very properly said to answer our petitions when in the course of his providence,
• 5:04:03
  such things are in a particular manner brought to pass as we petitioned for.
• 5:04:07
  But we did not expect returns from heaven in a miraculous and particular manner.
• 5:04:11
  And it is a mercy that it is not so. This the young woman
• 5:04:17
  did afterwards effectually so that there was no priestcraft used here. And I should
• 5:04:22
  have thought it one of the most unjustifiable frauds in the world to have had
• 5:04:26
  it so. But the effect upon will Atkins is really not to be expressed.
• 5:04:30
  And there we may be sure was no delusion. Sure no man was
• 5:04:36
  ever more thankful in the world for anything of its kind than he was for
• 5:04:40
  the Bible. Nor I believe never any man was glad of a Bible from
• 5:04:45
  a better principle. And though he had been a most profligate creature, had
• 5:04:48
  strong, furious, and desperately wicked. Yet this man is a standing rule
• 5:04:53
  to us all for the well instructing children viz. That parents should never give
• 5:04:59
  over to teach and instruct, nor ever despair of the success of their endeavors.
• 5:05:03
  Let the children be ever so refractory or to appearance insensible to instruction.
• 5:05:10
  For if ever God, in his providence, touches the conscience of such,
• 5:05:14
  the force of their education turns upon them. And the early instruction of parents
• 5:05:18
  is not lost, though it may have been many years laid asleep, but
• 5:05:22
  some time or other they may find the benefit of it. Thus it was
• 5:05:26
  with this poor man, however ignorant he was of religion and Christian knowledge,
• 5:05:32
  he found he had some to do with now more ignorant than himself, and
• 5:05:36
  that the least part of the instruction of his good father that now came to
• 5:05:40
  his mind was of use to him. Among the rest. It occurred to
• 5:05:45
  him, he said, how his father used to insist so much on the
• 5:05:48
  inexpressible value of the Bible and the privilege and blessing of it to nations,
• 5:05:53
  families, and persons, but he never entertained the least notion of the worth
• 5:05:57
  of it till now, being to talk to heathens, savages and barbarians,
• 5:06:03
  he wanted the help of the written oracle for his assistance. The young woman
• 5:06:07
  was glad of it also for the present occasion, though she had won,
• 5:06:11
  and so had the youth on board our ship, among their goods which were
• 5:06:15
  not yet brought on shore. And now, having said so many things of
• 5:06:18
  this young woman, I cannot omit telling one story more of her and myself,
• 5:06:22
  which has something in it very instructive and remarkable. I have related to
• 5:06:27
  what extremity the poor young woman was reduced, how her mistress was starved to
• 5:06:32
  death and died on board that unhappy ship we met at sea, and how
• 5:06:37
  the whole ship's company was reduced to the last extremity. The gentlewoman and her
• 5:06:41
  son and this maid were first hardly used as to provisions, and at last
• 5:06:47
  totally neglected and starved, that is to say, brought to the last extremity
• 5:06:52
  of hunger. One day, being discoursing with her on the extremities they suffered,
• 5:06:56
  I asked her if she could describe by what she had felt, what
• 5:07:00
  it was to starve, and how it appeared. She said she believed she
• 5:07:03
  could, and told her tale very distinctly. Thus, first we had,
• 5:07:08
  for some days fared exceedingly hard and suffered very great hunger. But at last
• 5:07:14
  we were wholly without food of any kind, except sugar and a little wine
• 5:07:18
  and water. The first day, after I had received no food at all,
• 5:07:22
  I found myself towards evening empty and sick at the stomach. A nearer
• 5:07:26
  night, much inclined to yawning and sleep, I lay down on the couch
• 5:07:30
  in the great cabin to sleep, and slept about three hours, and awaked
• 5:07:36
  a little refreshed, having taken a glass of wine. When I lay down,
• 5:07:40
  and being about three hours awake, it being about five o'clock in the
• 5:07:44
  morning, I found myself empty and my stomach sickish, and lay down again,
• 5:07:48
  but could not sleep at all, being very faint and ill. And
• 5:07:52
  thus I continued all the second day with a strange variety, first hungry,
• 5:07:56
  then sick again with wretchings to vomit. The second night, being obliged to
• 5:08:00
  go to bed again without any food more than a draft of fresh water,
• 5:08:04
  and being asleep, I dreamed I was at Barbadoes, and that the market
• 5:08:08
  was mightily stocked with provisions. That I bought some for my mistress and went
• 5:08:14
  and dined very heartily. I thought my stomach was full after this, as
• 5:08:18
  it would have been after a good dinner, But when I awaked, I
• 5:08:22
  was exceedingly sunk in spirits to find myself in the extremity of famine. The
• 5:08:26
  last glass of wine we had I drank and put sugar in it, because
• 5:08:30
  of its having some spirit to supply nourishment, but there being no substance in
• 5:08:36
  the stomach for the digesting office to work upon, I found the only effect
• 5:08:40
  of the wine was to raise disagreeable fumes from the stomach into the head.
• 5:08:44
  And I lay, as they told me, stupid and senseless as one drunk
• 5:08:48
  for some time. The third day, in the morning, after a night
• 5:08:52
  of strange, confused and inconsistent dreams, and rather dozing than sleeping, I
• 5:08:56
  awake, ravenous and furious with hunger, and I question had not my understanding,
• 5:09:03
  returned and conquered it whether if I had been a mother and had had
• 5:09:07
  a little child with me, its life would have been safe or not.
• 5:09:11
  This lasted about three hours, during which time I was twice raging mad as
• 5:09:15
  any creature in bedlam, as my young master told me, and as he
• 5:09:18
  can now inform you, in one of these fits of lunacy or distraction,
• 5:09:23
  I fell down and struck my face against the corner of a pallet bed in
• 5:09:27
  which my mistress lay, and with the blow the blood gushed out of my
• 5:09:32
  nose, and the cabin boy bringing me a little basin, I sat down
• 5:09:36
  and bled into it a great deal, And as the blood came from me,
• 5:09:40
  I came to myself, and the violence of the flame or fever I
• 5:09:44
  was in abated, and so did the ravenous part of the hunger. Then
• 5:09:48
  I grew sick and wretched to vomit, but could not, for I had
• 5:09:52
  nothing in my stomach to bring up. After I had bled some time,
• 5:09:56
  I swooned, and they all believed I was dead. But I came to
• 5:09:59
  my soon after, and then had a most dreadful pain in my stomach,
• 5:10:03
  not to be described, not like to call it, but a gnawing,
• 5:10:07
  eager pain for food. And towards night it went off with a kind of
• 5:10:11
  earnest wishing or longing for food. I took another draft of water with sugar
• 5:10:15
  in it, but my stomach clothed the sugar and brought it all up again.
• 5:10:19
  Then I took a draft of water without sugar, and that stayed with
• 5:10:23
  me. And I laid me down upon the bed, praying most heartily that
• 5:10:26
  it would please God to take me away, and composing my mind in hopes
• 5:10:32
  of it. I slumbered awhile, and then waking thought myself dying, being
• 5:10:37
  light with vapors from an empty stomach. I recommended my soul then to God,
• 5:10:41
  and then earnestly wished that somebody would throw me into the sea. All
• 5:10:45
  this while my mistress lay by me, just as I thought expiring. But
• 5:10:51
  she bore it with much more patience than I, and gave the last bit
• 5:10:55
  of bread she had left to her child, my young master, who would
• 5:10:57
  not have taken it, but she obliged him to eat it, and I
• 5:11:02
  believe it saved his life. Towards the morning, I slept again, and
• 5:11:04
  when I awoke, I fell into a violent passion of crying, and after
• 5:11:08
  that had a second fit of violent hunger. I got up ravenous and in
• 5:11:12
  a most dreadful condition, and once or twice I was going to bite my
• 5:11:17
  own arm. At last I saw the basin in which was the blood I
• 5:11:21
  had bled at my nose the day before. I ran to it and swallowed
• 5:11:25
  it with such haste and such a greedy appetite, as if I wondered nobody
• 5:11:29
  had taken it before, and afraid it should be taken from me now After
• 5:11:33
  it was down, though the thoughts of it filled me with horror, Yet
• 5:11:37
  it checked the fit of hunger, and I took another draft of water and
• 5:11:41
  was composed and refreshed for some hours after. This was the fourth day,
• 5:11:45
  and this I kept up till towards night, when with the compass of three
• 5:11:49
  hours, I had all the several circumstances over again, one after another,
• 5:11:55
  viz. Sick, sleepy, eagerly, hungry, pain in the stomach,
• 5:11:59
  then rap again, then sick, then lunatic, then crying, then ravenous
• 5:12:03
  again, and so every quarter of an hour, and my strength was wasted
• 5:12:07
  exceedingly. At night I lay me down, having no comfort, but in
• 5:12:11
  the hope that I should die before morning. All this night I had no
• 5:12:17
  sleep, but the hunger was now turned into a disease, and I had
• 5:12:21
  a terrible colic and griping by wind instead of food having found its way into
• 5:12:26
  the bowels. And in this condition I lay till morning, when I was
• 5:12:30
  surprised by the cries and lamentations of my young master, who called out to
• 5:12:34
  me that his mother was dead. I lifted myself up a little, for
• 5:12:38
  I had not strength to rise, but found she was not dead, though
• 5:12:42
  she was able to give very little signs of life. I had then such
• 5:12:47
  convulsions in my stomach for want of some sustenance as I cannot describe, with
• 5:12:52
  such frequent throes and pangs of appetite, as nothing but the tortures of death
• 5:12:56
  can imitate, and in this condition I was when I heard the seamen above
• 5:13:00
  cry out a sail, a sail, and halloo, and jump about as
• 5:13:04
  if they were distracted. I was not able to get off from the bed,
• 5:13:08
  and my mistress much less, and my young master was so sick that
• 5:13:11
  I thought he had been expiring. So we could not open the cabin door
• 5:13:17
  or get any account what it was that occasioned such confusion, nor had we
• 5:13:21
  any conversation with the ship's company for twelve days, they having told us they
• 5:13:26
  had not a mouthful of anything to eat in the ship, and this they
• 5:13:29
  told us afterwards they thought we had been dead. It was this dreadful condition
• 5:13:33
  we were in when you were sent to save our lives, and how you
• 5:13:37
  found us, sir, You know as well as I, and better too.
• 5:13:42
  This was her own relation, and is such a distinct account of starving
• 5:13:47
  to death, as I confess I never met with, and was exceeding instructive
• 5:13:51
  to me. I am the rather apt to believe it to be a true
• 5:13:53
  account, because the youth gave me an account of a good part of it,
• 5:13:57
  though I must own not so distant, thinked and so feeling as the
• 5:14:00
  maid and the rather because it seems his mother fed him at the price of
• 5:14:04
  her own life. But the poor maid, whose constitution was stronger than that
• 5:14:10
  of her mistress, who was in years and a weekly woman, too,
• 5:14:14
  might struggle harder with it. Nevertheless, she might be supposed to feel the
• 5:14:18
  extremity something sooner than her mistress, who might be allowed to keep the last
• 5:14:22
  bit, something longer than she parted with any to relieve her maid. No
• 5:14:26
  question, as the case is here related, if our ship or some other
• 5:14:30
  had not so providentially met them but a few days more, would have ended
• 5:14:33
  all their lives. I now returned to my disposition of things among the people.
• 5:14:38
  And first it is to be observed here that for many reasons I did
• 5:14:42
  not think fit to let them know anything of the sloop I had framed,
• 5:14:47
  and which I thought of setting up among them. For I found, at
• 5:14:49
  least at my first coming, such seeds of division among them that I saw
• 5:14:53
  plainly. Had I set up the sloop and left it among them, they
• 5:14:57
  would, upon every liking, disgusted, have separated and gone away from one
• 5:15:03
  another, or perhaps have turned pirates, and so made the island a den
• 5:15:07
  of thieves instead of a plantation of sober and religious people as I intended it.
• 5:15:12
  Nor did I leave the two pieces of brass cannon that I had on
• 5:15:15
  board, or the extra two quarter deck guns that my nephew had provided.
• 5:15:19
  For the same reason, I thought it was enough to qualify them for a
• 5:15:23
  defensive war against any that should invade them, but not to set them up
• 5:15:27
  for an offensive war, or to go abroad to attack others, which in
• 5:15:32
  the end would only bring ruin and destruction upon them. I reserved the sloop
• 5:15:37
  therefore, and the guns for their service another way, as I shall observe
• 5:15:41
  in its place. Having now done with the island, I left them all
• 5:15:45
  in good circumstances and in a flourishing condition, and went on board my ship
• 5:15:51
  again on the sixth of May, having been about twenty five days among them,
• 5:15:55
  and as they were all resolved to stay upon the island till I came
• 5:15:59
  to remove them, I promised to send them further relief from the Brazils,
• 5:16:03
  if I could possibly find an opportunity. I particularly promised to send them some
• 5:16:07
  cattle, such as sheep, hogs and cows, as to the two cows
• 5:16:11
  and calves which I brought from England. We had been obliged by the length
• 5:16:15
  of our voyage to kill them at sea for want of hay to feed them.
• 5:16:21
  The next day, giving them a salute of five guns at parting,
• 5:16:25
  we set sail and arrived at the Bay of All Saints in the Brazils in
• 5:16:29
  about twenty two days, meeting nothing remarkable in our passage, but this that
• 5:16:33
  about three days after we had sailed, being becalmed and the current setting strong
• 5:16:38
  to the east northeast, running as it were into a bay or gulf on
• 5:16:42
  the land side, we were driven something out of our course, and once
• 5:16:47
  or twice our men cried out land to the eastward, but whether it was
• 5:16:51
  the continent or islands, we could not tell by any means. But the
• 5:16:55
  third day, towards evening, the sea smooth and the weather calm, we
• 5:16:59
  saw the sea as it were, covered towards the land with something very black,
• 5:17:03
  not being able to discover what it was till after some time our chief
• 5:17:07
  mate, going up the main shrouds a little way, and looking at them
• 5:17:11
  with a perspective, cried out it was an army. I could not imagine
• 5:17:15
  what he meant by an army, and thwarted him a little hastily. Nay
• 5:17:18
  Sah says he, don't be angry, for tis an army and a fleet
• 5:17:22
  too, For I believe there are a thousand canoes, and you may see
• 5:17:26
  them paddle along, for they are coming towards us apace. I was a
• 5:17:30
  little surprised then, indeed, and so was my nephew, the captain,
• 5:17:34
  for he had heard such terrible stories of them in the island, and having
• 5:17:40
  never been in those seas before, that he could not tell what to think
• 5:17:42
  of it, but said two or three times we should all be devoured.
• 5:17:48
  I must confess, considering we were becalmed and the current set strong towards the
• 5:17:52
  shore, I liked it the worse. However, I bade them not be
• 5:17:56
  afraid, but bring the ship to an anchor as soon as we came so
• 5:18:00
  near as to know that we must engage them. The weather continued calm,
• 5:18:03
  and they came on a pace towards us, so I gave orders to come
• 5:18:07
  to an anchor and furl all our sails. As for the savages, I
• 5:18:11
  told them they had nothing to fear but fire, and therefore they should get
• 5:18:15
  their boats out and fasten them, one close by the head and the other
• 5:18:19
  by the stern, and man them both well and wait the issue. In
• 5:18:23
  that posture, this I did, that the men in the boats might be
• 5:18:27
  ready with the sheets and buckets to put out any fire these savages might endeavor
• 5:18:32
  to fix to the outside of the ship. In this posture we lay by
• 5:18:37
  for them, and in a little while they came up with us. But
• 5:18:40
  never was such a horrid sight seen by Christians, though my mate was much
• 5:18:44
  mistaken in his calculation of their number. Yet when they came up, we
• 5:18:48
  reckoned about one hundred and twenty six canoes. Some of them had sixteen or
• 5:18:52
  seventeen men in them, and some more, and the least six or seven.
• 5:18:56
  When they came nearer to us, they seemed to be struck with wonder
• 5:19:00
  and astonishment, as at a sight which doubtless they had never seen before.
• 5:19:04
  Nor could they, at first, as we afterwards understood, know what to
• 5:19:08
  make of us. They came boldly up, however, very near to us,
• 5:19:14
  and seemed to go about to row round us. But we called to
• 5:19:17
  our men in the boats not to let them come too near them. This
• 5:19:21
  very order brought us to an engagement with them without our designing it, For
• 5:19:26
  five or six of the large canoes came so near our longboat, that our
• 5:19:30
  men beckoned with their hands to keep them back, which they understood very well
• 5:19:33
  and went back. But at their retreat about fifty arrows came on board from
• 5:19:37
  those boats, and one of our men in the longboat was very much wounded.
• 5:19:42
  However, I called to them not to fire by any means, but
• 5:19:45
  we handed down some deal boards into the boat, and the carpenter presently set
• 5:19:51
  up a kind of fence like waste boards to cover them from the arrows of
• 5:19:55
  the savages if they should shoot again. About half an hour afterwards, they
• 5:20:00
  all came up in a body astern of us, and so near that we
• 5:20:03
  could easily discern what they were, though we could not tell their design,
• 5:20:07
  and I easily found they were some of my old friends, the same sort
• 5:20:11
  of savages that I had been used to engage with. In a short time
• 5:20:15
  more, they rowed a little farther out to sea till they came directly broadside
• 5:20:19
  with us, and then rode down straight upon us, till they came so
• 5:20:23
  near that they could hear us speak. Upon this, I ordered all my
• 5:20:27
  men to keep close lest they should shoot any more arrows, and made all
• 5:20:32
  our guns ready. But being so near as to be within hearing. I
• 5:20:36
  made Friday go out upon the deck and call aloud to them in his language,
• 5:20:41
  to know what they meant, whether they understood him or not, that
• 5:20:45
  I knew not. But as soon as he had called to them, six
• 5:20:48
  of them, who were in the foremost or nighest boat to us, turned
• 5:20:52
  their canoes from us, and, stooping down, showed us their naked backs.
• 5:20:56
  Whether this was a defiance or challenge, we knew not, or whether
• 5:21:00
  it was done in mere contempt or as a signal to the rest. But
• 5:21:03
  immediately Friday cried out they were going to shoot, and unhappily for him poor
• 5:21:08
  fellow, they let fly about three hundred of their arrows, and, to
• 5:21:14
  my inexpressible grief, killed poor Friday, no other man being in their sight.
• 5:21:19
  The poor fellow was shot with no less than three arrows, and about
• 5:21:23
  three more fell very near him. Such unlucky marksmen they were. I was
• 5:21:29
  so annoyed at the loss of my old trusty servant and companion that I immediately
• 5:21:34
  ordered five guns to be loaded with small shot and four with great and gave
• 5:21:38
  them such a broadside as they had never heard in their lives before. They
• 5:21:42
  were not above half a cable's length off when we fired, and our gunners
• 5:21:47
  took their aim so well that three or four of their canoes were overset,
• 5:21:52
  as we had reason to believe, by one shot. Only the ill manners
• 5:21:56
  of turning up their bare backs to us gave us no great offense. Neither
• 5:22:00
  did I know for certain whether that which would pass for the greatest contempt among
• 5:22:03
  us might be understood so by them or not. Therefore, in return,
• 5:22:07
  I had only resolved to had fired four or five guns at them, with
• 5:22:11
  powder only, which I knew would frighten them sufficiently. But when they shot
• 5:22:15
  at us directly with all the fury they were capable of, and especially as
• 5:22:19
  they had killed my poor Friday, whom I so entirely loved and valued,
• 5:22:25
  and who indeed so well deserved it, I thought myself not only justifiable before
• 5:22:30
  God and man, but would have been very glad if I could have overset
• 5:22:33
  every canoe there and drowned every one of them. I can neither tell how
• 5:22:40
  many we killed, nor how many we wounded at this broadside, but sure
• 5:22:44
  such a fright and hurry never were seen among such a multitude. There were
• 5:22:48
  thirteen or fourteen of their canoes split and overset in all, and the men
• 5:22:52
  all set a swimming. The rest frightened out of their wits, scoured away
• 5:22:57
  as fast as they could take, but little care to save those whose boats
• 5:23:02
  were split or spoiled with our shot. So I supposed that many of them
• 5:23:06
  were lost, and our men took up one poor fellow swimming for his life
• 5:23:11
  above an hour after they were all gone. The small shot from our cannon
• 5:23:15
  must needs kill and wound a great many. But in short we never knew
• 5:23:18
  how it went with them, for they fled so fast that in three hours
• 5:23:22
  or thereabouts we could not see above three or four straggling canoes, nor did
• 5:23:27
  we ever see the rest any more, for a breeze of wind springing up.
• 5:23:32
  The same evening we weighed and set sail for the Brazils. We had
• 5:23:37
  a prisoner, indeed, but the creature was so sullen that he would neither
• 5:23:41
  eat nor speak. But we all fancied he would starve himself to death.
• 5:23:45
  But I took a way to cure him. For I had made them take
• 5:23:48
  him and turn him into the longboat, and make him believe they would toss
• 5:23:52
  him into the sea again, and so leave him where they found him.
• 5:23:56
  If he would not speak, nor would that do, But they readily he
• 5:24:00
  did, throw him into the sea and came away from him. Then he
• 5:24:03
  followed them, for he swam like a cork and called to them in his
• 5:24:07
  tongue, though they knew not one word of what he said. However,
• 5:24:11
  at last they took him in again, and then he began to be more
• 5:24:15
  tractable. Nor did I ever design they should drown him. We were now
• 5:24:18
  under sail again. But I was the most disconsolate creature alive for want of
• 5:24:23
  my man Friday, and would have been very glad to have gone back to
• 5:24:27
  the island, to have taken one of the rest from thence for my occasion.
• 5:24:32
  But it could not be. So we went on. We had one
• 5:24:36
  prisoner, as I have said, and it was a long time before we
• 5:24:38
  could make him understand anything. But in time our men taught him some English,
• 5:24:44
  and he began to be a little tractable. Afterwards, we inquired what
• 5:24:48
  country he came from, but could make nothing of what he said, for
• 5:24:52
  his speech was so odd, all gutturals, and he spoke in the throat
• 5:24:56
  in such a hollow, odd manner, that we could never form word after
• 5:25:00
  him, and we were all of opinion that they might speak that language as
• 5:25:03
  well if they were gagged or otherwise. Nor could we perceive that they had
• 5:25:07
  any occasion either for teeth, tongue, lips, or palate, but formed
• 5:25:12
  their words just as a hunting horn forms a tune with an open throat.
• 5:25:17
  He told us, however, some time after, when we had taught him
• 5:25:21
  to speak a little English, that they were going with their kings to fight
• 5:25:23
  a great battle. When he said kings, we asked him how many kings.
• 5:25:29
  He said they were five nation. We could not make him understand the
• 5:25:32
  plural s, and that they all joined to go against two nation. We
• 5:25:37
  asked him what made them come up to us? He said, to make
• 5:25:41
  ye to great wonder. Look here it is to be observed that all those
• 5:25:45
  natives, as also those of Africa, when they learn English, always add
• 5:25:48
  to ease at the end of the words where we used one, and they
• 5:25:52
  placed the accent upon them as make ye take ye, and the like nay.
• 5:25:56
  I could hardly make Friday leave it off, so at last he did,
• 5:26:02
  And now I named the poor fellow once more. I must take my
• 5:26:04
  last leave of him, Poor honest Friday, we buried him with all the
• 5:26:08
  decency and solemnity possible, by putting him into a coffin and throwing him into
• 5:26:14
  the sea, and I caused them to fire eleven guns for him. So
• 5:26:18
  ended the life of the most grateful, faithful, honest, and most affectionate
• 5:26:22
  servant that ever man had. We went now away with a fair wind for
• 5:26:27
  Brazil, and in about twelve days time we made land in the latitude of
• 5:26:33
  five degrees south of the line, being the northeasternmost land of all that part
• 5:26:37
  of America. We kept on south by east in sight of the shore four
• 5:26:41
  days when we made Cape Saint Augustine, and in three days came to an
• 5:26:47
  anchor off the Bay of All Saints, the old place of my deliverance,
• 5:26:51
  from whence came both my good and evil fate. Never ship came to this
• 5:26:55
  port that had less business than I had. And yet it was with great
• 5:26:59
  difficulticulty that we were admitted to hold the least correspondence on shore. Not my
• 5:27:03
  partner himself, who was alive and made a great figure among them, not
• 5:27:08
  my two merchant trustees, Not the fame of my wonderful preservation in the island
• 5:27:14
  could obtain me that favor. My partner, however, remembering that I had
• 5:27:18
  given five hundred moidors to the prior of the Monastery of the Augustines and two
• 5:27:22
  hundred and seventy two to the poor, went to the monastery and obliged the
• 5:27:27
  prior that then was to go to the Governor and get leave for me personally
• 5:27:32
  with the captain, and one more besides eight seamen to come on shore,
• 5:27:37
  and no more. And this upon condition absolutely capitulated for that we should not
• 5:27:41
  offer to land any goods out of the ship, or to carry any person
• 5:27:45
  away without license. They were so strict with us as to landing any goods
• 5:27:51
  that it was with extreme difficulty that I got on shore three bales of English
• 5:27:55
  goods, such as fine broadcloths, stuffs, and some linen, which I
• 5:28:00
  had brought for a present to my partner. He was a very generous,
• 5:28:03
  open hearted man, although he began, like me with little at first.
• 5:28:08
  Though he knew not that I had the least design of giving him anything.
• 5:28:12
  He sent me on board a present of fresh provisions, wine and sweetmeats worth
• 5:28:17
  about thirty moi doors, including some tobacco and three or four fine medals of
• 5:28:22
  gold. But I was even with him in my present, which as I
• 5:28:26
  have said, consisted of fine broadcloth, English stuffs, lace and fine holland
• 5:28:32
  also I delivered him about the value of one hundred pounds sterling in the same
• 5:28:36
  goods for other uses. And I obliged him to set up the sloop,
• 5:28:40
  which I had brought with me from England, as I have said, for
• 5:28:44
  the use of my colony, in order to send the refreshments I intended to
• 5:28:48
  my plantation. Accordingly, he got hands and finished the sloop in a very
• 5:28:52
  few days, for she was already framed, and I gave the master of
• 5:28:56
  her such instructions that he could not miss the place, nor did he,
• 5:29:00
  as I had an account from my partner afterwards, I got him soon loaded
• 5:29:04
  with the small cargo I sent them, and one of our seamen that had
• 5:29:08
  been on shore with me there offered to go with the sloop and settle there
• 5:29:12
  Upon my letter to the Governor Spaniard to allot him a sufficient quantity of land
• 5:29:17
  for a plantation, and on my giving him some clothes and tools for his
• 5:29:22
  planting work, which he said he understood, having been an old planter at
• 5:29:26
  Maryland and a buccaneer into the bargain. I encouraged the fellow by granting all
• 5:29:30
  he desired, and as an addition, I gave him the savage whom we
• 5:29:34
  had taken prisoner of war to be his slave, and ordered the Governor Spaniard
• 5:29:38
  to give him his share of everything he wanted with the rest. When we
• 5:29:42
  came to fit this man out, my old partner told me there was a
• 5:29:47
  certain, very honest fellow, a brazil planter of his acquaintance, who had
• 5:29:51
  fallen into the displeasure of the church. I know not what the matter is
• 5:29:55
  with him, says he, but on my conscience, I think he is
• 5:29:59
  a heretic in you his heart, and he has been obliged to conceal himself
• 5:30:03
  for fear of the inquisition. He then told me that he would be very
• 5:30:06
  glad of such an opportunity to make his escape with his wife and two daughters,
• 5:30:11
  and if I would let them go to my island and allot them a
• 5:30:14
  plantation, he would give them a small stock to begin with, for the
• 5:30:18
  officers of the inquisition had seized all his effects and estate, and he had
• 5:30:22
  nothing left but a little household stuff and two slaves and adds. He though
• 5:30:27
  I hate his principles. Yet I would not have him fall into their hands,
• 5:30:32
  for he will be assuredly burned alive if he does. I granted this
• 5:30:37
  presently and joined my englishmen with them, and we concealed the man and his
• 5:30:41
  wife and daughters on board our ship till the sloop put out to go to
• 5:30:45
  sea, and then, having put all their goods on board, some time
• 5:30:49
  before, we put them on board the sloop after she was got out of
• 5:30:52
  the bay. Our seamen was mightily pleased with this new partner, and their
• 5:30:57
  stocks indeed were much alike, rich in tools, in preparations, and a
• 5:31:02
  farm, but nothing to begin with except as above. However, they carried
• 5:31:07
  over with them what was worth all the rest, some materials for planting sugar
• 5:31:11
  canes, with some plants of canes, which he I mean, the Brazil
• 5:31:15
  planter, understood very well. Among the rest of the supplies sent to my
• 5:31:21
  tenants in the island, I sent them by the sloop three milch cows and
• 5:31:25
  five calves, about twenty two hogs, among them three sows, two mares,
• 5:31:30
  and a stone horse for my Spaniards. According to my promise, I
• 5:31:34
  engaged three brazil women to go and recommended it to them, to marry them
• 5:31:40
  and use them kindly. I could have procured more women, but I remembered
• 5:31:44
  that the poor persecuted man had two daughters, and that there were but five
• 5:31:48
  of the Spaniards that wanted partners. The rest had wives of their own,
• 5:31:52
  though in another country. All this cargo arrived safe, and, as you
• 5:31:56
  may easily suppose, was very welcome to my old inhabitants, who were now
• 5:32:02
  with this addition, between sixty and seventy people, besides little children, of
• 5:32:07
  which there were a great many. I found letters at London from them,
• 5:32:11
  all by way of Lisbon, when I came back to England. I have
• 5:32:15
  now done with the island and all manner of discourse about it. And whoever
• 5:32:19
  reads the rest of my memorandums would do well to turn his thoughts entirely from
• 5:32:23
  it, and expect to read of the follies of an old man, not
• 5:32:27
  warned by his own harms, much less by those of other men to beware,
• 5:32:33
  not cooled by almost forty years, miseries and disappointments, not satisfied with
• 5:32:37
  prosperity beyond expectation, nor made cautious by afflictions and distress beyond example, end
• 5:32:45
  of Chapter eight, Chapter nine Dreadful Occurrences in Madagascar. I had no more
• 5:32:52
  business to go to the East Indies than a man at full liberty has to
• 5:32:56
  go to the turnkey at Newgate and desire him to lie him up among the
• 5:33:00
  prisoners there and starve him. Had I taken a small vessel from England and
• 5:33:04
  gone directly to the island. Had I loaded her as I did the other
• 5:33:08
  vessel, with all the necessaries for the plantation and for my people, taken
• 5:33:14
  a patent from the government here to have secured my property in subjection only to
• 5:33:18
  that of England. Had I carried over cannon and ammunition, servants and people
• 5:33:23
  to plant, and taken possession of the place, fortified and strengthened it in
• 5:33:27
  the name of England, and increased it with people, as I might easily
• 5:33:32
  have done. Had I then settled myself there and sent the ship back laden
• 5:33:37
  with good rice, as I might also have done in six months time,
• 5:33:41
  and ordered my friends to have fitted her out again for our supply. Had
• 5:33:45
  I done this and stayed there myself, I had at least acted like a
• 5:33:48
  man of common sense. But I was possessed of a wandering spirit, and
• 5:33:52
  scorned all advantages. I pleased myself with being the patron of the people I
• 5:33:57
  placed there, and doing for them in a kind of haughty majestic way,
• 5:34:03
  like an old patriarchal monarch, providing for them as if I had been father
• 5:34:07
  of the whole family, as well as of the plantation. But I never
• 5:34:11
  so much as pretended to plant in the name of any government or nation,
• 5:34:15
  or to acknowledge any prince, or to call my people's subjects to any one
• 5:34:19
  nation more than another. Nay, I never so much as gave the place
• 5:34:25
  a name, but left it as I found it, belonging to nobody,
• 5:34:29
  and the people under no discipline or government but my own, who, though
• 5:34:33
  I had influence over them as a father and benefactor, had no authority or
• 5:34:37
  power to act or command one way or other further than voluntary consent moved them
• 5:34:42
  to comply. Yet even this, had I stayed there, would have done
• 5:34:47
  well enough. But as I rambled from them and came there no more,
• 5:34:52
  the last letters I had from any of them were by my partner's means,
• 5:34:56
  who afterwards sent another sloop to the place, and who so me word,
• 5:35:00
  though I had not the letter till I got to London several years after.
• 5:35:03
  It was written that they went on but poorly were discontented with their long stay
• 5:35:08
  there, that will Atkins was dead, that five of the Spaniards were come
• 5:35:14
  away, and though they had not been much molested by the savages, yet
• 5:35:18
  they had had some skirmishes with them, and that they begged of him to
• 5:35:22
  write to me. To think of the promise I had made to fetch them
• 5:35:25
  away, that they might see their country again before they died. But I
• 5:35:30
  was gone a wild goose chase, indeed, And they that will have any
• 5:35:34
  more of me must be content to follow me into a new variety of follies,
• 5:35:38
  hardships, and wild adventures, wherein the justice of Providence may be duly
• 5:35:44
  observed, and we may see how easily Heaven can gorge us with our own
• 5:35:48
  desires, make the strongest of our wishes be our affliction, and punish us
• 5:35:52
  most severely with those things which we think it would be our utmost happiness to
• 5:35:56
  be allowed to possess. Whether I had business or no business, away I
• 5:36:02
  went. It is no time now to enlarge upon the reason or absurdity of
• 5:36:06
  my own conduct, but to come to the history I was embarked for the
• 5:36:11
  voyage, and the voyage I went. I shall only add a word or
• 5:36:15
  two concerning my honest Popish clergyman, for let their opinion of us and all
• 5:36:21
  other heretics in general, as they call us, be as uncharitable as it
• 5:36:25
  may. I verily believe this man was very sincere and wished the good of
• 5:36:30
  all men. Yet I believe he used reserve in many of his expressions to
• 5:36:34
  prevent giving me offense. For I scarce heard him once call on the Blessed
• 5:36:38
  Virgin, or mention Saint Iago or his guardian Angel. Although so common with
• 5:36:44
  the rest of them. However, I say I had not the least doubt
• 5:36:48
  of his sincerity and pious intentions. And I am firmly of opinion if the
• 5:36:52
  rest of the Popish missionaries were like him, they would strive to visit even
• 5:36:57
  the poor Tartars and Laplanders, where they have nothing to give them, as
• 5:37:02
  well as covet to flock to India, Persia, China, et cetera,
• 5:37:06
  the most wealthy of the Heathen countries. For if they expected to bring no
• 5:37:11
  gains to their church by it, it may well be admired how they came
• 5:37:15
  to admit the Chinese Confucius into the calendar of the Christian Saints. A ship
• 5:37:19
  being ready to sail for Lisbon, my pious priest asked me leave to go
• 5:37:25
  thither, Being still, as he observed, bound never to finish any voyage.
• 5:37:29
  He began how happy it had been for me if I had gone with
• 5:37:33
  him, But it was too late. Now. All things Heaven appoints for
• 5:37:37
  the best. Had I gone with him, I had never had so many
• 5:37:41
  things to be thankful for. And the reader had never heard of the second
• 5:37:45
  part of the Travels and Adventures of Robinson Crusoe. So I must here leave,
• 5:37:49
  exclaiming at myself, and go on with my voyage. From the Brazils.
• 5:37:55
  We made directly over the Atlantic Sea to the Cape of Good Hope,
• 5:37:59
  and had a tolerably good voyage, our course generally southeast now and then a
• 5:38:03
  storm and some contrary winds. But my disasters at sea were at an end.
• 5:38:08
  My future rubs and cross events were to befall me on shore, that
• 5:38:14
  it might appear the land was as well prepared to be our scourge as the
• 5:38:18
  sea. Our ship was on a trading voyage and had a super cargo on
• 5:38:22
  board, who was to direct all her motions after she arrived at the Cape,
• 5:38:26
  only being limited to a certain number of days for stay by charter party
• 5:38:30
  at the several ports she was to go. This was none of my business,
• 5:38:36
  neither did I meddle with it. My nephew, the captain, and
• 5:38:38
  the supercargo adjusting all those things between them as they thought fit. We stayed
• 5:38:44
  at the Cape no longer than was needful to take in fresh water, but
• 5:38:48
  made the best of our way for the coast of Coromandel. We were indeed
• 5:38:52
  informed that a french Man of war of fifty guns and two large merchant ships
• 5:38:56
  were gone for the Indies, And as I knew we were at war with
• 5:39:00
  France, I had some apprehensions of them, but they went their own way
• 5:39:04
  and we heard no more of them. I shall not pester the reader with
• 5:39:10
  a tedious description of places, journals of our voyage, variations of the compass,
• 5:39:15
  latitudes, trade winds, et cetera. It is enough to name the
• 5:39:18
  ports and places which we touched at, and what occurred to us upon our
• 5:39:22
  passages from one to another. We touched first at the island of Madagascar,
• 5:39:27
  where though the people are fierce and treacherous and very well armed with lances and
• 5:39:33
  bows, which they used with inconceivable dexterity. Yet we fared very well with
• 5:39:37
  them, awhile they treated us very civilly, and for some trifles which we
• 5:39:42
  gave them, such as knives, scissors, et cetera, they brought us
• 5:39:47
  eleven good fat bullocks of a middling size, which we took in partly for
• 5:39:52
  fresh provisions for our present spending, and the rest to salt for the ship's
• 5:39:56
  use. We were obliged to stay here some time after we had furnished ourselves
• 5:40:00
  with provisions, and I, who was always too curious to look into every
• 5:40:04
  nook of the world wherever I came, went on shore as often as I
• 5:40:08
  could. It was on the east side of the island that we went on
• 5:40:12
  shore one evening, and the people, who by the way, are very
• 5:40:15
  numerous, came thronging about us and stood gazing at us at a distance.
• 5:40:21
  As we had traded freely with them and had been kindly used, we thought
• 5:40:26
  ourselves in no danger. But when we saw the people, we cut three
• 5:40:30
  bows out of a tree and stuck them up at a distance from us,
• 5:40:33
  which it seems is a mark in that country not only of a truce and
• 5:40:37
  friendship, but when it is accepted, the other side set up three poles
• 5:40:41
  or bows, which is a signal that they accept the truce too. But
• 5:40:45
  then this is a known condition of the truce, that you are not to
• 5:40:48
  pass beyond their three poles towards them, nor they to come past your three
• 5:40:53
  poles or bows towards you, so that you are perfectly secure within the three
• 5:40:57
  poles, and all the space between Queen, your poles and theirs is allowed
• 5:41:02
  like a market for free converse traffic and commerce. When you go there,
• 5:41:06
  you must not carry your weapons with you. And if they come into that
• 5:41:10
  space, they stick up their javelins and lances all at the first poles and
• 5:41:14
  come on unarmed. But if any violence is offered them and the truce thereby
• 5:41:18
  broken away, they run to the poles and lay hold of their weapons,
• 5:41:23
  and the truce is at an end. It happened one evening when we went
• 5:41:29
  on shore, that a greater number of their people came down than usual,
• 5:41:33
  but all very friendly and civil, and they brought several kinds of provisions,
• 5:41:37
  for which we satisfied them with such toys as we had. The women also
• 5:41:41
  brought us milk and roots and several things very acceptable to us, and all
• 5:41:47
  was quiet, and we made us a little tent or hut of some boughs
• 5:41:49
  or trees, and lay on shore all night. I know not what was
• 5:41:53
  the occasion, but I was not so well satisfied as to lie on shore
• 5:41:57
  as the rest, and the boat riding at an anchor at about a stone's
• 5:42:02
  cast from the land, with two men in her to take care of her.
• 5:42:06
  I made one of them come on shore, and getting some boughs of
• 5:42:10
  trees to cover us. Also in the boat, I spread the sail on
• 5:42:12
  the bottom of the boat and lay under the cover of the branches of the
• 5:42:17
  trees all night in the boat. About two o'clock in the morning, we
• 5:42:22
  heard one of our men making a terrible noise on the shore, calling out
• 5:42:26
  for God's sake to bring the boat in and come and help them, for
• 5:42:29
  they were all like to be murdered. And at the same time I heard
• 5:42:32
  the fire of five muskets, which was the number of guns they had,
• 5:42:36
  and that three times over. For it seems the natives here were not so
• 5:42:40
  easily frightened with guns as the savages were in America, where I had to
• 5:42:44
  do with them. All this while I knew not what was the matter,
• 5:42:48
  But rousing immediately from sleep with the noise, I caused the boat to be
• 5:42:52
  thrust in and resolved with three fusees we had on board to land and assist
• 5:42:56
  our men. We got the boat soon to the shore, but our men
• 5:43:00
  were in too much haste for being come to the shore. They plunged into
• 5:43:04
  the water to get to the boat, with all the expedition they could,
• 5:43:07
  being pursued by between three and four hundred men, our men were but nine
• 5:43:12
  in all, and only five of them had fusies with them. The rest
• 5:43:17
  had pistols and swords, indeed, but they were of small use to them.
• 5:43:22
  We took up seven of our men, and with difficulty enough too,
• 5:43:26
  three of them being very ill wounded. And that which was still worse was
• 5:43:30
  that while we stood in the boat to take our men in, we were
• 5:43:33
  in as much danger as they were in on shore, for they poured their
• 5:43:37
  arrows in upon us, so thick that we were glad to barricade the side
• 5:43:41
  of the boat up with the benches and two or three loose boards, which,
• 5:43:45
  to our great satisfaction, we had by mere accident in the boat.
• 5:43:48
  And yet had it been daylight, they are, it seems such exact marksmen,
• 5:43:53
  that if they could have seen but the least part of any of us,
• 5:43:57
  they would have been sure of us. We had, by the light
• 5:44:00
  of the moon, a little sight of them, as they stood pelting us
• 5:44:03
  from the shore with darts and arrows, and having got ready our firearms,
• 5:44:08
  we gave them a volley that we could hear by the cries of some of
• 5:44:11
  them had wounded several. However, they stood thus in battle array on the
• 5:44:17
  shore till break of day, which we supposed was that they might see the
• 5:44:21
  better to take their aim at us. In this condition, we lay and
• 5:44:26
  could not tell how to weigh our anchor or set up our sail, because
• 5:44:30
  we must needs stand up in the boat, and they were as sure to
• 5:44:33
  hit us as we were to hit a bird in a tree with small shot.
• 5:44:37
  We made signals of distress to the ship, and though she rowed a
• 5:44:40
  league off, yet my nephew, the captain, hearing our firing and by
• 5:44:44
  glasses perceiving the posture we lay in and that we fired towards the shore,
• 5:44:48
  pretty well understood us, and weighing anchor with all speed. He stood as
• 5:44:53
  near the shore as he durst with the ship, and then sent another boat
• 5:44:57
  with ten hands in her to assist us. Us we called to them not
• 5:45:00
  to come too near, telling them what condition we were in. However,
• 5:45:04
  they stood in near to us, and one of the men, taking the
• 5:45:08
  end of a tow line in his hand, and keeping our boat between him
• 5:45:11
  and the enemy so that they could not perfectly see him, swam on board
• 5:45:15
  us and made fast the line to the boat, upon which we slipped out
• 5:45:19
  a little cable, and leaving our anchor behind, they towed us out of
• 5:45:23
  reach of the arrows, we all the while lying close behind the barricade we
• 5:45:29
  had made. As soon as we were got from between the ship and the
• 5:45:32
  shore, that we could lay her side to the shore, she ran along
• 5:45:36
  just by them and poured in a broadside among them, loaded with pieces of
• 5:45:40
  iron and lead, small bullets, and such stuff, besides the great shot,
• 5:45:45
  which made a terrible havoc among them. When we were got on board
• 5:45:49
  and out of danger, we had time to examine into the occasion of this
• 5:45:53
  fray. And indeed our supercargo, who had been often in those parts,
• 5:45:57
  put me upon it, for he said he was sure the inhabitants would not
• 5:46:02
  have touched us after we had made a truce, if we had not done
• 5:46:04
  something to provoke them to it. At length, it came out that an
• 5:46:08
  old woman who had come to sell us some milk, had brought it within
• 5:46:12
  our poles, and a young woman with her, who also brought us some
• 5:46:17
  roots or herbs. And while the old woman, whether she was mother to
• 5:46:19
  the young woman or no, they could not tell, was selling us the
• 5:46:22
  milk, one of our men offered some rudeness to the girl that was with
• 5:46:26
  her, at which the old woman made a great noise. However, the
• 5:46:30
  seamen would not quit his prize, but carried her out of the old woman's
• 5:46:34
  sight among the trees, it being almost dark. The old woman went away
• 5:46:38
  without her, and, as we may suppose, made an outcry among the
• 5:46:42
  people she came from, who, upon notice, raised that great army upon
• 5:46:48
  us. In three or four hours, and it was great odds, but
• 5:46:51
  we had all been destroyed. One of our men was killed with a lance
• 5:46:56
  thrown at him just at the beginning of the attack, as he sallied out
• 5:47:00
  of the tent they had made. The rest came off free, all but
• 5:47:03
  the fellow who was the occasion of all the mischief, who paid dear enough
• 5:47:07
  for his brutality, For we could not hear what became of him for a
• 5:47:11
  great while. We lay upon the shore. Two days after though the wind
• 5:47:15
  presented and made signals for him, and made our boat sail up shore and
• 5:47:18
  down shore several leagues, but in vain. So we were obliged to give
• 5:47:23
  him over, and if he alone had suffered for it, the loss had
• 5:47:27
  been less. I could not satisfy myself, however, without venturing on shore
• 5:47:32
  once more to try if I could learn anything of him or them. It
• 5:47:36
  was the third night after the action that I had a great mind to learn,
• 5:47:40
  if I could by any means, what mischief we had done, and
• 5:47:44
  how the game stood on the Indian's side. I was careful to do it
• 5:47:47
  in the dark, lest we should be attacked again. But I ought,
• 5:47:51
  indeed to have been sure that the men I went with had been under my
• 5:47:53
  command before I engaged in a thing so hazardous and mischievous as I was brought
• 5:47:59
  into by it. Without design. We took twenty as stout fellows with us,
• 5:48:03
  as any in the ship besides the supercargo and myself, and we landed
• 5:48:08
  two hours before midnight at the same place where the Indians stood drawn up in
• 5:48:12
  the evening before I landed here because my design, as I have said,
• 5:48:18
  was chiefly to see if they had quitted the field, and if they had
• 5:48:21
  left any marks behind them of the mischief we had done them, And I
• 5:48:25
  thought if we could surprise one or two of them, perhaps we might get
• 5:48:29
  our men again by way of exchange. We landed without any noise and divided
• 5:48:33
  our men into two bodies, whereof the Bo'sun commanded one and I the other.
• 5:48:38
  We neither saw nor heard anybody stir when we landed, and we marched
• 5:48:44
  up one body at a distance from another to the place. At first we
• 5:48:48
  could see nothing, it being very dark, till by and by our Bosun,
• 5:48:52
  who led the first party, stumbled and fell over a dead body.
• 5:48:56
  This made them halt a while, for, knowing by the circumstances that they
• 5:48:59
  were at the place where the Indians had stood, they waited for my coming
• 5:49:03
  up there. We concluded to halt till the moon began to rise, which
• 5:49:07
  we knew would be in less than an hour, when we could easily discern
• 5:49:11
  the havoc we had made among them. We told thirty two bodies upon the
• 5:49:15
  ground, whereof two were not quite dead. Some had an arm and some
• 5:49:18
  a leg shot off and won his head. Those that were wounded, we
• 5:49:22
  supposed they had carried away when we had made as I thought, a full
• 5:49:26
  discovery of all we could come to the knowledge of. I resolved on going
• 5:49:30
  on board. But the Bosun and his party sent me word that they were
• 5:49:34
  resolved to make a visit to the Indian town where these dogs, as they
• 5:49:37
  called them, dwelt, and asked me to go along with them, and
• 5:49:41
  if they could find them, as they fancied they should. They did not
• 5:49:45
  doubt of getting a good booty, and it might be they might find Tom
• 5:49:48
  Jeffrey there. That was the man's name we had lost. Had they sent
• 5:49:53
  to ask my leave to go, I knew well enough what answer to have
• 5:49:56
  given them, for I should have commanded them ince instantly on board, knowing
• 5:50:00
  it was not a hazard fit for us to run, who had a ship
• 5:50:03
  and shiploading in our charge, and a voyage to make which depended very much
• 5:50:08
  upon the lives of the men. But as they sent me word they were
• 5:50:11
  resolved to go, and only asked me and my company to go along with
• 5:50:15
  them. I positively refused it and rose up, for I was sitting on
• 5:50:19
  the ground in order to go to the boat. One or two of the
• 5:50:22
  men began to importune me to go, and when I refused, began to
• 5:50:27
  grumble and say they were not under my command, and they would go.
• 5:50:32
  Come, Jack says one of the men, will you go with me?
• 5:50:34
  I'll go for one. Jack said he would, and then another, and
• 5:50:38
  in a word, they all left me but one, whom I persuaded to
• 5:50:41
  stay, and a boy left in the boat. So the supercargo and I
• 5:50:47
  with the third man, went back to the boat, where we told them
• 5:50:49
  we would stay for them and take care to take in as many of them
• 5:50:53
  as should be left. For I told them it was a mad thing they
• 5:50:56
  were going about, and supposed most of them would have the fate of Tom
• 5:51:00
  Jeffrey. They told me, like seamen, they would warrant it, they
• 5:51:04
  would come off again, and they would take care, et cetera. So
• 5:51:08
  away they went. I entreated them to consider the ship and the voyage,
• 5:51:12
  that their lives were not their own, and that they were entrusted with the
• 5:51:17
  voyage in some measure, that if they miscarried the ship might be lost for
• 5:51:21
  want of their help, and that they could not answer for it to God
• 5:51:23
  or man. But I might as well have talked to the mainmast of the
• 5:51:27
  ship. They were mad upon their journey. Only they gave me good words
• 5:51:32
  and begged I would not be angry. That they did not doubt, but
• 5:51:34
  they would be back again in about an hour at furthest for the Indian town,
• 5:51:40
  they said, was not above half a mile off, though they found
• 5:51:42
  it above two miles before they got to it. Well, they all went
• 5:51:47
  away, And though the attempt was desperate, and such as none but madmen
• 5:51:51
  would have gone about, yet to give them their due, they went about
• 5:51:55
  it as warily as boldly. They were gallantly armed, for they had every
• 5:51:59
  man a fusey or musket, a bayonet, and a pistol. Some of
• 5:52:03
  them had broad cutlasses, some of them had hangers and the bosun, and
• 5:52:07
  two more had poleaxes. Besides all which they had among them thirteen hand grenados,
• 5:52:12
  bolder fellows, and better provided. Never went about any wicked work in
• 5:52:18
  the world when they went out. Their chief design was plunder, and they
• 5:52:21
  were in mighty hopes of finding gold. There but a circumstance which none of
• 5:52:26
  them were aware of set them on fire with revenge, and made devils of
• 5:52:30
  them all. When they came to the few Indian houses which they thought had
• 5:52:33
  been the town, which was not above half a mile off, they were
• 5:52:37
  under great disappointment, for there were not above twelve or thirteen houses, and
• 5:52:42
  where the town was, or how big they knew not. They consulted therefore
• 5:52:47
  what to do, and were some time before they could resolve. For if
• 5:52:51
  they fell upon these they must cut all their throats, and it was ten
• 5:52:55
  to one, but some of them might escape, it being in the night,
• 5:52:59
  though the moon was up, and if one escaped, he would run
• 5:53:02
  and raise all the town, so they should have a whole army upon them.
• 5:53:06
  On the other hand, if they went away and left those untouched,
• 5:53:10
  for the people were all asleep, they could not tell which way to look
• 5:53:12
  for the town. However, the last was the best advice, so they
• 5:53:17
  resolved to leave them and look for the town as well as they could.
• 5:53:21
  They went on a little way and found a cow tied to a tree.
• 5:53:25
  This, they presently concluded would be a good guide to them, for they
• 5:53:29
  said the cow certainly belonged to the town before them, or the town behind
• 5:53:33
  them, and if they untied her, they should see which way she went.
• 5:53:37
  If she went back, they had nothing to say to her. But
• 5:53:40
  if she went forward, they would follow her. So they cut the cord,
• 5:53:44
  which was made of twisted flags, and the cow went on before them
• 5:53:48
  directly to the town, which, as they reported, consisted of above two
• 5:53:52
  hundred houses or huts, and in some of these they found several families living
• 5:53:56
  together. Here they found all in silence, as profoundly secure as sleep could
• 5:54:02
  make them. And first they called another council to consider what they had to
• 5:54:07
  do, and presently resolved to divide themselves into three bodies, and so set
• 5:54:11
  three houses on fire in three parts of the town. And as the men
• 5:54:15
  came out to seize them and bind them, if any resisted, they need
• 5:54:19
  not be asked what to do then, and so to search the rest of
• 5:54:22
  the houses for plunder. But they resolved to march silently first through the town
• 5:54:27
  and see what dimensions it was of, and if they might venture upon it
• 5:54:32
  or know they did so, and desperately resolved that they would venture upon them.
• 5:54:37
  But while they were animating one another to the work, three of them,
• 5:54:41
  who were a little before the rest called out aloud to them and told
• 5:54:45
  them that they had found Tom Jeffrey. They all ran up to the place
• 5:54:49
  where they found the poor fellow hanging up, naked by one arm and his
• 5:54:53
  throat cut. There was an Indian house just by the tree, where they
• 5:54:57
  found sixteen or seventeen of them, principal Indians who had been concerned in the
• 5:55:02
  fray with us before, and two or three of them wounded with our shot.
• 5:55:06
  And our men found they were awake and talking one to another in that
• 5:55:10
  house, but knew not their number. The sight of their poor mangled comrade
• 5:55:15
  so enraged them as before that they swore to one another that they would be
• 5:55:19
  revenged, and that not an Indian that came into their hands should have any
• 5:55:23
  quarter. And to work they went immediately, and yet not so madly as
• 5:55:29
  might be expected from the rage and fury they were in. Their first care
• 5:55:33
  was to get something that would soon take fire, But after a little search
• 5:55:37
  they found that would be to no purpose, for most of the houses were
• 5:55:41
  low and thatched with flags and rushes of which the country is full. So
• 5:55:45
  they presently made some wild fire, as we call it, by wetting a
• 5:55:48
  little powder in the palm of their hands, and in a quarter of an
• 5:55:52
  hour they set the town on fire in four or five places, and particularly
• 5:55:57
  that house where the Indians were not gone to bed. As soon as the
• 5:56:02
  fire began to blaze, the poor, frightened creatures began to rush out to
• 5:56:06
  save their lives, but met with their fate in the attempt, and especially
• 5:56:10
  at the door, where they drove them back. The Boson himself killing one
• 5:56:14
  or two with his pole axe. The house being large and many in it,
• 5:56:18
  he did not care to go in, but called for a hand granado
• 5:56:22
  and threw it in among them, which at first frightened them, but when
• 5:56:26
  it burst, made such havoc among them that they cried out in a hideous
• 5:56:30
  manner. In short, most of the Indians who were in the open part
• 5:56:33
  of the house were killed or hurt with the granado, except two or three
• 5:56:37
  more who pressed to the door, which the Bosun and two more kept with
• 5:56:41
  their bayonets on the muzzles of their pieces, and despatched all that came in
• 5:56:47
  their way. But there was another apartment in the house where the prince or
• 5:56:51
  king or whatever he was, and several others were, and these were kept
• 5:56:55
  in till the house which was by this time all in a light flame fell
• 5:56:59
  in upon them, and they were smothered together. All this while they fired
• 5:57:04
  not a gun, because they would not waken the people faster than they could
• 5:57:08
  master them. But the fire began to waken them fast enough, and our
• 5:57:12
  fellows were glad to keep a little together in bodies, for the fire grew
• 5:57:17
  so raging, all the houses being made of light combustible stuff, that they
• 5:57:21
  could hardly bear the street between them. Their business was to follow the fire
• 5:57:25
  for the shorer execution. As fast as the fire either forced the people out
• 5:57:30
  of those houses which were burning or frightened them out of others. Our people
• 5:57:33
  were ready at their doors to knock them on the head, still calling and
• 5:57:37
  hallooing one to another to remember Tom Jeffrey. While this was doing, I
• 5:57:42
  must confess I was very uneasy, and especially when I saw the flames of
• 5:57:47
  the town, which it being night, seemed to be close by me.
• 5:57:51
  My nephew, the captain, who was roused by his men seeing such a
• 5:57:55
  fire, was very uneasy, not knowing what the matter was or what danger
• 5:57:59
  I was in, especially hearing the guns too, for by this time they
• 5:58:03
  began to use their firearms a thousand thoughts oppressed his mind, concerning me and
• 5:58:08
  the supercargo, what would become of us? And at last, though he
• 5:58:12
  could ill spare any more men, yet not knowing what exigence we might be
• 5:58:17
  in, he took another boat and with thirteen men and himself came ashore to
• 5:58:22
  me. He was surprised to see me and the supercargo in the boat with
• 5:58:26
  no more than two men, and though he was glad that we were well,
• 5:58:30
  yet he was in the same impatience with us to know what was doing,
• 5:58:33
  for the noise continued and the flame increased. In short, it was
• 5:58:37
  next to an impossibility for any men in the world to restrain their curiosity to
• 5:58:42
  know what had happened, or their concern for the safety of the men.
• 5:58:45
  In a word, the captain told me he would go and help his men,
• 5:58:49
  let what would come. I argued with him, as I did before
• 5:58:53
  with the men, the safety of the ship, the danger of the voyage,
• 5:58:57
  the interests of the owners and merchants, et cetera, and told him
• 5:59:00
  I and the two men would go and only see if we could, at
• 5:59:03
  a distance learn what was likely to be the event, and come back and
• 5:59:07
  tell him it was in vain to talk to my nephew, as it was
• 5:59:11
  to talk to the rest before he would go, he said, And he
• 5:59:15
  only wished he had left but ten men in the ship, for he could
• 5:59:18
  not think of having his men lost for want of help. He had rather
• 5:59:22
  losed the ship, the voyage, and his life and all, and away
• 5:59:25
  he went. I was no more able to stay behind now than I was
• 5:59:30
  to persuade them not to go. So the captain ordered two men to row
• 5:59:33
  back the pennace and fetch twelve men more, leaving the long boat at an
• 5:59:37
  anchor, and that when they came back, six men should keep the two
• 5:59:42
  boats, and six more come after us, so that he left only sixteen
• 5:59:47
  men in the ship. For the whole ship's company consisted of sixty five men,
• 5:59:52
  whereof two were lost in the late quarrel which brought this mischief. On
• 5:59:56
  being now on the march, we felt little of the ground we try,
• 6:00:00
  and being guided by the fire, we kept no path, but went directly
• 6:00:03
  to the place of the flame. If the noise of the guns was surprising
• 6:00:07
  to us before, the cries of the poor people were now quite of another
• 6:00:11
  nature, and filled us with horror, I must confess I was never at
• 6:00:15
  the sacking a city, or at the taking a town by storm. I
• 6:00:19
  had heard of Oliver Cromwell taking Droyda in Ireland and killing man, woman and
• 6:00:25
  child, and I had read of Count Tilly sacking the city of Magdeburg and
• 6:00:29
  cutting the throats of twenty two thousand of all sexes. But I never had
• 6:00:33
  an idea of the thing itself before, nor is it possible to describe it
• 6:00:38
  or the horror that was upon our minds at hearing it. However, we
• 6:00:42
  went on and at length came to the town, though there was no entering
• 6:00:47
  the streets of it for the fire. The first object we met with was
• 6:00:51
  the ruins of a hut or house, or rather the ashes of it.
• 6:00:55
  For the house was consumed, and just before it, plainly now to be
• 6:00:57
  seen by the light of the fire, lay four men and three women killed,
• 6:01:03
  and as we thought, one or two more lay in the heap among
• 6:01:06
  the fire. In short, there were such instances of rage altogether barbarous,
• 6:01:11
  and of a fury something beyond what was human, that we thought it impossible
• 6:01:15
  our men could be guilty of it, or if they were the authors of
• 6:01:18
  it, we thought they ought to be every one of them put to the
• 6:01:22
  worst of deaths. But this was not all. We saw the fire increase
• 6:01:26
  forward, and the cry went on just as the fire went on, so
• 6:01:30
  that we were in the utmost confusion. We advanced a little way farther,
• 6:01:34
  and behold, to our astonishment, three naked women and crying in a most
• 6:01:38
  dreadful manner, came flying as if they had wings, and after them sixteen
• 6:01:44
  or seventeen men natives in the same terror and consternation, with three of our
• 6:01:48
  English butchers in the rear, who, when they could not overtake them,
• 6:01:52
  fired in among them, and one that was killed by their shot fell down
• 6:01:56
  in our sight. When the rest saw us, believe ving us to be
• 6:02:00
  their enemies and that we would murder them as well as those that pursued them,
• 6:02:03
  they set up a most dreadful shriek, especially the women, and two
• 6:02:07
  of them fell down as if already dead. With the fright. My very
• 6:02:14
  soul shrunk within me, and my blood ran chill in my veins when I
• 6:02:18
  saw this, and I believe had the three English sailors that pursued them come
• 6:02:22
  on, I had made our men kill them all. However, we took
• 6:02:26
  some means to let the poor flying creatures know that we would not hurt them.
• 6:02:30
  And immediately they came up to us, and, kneeling down with their
• 6:02:33
  hands lifted up, made piteous lamentation to us to save them, which we
• 6:02:38
  let them know we would, whereupon they crept all together in a huddle close
• 6:02:42
  behind us as for protection. I left my men drawn up together, and
• 6:02:48
  charging them to hurt nobody, but if possible to get at some of our
• 6:02:52
  people and see what devil it was possessed them, and what they intended to
• 6:02:56
  do, and to command them off, assuring them that if they stayed till
• 6:03:00
  daylight they would have a hundred thousand men about their ears. I say,
• 6:03:03
  I left them and went among those flying people, taking only two of our
• 6:03:08
  men with me, and there was indeed a piteous spectacle among them. Some
• 6:03:14
  of them had their feet terribly burned with trampling and running through the fire,
• 6:03:18
  others their hands burned. One of the women had fallen down in the fire
• 6:03:22
  and was very much burned before she could get out again. And two or
• 6:03:26
  three of the men had cuts in their backs and thighs from our men pursuing,
• 6:03:30
  and another was shot through the body and died while I was there,
• 6:03:33
  I would fain have learned what the occasion of all this was, but I
• 6:03:37
  could not understand one word they said, though by signs I perceived some of
• 6:03:42
  them knew not what was the occasion themselves. I was so terrified in my
• 6:03:47
  thoughts at this outrageous attempt that I could not stay there, but went back
• 6:03:51
  to my own men and resolved to go into the middle of the town,
• 6:03:55
  through the fire or whatever might be in the way, and put an end
• 6:03:57
  to it, cost what it would Accordingly, As I came back to my
• 6:04:02
  men, I told them my resolution and commanded them to follow me, when
• 6:04:07
  at the very moment came four of our men with the bowsaon at their head,
• 6:04:11
  roving over heaps of bodies they had killed, all covered with blood and
• 6:04:15
  dust, as if they wanted more people to massacre. When our men hallooed
• 6:04:19
  to them as loud as they could halloo, and with much ado, one
• 6:04:22
  of them made to hear so that they knew who we were, and came
• 6:04:26
  up to us. As soon as the Bosun saw us, he set up
• 6:04:30
  a halloo like a shout of triumph, for having, as he thought,
• 6:04:34
  more help come, and without waiting to hear me, captain, says he,
• 6:04:37
  noble captain, I am glad you are come. We have not half
• 6:04:41
  done yet, villainous hell hound dogs. I'll kill as many of them as
• 6:04:45
  poor Tom has hairs upon his head. We have sworn to spare none of
• 6:04:51
  them. We'll root out the very nation of them from the earth. And
• 6:04:53
  thus he ran on out of breath too with action, and would not give
• 6:04:59
  us leave to speak a word. At last, raising my voice that I
• 6:05:02
  might silence him, a little barbarous dog, said I what are you doing?
• 6:05:07
  I won't have one creature touched more, upon pain of death. I
• 6:05:11
  charge you, upon your life to stop your hands and stand still here,
• 6:05:15
  or you are a dead man this minute. Why, sir, says he,
• 6:05:18
  Do you know what you do or what they have done? If you
• 6:05:22
  want a reason for what we have done, come hither, And with that
• 6:05:26
  he showed me the poor fellow hanging with his throat cut. I confess I
• 6:05:30
  was urged then myself, and at another time would have been forward enough.
• 6:05:36
  But I thought they had carried their rage too far, and remembered Jacob's words
• 6:05:40
  to his sons Simeon and LEVI cursed be their anger, for it was fierce
• 6:05:45
  and their wrath, for it was cruel. But I had now a new
• 6:05:48
  task upon my hands, for when the men I had carried with me saw
• 6:05:52
  the sight as I had done, I had as much to do to restrain
• 6:05:56
  them as I should have had with the others. Nay, my nephew,
• 6:06:00
  you himself fell in with them and told me in their hearing that he was
• 6:06:03
  only concerned for fear of the men being overpowered, and as to the people,
• 6:06:08
  he thought not one of them ought to live, for they had all
• 6:06:11
  glutted themselves with the murder of the poor man, and that they ought to
• 6:06:15
  be used like murderers. Upon these words, away ran eight of my men
• 6:06:19
  with the Bosun and his crew to complete their bloody work, and I,
• 6:06:23
  seeing it quite out of my power to restrain them, came away pensive and
• 6:06:27
  sad, for I could not bear the sight, much less the horrible noise
• 6:06:32
  and cries of the poor wretches that fell into their hands. I got nobody
• 6:06:37
  to come back with me but the supercargo and two men, and with these
• 6:06:41
  walked back to the boat. It was a very great piece of folly in
• 6:06:45
  me, I confessed to venture back as it were alone, For as it
• 6:06:49
  began now to be almost day, and the alarm had run over the country.
• 6:06:53
  There stood about forty men armed with lances and boughs at the little place
• 6:06:57
  where the twelve or thirteen hands houses stood mentioned before. But by accident I
• 6:07:03
  missed the place and came directly to the seaside, and by the time I
• 6:07:07
  got to the seaside it was broad day. Immediately I took the pennace and
• 6:07:11
  went on board and set her back to assist the men in what might happen.
• 6:07:15
  I observed about the time that I got to the boat side that the
• 6:07:19
  fire was pretty well out and the noise abated. But in about half an
• 6:07:23
  hour after I got on board, I heard a volley of our men's firearms
• 6:07:29
  and saw a great smoke. This, as I understood afterwards, was our
• 6:07:33
  men falling upon the men, who, as I said, stood at the
• 6:07:37
  few houses on the way, of whom they killed sixteen or seventeen and set
• 6:07:41
  all the houses on fire, but did not meddle with the women or children.
• 6:07:45
  By the time the men got to the shore again with the pennace,
• 6:07:49
  our men began to appear. They came dropping in not in two bodies,
• 6:07:53
  as they went but straggling here and there in such a manner that a small
• 6:07:57
  force of resolute men might have cut them all off. But the dread of
• 6:08:02
  them was upon the whole country, and the men were surprised and so frightened
• 6:08:06
  that I believe a hundred of them would have fled at the sight of but
• 6:08:08
  five of our men. Nor in all this terrible action was there a man
• 6:08:14
  that made any considerable defense. They were so surprised between the terror of the
• 6:08:18
  fire and the sudden attack of our men in the dark, that they knew
• 6:08:22
  not which way to turn themselves, For if they fled one way, they
• 6:08:25
  were met by one party, if back again by another, so that they
• 6:08:29
  were everywhere knocked down. Nor did any of our men receive the least hurt,
• 6:08:33
  except one that sprained his foot, and another that had one of his
• 6:08:37
  hands burned. End of chapter nine, Chapter ten, he is left on
• 6:08:44
  shore. I was very angry with my nephew, the captain, and indeed
• 6:08:48
  with all the men, but with him in particular as well, for his
• 6:08:52
  acting so out of his duty as a commander of the ship, and having
• 6:08:56
  the charge of the voyage upon him as in his prime, umping rather than
• 6:09:00
  cooling the rage of his blind men in so bloody and cruel an enterprise.
• 6:09:04
  My nephew answered me very respectfully, but told me that when he saw the
• 6:09:10
  body of the poor seamen whom they had murdered in so cruel and barbarous a
• 6:09:14
  manner, he was not master of himself, neither could he govern his passion.
• 6:09:18
  He owned he should not have done so, as he was commander of
• 6:09:22
  the ship, but as he was a man and nature moved him, he
• 6:09:26
  could not bear it. As for the rest of the men, they were
• 6:09:29
  not subject to me at all, and they knew it well enough, so
• 6:09:33
  they took no notice of my dislike. The next day we set sail,
• 6:09:37
  so we never heard any more of it. Our men differed in the account
• 6:09:41
  of the number they had killed, but according to the best of their accounts,
• 6:09:45
  put all together, they killed or destroyed about one hundred and fifty people,
• 6:09:48
  men, women and children, and left not a house standing in the
• 6:09:52
  town. As for the poor fellow Tom Jeffrey, as he was quite dead,
• 6:09:57
  for his throat was so cut that his head was half off, it
• 6:10:00
  would do him no service to bring him away, so they only took him
• 6:10:04
  down from the tree where he was hanging by one hand. However, just
• 6:10:10
  our men thought this action, I was against them in it, and I
• 6:10:12
  always after that time told them God would blast the voyage, for I looked
• 6:10:18
  upon all the blood they shed that night to be murder in them. For
• 6:10:22
  though it is true that they had killed Tom Jeffrey, yet Jeffrey was the
• 6:10:26
  aggressor, had broken the truce, and had ill used a young woman of
• 6:10:30
  theirs who came down to them innocently, and on the faith of the public
• 6:10:33
  capitulation. The Bosun defended this quarrel when we were afterwards on board. He
• 6:10:40
  said, it was true that we seemed to break the truce, but really
• 6:10:44
  had not, and that the war was begun the night before by the natives
• 6:10:48
  themselves, who had shot at us and killed one of our men without any
• 6:10:52
  just provocation, so that as we were in a capacity to fight them now,
• 6:10:56
  we might also be in a capacity to do ourselves justice upon them in
• 6:11:00
  an extraordinary manner. That though the poor man had taken a little liberty with
• 6:11:06
  the girl, he ought not to have been murdered, and that in such
• 6:11:08
  a villainous manner, and that they did nothing but what was just and what
• 6:11:12
  the laws of God allowed to be done to murderers. One would think this
• 6:11:17
  should have been enough to have warned us against going on shore amongst the heathens
• 6:11:21
  and barbarians. But it is impossible to make mankind wise but at their own
• 6:11:26
  expense, and their experience seems to be always of most use to them when
• 6:11:30
  it is dearest bought. We were now bound to the Gulf of Persia and
• 6:11:36
  from thence to the coast of Coromandel, only to touch at Surat. But
• 6:11:41
  the chief of the super cargo's design lay at the Bay of Bengal, where
• 6:11:45
  if he missed his business outward bound, he was to go out to China
• 6:11:48
  and return to the coast as he came home. The first disaster that befell
• 6:11:53
  Us was in the Gulf of Persia, where five of our men venturing on
• 6:11:57
  shore on the Arabian side of the were surrounded by the Arabians and either all
• 6:12:03
  killed or carried away into slavery. The rest of the boat's crew were not
• 6:12:07
  able to rescue them, and had but just time to get off their boat.
• 6:12:11
  I began to upbraid them with the just retribution of Heaven in this case,
• 6:12:15
  but the Bosun very warmly told me he thought I went further in my
• 6:12:19
  censures than I could show any warrant for in scripture, and referred to Luke
• 6:12:25
  thirteen four, where our Savior intimates that those men on whom the tower of
• 6:12:29
  Siloam fell were not sinners above all the Galileans. But that which put me
• 6:12:33
  to silence in the case was that not one of these five men who were
• 6:12:37
  now lost were of those who went on shore to the massacre of Madagascar.
• 6:12:41
  So I always called it, though our men could not bear to hear the
• 6:12:45
  word massacre with any patience. But my frequent preaching to them on this subject
• 6:12:52
  had worse consequences than I expected. And the Bosun, who had been the
• 6:12:56
  head of the attempt, came up boldly to me one time and told me
• 6:13:00
  he found that I brought that affair continually upon the stage, that I made
• 6:13:04
  unjust reflections upon it, and had used the men very ill on that account,
• 6:13:08
  and himself in particular. That as I was but a passenger and had
• 6:13:14
  no command in the ship or concern in the voyage, they were not obliged
• 6:13:18
  to bear it that they did not know. But I might have some ill
• 6:13:22
  design in my head, and perhaps to call them to an account for it
• 6:13:25
  when they came to England, and that therefore, unless I would resolve to
• 6:13:30
  have done with it, and also not to concern myself any further with him
• 6:13:33
  or any of his affairs, he would leave the ship, for he did
• 6:13:37
  not think it safe to sail with me among them. I heard him patiently
• 6:13:41
  enough till he had done, and then told him that I confessed I had
• 6:13:45
  all along opposed the massacre of Madagascar, and that I had on all occasions
• 6:13:51
  spoken my mind freely about it, though not more upon him than any of
• 6:13:56
  the rest. That as to having no command in the ship, that was
• 6:13:59
  true, who nor did I exercise any authority, only took the liberty of
• 6:14:03
  speaking my mind in things which publicly concerned us all and what concern I had
• 6:14:08
  in the voyage was none of his business. That I was a considerable owner
• 6:14:12
  in the ship. In that claim, I conceived I had a right to
• 6:14:15
  speak even further than I had done, and would not be accountable to him
• 6:14:21
  or any one else, and began to be a little warm with him.
• 6:14:23
  He made but little reply to me at that time, and I thought the
• 6:14:27
  affair had been over. We were at this time in the road at Bengal
• 6:14:32
  and being willing to see the place. I went on shore with the supercargo
• 6:14:36
  in the ship's boat to divert myself, and towards evening was preparing to go
• 6:14:41
  on board when one of the men came to me and told me he would
• 6:14:45
  not have me trouble myself to come down to the boat, for they had
• 6:14:48
  orders not to carry me on board any more. Any One may guess what
• 6:14:52
  a surprise I was in at so insolent a message, and I asked the
• 6:14:56
  man who bade him deliver that message to me. He told me that coxin
• 6:15:00
  I immediately found out the supercargo and told him the story, adding that I
• 6:15:06
  foresaw there would be a mutiny in the ship, and entreated him to go
• 6:15:10
  immediately on board and acquaint the captain of it. But I might have spared
• 6:15:14
  this intelligence, for before I had spoken to him on shore, the matter
• 6:15:18
  was effected on board the bosun, the gunner, the carpenter, and all
• 6:15:22
  the inferior officers. As soon as I was gone off in the boat came
• 6:15:26
  up and desired to speak with the captain, and then the bosun, making
• 6:15:30
  a long harangue and repeating all he had said to me, told the Captain
• 6:15:34
  that as I was now gone peaceably on shore, they were loath to use
• 6:15:38
  any violence with me, which if I had not gone on shore, they
• 6:15:42
  would otherwise have done to oblige me to have gone. They therefore thought fit
• 6:15:48
  to tell him that as they shipped themselves to serve in the ship under his
• 6:15:52
  command, they would perform it well and faithfully. But if I would not
• 6:15:56
  quit the ship, or the Captain obliged me to quit it, they would
• 6:16:00
  all leave the ship and sail no further with him. And at that word
• 6:16:03
  all he turned his face towards the mainmast, which was it seems, a
• 6:16:07
  signal agreed on. When the seamen being got together, there cried out one
• 6:16:12
  and all, one and all, my nephew. The Captain was a man
• 6:16:18
  of spirit and of great presence of mind, And though he was surprised,
• 6:16:22
  yet he told them calmly that he would consider of the matter, but that
• 6:16:26
  he could do nothing in it till he had spoken to me about it.
• 6:16:30
  He used some arguments with them to show them the unreasonableness and injustice of the
• 6:16:34
  thing, but it was all in vain. They swore, and shook hands
• 6:16:38
  round before his face, that they would all go on shore unless he would
• 6:16:41
  engage to them not to suffer me to come any more on board the ship.
• 6:16:47
  This was a hard article upon him, who knew his obligation to me
• 6:16:51
  and did not know how I might take it. So he began to talk
• 6:16:55
  smartly to them, told them that I was a very considerable owner of the
• 6:16:59
  ship, and that if ever they came to England again, it would cost
• 6:17:02
  them very dear, that the ship was mine, and that he could not
• 6:17:06
  put me out of it, and that he would rather lose the ship and
• 6:17:10
  the voyage too than disoblige me so much, so they might do as they
• 6:17:14
  pleased. However, he would go on shore and talk with me, and
• 6:17:18
  invited the boatswun to go with him, and perhaps they might accommodate the matter
• 6:17:22
  with me. But they all rejected the proposal and said they would have nothing
• 6:17:26
  to do with me any more, and if I came on board, they
• 6:17:30
  would all go on shore. Well, said the captain, if you are
• 6:17:33
  all of this mind, let me go on shore and talk with him.
• 6:17:37
  So away he came to me with this account. A little after the message
• 6:17:41
  had been brought to me from the Coxswain. I was very glad to see
• 6:17:45
  my nephew, I must confess, for I was not without apprehensions that they
• 6:17:49
  would confine him by violence, set sail and run away with the ship.
• 6:17:55
  And then I had been stripped naked in a remote country, having nothing to
• 6:17:59
  help myself. In short, I had been in a worse case than when
• 6:18:03
  I was alone in the island. But they had not come to that length,
• 6:18:06
  it seems, to my satisfaction. And when my nephew told me what
• 6:18:10
  they had said to him, and how they had sworn and shook hands,
• 6:18:14
  that they would one and all leave the ship if I was suffered to come
• 6:18:17
  on board, I told him he should not be concerned at it at all,
• 6:18:22
  for I would stay on shore. I only desired he would take care
• 6:18:25
  and send me all my necessary things on shore, and leave me a sufficient
• 6:18:30
  sum of money, and I would find my way to England as well as
• 6:18:33
  I could. This was a heavy piece of news to my nephew, but
• 6:18:37
  there was no way to help it but to comply. So in short,
• 6:18:40
  he went on board the ship again and satisfied the men that his uncle had
• 6:18:45
  yielded to their importunity and had sent for his goods from on board the ship,
• 6:18:49
  so that the matter was over in a few hours. The men returned
• 6:18:52
  to their duty, and I began to consider what course I should steer.
• 6:18:57
  I was now alone in a most remote part of the world, for I
• 6:19:02
  was near three thousand leagues by sea, farther off from England than I was
• 6:19:06
  at my island. Only it is true I might travel here by land over
• 6:19:11
  the Great Mogul's country to Surat, might go from Thence to Bassora by sea,
• 6:19:15
  up the Gulf of Persia, and take the way of the caravans over
• 6:19:19
  the desert of Arabia to Aleppo and Scanderoon. From Thence by sea again to
• 6:19:25
  Italy, and so overland into France. I had another way before me,
• 6:19:30
  which was to wait for some English ships which were coming to Bangulf from Aquin
• 6:19:34
  on the island of Sumatra, and get passage on board them from England.
• 6:19:38
  But as I came hither without any concern of the East Indian Company, so
• 6:19:44
  it would be difficult to go from Hence without their license, unless with great
• 6:19:48
  favor of the captains of the ships or the company's factors, And to both
• 6:19:52
  I was an utter stranger. Here I had the mortification to see the ship
• 6:19:57
  set sail without me. However, my nephew left me two servants, or
• 6:20:02
  rather one companion and one servant. The first was clerk to the purser,
• 6:20:07
  whom he engaged to go with me, and the other was his own servant.
• 6:20:11
  I then took a good lodging in the house of an englishwoman, where
• 6:20:14
  several merchants lodged, some French, two Italians, or rather Jews, and
• 6:20:18
  one Englishman. Here I stayed above nine months, considering what course to take.
• 6:20:23
  I had some English goods with me of value, and a considerable sum
• 6:20:29
  of money, my nephew furnishing me with a thousand pieces of eight and a
• 6:20:33
  letter of credit for more. If I had occasion that I might not be
• 6:20:37
  straitened whatever might happen, I quickly disposed of my goods to advantage, and
• 6:20:41
  as I originally intended, I bought here some very good diamonds, which of
• 6:20:47
  all other things, were the most proper for me in my present circumstances,
• 6:20:51
  because I could always carry my whole estate about me. During my stay here,
• 6:20:56
  many proposals were made for my return to England, but none falling out
• 6:21:00
  to my mind. The English merchant who lodged with me, and whom I
• 6:21:03
  had contracted an intimate acquaintance with came to me one morning saying, countrymen,
• 6:21:10
  I have a project to communicate, which, as it suits with my thoughts,
• 6:21:14
  may for aught, I know suit with yours also when you shall have
• 6:21:18
  thoroughly considered it. Here we are posted you by accident and I by my
• 6:21:22
  own choice, in a part of the world very remote from our own country.
• 6:21:26
  But it is in a country where, by us who understand trade and
• 6:21:30
  business, a great deal of money is to be got. If you will
• 6:21:33
  put one thousand pounds to my one thousand pounds, we will hire a ship
• 6:21:38
  here. The first we can get to our minds. You shall be captain,
• 6:21:42
  I'll be merchant and will go a trading voyage to China. For what
• 6:21:47
  should we stand still? For the whole world is in motion? Why should
• 6:21:51
  we be idle? I liked this proposal very well, and the more so
• 6:21:56
  because it seemed to be expressed with so much good will. In my loose,
• 6:22:00
  unhinged circumstances, I was the fitter to embrace a proposal for trade,
• 6:22:04
  or indeed anything else. I might perhaps say with some truth that if trade
• 6:22:10
  was not my element, rambling was, and no proposal for seeing any part
• 6:22:14
  of the world, which I had never seen before, could possibly come amiss
• 6:22:18
  to me. It was, however, some time before we could get a
• 6:22:21
  ship to our minds, and when we had got a vessel, it was
• 6:22:25
  not easy to get English sailors, that is to say so many as were
• 6:22:29
  necessary to govern the voyage and manage the sailors which we should pick up.
• 6:22:33
  There After some time we got a mate, a bosun and a gunner English,
• 6:22:37
  a Dutch carpenter, and three foremast men. With these we found we
• 6:22:41
  could do well enough having Indian seamen such as they were to make up.
• 6:22:47
  When all was ready, we set sail for Aquen in the island of Sumatra,
• 6:22:51
  and from thence to Siam, where we exchanged some of our wares for
• 6:22:55
  opium and some arak, the first a commodity which bears a great price amondung
• 6:23:00
  the Chinese, and which at that time was much wanted there. Then we
• 6:23:03
  went up to Saskan, where, eight months out and on our return to
• 6:23:07
  Bengal, I was very well satisfied with my adventure. Our people in England
• 6:23:11
  often admire how officers which the company send into India and the merchants which generally
• 6:23:18
  stay there get such very great estates as they do, and sometimes come home
• 6:23:22
  worth sixty or seventy thousand pounds at a time. But it is little matter
• 6:23:26
  for wonder when we consider the innumerable ports and places where they have a free
• 6:23:32
  commerce. Indeed, at the ports where the English ships come, there is
• 6:23:36
  such great and constant demands for the growth of all other countries, that there
• 6:23:40
  is a certain vent for returns, as well as a market abroad for the
• 6:23:44
  goods carried out. I got so much money by my first adventure, and
• 6:23:48
  such an insight into the method of getting more, that had I been twenty
• 6:23:52
  years younger, I should have been tempted to have stayed here and sought no
• 6:23:57
  farther for making my fortune. But what was all this to a man upwards
• 6:24:02
  of three score that was rich enough and came abroad more in obedience to a
• 6:24:07
  restless desire of seeing the world than a covetous desire of gaining by it.
• 6:24:11
  A restless desire it really was, For when I was at home, I
• 6:24:15
  was restless to go abroad, and when I was abroad, I was restless
• 6:24:18
  to be at home. I say, what was this gain to me?
• 6:24:22
  I was rich enough already, nor had I any uneasy desires of getting more
• 6:24:26
  money. Therefore, the profit of the voyage to me was of no great
• 6:24:30
  force for the prompting me forward to further undertakings. Hence I thought that by
• 6:24:36
  this voyage I had made no progress at all, because I was come back,
• 6:24:40
  as I might call it, to the place from whence I came as
• 6:24:42
  to a home. Whereas my eye, like that which Solomon speaks of,
• 6:24:48
  was never satisfied with seeing, I was come into a part of the world
• 6:24:52
  which I was never in before, and that part, in particular, which
• 6:24:56
  I heard much of, and was resolved to see as much of it as
• 6:25:00
  I could. And then I thought I might say I had seen all the
• 6:25:03
  world that was worth seeing. But my fellow traveler and I had different notions.
• 6:25:10
  I acknowledge his were the more suited to the end of a merchant's life,
• 6:25:12
  who, when he is abroad upon adventures, is wise to stick to
• 6:25:17
  that as the best thing for him which he is likely to get the most
• 6:25:21
  money by. On the other hand, mine was the notion of a mad
• 6:25:23
  rambling boy that never cares to see a thing twice over. But this was
• 6:25:29
  not all. I had a kind of impatience upon me to be nearer home,
• 6:25:33
  and yet an unsettled resolution which way to go. In the interval of
• 6:25:37
  these consultations, my friend, who was always upon the search for business,
• 6:25:41
  proposed another voyage among the Spice islands to bring home a loading of clothes from
• 6:25:47
  the Manilas or thereabouts. We were not long in preparing for this voyage.
• 6:25:52
  The chief difficulty was in bringing me to come into it. However, at
• 6:25:56
  last nothing else offering, and as sitting still, to me especially was the
• 6:26:02
  unhappiest part of life, I resolved on this voyage too, which we made
• 6:26:07
  very successfully, touching at Borneo and several other islands, and came home in
• 6:26:11
  about five months, when we sold our spices with very great profit to the
• 6:26:17
  Persian merchants who carried them away to the Gulf. My friend, when we
• 6:26:22
  made up this account, smiled at me. Well, now, said he,
• 6:26:26
  with a sort of friendly rebuke on my indolent temper. Is not this
• 6:26:30
  better than walking about here like a man with nothing to do, and spending
• 6:26:33
  our time in staring at the nonsense and ignorance of the pagans? Why,
• 6:26:38
  truly, said I, my friend, I think it is. And I
• 6:26:41
  began to be a convert to the principles of merchandising. But I must tell
• 6:26:47
  you by the way, you do not know what I am doing. For
• 6:26:49
  if I once conquer my backwardness and embark heartily old as I am, I
• 6:26:55
  shall harass you up and down the world till I tire you. For I
• 6:26:59
  shall pursue do it so eagerly I shall never let you lie still. End
• 6:27:04
  of chapter ten. Chapter eleven, warned of danger by a countryman. A
• 6:27:11
  little while after this, there came in a Dutch ship from Batavia. She
• 6:27:15
  was a coaster, not a European trader, of about two hundred tons burden
• 6:27:21
  the men as they pretended, having been so sickly that the captain had not
• 6:27:25
  hands enough to go to sea with, so he lay by at Bangal,
• 6:27:29
  and, having it seems, got money enough, or being willing for other
• 6:27:33
  reasons to go for Europe, he gave public notice he would sell his ship.
• 6:27:37
  This came to my ears before my new partner heard of it, and
• 6:27:41
  I had a great mind to buy it. So I went to him and
• 6:27:45
  told him of it. He considered a while, for he was no rash
• 6:27:48
  man neither, and at last replied, she is a little too big.
• 6:27:52
  However, we will have her. Accordingly, we bought the ship, and,
• 6:27:56
  agreeing with the master, we paid for her and took possession. When
• 6:28:00
  we had done so, we resolved to engage the men, if we could,
• 6:28:04
  to join with those we had for the pursuing our business. But on
• 6:28:08
  a sudden they having received not their wages but their share of the money,
• 6:28:12
  as we afterwards learned, not one of them was to be found. We
• 6:28:17
  inquired much about them, and at length were told they were all gone together
• 6:28:22
  by land to Agra, the great city of the Mogul's residents, to proceed
• 6:28:26
  from thence to Sarat, and then to go by sea to the Gulf of
• 6:28:30
  Persia. Nothing had so much troubled me a good while as that I should
• 6:28:34
  miss the opportunity of going with them for such a ramble, I thought,
• 6:28:38
  and in such company as would both have guarded and diverted me would have suited
• 6:28:42
  mightily with my great design, and I should have both seen the world and
• 6:28:48
  gone homeward too. But I was much better satisfied a few days after when
• 6:28:52
  I came to know what sort of fellows they were. For. In short,
• 6:28:56
  their history was that this man they called captain was the gunner, only
• 6:29:00
  not the commander, that they had been a trading voyage in which they had
• 6:29:04
  been attacked on shore by some of the Malays, who had killed the captain
• 6:29:08
  and three of his men, and that after the captain was killed, these
• 6:29:12
  men, eleven in number, having resolved to run away with the ship,
• 6:29:17
  brought her to Bengal, leaving the mate and five men more on shore.
• 6:29:22
  Well, let them get the ship how they would. We came honestly by
• 6:29:26
  her as we thought, though we did not I confess examine into things so
• 6:29:30
  exactly as we ought, for we never inquired anything of the seamen, who
• 6:29:34
  would certainly have faltered in their account and contradicted one another somehow or other.
• 6:29:40
  We should have had reason to have suspected them. But the man showed us
• 6:29:44
  a bill of sail for the ship to one Immanuel Clustershoven or some such name,
• 6:29:48
  for I suppose it was all a forgery, and called himself by that
• 6:29:52
  name, and we could not contradict him. And withal having no suspicion of
• 6:29:56
  the thing, we went through with our bargain. We picked up some more
• 6:30:00
  English sailors here after this, and some Dutch, and now we resolved on
• 6:30:04
  the second voyage to the southeast for cloves, et cetera. That is to
• 6:30:08
  say, among the Philippine and Malacca isles. In short, not to fill
• 6:30:12
  up this part of my story with trifles, when what is to come is
• 6:30:17
  so remarkable. I spent from first to last six years in this country,
• 6:30:22
  trading from port to port, backward and forward, and with very good success,
• 6:30:26
  And was now the last year with my new partner, going in the
• 6:30:30
  ship above mentioned on a voyage to China, but designing first to go to
• 6:30:34
  Siam to buy rice. In this voyage, being by contrary winds obliged to
• 6:30:40
  beat up and down a great while in the straits of Malacca and among the
• 6:30:44
  islands, we were no sooner got clear of those difficult seas than we found
• 6:30:48
  our ship had sprung a leak, but could not discover where it was.
• 6:30:52
  This forced us to make some port, and my partner, who knew the
• 6:30:56
  country better than I did, directed the captain to put into the River of
• 6:31:00
  Cambodia, for I had made the English mate one mister Thompson, captain,
• 6:31:04
  not being willing to take the charge of the ship upon myself. This river
• 6:31:10
  lies on the north side of the Great Bay or Gulf, which goes up
• 6:31:12
  to Siam. While we were here and going often on shore for refreshment.
• 6:31:18
  There comes to me one day an englishman, a gunner's mate, on board
• 6:31:22
  an English East India ship, then riding in the same river. Sir says
• 6:31:26
  he, addressing me, You are a stranger to me and I to you.
• 6:31:30
  But I have something to tell you that very nearly concerns you. I
• 6:31:33
  am moved by the imminent danger you are in and for aught. I see
• 6:31:38
  you have no knowledge of it. I know no danger I am in,
• 6:31:41
  said I, but that my ship is leaky and I cannot find it out.
• 6:31:45
  But I intend to lay her aground tomorrow to see if I can find
• 6:31:49
  it. But Sir says he, leaky or not leaky, you will be
• 6:31:53
  wiser than to lay your ship on shore tomorrow when you hear what I have
• 6:31:57
  to say to you. Do you know, oh, sir said he.
• 6:32:00
  The town of Cambodia lies about fifteen leagues up the river, and there are
• 6:32:06
  two large English ships about five leagues on this side, and three Dutch.
• 6:32:11
  Well said I, And what is that to me, why, sir said
• 6:32:14
  he? Is it for a man that is upon such adventures as you are,
• 6:32:18
  to come into a port, and not examine first what ships there are
• 6:32:22
  there, and whether he is able to deal with them. I suppose you
• 6:32:26
  do not think you are a match for them. I could not conceive what
• 6:32:29
  he meant, and I turned short upon him and said, I wish you
• 6:32:33
  would explain yourself. I cannot imagine what reason I have to be afraid of
• 6:32:37
  any of the company's ships or Dutch ships. I am no interloper. What
• 6:32:41
  can they have to say to me? Well, sir, says he with
• 6:32:45
  a smile. If you think yourself secure, you must take your chance.
• 6:32:48
  But take my advice. If you do not put to sea immediately, you
• 6:32:52
  will the very next tide be attacked by five longboats full of men, And
• 6:32:56
  perhaps if you are taken, you will be hanged for a pirate, and
• 6:33:00
  the particulars be examined afterwards, I thought, sir, added he, I
• 6:33:06
  should have met with a better reception than this for doing you a piece of
• 6:33:08
  service of such importance. I can never be ungrateful, said I, for
• 6:33:14
  any service or to any man that offers me any kindness. But it is
• 6:33:18
  past my comprehension what they should have such a design upon me. For.
• 6:33:22
  However, since you say there is no time to be lost, and that
• 6:33:25
  there is some villainous design on hand against me. I will go on board
• 6:33:29
  this minute and put to sea immediately if my men can stop the leak.
• 6:33:33
  But sir said I shall I go away ignorant of the cause of all this?
• 6:33:37
  Can you give me no further light into it? I can tell you
• 6:33:41
  what part of the story, sir, says he. But I have a
• 6:33:45
  Dutch seaman here with me, and I believe I could persuade him to tell
• 6:33:48
  you the rest. But there is scarce time for it. But the short
• 6:33:52
  of the story is this, the first part of which I suppose you know
• 6:33:56
  well enough that you were with this ship at Sumatra, that there your captain
• 6:34:00
  was murdered by the Malays with three of his men, and that you or
• 6:34:04
  some of those that were on board with you ran away with the ship and
• 6:34:08
  are since turned pirates. This is the sum of the story, and you
• 6:34:12
  will all be seized as pirates, I can assure you, and executed with
• 6:34:17
  very little ceremony, For you know, merchant ships show but little law to
• 6:34:21
  pirates if they get them into their power. Now you speak plain English,
• 6:34:25
  said I, and I thank you. And though I know nothing that we
• 6:34:29
  have done like what you talk of, For I am sure we came honestly
• 6:34:33
  and fairly by the ship. Yet seeing such a work is doing as you
• 6:34:37
  say, and that you seem to mean honestly. I will be upon my
• 6:34:41
  guard. Nay, sir says he, do not talk of being upon your
• 6:34:45
  guard. The best defense is to be out of danger. If you have
• 6:34:48
  any regard for your life and the lives of all your men, put to
• 6:34:52
  sea without fail at high water, and as you have a whole tide before
• 6:34:56
  you, you will be gone too far out before they can come down,
• 6:34:59
  for they will come away at high water, and as they have twenty miles
• 6:35:03
  to come, you will get near two hours of them by the difference of
• 6:35:07
  the tide, not reckoning the length of the way. Besides, as they
• 6:35:11
  are only boats and not ships, they will not venture to follow you far
• 6:35:15
  out to sea, especially if it blows. Well, said I, you
• 6:35:18
  have been very kind in this. What shall I do to make you amends?
• 6:35:22
  Sir says he. You may not be willing to make me any amends,
• 6:35:26
  because you may not be convinced of the truth of it. I will
• 6:35:29
  make an offer to you. I have nineteen months paid due to me on
• 6:35:32
  board the ship which I came out of England in, and the Dutchman that
• 6:35:37
  is with me has seven months paid due to him. If you will make
• 6:35:41
  good our pay to us, we will go along with you. If you
• 6:35:44
  find nothing more in it, we will desire no more. But if we
• 6:35:48
  do convince you that we have saved your lives and the ship and the lives
• 6:35:52
  of all the men in her, we will leave the rest to you.
• 6:35:55
  I consented to this readily and went immediately on board, and the two men
• 6:36:00
  with me. As soon as I came to the ship's side, my partner,
• 6:36:03
  who was on board, came out on the quarter deck and called to
• 6:36:07
  me with a great deal of joy. We have stopped the leak. We
• 6:36:11
  have stopped the leak, say you, so, said I, Thank God.
• 6:36:14
  But weigh anchor then immediately way, says he, What do you mean
• 6:36:18
  by that? What is the matter? Ask no questions, said I,
• 6:36:22
  but set all hands to work and weigh without losing a minute. He was
• 6:36:26
  surprised, however, He called the captain, and he immediately ordered the anchor
• 6:36:30
  to be got up. And though the tide was not quite down yet a
• 6:36:33
  little land breeze blowing, we stood out to sea. Then I called him
• 6:36:37
  into the cabin and told him the story. And we called in the men,
• 6:36:41
  and they told us the rest of it. But as it took up
• 6:36:44
  a great deal of time, before we had done, a seaman comes to
• 6:36:47
  the cabin door and called out to us that the captain bade him tell us
• 6:36:51
  we were chased by five sloops or boats full of men. Very well,
• 6:36:55
  said I, then it is apparent there is something in it. I then
• 6:36:59
  ordered all our men to be called up and told them there was a design
• 6:37:02
  to seize the ship and take us for pirates, and asked them if they
• 6:37:06
  would stand by us, and one by another the men answered, cheerfully,
• 6:37:10
  one and all that they would live and die with us. Then I asked
• 6:37:14
  the captain what way he thought was best for us to manage a fight with
• 6:37:18
  them, for resist them. I was resolved we would, and that to
• 6:37:21
  the last drop. He said readily that the way was to keep them off
• 6:37:25
  with our great shot as long as we could, and then to use our
• 6:37:29
  small arms to keep them from boarding us. But when neither of these would
• 6:37:33
  do any longer, we would retire to our close quarters, for perhaps they
• 6:37:37
  had not materials to break open our bulkheads or get in upon us. The
• 6:37:41
  gunner had in the meantime orders to bring two guns to bear fore and aft
• 6:37:47
  out of the steerage, to clear the deck and load them with musket bullets
• 6:37:51
  and small pieces of old iron and what came next to hand. Thus we
• 6:37:55
  made ready for fight. But all this while we kept out to sea with
• 6:37:59
  wind in n line, and could see the boats at a distance, being
• 6:38:03
  five large longboats following us. With all the sail they could make two of
• 6:38:07
  those boats, which by our glasses we could see were English outsailed. The
• 6:38:11
  rest were near two leagues ahead of them, and gained upon us considerably,
• 6:38:17
  so that we found they would come up with us, upon which we fired
• 6:38:19
  a gun without ball to intimate that they should bring two, and we put
• 6:38:25
  out a flag of truce as a signal for parley. But they came crowding
• 6:38:29
  after us till within shot when we took in our white flag, they having
• 6:38:33
  made no answer to it, and hung out a red flag and fired at
• 6:38:37
  them with a shot. Notwithstanding this, they came on till they were near
• 6:38:41
  enough to call them with a speaking trumpet, bidding them keep off. At
• 6:38:44
  their peril. It was all one. They crowded after us, and endeavored
• 6:38:48
  to come under our stern so as to board us on our quarter, upon
• 6:38:52
  which, seeing they were resolute for mischief and depended upon the strength that followed
• 6:38:57
  them, I ordered to ring the ship too, so that they lay upon
• 6:39:02
  our broadside, when immediately we fired five guns at them, one of which
• 6:39:07
  had been leveled so true as to carry away the stern of the hindermost boat,
• 6:39:11
  And we then forced them to take down their sail and to run all
• 6:39:15
  to the head of the boat to keep her from sinking. So she lay
• 6:39:18
  by and had enough of it, But seeing the foremost boat crowd on after
• 6:39:22
  us, we made ready to fire at her. In particular, while this
• 6:39:26
  was doing, one of the three boats that followed made up to the boat
• 6:39:30
  which we had disabled to relieve her, and we could see her take out
• 6:39:33
  the men. We then called again to the foremost boat and offered a truce
• 6:39:37
  to parley again and to know what her business was with us, but had
• 6:39:41
  no answer. Only she crowded close under our stern. Upon this our gunner,
• 6:39:45
  who was a very dexterous fellow, ran out his two case guns and
• 6:39:49
  fired again at her, but the shot missing. The men in the boat
• 6:39:53
  shouted, waved their caps and came on. The gunner, getting quickly ready,
• 6:39:57
  again fired among them them a second time, one shot of which,
• 6:40:02
  though it missed the boat itself, yet fell in among the men, and
• 6:40:06
  we could easily see did a great deal of mischief among them. We now
• 6:40:10
  wore the ship again and brought our quarter to bear upon them, and firing
• 6:40:14
  three guns more, we found the boat was almost split to pieces. In
• 6:40:18
  particular, her rudder and a piece of her stern were shot quite away,
• 6:40:22
  so they handed her sail immediately and were in great disorder. To complete their
• 6:40:26
  misfortune, our gunner let fly two guns at them again. Where he hit
• 6:40:32
  them we could not tell, but we found that the boat was sinking,
• 6:40:34
  and some of the men already in the water. Upon this I immediately manned
• 6:40:40
  out our pinnace with orders to pick up some of the men if they could,
• 6:40:42
  and save them from drowning, and immediately come on board ship with them.
• 6:40:48
  Because we saw the rest of the boats began to come up. Our
• 6:40:51
  men in the pinnace followed their orders and took up three men, one of
• 6:40:55
  whom was just drowning. And it was a good while before we could recover
• 6:40:59
  him. As soon as they were on board, we crowded all the sail
• 6:41:02
  we could make and stood farther out to the sea. And we found that
• 6:41:06
  when the other boats came up to the first, they gave over their chase,
• 6:41:11
  being thus delivered from a danger, which, though I knew not the
• 6:41:14
  reason of it, yet seemed to be much greater than I apprehended. I
• 6:41:18
  resolved that we should change our course and not let anyone know whither we were
• 6:41:22
  going. So we stood out to sea eastward, quite out of the course
• 6:41:26
  of all European ships, whether they were bound to China or anywhere else within
• 6:41:30
  the commerce of the European nations. When we were at sea, we began
• 6:41:34
  to consult with the two seamen and inquire what the meaning of all this should
• 6:41:38
  be. And the Dutchmen confirmed the gunner's story about the false sail of the
• 6:41:42
  ship and of the murder of the captain, and also how that he,
• 6:41:47
  this Dutchman and four more got into the woods, where they wandered about a
• 6:41:51
  great while, till at length he made his escape and swam off to a
• 6:41:55
  Dutch ship which was sailing near the shore in its way from China. He
• 6:42:00
  then told us that he went to Batavia, where two of the seamen belonging
• 6:42:03
  to the ship arrived, having deserted the rest in their travels, and gave
• 6:42:07
  an account that the fellow who had run away with the ship sold her at
• 6:42:11
  Bengal to a set of pirates who were gone a cruising in her, and
• 6:42:15
  that they had already taken an English ship and two Dutch ships very richly laden.
• 6:42:19
  This latter part we found to concern us directly, though we knew it
• 6:42:23
  to be false. Yet, as my partner said, very justly, if
• 6:42:27
  we had fallen into their hands, and they had had such a prepossession against
• 6:42:32
  us beforehand, it had been in vain for us to have defended ourselves or
• 6:42:37
  to hope for any good quarter at their hands, especially considering that our accusers
• 6:42:41
  had been our judges, and that we could have expected nothing from them,
• 6:42:45
  but what rage would have dictated and an ungoverned passion have executed. Therefore,
• 6:42:51
  it was his opinion we should go directly back to Bengal from whence we came,
• 6:42:56
  without putting in at any port whatever, because where we could give a
• 6:43:00
  good account of ourselves, could prove where we were when the ship put in,
• 6:43:03
  of whom we bought her and the like, and what was more than
• 6:43:07
  all the rest, if we were put upon the necessity of bringing it before
• 6:43:11
  the proper judges, we should be sure to have some justice, and not
• 6:43:15
  to be hanged first and judged afterwards. I was some time of my partner's
• 6:43:21
  opinion, but after a little more serious thinking, I told him I thought
• 6:43:25
  it was a very great hazard for us to attempt returning to Bengal, for
• 6:43:29
  that we were on the wrong side of the Straits of Malacca, and that
• 6:43:32
  if the alarm was given, we should be sure to be waylaid on every
• 6:43:36
  side. That if we should be taken as it were running away, we
• 6:43:41
  should even condemn ourselves, and there would want no more evidence to destroy us.
• 6:43:45
  I also asked the English sailor's opinion, who said he was of my
• 6:43:49
  mind, and that we certainly should be taken. This danger A little startled
• 6:43:53
  my partner and all the ship's company, and we immediately resolved to go away
• 6:43:59
  to the coast of Tonquin, and so on to the coast of China,
• 6:44:03
  and pursuing the first design as to trade, find some way or other to
• 6:44:07
  dispose of the ship, and come back in some of the vessels of the
• 6:44:10
  country such as we could get. This was approved of as the best method
• 6:44:14
  for our security, and accordingly we steered away north northeast, keeping above fifty
• 6:44:18
  leagues off from the usual course to the eastward. This, however, put
• 6:44:23
  us to some inconvenience. For first, the winds when we came that distance
• 6:44:27
  from the shore seemed to be more steadily against us, blowing almost trade as
• 6:44:33
  we call it, from the east and east northeast, so that we were
• 6:44:36
  a long while upon our voyage, and we were but ill provided with victuals
• 6:44:41
  for so long a run. And what was still worse, there was some
• 6:44:44
  danger that those English and Dutch ships whose boats pursued us, whereof some were
• 6:44:48
  bound that way, might have got in before us, and if not,
• 6:44:52
  some other ship bound to China might have information of us from them and pursue
• 6:44:57
  us with the same vigor. I must confess I was now very uneasy,
• 6:45:02
  and thought myself, including the late escape from the longboats, to have been
• 6:45:07
  in the most dangerous condition that ever I was in through my past life.
• 6:45:11
  For whatever ill circumstances I had been in, I was never pursued for a
• 6:45:15
  thief before, nor had I ever done anything that merited the name of dishonest
• 6:45:19
  or fraudulent, much less thievish. I had chiefly been my own enemy,
• 6:45:25
  or, as I may rightly say, I had been nobody's enemy but my
• 6:45:27
  own. But now I was woefully embarrassed, for though I was perfectly innocent,
• 6:45:33
  I was in no condition to make that innocence appear. And if I
• 6:45:37
  had been taken, it had been under a supposed guilt of the worst kind.
• 6:45:41
  This made me very anxious to make an escape, though which way to
• 6:45:45
  do it I knew not, or what port or place we could go to.
• 6:45:48
  My partner endeavored to encourage me by describing the several ports of that coast,
• 6:45:53
  and told me he would put in on the coast of Cochin, China,
• 6:45:57
  or the Bay of Tonquin, intending afterwards to go to Macau, where
• 6:46:02
  a great many European families resided, and particularly the missionary priests, who usually
• 6:46:07
  went thither in order to their going forward to China. Hither then we resolved
• 6:46:14
  to go, and accordingly, though after a tedious course and very much straightened
• 6:46:18
  for provisions, we came within sight of the coast very early in the morning,
• 6:46:22
  and upon reflection on the past circumstances of danger we were in, we
• 6:46:26
  resolved to put into a small river, which however had depth enough of water
• 6:46:32
  for us, and to see if we could, either overland or by the
• 6:46:36
  ship's pennace, come to know what ships were in any port thereabouts. This
• 6:46:41
  happy step was indeed our deliverance, for though we did not immediately see any
• 6:46:45
  European ships in the Bay of Tonquin, yet the next morning there came into
• 6:46:49
  the bay two Dutch ships, and a third without any colors spread out,
• 6:46:55
  but which we believed to be a Dutchman, passed by at about two leagues
• 6:46:59
  distance, seering for the coast of China, and in the afternoon went by
• 6:47:03
  two English ships steering the same course. And thus we thought we saw ourselves
• 6:47:07
  beset with enemies, both one way and the other. The place we were
• 6:47:11
  in was wild and barbarous. The people thieves by occupation, And though it
• 6:47:15
  is true we had not much to seek of them, and except getting a
• 6:47:19
  few provisions, cared not how little we had to do with them. Yet
• 6:47:23
  it was with much difficulty that we kept ourselves from being insulted by them.
• 6:47:27
  Several ways we were in a small river of this country, within a few
• 6:47:33
  leagues of its utmost limits northward, and by our boat we coasted northeast to
• 6:47:37
  the point of land which opens the great Bay of Tonquin. And it was
• 6:47:41
  in this beating up along the shore that we discovered we were surrounded with enemies.
• 6:47:45
  The people we were among were the most barbarous of all the inhabitants of
• 6:47:49
  the coast. And among other customs they have this one that if any vessel
• 6:47:55
  has the misfortune to be shipwrecked upon their coast, they make them in all
• 6:47:59
  prisoners or slaves. And it was not long before we found a spice of
• 6:48:03
  their kindness this way. On the occasion following I have observed above that our
• 6:48:08
  ship sprung a leak at sea, and that we could not find it out.
• 6:48:11
  And it happened that, as I have said, it was stopped unexpectedly
• 6:48:15
  on the eve of our being pursued by the Dutch and English ships in the
• 6:48:19
  Bay of Siam. Yet, as we did not find the ship so perfectly
• 6:48:23
  tight and sound as we desired, we resolved while we were at this place
• 6:48:27
  to lay her on shore and clean her bottom, and if possible, to
• 6:48:32
  find out where the leaks were. Accordingly, having lightened the ship and brought
• 6:48:37
  all our guns and other movables to one side. We tried to bring her
• 6:48:41
  down that we might come at her bottom, but on second thoughts, we
• 6:48:45
  did not care to lay her on dry ground, neither could we find out
• 6:48:48
  a proper place for it. End of Chapter eleven, Chapter twelve, The
• 6:48:55
  Carpenter's whimsical Contrivance. The inhabitants came one down the shore to look at us,
• 6:49:02
  and seeing the ship lie down on one side in such a manner,
• 6:49:04
  and heeling in towards the shore, and not seeing our men who were at
• 6:49:08
  work on her bottom with stages and with their boats on the off side,
• 6:49:12
  they presently concluded that the ship was cast away and lay fast on the ground.
• 6:49:18
  On this supposition, they came about us in two or three hours time
• 6:49:22
  with ten or twelve large boats, having some of them eight some ten men
• 6:49:26
  in a boat, intending no doubt to have come on board and plundered the
• 6:49:30
  ship, and if they found us there, to have carried us away for
• 6:49:34
  slaves. When they came up to the ship and began to row round her,
• 6:49:40
  they discovered us all hard at work on the outside of the ship's bottom
• 6:49:42
  and side, washing and graving, and stopping, as every seafaring man knows
• 6:49:48
  how, they stood for a while gazing at us, and we, who
• 6:49:52
  were a little surprised, could not imagine what their design was, But being
• 6:49:56
  willing to be sure, we took this opportunity to to get some of us
• 6:50:00
  into the ship, and others to hand down arms and ammunition to those that
• 6:50:04
  were at work to defend themselves with if there should be occasion, and it
• 6:50:10
  was no more than need for. In less than a quarter of an hour's
• 6:50:12
  consultation, they agreed, it seems that the ship was really a wreck,
• 6:50:18
  and that we were all at work endeavoring to save her, or to save
• 6:50:21
  our lives by the help of our boats. And when we handed our arms
• 6:50:25
  into the boat, they concluded by that act that we were endeavoring to save
• 6:50:30
  some of our goods. Upon this they took it for granted we all belonged
• 6:50:33
  to them, and away they came directly upon our men, as if it
• 6:50:37
  had been in a line of battle. Our men, seeing so many of
• 6:50:42
  them, began to be frightened, for we lay but in an ill posture
• 6:50:45
  to fight, and cried out to us to know what they should do.
• 6:50:49
  I immediately called to the men that worked upon the stages to slip them down
• 6:50:55
  and get up the side into the ship, and bade those in the boat
• 6:50:59
  to row round and come on board. The few who were on board worked
• 6:51:03
  with all the strength and hands we had to bring the ship to rights.
• 6:51:06
  However, neither the men upon the stages nor those in the boats could do
• 6:51:10
  as they were ordered before the coachin Chinese were upon them, when two of
• 6:51:15
  their boats boarded our longboat and began to lay hold of the men as their
• 6:51:18
  prisoners. The first man they laid hold of was an English seaman, a
• 6:51:22
  stout, strong fellow, who, having a musket in his hand, never
• 6:51:26
  offered to fire it, but laid it down in the boat like a fool,
• 6:51:30
  as I thought. But he understood his business better than I could teach
• 6:51:33
  him, for he grappled the pagan and dragged him by main force out of
• 6:51:37
  their boat into ours, where, taking him by the ears, he beat
• 6:51:41
  his head so against the boat's gunnal that the fellow died in his hands.
• 6:51:45
  In the meantime, a Dutchman who stood next, took up the musket,
• 6:51:48
  and, with the butt end of it, so laid about him that he
• 6:51:52
  knocked down five of them who attempted to enter the boat, But this was
• 6:51:56
  doing little towards resisting thirty or forty men, who, fearless, because ignorant
• 6:52:00
  of their danger, began to throw themselves into the long boat, where we
• 6:52:04
  had but five men in all to defend it. But the following accident,
• 6:52:10
  which deserved our laughter, gave our men a complete victory. Our carpenter,
• 6:52:15
  being prepared to grave the outside of the ship as well as to pay the
• 6:52:18
  seams where he had calked her to stop the leaks, had got two kettles
• 6:52:22
  just let down into the boat, one filled with boiling pitch and the other
• 6:52:27
  with rosin tallow and oil and such stuff as the shipwrights used for that work.
• 6:52:33
  And the man that attended the carpenter had a great iron ladle in his
• 6:52:36
  hand with which he supplied the men that were at work with the hot stuff.
• 6:52:41
  Two of the enemy's men entered the boat just where this fellow stood in
• 6:52:44
  the fore sheets. He immediately saluted them with a ladle full of the stuff
• 6:52:48
  boiling hot, which so burned and scalded them, being half naked, that
• 6:52:52
  they roared out like bulls, and, enraged with the fire, leaped both
• 6:52:56
  into the sea. The carpenter saw it and cried out, well done,
• 6:53:00
  Jack, give them some more of it, and stepping forward himself, takes
• 6:53:04
  one of the mops, and dipping it in the pitch pot, he and
• 6:53:07
  his man threw it among them so plentifully that in short of all the men
• 6:53:12
  in the three boats, there was not one that escaped, being scalded in
• 6:53:15
  a most frightful manner, and made such a howling and crying that I never
• 6:53:21
  heard a worse noise. I was never better pleased with a victory in my
• 6:53:26
  life, not only as it was a perfect surprise to me, and that
• 6:53:30
  our danger was imminent before, but as we got this victory without any bloodshed,
• 6:53:34
  except of that man the seaman killed with his naked hands, and which
• 6:53:38
  I was very much concerned at. Although it may be a just thing because
• 6:53:42
  necessary, for there is no necessary wickedness in nature, yet I thought it
• 6:53:48
  was a sad sort of life when we must be always obliged to be killing
• 6:53:52
  our fellow creatures to preserve ourselves. And indeed I think so still, and
• 6:53:57
  I would even now suffer a great deal rather than I would take away the
• 6:54:02
  life, even of the worst person injuring me and I believe all considering people
• 6:54:06
  who know the value of life would be of my opinion if they entered seriously
• 6:54:11
  into the consideration of it. All the while this was doing, my partner
• 6:54:15
  and I, who managed the rest of the men on board, had with
• 6:54:19
  great dexterity, brought the ship almost to rights, and having got the guns
• 6:54:23
  into their places again, the gunner called to me to bid our boat to
• 6:54:27
  get out of the way, for he would let fly among them. I
• 6:54:32
  called back again to him and bid him not offer to fire, for the
• 6:54:36
  carpenter would do the work without him, but bid him heat another pitch kettle,
• 6:54:40
  which our cook, who was on board, took care of. However,
• 6:54:44
  the enemy was so terrified with what they had met with in their first
• 6:54:47
  attack that they would not come on again, and some of them who were
• 6:54:51
  farthest off, seeing the ship swim as it were upright, began as we
• 6:54:56
  supposed to see their mistake, and gave over the enterprise, finding it was
• 6:55:00
  not as they expected. Thus we got clear of this merry fight, and
• 6:55:04
  having got some rice and some roots and bread, with about sixteen hogs on
• 6:55:10
  board two days before, we resolved to stay here no longer, but go
• 6:55:14
  forward whatever came of it, for we made no doubt but we should be
• 6:55:18
  surrounded the next day with rogues, enough, perhaps more than our pitch kettle
• 6:55:22
  would dispose of for us. We therefore got all our things on board the
• 6:55:26
  same evening, and the next morning were ready to sail. In the meantime,
• 6:55:32
  lying at anchor some distance from the shore, we were not so much
• 6:55:34
  concerned, being now in a fighting posture as well as in a sailing posture,
• 6:55:40
  if any enemy had presented. The next day, having finished our work
• 6:55:44
  within board, and finding our ship was perfectly healed of all her leaks,
• 6:55:48
  we set sail. We should have gone into the Bay of Tonquin, for
• 6:55:52
  we wanted to inform ourselves of what was to be known concerning the Dutch ships
• 6:55:56
  that had been there. But we durst not stand in there, because we
• 6:56:00
  had seen several ships go in as we supposed but a little before. So
• 6:56:04
  we kept on northeast towards the island of Formosa, as much afraid of being
• 6:56:10
  seen by a Dutch or English merchant ship as a Dutch or English merchant ship
• 6:56:15
  in the Mediterranean is of an Algerine man of war. When we were thus
• 6:56:18
  got to sea, we kept on northeast as if we would go to the
• 6:56:22
  Manilas or the Philippine Islands. And this we did that we might not fall
• 6:56:26
  into the way of any of the European ships. And then we steered north
• 6:56:30
  till we came to the latitude of twenty two degrees thirty seconds, by which
• 6:56:36
  means we made the island of Formosa directly where we came to an anchor in
• 6:56:40
  order to get water and fresh provisions, which the people there, who are
• 6:56:44
  very courteous in their manners, supplied us with willingly and dealt very fairly and
• 6:56:49
  punctually with us in all their agreements and bargains. This is what we did
• 6:56:53
  not find among other people, and may be owing to the remains of Christianity,
• 6:56:57
  which was once planted here by a Dutch missionary of Protestants. And it
• 6:57:02
  is a testimony of what I have often observed, viz. That the Christian
• 6:57:06
  religion always civilizes the people and reforms their manners where it is received, whether
• 6:57:11
  it works saving effects upon them or no. From thence we sailed still north,
• 6:57:18
  keeping the coast of China at an equal distance, till we knew we
• 6:57:22
  were beyond all the ports of China, where our European ships usually come,
• 6:57:26
  being resolved if possible, not to fall into any of their hands, especially
• 6:57:30
  in this country, where as our circumstances were, we could not fail of
• 6:57:34
  being entirely ruined. Being now come to the latitude of thirty degrees, we
• 6:57:40
  resolved to put into the first trading port we should come at, and standing
• 6:57:45
  in for the shore, a boat came of two leagues to us, with
• 6:57:48
  an old Portuguese pilot on board, who, knowing us to be a European
• 6:57:52
  ship, came to offer his service, which indeed we were glad of,
• 6:57:56
  and took him on board, upon which, without asking us whither we would
• 6:58:00
  go, he dismissed the boat, he came in and sent it back.
• 6:58:04
  I thought it was now so much in our choice to make the old man
• 6:58:07
  carry us whither we would that I began to talk to him about carrying us
• 6:58:11
  to the Gulf of Nankin, which is the most northern part of the coast
• 6:58:15
  of China. The old man said he knew the Gulf of Nankeen very well,
• 6:58:19
  but smiling asked us what we would do there. I told him we
• 6:58:23
  would sell our cargo and purchase China wares, calicoes, raw silks, tea,
• 6:58:29
  wrought silks, et cetera, and so we would return by the same
• 6:58:33
  course we came. He told us our best port would have been to put
• 6:58:36
  in at Macau, where we could not have failed of a market for our
• 6:58:40
  opium to our satisfaction, and might for our money have purchased all sorts of
• 6:58:44
  China goods as cheap as we could at Nankeen. Not being able to put
• 6:58:48
  the old man out of his talk, of which he was very opinionated or
• 6:58:52
  conceited, I told him we were gentlemen as well as merchants, and that
• 6:58:57
  we had a mind to go and see the great city of Pequin and the
• 6:59:00
  famous court of the Monarch of China. Why, then, says the old
• 6:59:04
  man, you should go to Ningpo, where by the river which runs into
• 6:59:08
  the sea. There you may go up within five leagues of the great Canal.
• 6:59:12
  This canal is a navigable stream which goes through the heart of that vast
• 6:59:18
  empire of China, crosses all the rivers, passes some considerable hills by the
• 6:59:22
  help of sluices and gates, and goes up to the city of Pequen,
• 6:59:26
  being in length near two hundred and seventy leagues, well, said I signor
• 6:59:32
  Portuguese. But that is not our business now. The great question is if
• 6:59:36
  you can carry us up to the city of Nankin, from whence we can
• 6:59:40
  travel to Pequin afterwards. He said he could do so very well, and
• 6:59:44
  that there was a great Dutch ship gone up that way just before. This
• 6:59:48
  gave me a little shock, for a Dutch ship was now our terror,
• 6:59:52
  and we had much rather have met the devil, at least if he had
• 6:59:55
  not come into frightful a figure. And we depended upon it that a Dutch
• 6:59:59
  ship would be our destruction, for we were in no condition to fight them,
• 7:00:03
  all the ships they trade with into those parts, being of great burden
• 7:00:07
  and of much greater force than we were. The old man found me a
• 7:00:11
  little confused and under some concern when he named a Dutch ship, and said
• 7:00:15
  to me, sir, you need be under no apprehensions of the Dutch.
• 7:00:19
  I suppose they are not now at war with your nation. No, said
• 7:00:23
  I, that's true, but I know not what Liberty's men may take when
• 7:00:27
  they are out of the reach of the laws of their own country. Why
• 7:00:30
  says he, you are no pirates, what need you fear they will not
• 7:00:34
  meddle with peaceable merchants. Sure these words put me into the greatest disorder and
• 7:00:40
  confusion imaginable, Nor was it possible for me to conceal it. So but
• 7:00:45
  the old Man easily perceived it. Sir, says he, I find you
• 7:00:49
  are in some disorder in your thoughts at my talk. Pray be pleased to
• 7:00:53
  go which way you think fit, and depend upon it. I'll do you
• 7:00:57
  all the service I can. Upon this we fell into further discourse, in
• 7:01:03
  which, to my alarm and amazement, he spoke of the villainous doings of
• 7:01:07
  a certain pirate ship that had long been the talk of mariners in those seas,
• 7:01:11
  no other, in a word, than the very ship he was now
• 7:01:14
  on board of, and which we had so unluckily purchased. I presently saw
• 7:01:18
  there was no help for it but to tell him the plain truth, and
• 7:01:22
  explain all the danger and trouble we had suffered through this misadventure, and in
• 7:01:26
  particular our earnest wish to be speedily quit of the ship altogether, for which
• 7:01:32
  reason we had resolved to carry her up to Nankin. The old Man was
• 7:01:37
  amazed at this relation, and told us we were in the right to go
• 7:01:41
  away to the north, and that if he might advise us, it should
• 7:01:44
  be to sell the ship in China, which we might well do, and
• 7:01:48
  buy or build another in the country, adding that I should meet with customers
• 7:01:52
  enough for the ship at Nankin, that a Chinese junk would serve me very
• 7:01:56
  well to go back again, and that he would procure me people both to
• 7:02:00
  buy one and sell the other. Well. But Signor said I, as
• 7:02:03
  you say they know the ship so well, I may, perhaps, if
• 7:02:07
  I follow your measures, be instrumental to bring some honest, innocent men into
• 7:02:11
  a terrible broil. For wherever they find the ship, they will prove the
• 7:02:15
  guilt upon the men by proving this was the ship. Why, says the
• 7:02:18
  old man, I'll find out a way to prevent that, For as I
• 7:02:22
  know all those commanders you speak of very well, and shall see them all
• 7:02:26
  as they pass by, I will be sure to set them to rights in
• 7:02:30
  the thing, and let them know that they had been so much in the
• 7:02:33
  wrong, that though the people who were on board at first might run away
• 7:02:37
  with the ship, yet it was not true that they had turned pirates,
• 7:02:41
  and that in particular these were not the men that first went off with the
• 7:02:45
  ship, but innocently bought her for their trade. And I am persuaded they
• 7:02:49
  will so far believe me as at least to act more cautiously for the time
• 7:02:53
  to come. In about thirteen days sail, we came to an anchor at
• 7:02:59
  the southwest point of the great Gulf of Nankin, where I learned by accidents
• 7:03:03
  that two Dutch ships were gone the length before me, and that I should
• 7:03:07
  certainly fall into their hands. I consulted my partner again in this exigency,
• 7:03:11
  and he was as much at a loss as I was. I then asked
• 7:03:15
  the old pilot if there was no creek or harbor which I might put into
• 7:03:19
  and pursue my business with the Chinese privately and be in no danger of the
• 7:03:23
  enemy. He told me, if I would sail to the southward, about
• 7:03:27
  forty two leagues, there was a little port called qing Chang, where the
• 7:03:32
  fathers of the mission usually landed from Macau on their progress to teach the Christian
• 7:03:37
  religion to the Chinese, where no European ships ever put in. And if
• 7:03:41
  I thought to put in there, I might consider what further course to take.
• 7:03:45
  When I was on shore, he confessed. He said it was not
• 7:03:48
  a place for merchants, except that at some certain times they had a kind
• 7:03:52
  of fare there when the merchants from Japan came over thither to buy Chinese merchandises.
• 7:03:59
  The name of the port I may perhaps spell wrong, having lost this
• 7:04:02
  together with the names of many other places, set down in a little pocket
• 7:04:06
  book which was spoiled by the water by an accident. But this I remember
• 7:04:11
  that the Chinese merchants we corresponded with called it by a different name from that
• 7:04:15
  which our Portuguese pilot gave it, who pronounced it quin chang. As we
• 7:04:19
  were unanimous in our resolution to go to this place, we weighed the next
• 7:04:23
  day, having only gone twice on shore, where we were to get fresh
• 7:04:27
  water, on both which occasions the people of the country were very civil and
• 7:04:33
  brought abundance of provisions to sell to us, but nothing without money. We
• 7:04:37
  did not come to the other port, the wind being contrary, for five
• 7:04:41
  days, but it was very much to our satisfaction, and I was thankful
• 7:04:45
  when I set my foot on shore, resolving, and my partner too,
• 7:04:49
  that if it was possible to dispose of ourselves and effects any other way,
• 7:04:55
  though not profitably, we should never more set foot on board that unhappy vessel.
• 7:05:00
  Indeed, I must acknowledge that of all the circumstances of life that ever
• 7:05:03
  I had any experience of, nothing makes mankind so completely miserable as that of
• 7:05:10
  being in constant fear. Well does the scripture say the fear of man brings
• 7:05:15
  us snare? It is a life of death, and the mind is so
• 7:05:18
  entirely oppressed by it that it is capable of no relief. Nor did it
• 7:05:23
  fail of its usual operations upon the fancy by heightening every danger, representing the
• 7:05:30
  English and Dutch captains to be men incapable of hearing reason, or of distinguishing
• 7:05:34
  between honest men or rogues, or between a story calculated for our own turn,
• 7:05:40
  made out of nothing on purpose to deceive, and a true genuine account
• 7:05:45
  of our whole voyage, progress and design. For we might many ways have
• 7:05:48
  convinced any reasonable creatures that we were not pirates. The goods we had on
• 7:05:53
  board, the course we steered, are frankly showing ourselves and entering into such
• 7:05:59
  and such port, and even our very manner, the force we had,
• 7:06:02
  the number of men, the few arms, the little ammunition, short provisions.
• 7:06:07
  All these would have served to convince any men that we were no pirates.
• 7:06:11
  The opium and other goods we had on board would make it appear the
• 7:06:14
  ship had been at Bengal. The Dutchmen, who it was said, had
• 7:06:18
  the names of all the men that were in the ship, might easily see
• 7:06:22
  that we were a mixture of English, Portuguese and Indians, and but two
• 7:06:26
  dutchmen on board. These and many other particular circumstances might have made it evident
• 7:06:30
  to the understanding of any commander whose hands we might fall into, that we
• 7:06:36
  were no pirates. But fear that blind, useless passion worked another way and
• 7:06:41
  threw us into the vapors. It bewildered our understandings and set the imagination at
• 7:06:47
  work to form a thousand terrible things that perhaps might never happen. We first
• 7:06:52
  supposed, as indeed everybody had related to us, that the seamen on board
• 7:06:56
  the English and Dutch ships, but especially the Dutch, were so enraged at
• 7:07:00
  the name of a pirate, and especially at our beating off their boats and
• 7:07:04
  escaping, that they would not give themselves leave to inquire whether we were pirates
• 7:07:10
  or no, but would execute us off hand, without giving us any room
• 7:07:15
  for a defense. We reflected that there really was so much apparent evidence before
• 7:07:19
  them that they would scarce inquire after any more, as first that the ship
• 7:07:25
  was certainly the same, and that some of the seamen among them knew her
• 7:07:29
  and had been on board her. And secondly that when we had intelligence of
• 7:07:33
  the River of Cambodia that they were coming down to examine us, we fought
• 7:07:37
  their boats and fled. Therefore, we made no doubt but that they were
• 7:07:41
  as fully satisfied of our being pirates as we were satisfied of the contrary.
• 7:07:45
  And as I often said, I know not, but I should have been
• 7:07:49
  apt to have taken those circumstances for evidence if the tables were turned and my
• 7:07:55
  case was theirs, and have made no scruple of cutting all the crew to
• 7:07:59
  pieces without believing or perhaps considering what they might have to offer in their defense.
• 7:08:04
  But let that be how it will. These were our apprehensions, and
• 7:08:08
  both my partner and I scarce slept a night without dreaming of halters and yard
• 7:08:14
  arms, of fighting and being taken, of killing and being killed. And
• 7:08:18
  one night I was in such a fury in my dream fancying the Dutchmen had
• 7:08:22
  boarded us, and I was knocking one of their seamen down, that I
• 7:08:26
  struck my doubled fist against the side of the cabin. I lay in with
• 7:08:30
  such a force as wounded my hand, grievously broke my knuckles, and cut
• 7:08:33
  and bruised the flesh, so that it awaked me out of my sleep.
• 7:08:37
  Another apprehension I had was the cruel usage we might meet with from them if
• 7:08:41
  we fell into their hands. Then the story of Amboyna came into my head,
• 7:08:47
  and how the Dutch might perhaps torture us as they did our countrymen there,
• 7:08:51
  and make some of our men, by extremity of torture, confess to
• 7:08:55
  crimes they never were guilty of, or owned themselves, and all of us
• 7:08:59
  to be pirates, and so they would put us to death with a formal
• 7:09:03
  appearance of justice. And that they might be tempted to do this for the
• 7:09:06
  gain of our ship and cargo worth altogether four or five thousand pounds. We
• 7:09:11
  did not consider that the captains of ships have no authority to act thus,
• 7:09:15
  and if we had surrendered prisoners to them, they could not answer the destroying
• 7:09:21
  us or torturing us, but would be accountable for it when they came to
• 7:09:23
  their country. However, if they were to act thus with us, what
• 7:09:27
  advantage would it be to us that they should be called to an account for
• 7:09:32
  it? Or if we were first to be murdered, what satisfaction would it
• 7:09:36
  be to us to have them punished when they came home. I cannot refrain
• 7:09:40
  taking notice here what reflections I had now upon the vast variety of my particular
• 7:09:45
  circumstances. How hard I thought it that I, who had spent forty years
• 7:09:49
  in a life of continual difficulties, and was at last come, as it
• 7:09:53
  were, to the port or haven which all men drive at viz. To
• 7:09:57
  have rest and plenty, sh be a volunteer in new sorrows by my own
• 7:10:02
  unhappy choice, And that I, who had escaped so many dangers in my
• 7:10:07
  youth, should now come to be hanged in my old age, and in
• 7:10:11
  so remote a place, for a crime which I was not in the least
• 7:10:14
  inclined to, much less guilty of. After these thoughts, something of religion
• 7:10:18
  would come in, and I would be considering that this seemed to me to
• 7:10:22
  be a disposition of immediate providence, And I ought to look upon it and
• 7:10:26
  submit to it as such. For although I was innocent as to men,
• 7:10:32
  I was far from being innocent as to my maker. And I ought to
• 7:10:34
  look in and examine what other crimes in my life were most obvious to me,
• 7:10:40
  and for which Providence might justly inflict this punishment as a retribution. And
• 7:10:45
  thus I ought to submit to this just as I would to a shipwreck,
• 7:10:48
  if it had pleased God to have brought such a disaster upon me. In
• 7:10:52
  its turn, natural courage would sometimes take its place, and then I would
• 7:10:57
  be talking myself up to vicarious resolutions. That I would not be taken to
• 7:11:02
  be barbarously used by a parcel of merciless wretches in cold blood. That it
• 7:11:07
  were much better to have fallen into the hands of the savages, though I
• 7:11:11
  were sure they would feast upon me when they had taken me, than those
• 7:11:14
  who would perhaps glut their rage upon me by inhuman tortures and barbarities. That
• 7:11:18
  in the case of the savages, I always resolved to die fighting to the
• 7:11:22
  last gasp, and why should I not do so now? Whenever these thoughts
• 7:11:26
  prevailed, I was sure to put myself into a kind of fever with the
• 7:11:30
  agitation of a supposed fight, my blood would boil and my eyes sparkle as
• 7:11:36
  if I was engaged, and I always resolved to take no quarter at their
• 7:11:40
  hands. But even at last, if I could resist no longer, I
• 7:11:44
  would blow up the ship and all that was in her, and leave them
• 7:11:48
  but little booty to boast of. End of Chapter twelve, Chapter thirteen,
• 7:11:55
  arrival in China. The greater weight, the anxieties, and per perplexities of
• 7:12:00
  these things were to our thoughts while we were at sea. The greater was
• 7:12:03
  our satisfaction when we saw ourselves on shore. And my partner told me he
• 7:12:08
  dreamed that he had a very heavy load upon his back, which he was
• 7:12:11
  to carry up a hill, and found that he was not able to stand
• 7:12:15
  longer under it, but that the Portuguese pilot came and took it off his
• 7:12:19
  back, and the hill disappeared, the ground before him appearing all smooth and
• 7:12:23
  plain. And truly it was so, they were all like men who had
• 7:12:29
  a load taken off their backs. For my part, I had a weight
• 7:12:32
  taken off from my heart that it was not able any longer to bear,
• 7:12:36
  And as I said above, we resolved to go no more to sea in
• 7:12:38
  that ship. When we came on shore, the old pilot, who was
• 7:12:42
  now our friend, got us a lodging together with a warehouse for our goods.
• 7:12:47
  It was a little hut with a larger house adjoining to it, built
• 7:12:51
  and also palacadoed round with canes to keep out pilferers, of which there were
• 7:12:56
  not a few in that country. However, the magistrates allowed us little guard,
• 7:13:00
  and we had a soldier with a kind of half pike, who stood
• 7:13:03
  sentinel at our door, to whom we allowed a pint of rice and a
• 7:13:07
  piece of money, about the value of three pence per day, so that
• 7:13:11
  our goods were kept very safe. The fair or mart usually kept at this
• 7:13:15
  place had been over some time. However, we found that there were three
• 7:13:19
  or four junks in the river, and two ships from Japan with goods which
• 7:13:23
  they had bought in China and were not gone away. Having some Japanese merchants
• 7:13:29
  on shore. The first thing our old Portuguese pilot did for us was to
• 7:13:33
  get us acquainted with three missionary Romish priests who were in the town, and
• 7:13:37
  who had been there some time converting the people to Christianity. But we thought
• 7:13:42
  they made but poor work of it, and made them but sorry Christians when
• 7:13:47
  they had done. One of these was a Frenchman whom they called Father Simon,
• 7:13:51
  another was a Portuguese, and a third a Genoese. Father Simon was
• 7:13:55
  courteous and very agreeable company, but the other two were more reserved, seemed
• 7:14:00
  rigid and austere, and applied seriously to the work. They came about,
• 7:14:04
  viz. To talk with and insinuate themselves among the inhabitants wherever they had opportunity.
• 7:14:11
  We often ate and drank with those men. And though I must confess,
• 7:14:15
  the conversion, as they call it, of the Chinese to Christianity,
• 7:14:18
  is so far from the true conversion required to bring heathen people to the faith
• 7:14:22
  of Christ, that it seems to amount to little more than letting them know
• 7:14:26
  the name of Christ and say some prayers to the Virgin Mary and her Son
• 7:14:30
  in a tongue which they understand not, and to cross themselves and the like.
• 7:14:36
  Yet it must be confessed that the religionists whom we call missionaries, have
• 7:14:41
  a firm belief that these people will be saved, and that they are the
• 7:14:44
  instruments of it. And on this account they undergo not only the fatigue of
• 7:14:48
  the voyage and the hazards of living in such places, but oftentimes death itself
• 7:14:53
  and the most violent tortures. For the sake of this work, Father Simon
• 7:15:00
  was appointed, it seems, by order of the Chief of the mission,
• 7:15:03
  to go up to Pequin, and waited only for another priest, who was
• 7:15:07
  ordered to come to him from Macao, to go along with him. We
• 7:15:11
  scarce ever met together, but he was inviting me to go that journey,
• 7:15:15
  telling me how he would show me all the glorious things of that mighty empire,
• 7:15:18
  and among the rest, Pequin, the greatest city in the world,
• 7:15:22
  a city, said he that your London and ap Hari put together cannot be
• 7:15:26
  equal to. But as I looked on those things with different eyes from other
• 7:15:32
  men, so I shall give my opinion of them in a few words,
• 7:15:36
  when I come in the course of my travels to speak more particularly of them.
• 7:15:41
  Dining with Father Simon one day, and being very merry together, I
• 7:15:45
  showed some little inclination to go with him, and he pressed me and my
• 7:15:48
  partner very hard to consent. Why, father, says my partner, should
• 7:15:52
  you desire our company so much? You know we are heretics and you do
• 7:15:57
  not love us, nor cannot keep us us company with any pleasure, Oh,
• 7:16:02
  says he, You may perhaps be good Catholics in time. My business
• 7:16:06
  here is to convert Heathens. And who knows, but I may convert you
• 7:16:10
  too, very well, father said I. So you will preach to us
• 7:16:15
  all the way. I will not be troublesome to you, says he.
• 7:16:18
  Our really, Jehan does not divest us of good manners. Besides, we
• 7:16:22
  are here like countrymen, and so we are compared to the place we are
• 7:16:26
  in. And if you are Huguenots and I a Catholic, we may all
• 7:16:32
  be Christians at last. At least we are all gentlemen, and we may
• 7:16:36
  convert so without being uneasy to one another. I liked this part of his
• 7:16:41
  discourse very well, and it began to put me in mind of my priest
• 7:16:45
  that I had left in the Brazils. But Father Simon did not come up
• 7:16:48
  to his character by a great deal. For though this friar had no appearance
• 7:16:52
  of a criminal levity in him, yet he had not that fund of Christian
• 7:16:56
  zeal, strict piety and sincere affection to religion that my other good ecclesiastic had.
• 7:17:03
  But to leave him a little, though he never left us nor solicited
• 7:17:07
  us to go with him. We had something else before us at first,
• 7:17:11
  for we had all this while our ship and our merchandise to dispose of,
• 7:17:15
  and we began to be very doubtful what we should do, for we were
• 7:17:19
  now in a place of very little business. Once I was about to venture
• 7:17:23
  to sail for the river of Kilam and the city of Nankin. But Providence
• 7:17:27
  seemed now more visibly, as I thought, than ever, to concern itself
• 7:17:33
  in our affairs. And I was encouraged from this very time to think I
• 7:17:37
  should, one way or other, get out of this entangled circumstance and be
• 7:17:41
  brought home to my own country again. Though I had not the least view
• 7:17:45
  of the manner. Providence I say, began here to clear up our way
• 7:17:49
  a little. And the first thing that offered was that our old Portuguese pilot
• 7:17:53
  brought a japan merchant to us, who inquired what goods we had, And
• 7:17:59
  in the first place he bought all our opium and gave us a very good
• 7:18:03
  price for it, paying us in gold by weight, some in small pieces
• 7:18:07
  of their own coin, and some in small wedges of about ten or twelve
• 7:18:11
  ounces each. While we were dealing with him for our opium, it came
• 7:18:15
  into my head that he might perhaps deal for the ship too, and I
• 7:18:18
  ordered the interpreter to propose it to him. He shrunk up his shoulders at
• 7:18:22
  it when it was first proposed to him, But in a few days after
• 7:18:26
  he came to me with one of the missionary priests for his interpreter, and
• 7:18:30
  told me he had a proposal to make to me, which was this,
• 7:18:34
  he had bought a great quantity of our goods when he had no thoughts of
• 7:18:38
  proposals made to him of buying the ship, and that therefore he had not
• 7:18:42
  money to pay for the ship. But if I would let the same men
• 7:18:45
  who were in the ship navigate her, he would hire the ship to go
• 7:18:49
  to Japan, and would send them from thence to the Philippine Islands with another
• 7:18:53
  loading, which he would pay the freight of before they went from Japan,
• 7:18:57
  and that at their return he would buy the ship. I began to listen
• 7:19:02
  to his proposal, and so eager did my head still run upon rambling,
• 7:19:06
  that I could not but begin to entertain a notion of going myself with him,
• 7:19:11
  And so set sail from the Philippine Islands away to the South Seas.
• 7:19:15
  Accordingly, I asked the Japanese merchant if he would not hire us to the
• 7:19:18
  Philippine Islands and discharge us there. He said no, he could not do
• 7:19:22
  that, for then he could not have the return of his cargo, but
• 7:19:26
  he would discharge us in Japan at the ship's return. Well, still,
• 7:19:30
  I was for taking him at that proposal and going myself, But my partner,
• 7:19:36
  wiser than myself, persuaded me from it, representing the dangers as well
• 7:19:41
  of the seas as of the Japanese, who are a false, cruel and
• 7:19:45
  treacherous people. Likewise, those of the Spaniards at the Philippines more false,
• 7:19:49
  cruel and treacherous than they. But to bring this long turn of our affairs
• 7:19:55
  to a conclusion, the first thing we had to do was to consult with
• 7:19:59
  the captain of the ship and with his men, and know if they were
• 7:20:02
  willing to go to Japan. While I was doing this, the young man
• 7:20:06
  whom my nephew had left with me as my companion, came up and told
• 7:20:10
  me that he thought that voyage promised very fair, and that there was a
• 7:20:12
  great prospect of advantage, and he would be very glad if I undertook it,
• 7:20:17
  but that if I would not and would give him leave, he would
• 7:20:21
  go as a merchant, or as I pleased to order him, that if
• 7:20:23
  ever he came to England and I was there and alive, he would render
• 7:20:27
  me a faithful account of his success, which should be as much mine as
• 7:20:32
  I pleased. I was loath to part with him, but considering the prospect
• 7:20:37
  of advantage, which really was considerable, and that he was a young fellow
• 7:20:41
  likely to do well in it, I inclined to let him go. But
• 7:20:45
  I told him I would consult my partner and give him an answer. The
• 7:20:48
  next day I discoursed about it with my partner, who thereupon made me a
• 7:20:52
  most generous offer. You know, it has been an unlucky ship, said
• 7:20:56
  he, and we both resolved not to go to sea in it again.
• 7:21:00
  If your steward, so he called my man, will venture the voyage,
• 7:21:03
  I will leave my share of the vessel to him and let him make the
• 7:21:07
  best of it. And if we live to meet in England and he meets
• 7:21:11
  with success abroad, he shall account for one half of the profits of the
• 7:21:15
  ship's freight to us. The other shall be his own. If my partner,
• 7:21:21
  who was no way concerned with my young man, made him such an
• 7:21:23
  offer, I could not do less than offer him the same, And all
• 7:21:27
  the ship's company, being willing to go with him, we made over half
• 7:21:30
  the ship to him in property, and took a writing from him obliging him
• 7:21:36
  to account for the other. And away he went to Japan. The japan
• 7:21:40
  merchant proved a very punctual honest man to him, protected him at Japan,
• 7:21:45
  and got him a license to come on shore, which the Europeans in general
• 7:21:48
  have not lately obtained. He paid him his freight very punctually, sent him
• 7:21:53
  to the Philippines, loaded with Japan and China wares and a supercargo of their
• 7:21:59
  own, who trafficking with the Spaniards, brought back European goods again and a
• 7:22:03
  great quantity of spices. And there he was not only paid his freight very
• 7:22:07
  well and at a very good price, but not being willing to sell the
• 7:22:11
  ship, then the merchant furnished him with goods on his own account, and
• 7:22:15
  with some money and some spices of his own, which he brought with him.
• 7:22:18
  He went back to the Manilas, where he sold his cargo very well
• 7:22:22
  here, Having made a good acquaintance at Manila, he got his ship made
• 7:22:26
  a free ship, and the governor of Manila hired him to go to Acapulco
• 7:22:30
  on the coast of America, and gave him a license to land there and
• 7:22:34
  to travel to Mexico and to pass in any Spanish ship to Europe. With
• 7:22:38
  all his men. He made the voyage to Acapulco very happily, and there
• 7:22:44
  he sold his ship, and, having there also obtained allowance to travel by
• 7:22:48
  land to Portobello, he found means to get to Jamaica with all his treasure,
• 7:22:52
  and about eight years after, came to England exceeding rich. But to
• 7:22:57
  return to our particular way, being now to part with the ship and ship's
• 7:23:02
  company, it came before us, of course, to consider what recompense we
• 7:23:06
  should give to the two men that gave us such timely notice of the design
• 7:23:10
  against us in the River Cambodia. The truth was they had done us a
• 7:23:14
  very considerable service and deserved well at our hands, though by the way they
• 7:23:19
  were a couple of rogues too, for as they believed the story of our
• 7:23:23
  being pirates, and that we had really run away with the ship. They
• 7:23:26
  came down to us not only to betray the design that was formed against us,
• 7:23:32
  but to go to sea with us as pirates. One of them confessed
• 7:23:34
  afterwards that nothing else but the hopes of going a roguing brought him to do
• 7:23:38
  it. However, the service they did us was not the less. And
• 7:23:42
  therefore, as I had promised to be grateful to them, I first ordered
• 7:23:47
  the money to be paid them, which they said was due to them on
• 7:23:49
  board their respective ships. Over and above that, I gave each of them
• 7:23:53
  a small sum of money in gold, which contented them very well. I
• 7:23:59
  then made the English gunner in the ship, the gunner being now made second
• 7:24:03
  mate and purser. The Dutchmen I made bosun. So they were both very
• 7:24:07
  well pleased and proved very serviceable, being both able seamen and very stout fellows.
• 7:24:12
  We were now on shore in China. If I thought myself banished and
• 7:24:18
  remote from my own country at Bengal, where I had many ways to get
• 7:24:22
  home for my money, what could I think of myself now, when I
• 7:24:25
  was about a thousand leagues farther off from home and destitute of all manner of
• 7:24:30
  prospect of return. All we had for it was this that in about four
• 7:24:33
  months time there was to be another fair at the place where we were,
• 7:24:37
  and then we might be able to purchase some various manufactures of the country,
• 7:24:42
  and withal might possibly find some Chinese junks from Tonquin for sale that would carry
• 7:24:48
  us and our goods whither. We pleased. This I liked very well,
• 7:24:52
  and resolved to wait. Besides, as our particular persons were not obnoxious,
• 7:24:56
  so if any English or Dutch ships came thither, perhaps we might have an
• 7:25:00
  opportunity to load our goods and get passage to some other place in India nearer
• 7:25:06
  home. Upon these hopes we resolved to continue here. But to divert ourselves
• 7:25:11
  we took two or three journeys into the country. First, we went ten
• 7:25:15
  days journey to Nankeen, a city well worth seeing. They say it has
• 7:25:19
  a million of people in it. It is regularly built, and the streets
• 7:25:23
  are all straight and cross one another in direct lines. But when I come
• 7:25:27
  to compare the miserable people of these countries with ours, their fabrics, their
• 7:25:33
  manner of living, their government, their religion, their wealth, and their
• 7:25:37
  glory, as some call it, I must confess that I scarcely think it
• 7:25:41
  worth my while to mention them. Here we wonder at the grandeur, the
• 7:25:45
  riches, the pomp, the ceremonies, the government, the manufactures, the
• 7:25:48
  commerce and conduct of these people, Not that there is really any matter for
• 7:25:53
  wonder, but because having a true notion of the barbarity of those countries,
• 7:25:59
  the rudeness and the ignorance that prevail there, we do not expect to find
• 7:26:03
  any such things so far off. Otherwise, what are their buildings to the
• 7:26:07
  palaces and royal buildings of Europe? What their trade to the universal commerce of
• 7:26:12
  England, Holland, France and Spain. What are their cities to ours for
• 7:26:17
  wealth, strength, gaiety of apparel, rich furniture and infinite variety. What
• 7:26:22
  are their ports supplied with a few junks and barques to our navigation? Our
• 7:26:27
  merchant fleets are large and powerful navies. Our city of London has more trade
• 7:26:33
  than half their mighty empire. One English, Dutch or French men of war
• 7:26:37
  of eighty guns would be able to fight almost all the shipping belonging to China.
• 7:26:41
  But the greatness of their wealth, their trade, the power of their
• 7:26:45
  government, and the strength of their armies may be a little surprising to us,
• 7:26:51
  because, as I have said, considering them as a barbarous nation of
• 7:26:53
  pagans, little better than savages, we did not expect such things among them.
• 7:27:00
  But all the forces of their empire, though they were to bring two
• 7:27:03
  millions of men into the field together, would be able to do nothing but
• 7:27:07
  ruin the country and starve themselves. A million of their foot could not stand
• 7:27:11
  before one embattled body of our infantry, posted so as not to be surrounded,
• 7:27:18
  though they were not to be one to twenty in number. Nay,
• 7:27:21
  I do not boast if I say that thirty thousandth German or English foot and
• 7:27:26
  ten thousand horse well managed could defeat all the forces of China. Nor is
• 7:27:30
  there a fortified town in China that could hold out one month against the batteries
• 7:27:36
  and attacks of a European army. They have fire arms, it is true,
• 7:27:40
  but they are awkward and uncertain in their going off, and their powder
• 7:27:44
  has but little strength. Their armies are badly disciplined, and want skilled to
• 7:27:48
  attack or temper to retreat. And therefore I must confess it seemed strange to
• 7:27:55
  me when I came home and heard our people say such fine things of the
• 7:27:59
  power, glory, magnificence and trade of the Chinese, because as far as
• 7:28:03
  I saw, they appeared to be a contemptible herd or crowd of ignorant,
• 7:28:07
  sordid slaves, subjected to a government qualified only to rule such a people,
• 7:28:14
  and were not its distance inconceivably great from Muscovy and that Empire in a manner
• 7:28:18
  as rude, impotent, and ill governed as they, the Tsar of Muscovy
• 7:28:23
  might with ease drive them all out of their country and conquer them in one
• 7:28:26
  campaign. And had the Tsar, who is now a growing prince, fallen
• 7:28:32
  this way instead of attacking the warlike Swedes, and equally improved himself in the
• 7:28:37
  art of war, as they say he has done, and if none of
• 7:28:40
  the powers of Europe had envied or interrupted him, he might by this time
• 7:28:45
  have been Emperor of China instead of being beaten by the King of Sweden at
• 7:28:48
  Narva, when the latter was not one to six in number. As their
• 7:28:53
  strengthen their grandeur, so their navigation, commerce, and husbandry are very imperfect
• 7:29:00
  compared to the same things in Europe. Also in their knowledge, their learning,
• 7:29:03
  and in their skill in the sciences, they are either very awkward or
• 7:29:07
  defective. Though they have globes or spheres, and a smattering of the mathematics,
• 7:29:12
  and think they know more than all the world. Besides, but they
• 7:29:17
  know little of the motions of the heavenly bodies. And so grossly and absurdly
• 7:29:21
  ignorant are their common people, that when the sun is eclipsed, they think
• 7:29:25
  a great dragon has assaulted it and is going to run away with it,
• 7:29:29
  and they fall a clattering with all the drums and kettles in the country to
• 7:29:33
  fright the monster away, just as we do to hive a swarm of bees.
• 7:29:38
  As this is the only excursion of the kind which I have made in
• 7:29:41
  all the accounts I have given of my travels, so I shall make no
• 7:29:45
  more such. It is none of my business, nor any part of my
• 7:29:48
  design, but to give an account of my own adventures through a life of
• 7:29:52
  inimitable wanderings and a long variety of changes, which perhaps few that come after
• 7:29:59
  me will have I have heard the like of I shall therefore say very little
• 7:30:03
  of all the mighty places, desert countries, and numerous people I have yet
• 7:30:07
  to pass through, more than relates to my own story, and which my
• 7:30:11
  concern among them will make necessary. I was now as near as I can
• 7:30:17
  compute, in the heart of China, about thirty degrees north of the line,
• 7:30:22
  for we were returned from Nankin. I had indeed a mind to see
• 7:30:26
  the city of Pequin, which I had heard so much of, and Father
• 7:30:30
  Simon importuned me daily to do it. At length, his time of going
• 7:30:33
  away being set, and the other missionary who was to go with him being
• 7:30:37
  arrived from Macao, it was necessary that we should resolve either to go or
• 7:30:41
  not. So I referred it to my partner and left it wholly to his
• 7:30:45
  choice, who at length resolved it in the affirmative, and we prepared for
• 7:30:51
  our journey. We set out with a very good advantage as to finding the
• 7:30:55
  way, for we got leave to travel in the retinue of one of their
• 7:30:59
  mandarins, a kind of viceroy or principal magistrate in the province where they reside,
• 7:31:03
  and who take great state upon them traveling with great attendants and great homage
• 7:31:08
  from the people, who are sometimes greatly impoverished by them, being obliged to
• 7:31:15
  furnish provisions for them and all their attendants in their journeys. I particularly observed
• 7:31:19
  in our traveling with his baggage. That though we received sufficient provisions both for
• 7:31:23
  ourselves and our horses from the country as belonging to the Mandarin, yet we
• 7:31:29
  were obliged to pay for everything we had after the market price of the country,
• 7:31:33
  and the Mandarin's steward collected it duly from us. Thus, our traveling
• 7:31:38
  in the retinue of the Mandarin, though it was a great act of kindness,
• 7:31:42
  was not such a mighty favor to us, but was a great advantage
• 7:31:45
  to him, considering there were above thirty other people traveled in the same manner
• 7:31:51
  besides us under the protection of his retinue. For the country furnished all the
• 7:31:56
  provisions for nothing to him, and yet he took our money for them.
• 7:32:00
  We were twenty five days traveling to Pekin through a country exceeding populace, But
• 7:32:06
  I think badly cultivated. The husbandry, the economy, and the way of
• 7:32:10
  living miserable though they boast so much of the industry of the people. I
• 7:32:15
  say miserable if compared with our own, but not so to these poor wretches
• 7:32:18
  who know no other. The pride of the poor people is infinitely great,
• 7:32:22
  and exceeded by nothing but their poverty in some parts, which adds to that
• 7:32:27
  which I call their misery. And I must needs think the savages of America
• 7:32:32
  live more happy than the poorer sort of these, because as they have nothing,
• 7:32:37
  so they desire nothing. Whereas these are proud and insolent in the main,
• 7:32:41
  and are in many parts mere beggars and drudges, their ostentation is inexpressible.
• 7:32:47
  And if they can, they love to keep multitudes of servants or slaves,
• 7:32:52
  which is to the last degree ridiculous, as well as their contempt of
• 7:32:55
  all the world but themselves, I must confess I traveled more pleasantly afterwards in
• 7:33:00
  the deserts and vast wildernesses of Grand Tartary than here. And yet the roads
• 7:33:06
  here are well paved and well kept, and very convenient for travelers. But
• 7:33:11
  nothing was more awkward to me than to see such a haughty, imperious,
• 7:33:15
  insolent people in the midst of the grossest simplicity and ignorance. And my friend
• 7:33:19
  Father Simon, and I used to be very merry upon these occasions to see
• 7:33:25
  their beggarly pride. For example, coming by the house of a country gentleman,
• 7:33:30
  as Father Simon called him, about ten leagues off the city of Nankeen.
• 7:33:33
  We had first of all the honor to ride with the master of the
• 7:33:37
  house about two miles. The state he rode in was a perfect don quixotism,
• 7:33:41
  being a mixture of pomp and poverty. His habit was very proper for
• 7:33:45
  a merry andrew, being a dirty calico with hanging sleeves, tassels, and
• 7:33:51
  cuts and slashes almost on every side. It covered a taffety vest, so
• 7:33:56
  greasy as to testify that his honour must be a most excit was its sloven
• 7:34:00
  His horse was a poor, starved, hobbling creature, and two slaves followed
• 7:34:06
  him on foot to drive the poor creature along. He had a whip in
• 7:34:08
  his hand, and he belabored the beast as fast about the head as his
• 7:34:12
  slaves did about the tail. And thus he rode by us with about ten
• 7:34:17
  or twelve servants, going from the city to his country seat about half a
• 7:34:21
  league before us. We traveled on gently, but this figure of a gentleman
• 7:34:26
  rode away before us, and as we stopped at a village about an hour
• 7:34:30
  to refresh us, when we came by the country seat of this great man,
• 7:34:33
  we saw him in a little place before his door, eating a repast.
• 7:34:37
  It was a kind of garden, But he was easy to be seen,
• 7:34:41
  and we were given to understand that the more we looked at him,
• 7:34:44
  the better he would be pleased. He sat under a tree something like the
• 7:34:48
  palmetto, which effectually shaded him over the head and on the south side,
• 7:34:52
  but under the tree was placed a large umbrella, which made that part look
• 7:34:56
  well enough. He sat lolling back a great elbow chair, being a heavy
• 7:35:02
  corpulent man, and had his meat brought him by two women's slaves. He
• 7:35:06
  had two more, one of whom fed the Squire with a spoon, and
• 7:35:10
  the other held the dish with one hand and scraped off what he let fall
• 7:35:14
  upon his worship's beard and taffety vest, leaving the poor wretch to please himself.
• 7:35:19
  With our looking at him as if we admired his idle pomp, we
• 7:35:22
  pursued our journey. Father Simon had the curiosity to stay to inform himself what
• 7:35:29
  dainties the country justice had to feed on in all his state, which he
• 7:35:33
  had the honor to taste of, and which was I think a mess of
• 7:35:36
  boiled rice with a great piece of garlic in it, and a little bag
• 7:35:40
  filled with green pepper, and another plant which they have there, something like
• 7:35:45
  our ginger, but smelling like musk and tasting like mustard. All this was
• 7:35:48
  put together, and a small piece of lean mutton boiled in it. And
• 7:35:52
  this was his worship's repast. Four or five servants more attended at a distance,
• 7:35:57
  who we supposed were to eat of the same after their master. As
• 7:36:00
  for our Mandarin, with whom we traveled, he was respected as a king,
• 7:36:04
  surrounded always with his gentlemen, and attended in all his appearances with such
• 7:36:10
  pomp that I saw little of him, But at a distance I observed that
• 7:36:14
  there was not a horse in his retinue, but that our carrier's pack horses
• 7:36:18
  in England seemed to me to look much better, though it was hard to
• 7:36:21
  judge rightly, for they were so covered with equipage, mantles, trappings,
• 7:36:26
  et cetera, that we could scarce see anything but their feet and their heads
• 7:36:30
  as they went along. I was now light hearted, and all my late
• 7:36:33
  trouble and perplexity being over, I had no anxious thoughts about me, which
• 7:36:38
  made this journey the pleasanter to me, in which no ill accident attended me
• 7:36:44
  only in passing or fording a small river. My horse fell and made me
• 7:36:48
  free of the country, as they call it, that is to say,
• 7:36:51
  through me in. The place was not deep, but it wetted me all
• 7:36:55
  over. I mention it because it spoiled my pocket book, wherein I had
• 7:36:59
  set down the names of several people and places which I had occasion to remember,
• 7:37:03
  and which, not taking due care of the leaves rotted, and the
• 7:37:07
  words were never after to be read at length. We arrived at Pequin,
• 7:37:12
  I had nobody with me but the youth whom my nephew had given me to
• 7:37:15
  attend me as a servant, and who proved very trusty and diligent. And
• 7:37:19
  my partner had nobody with him but one servant, who was a kinsman.
• 7:37:25
  As for the Portuguese pilot, he being desirous to see the court, we
• 7:37:29
  bore his charges for his company and for our use of him as an interpreter,
• 7:37:33
  for he understood the language of the country, and spoke good French and
• 7:37:37
  a little English. Indeed, this old man was most useful to us everywhere,
• 7:37:41
  for we had not been above a week at Pequin when he came laughing.
• 7:37:45
  Ah signor Inglazi says he. I have something to tell will make your
• 7:37:51
  heart glad. My heart glad, says I. What can that be?
• 7:37:53
  I don't know anything in this country can either give me joy or grief to
• 7:37:57
  any great degree. Ye, yes, yes, says the old man in
• 7:38:02
  broken English. Make you glad? Me sorry? Why? Said I?
• 7:38:06
  Will it make you sorry? Because? Said he you have brought me here
• 7:38:10
  twenty five days journey and will leave me to go back alone? And which
• 7:38:14
  way shall I get to my port afterwards? Without a ship, without a
• 7:38:18
  horse, without pekune so he called money, being his broken Latin, of
• 7:38:22
  which he had abundance to make us merry with. In short, he told
• 7:38:26
  us there was a great caravan of Muscovite and Polish merchants in the city preparing
• 7:38:32
  to set out on their journey by land to Muscovy within four or five weeks,
• 7:38:37
  and he was sure we would take the opportunity to go with them and
• 7:38:40
  leave him behind to go back alone. I confess I was greatly surprised with
• 7:38:45
  this good news, and had scarce power to speak to him for some time.
• 7:38:48
  But at last I said to him, how do you know this?
• 7:38:52
  Are you sure it is true? Yes, says he. I met this
• 7:38:56
  morning in the street an old acquaintance of mine, an Armenian who is among
• 7:39:00
  them. He came last from Astrakhan and was designed to go to Tonquin,
• 7:39:04
  where I formerly knew him, but has altered his mind and is now resolved
• 7:39:08
  to go with the caravan to Moscow and sow down the river Volga to Astrakhan.
• 7:39:15
  Well, signor says, I do not be uneasy about being left to
• 7:39:18
  go back alone. If this be a method for my return to England,
• 7:39:22
  it shall be your fault if you go back to Macau at all. We
• 7:39:26
  then went to consult together what was to be done, and I asked my
• 7:39:29
  partner what he thought of the pilot's news and whether it would suit with his
• 7:39:33
  affairs. He told me he would do just as I would, for he
• 7:39:37
  had settled all his affairs so well at Bengal and left his effects in such
• 7:39:41
  good hands that, as we had made a good voyage, if he could
• 7:39:45
  invest it in China silks wrought and raw, he would be content to go
• 7:39:48
  to England and then make a voyage back to Bengal by the company's ships.
• 7:39:55
  Having resolved upon this, we agreed that if our Portuguese pilot would go with
• 7:39:59
  us. We would bear his charges to Moscow or to England if he pleased.
• 7:40:03
  Nor, indeed, were we to be esteemed over generous in that either
• 7:40:07
  if we had not rewarded him further, the service he had done us being
• 7:40:11
  really worth more than that, for he had not only been a pilot to
• 7:40:15
  us at sea, but he had been like a broker for us on shore,
• 7:40:18
  and his procuring for us a japan merchant was some hundreds of pounds in
• 7:40:22
  our pockets. So, being willing to gratify him, which was but doing
• 7:40:27
  him justice, and very willing also to have him with us besides, for
• 7:40:32
  he was a most necessary man on all occasions, we agreed to give him
• 7:40:36
  a quantity of coined gold, which, as I computed it was worth one
• 7:40:41
  hundred and seventy five pounds sterling between us, and to bear all his charges,
• 7:40:45
  both for himself and horse, except only a horse to carry his goods.
• 7:40:51
  Having settled this between ourselves, we called him to let him know what
• 7:40:55
  we had resolved. I told him he had complained of our being willing to
• 7:40:59
  let him go back alone, and I was now about to tell him we
• 7:41:02
  designed he should not go back at all, that as we had resolved to
• 7:41:06
  go to Europe with the caravan, we were very willing he should go with
• 7:41:10
  us, and that we called him to know his mind. He shook his
• 7:41:12
  head and said it was a long journey, and that he had no pecune
• 7:41:17
  to carry him thither or to subsist himself when he came there. We told
• 7:41:22
  him we believed it was so, and therefore we had resolved to do something
• 7:41:26
  for him that should let him see how sensible we were of the service he
• 7:41:29
  had done us, and also how agreeable he was to us. And then
• 7:41:33
  I told him what we had resolved to give him here, which he might
• 7:41:37
  lay out as we would do our own, and that as for his charges,
• 7:41:41
  if he would go with us, we would set him safe on shore,
• 7:41:45
  life and casualties accepted either in Muscovy or England, as he would choose,
• 7:41:49
  at our own charge, except only the carriage of his goods. He
• 7:41:53
  received the proposal like a man transported, and told us he would go with
• 7:41:57
  us over all the whole world world. And so we all prepared for our
• 7:42:02
  journey. However, as it was with us, so it was with the
• 7:42:06
  other merchants. They had many things to do, and instead of being ready
• 7:42:10
  in five weeks, it was four months and some days before all things were
• 7:42:14
  got together. End of Chapter thirteen, Chapter fourteen Attacked by Tartars. It
• 7:42:22
  was the beginning of February New Style when we set out from Pequin. My
• 7:42:27
  partner and the old pilot had gone express back to the port where we had
• 7:42:32
  first put in to dispose of some goods which we had left there, And
• 7:42:36
  I, with a Chinese merchant whom I had some knowledge of at Nankin,
• 7:42:40
  and who came to Pekin on his own affairs, went to Nankin, where
• 7:42:44
  I bought ninety pieces of fine damasks, with about two hundred pieces of other
• 7:42:48
  very fine silk of several sorts, some mixed with gold, and had all
• 7:42:52
  these brought to Pequin against my partner's return. Besides this, we bought a
• 7:42:56
  large quantity of raw silk and some other goods our cargo, amounting in these
• 7:43:02
  goods only to about three thousand, five hundred pounds sterling, which, together
• 7:43:07
  with tea and some fine calicoes and three camels loads of nutmegs and cloves,
• 7:43:11
  loaded in all eighteen camels for our share. Besides those, we rode upon
• 7:43:17
  these with two or three spare horses and two horses loaded with provisions, made
• 7:43:22
  together twenty six camels and horses in our retinue. The company was very great,
• 7:43:27
  and as near as I can remember, made between three and four hundred
• 7:43:30
  horses and upwards of one hundred and twenty men, very well armed and provided
• 7:43:36
  for all events, for as the Eastern caravans are subject to be attacked by
• 7:43:41
  the Arabs, so are these by the Tartars. The company consisted of people
• 7:43:45
  of several nations, but there were above sixty of them merchants or inhabitants of
• 7:43:49
  Moscow, though of them some were Livonians, and to our particular satisfaction,
• 7:43:55
  five of them were Scots, who appeared also to be men of great experience
• 7:43:59
  in business and of very good substance. When we had traveled one day's journey,
• 7:44:04
  the guides, who were five in number, called all the passengers except
• 7:44:08
  the servants, to a great council, as they called it. At this
• 7:44:11
  council everyone deposited a certain quantity of money to a common stock, for the
• 7:44:15
  necessary expense of buying forage on the way, where it was not otherwise to
• 7:44:21
  be had, and for satisfying the guides, getting horses and the like.
• 7:44:25
  Here too, they constituted the journey as they call it viz. They named
• 7:44:30
  captains and officers to draw us all up and give the word of command in
• 7:44:34
  case of an attack, and give everyone their turn of command. Nor was
• 7:44:38
  this forming us into order any more than what we afterwards found needful on the
• 7:44:42
  way. The road, all on this side of the country is very populous
• 7:44:48
  and is full of potters and earthmakers, that is to say, people that
• 7:44:51
  temper the earth for the chinawar. As I was coming along our Portuguese pilot,
• 7:44:56
  who had always something or other to say to make us Marria, told
• 7:45:00
  me that he would show me the greatest rarity of all in the country,
• 7:45:03
  and that I should have this to say of China after all the ill humored
• 7:45:07
  things that I had said of it, that I had seen one thing which
• 7:45:11
  was not to be seen in all the world. Beside I was very importunate
• 7:45:15
  to know what it was. At last he told me it was a gentleman's
• 7:45:18
  house built with chinaware. Well, says I, are not the materials of
• 7:45:22
  their buildings the products of their own country, And so it is all chinaware,
• 7:45:26
  is it not? No? No, says he I mean it is
• 7:45:30
  a house all made of chinaware, such as you call it in England,
• 7:45:33
  or as it is called in our country porcelain. Well says I, such
• 7:45:37
  a thing may be, how big is it? Can we carry it in
• 7:45:41
  a box upon a camel? If we can, we will buy it upon
• 7:45:45
  a camel, says the old pilot, holding up both his hands. Why
• 7:45:49
  there is a family of thirty people lives in it. I was then curious,
• 7:45:53
  indeed to see it. And when I came to it, it was
• 7:45:56
  nothing but this. It was a timber house, or a house built as
• 7:46:00
  we call it in England, with lath and plaster. But all this plastering
• 7:46:04
  was really chinaware, that is to say, it was plastered with the earth
• 7:46:08
  that makes chinaware. The outside, which the sun shone hot upon, was
• 7:46:14
  glazed and looked very well, perfectly white and painted with blue figures, as
• 7:46:18
  the large chinaware in England is painted, and hard as if it had been
• 7:46:22
  burnt. As to the inside, all the walls, instead of wainscut,
• 7:46:26
  were lined with hardened and painted tiles, like the little square tiles we call
• 7:46:30
  galley tiles in England, all made of the finest china, and the figures
• 7:46:36
  exceeding fine, indeed with extraordinary variety of colors, mixed with gold, many
• 7:46:41
  tiles making but one figure, but joined so artificially, the mortar being made
• 7:46:47
  of the same earth, that it was very hard to see where the tiles
• 7:46:49
  met. The floors of the room were of the same composition, and as
• 7:46:53
  hard as the earthen floors we have in use in several parts of England,
• 7:46:57
  as hard as stone, and smooth, but not burnt and painted, except
• 7:47:02
  some smaller rooms like closets, which were all, as it were, paved
• 7:47:06
  with the same tile. The ceiling and all the plastering work in the whole
• 7:47:10
  house were of the same earth, and after all the roof was covered with
• 7:47:14
  tiles of the same, but of a deep, shining black. This was
• 7:47:18
  a China warehouse, indeed, truly and literally to be called so. And
• 7:47:22
  had I not been upon the journey, I could have stayed some days to
• 7:47:26
  see and examine the particulars of it. They told me there were fountains and
• 7:47:30
  fish ponds in the garden, all paved on the bottom and sides with the
• 7:47:34
  same and fine statues set up in rows on the walks, entirely formed of
• 7:47:38
  the porcelain earth. Burnt whole. As this is one of the singularities of
• 7:47:44
  China, so they may be allowed to excel in it. But I am
• 7:47:48
  very sure they excel in their accounts of it, for they told me such
• 7:47:52
  incredible things of their performance in crockery, where for such it is that I
• 7:47:56
  care not to relate, as knowing it could not be true. They told
• 7:48:00
  me, in particular of one workman that made a ship with all its tackle
• 7:48:03
  and masts and sails in earthenware, big enough to carry fifty men. If
• 7:48:07
  they had told me he launched it and made a voyage to Japan in it,
• 7:48:11
  I might have said something to it, indeed, but as it was,
• 7:48:15
  I knew the whole of the story, which was, in short,
• 7:48:18
  that the fellow lied, so I smiled and said nothing to it. This
• 7:48:22
  odd sight kept me two hours behind the caravan, for which the leader of
• 7:48:26
  it for the day find me about the value of three shillings and told me
• 7:48:30
  if it had been three days journey without the wall, as it was three
• 7:48:34
  days within, he must have fined me four times as much, and made
• 7:48:38
  me ask pardon. The next council day, I promised to be more orderly,
• 7:48:42
  and indeed I found afterwards the orders made for keeping altogether were absolutely necessary
• 7:48:48
  for our common safety. In two days more we passed the great China Wall
• 7:48:53
  made for a fortification against the tartars, and the very great work it is,
• 7:48:59
  going over hills and mountains in an endless track, where the rocks are
• 7:49:03
  impassable, and the precipices such as no enemy could possibly enter or indeed climb
• 7:49:07
  up, or where if they did, no wall could hinder them. They
• 7:49:11
  tell us its length is near a thousand English miles, but that the country
• 7:49:15
  is five hundred in a straight measured line which the wall bounds. Without measuring
• 7:49:21
  the windings and turnings it takes. It is about four fathoms high and as
• 7:49:25
  many thick in some places. I stood still an hour or thereabouts, without
• 7:49:30
  trespassing on our orders. For so long the caravan was in passing the gate
• 7:49:34
  to look at it on every side, near and far off, I mean,
• 7:49:38
  what was within my view. And the guide, who had been extolling
• 7:49:42
  it for the wonder of the world, was mighty eager to hear my opinion
• 7:49:47
  of it. I told him it was a most excellent thing to keep out
• 7:49:49
  the tartars, which he happens not to understand as I meant it, and
• 7:49:53
  so took it for a compliment. But the old pilot laughed, oh,
• 7:49:57
  senoring Daisy. He says, you speak in colors, in colors, said
• 7:50:02
  I, what do you mean by that? Why you speak? What looks
• 7:50:04
  white this way and black that way? Gay one way and dull another.
• 7:50:10
  You tell him it is a good wall to keep out tartars. You tell
• 7:50:12
  me by that it is good for nothing but to keep out tartars. I
• 7:50:17
  understand you, Signor Englaize, I understand you. But Signor Chinese understood you
• 7:50:22
  his own way, well, says I. Do you think it would stand
• 7:50:26
  out an army of our country people with a good train of artillery, or
• 7:50:30
  our engineers with two companies of miners, would not they batter it down in
• 7:50:34
  ten days, that an army might enter in battalia, or blow it up
• 7:50:38
  in the air foundation, and all that there should be no sign of it
• 7:50:41
  left. Ay Ay says he. I know that the Chinese wanted mightily to
• 7:50:48
  know what I said to the pilot, and I gave him leave to tell
• 7:50:51
  him a few days after, for we were then almost out of their country,
• 7:50:55
  and he was to leave us a little time after this, But when
• 7:50:57
  he knew what I said, he was dumb all the rest of the way,
• 7:51:02
  and we heard no more of his fine story of the Chinese power and
• 7:51:04
  greatness while he stayed. After we passed this mighty nothing called a wall,
• 7:51:11
  something like the Picts walls so famous in Northumberland, built by the Romans,
• 7:51:15
  we began to find the country thinly inhabited, and the people rather confined to
• 7:51:21
  live in fortified towns, as being subject to the inroads and depredations of the
• 7:51:25
  Tartars, who rob in great armies, and therefore are not to be resisted
• 7:51:30
  by the naked inhabitants of an open country. And here I begin to find
• 7:51:33
  the necessity of keeping together in a caravan as we traveled, for we saw
• 7:51:38
  several troops of Tartars roving about. But when I came to see them distinctly,
• 7:51:42
  I wondered more that the Chinese Empire could be conquered by such contemptible fellows.
• 7:51:48
  For they are a mere horde of wild fellows, keeping no order and
• 7:51:52
  understanding no discipline or manner of it. Their horses are poor, lean creatures,
• 7:51:56
  taught nothing and fit for nothing. And this we found the first day
• 7:52:02
  we saw them, which was after we entered the wilder part of the country.
• 7:52:06
  Our leader for the day gave leave for about sixteen of us to go
• 7:52:08
  a hunting, as they call it. And what was this but a hunting
• 7:52:11
  of sheep. However, it may be called hunting too, for these creatures
• 7:52:15
  are the wildest and swiftest of foot that ever I saw of their kind.
• 7:52:19
  Only they will not run a great way, and you are sure of sport
• 7:52:23
  when you begin the chase, for they appear generally thirty or forty in a
• 7:52:27
  flock, and like true sheep, always keep together when they fly. In
• 7:52:33
  pursuit of this odd sort of game. It was our hap to meet with
• 7:52:36
  about forty tartars. Whether they were hunting mutton as we were, or whether
• 7:52:41
  they looked for another kind of prey, we know not. But as soon
• 7:52:45
  as they saw us, one of them blew a hideous blast on a kind
• 7:52:48
  of horn. This was to call their friends about them, and in less
• 7:52:52
  than ten minutes a troop of forty or fifty more appeared at about a mile
• 7:52:56
  distance. But our work was over first, as it happened, and one
• 7:53:00
  of the Scott's merchants of Moscow happened to be amongst us, and as soon
• 7:53:04
  as he heard the horn, he told us that we had nothing to do
• 7:53:07
  but to charge them without loss of time, and drawing us up in a
• 7:53:11
  line, he asked if we were resolved. We told him we were ready
• 7:53:15
  to follow him, so he rode directly towards them. They stood gazing at
• 7:53:19
  us like a mere crowd, drawn up in no sort of order at all.
• 7:53:23
  But as soon as they saw us advance, they let fly their arrows,
• 7:53:27
  which missed us very happily. Not that they mistook their aim, but
• 7:53:32
  their distance, for their arrows all fell a little short of us, but
• 7:53:36
  with so true an aim that had we been about twenty yards nearer, we
• 7:53:40
  must have had several men wounded, if not killed. Immediately we halted,
• 7:53:45
  and though it was at a great distance, we fired and sent them leaden
• 7:53:48
  bullets for wooden arrows, following our shot full gallop, to fall in among
• 7:53:53
  them, sword in hand, for so our bold scot that led us directed.
• 7:53:57
  He was indeed but merchant, but he behaved with such vigor and bravery
• 7:54:03
  on this occasion, and yet with such cool courage, too, that I
• 7:54:07
  never saw any man in action fitter for command. As soon as we came
• 7:54:11
  up to them. We fired our pistols in their faces, and then drew,
• 7:54:15
  But they fled in the greatest confusion imaginable. The only stand any of
• 7:54:18
  them made was on our right, where three of them stood, and by
• 7:54:22
  signs called the rest to come back to them. Having a kind of scimitar
• 7:54:26
  in their hands and their bows hanging to their backs, our brave commander,
• 7:54:32
  without asking anybody to follow him, gallops up close to them, and with
• 7:54:36
  his fusey knocks one of them off his horse, killed the second with his
• 7:54:40
  pistol, and the third ran away. Thus ended our fight. But we
• 7:54:44
  had this misfortune attending it that all our mutton we had in chase got away.
• 7:54:49
  We had not a man killed or hurt. As for the Tartars,
• 7:54:52
  there were about five of them killed. How many were wounded we knew not,
• 7:54:56
  But this we knew that the other part we were so frightened with the
• 7:55:00
  noise of our guns that they fled and never made any attempt upon us.
• 7:55:07
  We were all this while in the Chinese dominions, and therefore the Tartars were
• 7:55:11
  not so bold as afterwards. But in about five days we entered a vast
• 7:55:15
  wild desert which held us three days and nights march, and we were obliged
• 7:55:19
  to carry our water with us in great leathern bottles, and to encamp all
• 7:55:25
  night, just as I have heard they do in the desert of Arabia.
• 7:55:27
  I asked our guides whose dominion this was in, and they told me this
• 7:55:32
  was a kind of border that might be called no man's land, being a
• 7:55:36
  part of Great Karkathi or Grand Tartary, that, however, it was all
• 7:55:41
  reckoned as belonging to China, but that there was no care taken here to
• 7:55:45
  preserve it from the inroads of thieves, and therefore it was reckoned the worst
• 7:55:48
  desert in the whole march, though we were to go over some much larger.
• 7:55:53
  In passing this frightful wilderness, we saw two or three times little parties
• 7:55:59
  of the Tartars. But they seemed to be upon their own affairs and to
• 7:56:02
  have no design upon us. And so, like the man who met the
• 7:56:06
  devil, if they had nothing to say to us, we had nothing to
• 7:56:08
  say to them. We let them go. Once, however, a party
• 7:56:12
  of them came so near as to stand and gaze at us, whether it
• 7:56:17
  was to consider if they should attack us or not. We knew not,
• 7:56:21
  but when we had passed at some distance by them, we made a rear
• 7:56:23
  guard of forty men and stood ready for them, letting the caravan pass half
• 7:56:29
  a mile or thereabouts before us. After a while they marched off, but
• 7:56:33
  they saluted us with five arrows at their parting, which wounded a horse so
• 7:56:37
  that it disabled him, and we left him the next day, poor creature,
• 7:56:41
  in great need of a good farriure. We saw no more arrows or
• 7:56:45
  tartars that time. We traveled near a month after this, the ways not
• 7:56:51
  being so good as at first, though still in the dominions of the Emperor
• 7:56:55
  of China, but lay for the most part in the villages, some of
• 7:56:59
  which were fortified because of the incursions of the Tartars. When we were come
• 7:57:03
  to one of these towns, about two days and a half's journey before we
• 7:57:07
  came to the city of Naom, I wanted to buy a camel, of
• 7:57:10
  which there are plenty to be sold all the way upon that road, and
• 7:57:12
  horses also, such as they are, because so many caravans coming that way,
• 7:57:18
  they are often wanted. The person that I spoke to to get me
• 7:57:22
  a camel would have gone and fetched one for me, but I, like
• 7:57:26
  a fool, must be officious and go myself along with him. The place
• 7:57:30
  was about two miles out of the village, where it seems they kept the
• 7:57:33
  camels and horses feeding under a guard. I walked it on foot with my
• 7:57:38
  old pilot and a Chinese, being very desirous of a little variety. When
• 7:57:42
  we came to the place, it was a low, marshy ground walled round
• 7:57:47
  with stones piled up dry, without mortar or earth among them, like a
• 7:57:51
  park, with a little guard of Chinese soldiers at the door. Having bought
• 7:57:55
  a camel and agreed for the price, I came away, and the Chinese
• 7:57:59
  that went with me led the camel, when on a sudden came up five
• 7:58:03
  tartars on horseback. Two of them seized the fellow and took the camel from
• 7:58:07
  him, while the other three stepped up to me and my old pilot,
• 7:58:11
  seeing us as it were unarmed, for I had no weapon about me but
• 7:58:15
  my sword, which could but ill defend me against three horsemen. The first
• 7:58:18
  that came up stopped short upon my drawing my sword, for they are errant
• 7:58:23
  cowards, But a second, coming upon my left, gave me a blow
• 7:58:26
  on the head, which I never felt till afterwards, and wondered when I
• 7:58:30
  came to myself, what was the matter and where I was? For he
• 7:58:34
  laid me flat on the ground, But my never failing old pilot. The
• 7:58:38
  Portuguese had a pistol in his pocket, which I knew nothing of, nor
• 7:58:42
  the tartars either. If they had, I suppose they would not have attacked
• 7:58:47
  us, for cowards are always boldest when there is no danger. The old
• 7:58:52
  man, seeing me down, with a bold heart, stepped up to the
• 7:58:55
  fellow that had struck me, and, laying hold of his arm with one
• 7:58:57
  hand, and pulling him down by man force, a little towards him with
• 7:59:02
  the other, shot him into the head and laid him dead upon the spot.
• 7:59:06
  He then immediately stepped up to him who had stopped us, as I
• 7:59:08
  said, and before he could come forward again, made a blow at him
• 7:59:12
  with a scimitar which he always wore. But missing, the man struck his
• 7:59:17
  horse in the side of his head, cut one of the ears off by
• 7:59:21
  the root, and a great slice down by the side of his face.
• 7:59:23
  The poor beast, enraged with the wound, was no more to be governed
• 7:59:27
  by his rider. Though the fellow sat well enough too, but away he
• 7:59:32
  flew and carried him quite out of the pilot's reach, and at some distance,
• 7:59:37
  rising upon his hind legs, threw down the tartar and fell upon him.
• 7:59:41
  In this interval, the poor Chinese came in, who had lost the
• 7:59:45
  camel, but he had no weapon. However, seeing the tartar down and
• 7:59:48
  his horse fallen upon him away, he runs to him, and, seizing
• 7:59:52
  upon an ugly weapon he had by his side, something like a pole axe,
• 7:59:56
  he wrenched it from him and made shift to knock his tartarian brains out
• 8:00:00
  with it. But my old man had the third tartar to deal with still,
• 8:00:04
  and seeing he did not fly as he expected, nor come on to
• 8:00:08
  fight him as he apprehended, but stood stock still, the old man stood
• 8:00:12
  still too, and fell to work with his tackle to charge his pistol again.
• 8:00:18
  But as soon as the tartar saw the pistol away, he scoured and
• 8:00:21
  left my pilot my champion, I called him afterwards, a complete victory.
• 8:00:26
  By this time I was a little recovered. I thought, when I first
• 8:00:30
  began to wake, that I had been in a sweet sleep. But as
• 8:00:33
  I said above, I wondered where I was how I came upon the ground,
• 8:00:37
  and what was the matter. A few moments after, as since returned,
• 8:00:41
  I felt pain, though I did not know where, so I clapped
• 8:00:45
  my hand to my head and took it away bloody. Then I felt my
• 8:00:49
  head ache, and in a moment memory returned and everything was present to me
• 8:00:53
  again. I jumped upon my feet instantly and got hold of my sword,
• 8:00:59
  but no enemy were in view. I found a tartar lying dead, and
• 8:01:03
  his horse standing very quietly by him. And looking further, I saw my
• 8:01:07
  deliverer, who had been to see what the Chinese had done, coming back
• 8:01:11
  with his hanger in his hand. The old man, seeing me on my
• 8:01:15
  feet, came running to me and joyfully embraced me, being afraid before that
• 8:01:19
  I had been killed. Seeing me bloody, he would see how I was
• 8:01:23
  hurt, but it was not much, only what we call a broken head.
• 8:01:27
  Neither did I afterwards find any great inconvenience from the blow, for it
• 8:01:33
  was well again in two or three days. We made no great gain,
• 8:01:37
  however, by this victory, for we lost a camel and gained a horse.
• 8:01:41
  I paid for the lost camel and sent for another, but I did
• 8:01:45
  not go to fetch it myself. I had had enough of that the city
• 8:01:49
  of Naoum, which we were approaching, is a frontier of the Chinese Empire
• 8:01:53
  and is fortified in their fashion. We wanted, as I have said above,
• 8:01:57
  two days journey of this city, when messengers were sent express to every
• 8:02:02
  part of the road to tell all travelers and caravans to halt till they had
• 8:02:07
  a guard sent for them, or that an unusual body of tartars, making
• 8:02:11
  ten thousand in all, had appeared in the way about thirty miles beyond the
• 8:02:15
  city. This was very bad news to travelers. However, it was carefully
• 8:02:21
  done of the governor, and we were very glad to hear we should have
• 8:02:23
  a guard. Accordingly, two days after we had two hundred soldiers sent us
• 8:02:29
  from a garrison of the Chinese on our left, and three hundred more from
• 8:02:33
  the city of Naom, and with these we advanced boldly. The three hundred
• 8:02:37
  soldiers from Naom marched in our front, the two hundred in the rear,
• 8:02:41
  and our men on each side of our camels with our baggage, and the
• 8:02:45
  whole caravan in the center. In this order and well prepared for battle,
• 8:02:49
  we thought ourselves a match for the whole ten thousand mogul Tartars if they had
• 8:02:53
  appeared. But the next day, when they did appear, it was quite
• 8:02:57
  another thing. End of Chapter fourteen. Chapter fifteen description of an idol which
• 8:03:06
  they destroy. Early in the morning, when marching from a little town called
• 8:03:11
  Changu, we had a river to pass which we were obliged to ferry,
• 8:03:15
  and had the Tartars had any intelligence, then had been the time to have
• 8:03:19
  attacked us, when the caravan being over the rear guard was behind. But
• 8:03:25
  they did not appear there. About three hours after, when we were entered
• 8:03:29
  upon a desert of about fifteen or sixteen miles over, we knew by a
• 8:03:33
  cloud of dust they raised that the enemy was at hand, and presently they
• 8:03:37
  came upon the spur our. Chinese guards in the front, who had talked
• 8:03:42
  so big the day before, began to stagger, and the soldiers frequently looked
• 8:03:47
  behind them, a certain sign in a soldier that he is just ready to
• 8:03:51
  run away. My old pilot was of my mind, and being near me,
• 8:03:55
  called out senoring Glaize, these fellows must be encouraged or they will in
• 8:04:00
  us all. For if the Tartars come on, they will never stand it.
• 8:04:03
  I am of your mind, said I. But what must be done
• 8:04:07
  done, says he. Let fifty of our men advance and flank them on
• 8:04:11
  each wing and encourage them. They will fight like brave fellows in brave company.
• 8:04:15
  But without this they will every man turn his back. Immediately, I
• 8:04:19
  rode up to our leader and told him, who was exactly of our mind.
• 8:04:23
  Accordingly, fifty of us marched to the right wing, and fifty to
• 8:04:27
  the left, and the rest made a line of rescue. And so we
• 8:04:32
  marched, leaving the last two hundred men to make a body of themselves and
• 8:04:36
  to guard the camels, only that if need were they should send a hundred
• 8:04:40
  men to assist the last fifty. At last the tartars came on, and
• 8:04:45
  an innumerable company they were. How many we could not tell, but ten
• 8:04:49
  thousand, we thought at the least. A party of them came on first
• 8:04:53
  and viewed our posture, traversing the ground in the front of our line.
• 8:04:57
  And as we found them within gun, our leader ordered the two wings to
• 8:05:02
  advance swiftly and gave them a salvo on each wing with their shot, which
• 8:05:07
  was done. They then went off. I suppose to give an account of
• 8:05:11
  the reception they were like to meet with. Indeed, that salute Cloyd their
• 8:05:15
  stomachs, for they immediately halted, stood awhile to consider of it, and
• 8:05:18
  wheeling off to the left. They gave over their design for that time,
• 8:05:22
  which was very agreeable to our circumstances. Two days after we came to the
• 8:05:29
  city of naun or Naom. We thanked the governor for his care of us,
• 8:05:33
  and collected to the value of a hundred crowns or thereabouts, which we
• 8:05:37
  gave to the soldiers sent to guard us. And here we rested one day.
• 8:05:41
  This is a garrison, indeed, and there were nine hundred soldiers kept
• 8:05:45
  here. But the reason of it was that formerly the Muscovite frontiers lay nearer
• 8:05:51
  to them than they now do. The Muscovites having abandoned that part of the
• 8:05:55
  country which lies from this city west for about two hundred miles as deasil split
• 8:06:00
  and unfit for use, and more especially being so very remote and so difficult
• 8:06:04
  to send troops thither for its defense, for we were yet above two thousand
• 8:06:10
  miles from Muscovie, properly so called. After this we passed several great rivers
• 8:06:15
  and two dreadful deserts, one of which we were sixteen days passing over,
• 8:06:19
  and on the thirteenth of April we came to the frontiers of the Muscovite dominions.
• 8:06:25
  I think the first town or fortress, whichever it may be called,
• 8:06:27
  that belonged to the Tsar was called Arguna, being on the west side of
• 8:06:32
  the river Arguna. I could not but feel great satisfaction that I was arrived
• 8:06:37
  in a country governed by Christians. For though the Muscovites do, in my
• 8:06:41
  opinion, but just deserve the name of Christians, yet such they pretend to
• 8:06:47
  be, and are very devout in their way. It would certainly occur to
• 8:06:51
  any reflecting man who travels the world as I have done, what a blessing
• 8:06:55
  it is to be brought into the world where the name of God and a
• 8:06:57
  Redeemer is known, a door lord and worshiped, and not where the people,
• 8:07:02
  given up to strong delusions, worship the devil and prostrate themselves to monsters,
• 8:07:07
  elements, horrid shaped animals, and monstrous images. Not a town or
• 8:07:12
  city we passed through, but had their pagodas, their idols, and their
• 8:07:17
  temples, and ignorant people worshiping even the works of their own hands. Now
• 8:07:22
  we came where at last a face of the Christian worship appeared, where the
• 8:07:26
  knee was bowed to Jesus, and whether ignorantly or not, yet the Christian
• 8:07:30
  religion was owned, and the name of the True God was called upon and
• 8:07:34
  adored. And it made my soul rejoice to see it. I saluted the
• 8:07:38
  brave Scots merchant with my first acknowledgment of this, and taking him by the
• 8:07:42
  hand, I said to him, Blessed be God, we are once again
• 8:07:47
  amongst Christians. He smiled and answered, do not rejoice too soon, countrymen.
• 8:07:52
  These Muscovites, a but an odd sort, are Christians. And but
• 8:07:56
  for the name of it you may see very little of the substance for some
• 8:08:00
  months further of our journey, well, says I. But still it is
• 8:08:03
  better than paganism and worshiping of devils. Why, I will tell you,
• 8:08:07
  says he, except their Russian soldiers in the garrisons, and a few of
• 8:08:11
  the inhabitants of the cities upon their road, or the rest of this country
• 8:08:17
  for about a thousand miles farther is inhabited by the worst and most ignorant of
• 8:08:22
  Pagans, and so indeed we found it. We now launched into the greatest
• 8:08:26
  piece of solid earth that is to be found in any part of the world.
• 8:08:30
  We had at least twelve thousand miles to the sea eastward, two thousand
• 8:08:36
  to the bottom of the Baltic Sea westward, and above three thousand. If
• 8:08:40
  we left that sea and went on west to the British and French channels,
• 8:08:45
  we had full five thousand miles to the Indian or Persian Sea south, and
• 8:08:48
  about eight hundred to the frozen Sea north. We advanced from the River Arguna
• 8:08:55
  by easy and moderate journeys, and were very visibly obliged to the care of
• 8:08:59
  the zone. Has taken to have cities and towns built in as many places
• 8:09:03
  as it is possible to place them where his soldiers keep garrison, something like
• 8:09:07
  the stationary soldiers placed by the Romans in the remotest countries of their empire,
• 8:09:12
  some of which I had read of, were placed in Britain for the security
• 8:09:15
  of commerce and for the lodging of travelers. Thus it was here for wherever
• 8:09:22
  we came. Though at these towns and stations the garrisons and governors were Russians,
• 8:09:26
  and professed Christians. Yet the inhabitants were mere pagans, sacrificing to idols
• 8:09:32
  and worshiping the sun, moon and stars were all the host of heaven.
• 8:09:37
  And not only so, but were of all the heathens and pagans that ever
• 8:09:41
  I met with the most barbarous, except only that they did not eat men's
• 8:09:45
  flesh. Some instances of this we met within the country between Arguna, where
• 8:09:52
  we enter the Muscovite dominions, and a city of Tartars and Russians together called
• 8:09:56
  Nortzyutsky, in which is a continued desert door for forest, which caused us
• 8:10:00
  twenty days to travel over. In a village near the last of these places,
• 8:10:04
  I had the curiosity to go and see their way of living, which
• 8:10:08
  is most brutish and unsufferable. They had. I suppose a great sacrifice that
• 8:10:14
  day, for there stood out upon an old stump of a tree, a
• 8:10:18
  diabolical kind of idol made of wood. It was dressed up too, in
• 8:10:22
  the most filthy manner. Its upper garment was of sheepskins, with the wool
• 8:10:26
  outward, a great tartar bonnet on the head with two horns growing through it.
• 8:10:30
  It was about eight feet high, yet had no feet or legs,
• 8:10:34
  nor any other proportion of parts. This scarecrow was set up at the outer
• 8:10:40
  side of the village, and when I came near to it, there were
• 8:10:42
  sixteen or seventeen creatures, all lying flat upon the ground round this hideous block
• 8:10:48
  of wood. I saw no motion among them, any more than if they
• 8:10:52
  had been all logs like the idol, And at first I really thought they
• 8:10:56
  had been so. But when I came a little nearer, they started up
• 8:11:00
  upon their feet and raised a howl, as if it had been so many
• 8:11:03
  deep mouthed hounds, and walked away, as if they were displeased at our
• 8:11:07
  disturbing them. A little way off from the idol, and at the door
• 8:11:11
  of a hut made of sheep and cowskins dried, stood three men with long
• 8:11:17
  knives in their hands, and in the middle of the tent appeared three sheep
• 8:11:21
  killed and one young bullock. These, it seems, were sacrifices to that
• 8:11:25
  senseless log of an idol. The three men were priests belonging to it,
• 8:11:30
  and the seventeen prostrated wretches were the people who brought the offering and were offering
• 8:11:34
  their prayers to that stock. I confess I was more moved at their stupidity
• 8:11:40
  and brutish worship of a hobgoblin than ever I was at anything in my life,
• 8:11:45
  and overcome with rage, I rode up to the hideous idol, and
• 8:11:48
  with my sword made a stroke at the bonnet that was on its head and
• 8:11:52
  cut it in two. And one of our men that was with me,
• 8:11:55
  taking hold of the sheepskin that covered it, pulled at it. When behold,
• 8:12:00
  a most hideous outcry ran through the village, and two or three hundred
• 8:12:03
  people came about my ears, so that I was glad to scour for it,
• 8:12:07
  for some had bows and arrows, but I resolved from that moment to
• 8:12:11
  visit them again. Our caravan rested three nights at the town, which was
• 8:12:15
  about four miles off, in order to provide some horses which they wanted,
• 8:12:19
  several of the horses having been lamed and jaded with the long march over the
• 8:12:23
  last desert, so we had some leisure here to put my design in execution.
• 8:12:29
  I communicated it to the Scot's merchant, of whose courage I had sufficient
• 8:12:33
  testimony. I told him what I had seen, and with what indignation I
• 8:12:37
  had since thought that human nature could be so degenerate. I told him,
• 8:12:41
  if I could get but four or five men well armed to go with me,
• 8:12:45
  I was resolved to go and destroy that vile, abominable idol and let
• 8:12:51
  them see that it had no power to help itself and consequently could not be
• 8:12:56
  an object of worship or to be prayed to, much less help them that
• 8:13:00
  offered sacrifices to it. He at first objected to my plan as useless,
• 8:13:06
  seeing that owing to the gross ignorance of the people, they could not be
• 8:13:10
  brought to profit by the lesson I meant to teach them, and added that
• 8:13:14
  from his knowledge of the country and its customs, he feared we should fall
• 8:13:18
  into great peril by giving offense to these brutal idol worshipers. This somewhat stayed
• 8:13:22
  my purpose, but I was still uneasy all that day to put my project
• 8:13:26
  in execution, and that evening, meeting the Scot's merchant in our walk about
• 8:13:30
  the town, I again called upon him to aid me in it. When
• 8:13:34
  he found me resolute, he said that, on further thoughts, he could
• 8:13:38
  not but applaud the design, and told me I should not go alone,
• 8:13:42
  but he would go with me, but he would go first and bring a
• 8:13:45
  stout fellow one of his countrymen, to go also with us. And one
• 8:13:51
  said he as famous for his zeal as you can desire any one to be
• 8:13:55
  against such devilish things as these. So we agreed to go only we three
• 8:14:00
  and my manservant, and resolved to put it in execution the following night about
• 8:14:04
  midnight, with all possible secrecy. We thought it better to delay it till
• 8:14:10
  the next night, because the caravan being to set forward in the morning,
• 8:14:14
  we supposed the governor could not pretend to give them any satisfaction upon us when
• 8:14:18
  we were out of his power. The Scot's merchant, as steady in his
• 8:14:22
  resolution for the enterprise as bold in executing, brought me a tartar's robe or
• 8:14:27
  gown of sheepskins and a bonnet with a bow and arrows, and had provided
• 8:14:33
  the same for himself and his countrymen, that the people, if they saw
• 8:14:37
  us, should not determine who we were. All the first night we spent
• 8:14:41
  in mixing up some combustible matter with aqua vitai, gunpowder, and such other
• 8:14:45
  materials as we could get, and having a good quantity of tar in a
• 8:14:49
  little pot. About an hour after night we set out upon our expedition.
• 8:14:55
  We came to the place about eleven o'clock at night, and found that the
• 8:14:59
  people had not the least suspicion of danger attending their idol. The night was
• 8:15:03
  cloudy, yet the moon gave us light enough to see that the idol stood
• 8:15:07
  just in the same posture and place that it did before. The people seemed
• 8:15:11
  to be all at their rest, only that in the great hut where we
• 8:15:15
  saw the three priests, we saw a light, and going up close to
• 8:15:18
  the door, we heard people talking as if there were five or six of
• 8:15:22
  them. We concluded therefore, that if we set wildfire to the idol,
• 8:15:26
  those men would come out immediately and run up to the place to rescue it
• 8:15:30
  from destruction. And what to do with them we knew not once. We
• 8:15:33
  thought of carrying it away and setting fire to it at a distance, but
• 8:15:37
  when we came to handle it we found it too bulky for our carriage,
• 8:15:41
  so we were at a loss again. The second Scotsman was for setting fire
• 8:15:47
  to the hut and knocking the creatures that were there on the head when they
• 8:15:49
  came out, But I could not join with that. I was against killing
• 8:15:53
  them if it were possible to avoid it. Well, then said the Scots
• 8:15:57
  merchant, I will tell you what we will do. We will try to
• 8:16:00
  make them prisoners, tie their hands and make them stand and see their idle
• 8:16:06
  destroyed. As it happened, we had twine or packthread enough about us,
• 8:16:11
  which we used to tie our firelocks together with. So we resolved to attack
• 8:16:15
  these people first, and with as little noise as we could. The first
• 8:16:19
  thing we did we knocked at the door. When one of the priests coming
• 8:16:22
  to it, we immediately seized upon him, stopped his mouth, and tied
• 8:16:27
  his hands behind him, and led him to the idol, where we gagged
• 8:16:30
  him that he might not make a noise, tied his feet also together,
• 8:16:34
  and left him on the ground. Two of us then waited at the door,
• 8:16:40
  expecting that another would come out to see what the matter was. But
• 8:16:42
  we waited so long till the third man came back to us, and then
• 8:16:47
  nobody coming out. We knocked again gently, and immediately out came two more,
• 8:16:52
  and we served them just in the same manner, but were obliged to
• 8:16:56
  go all with them and lay them down by the idol some distance from one
• 8:17:00
  another. When going back, we found two more were come out of the
• 8:17:03
  door, and a third stood behind them within the door. We seized the
• 8:17:07
  two and immediately tied them. When the third, stepping back and crying out,
• 8:17:11
  my Scot's merchant went in after them, and, taking out a composition
• 8:17:15
  we had made that would only smoke and stink, he set fire to it
• 8:17:19
  and threw it in among them. By that time the other Scotsman and my
• 8:17:23
  man, taking charge of the two men already bound and tied together also by
• 8:17:29
  the arm, led them away to the idol, and left them there to
• 8:17:33
  see if their idol would relieve them, making haste back to us. When
• 8:17:37
  the fuse we had thrown in had filled the hut with so much smoke that
• 8:17:41
  they were almost suffocated, we threw in a small leather bag of another kind,
• 8:17:45
  which flamed like a candle, and following it in we found there were
• 8:17:48
  but four people, who, as we supposed, had been about some of
• 8:17:52
  their diabolical sacrifices. They appeared, in short, frightened to death at least
• 8:17:59
  so as to sit trembling and stupid, and not able to speak either for
• 8:18:03
  the smoke. We quickly took them from the hut, where the smoke soon
• 8:18:07
  drove us out bound them as we had done the other, and all without
• 8:18:11
  any noise. Then we carried them all together to the idol. When we
• 8:18:15
  came there, we fell to work with him. First we daubed him all
• 8:18:18
  over, and his robes also with tar and tallow mixed with brimstone. Then
• 8:18:23
  we stopped his eyes and ears and mouthful of gunpowder, and wrapped up a
• 8:18:29
  great piece of wildfire in his bonnet. Then, sticking all the combustibles we
• 8:18:33
  had brought with us upon him, we looked about to see if we could
• 8:18:36
  find anything else to help to burn him. When my scotsmen remembered that by
• 8:18:40
  the hut where the men were there lay a heap of dry forage away.
• 8:18:45
  He and the other scotsmen ran and fetched their arms full of that. When
• 8:18:48
  we had done this, we took all our prisoners and brought them, having
• 8:18:52
  untied their feet and UnGagged their mouths, and made them stand up, and
• 8:18:56
  set them before their monstrous idol, and then set fire to the hole.
• 8:19:02
  We stayed by it a quarter of an hour or thereabouts, till the powder
• 8:19:06
  in the eyes and mouth and ears of the idol blew up, and as
• 8:19:08
  we could perceive had split all together and in a word, till we saw
• 8:19:14
  it burned, so that it would soon be quite consumed. We then began
• 8:19:17
  to think of going away, but the scotsmen said, no, we must
• 8:19:21
  not go, for these poor deluded wretches will all throw themselves into the fire
• 8:19:25
  and burn themselves with the idol. So we resolved to stay till the forage
• 8:19:30
  has burned down two and then came away and left them. After defeat was
• 8:19:34
  performed, we appeared in the morning among our fellow travelers, exceedingly busy in
• 8:19:38
  getting ready for our journey. Nor could any man suppose that we had been
• 8:19:42
  anywhere but in our beds. But the affair did not end. So the
• 8:19:48
  next day came a great number of the country people to the town gates,
• 8:19:52
  and in a most outrageous manner, demanded satisfaction of the Russian governor for the
• 8:19:56
  insulting their priests and burning their great cham Chi Rithongo. The people of Nurzingkee
• 8:20:02
  were at first in great consternation, for they said the Tartars were already no
• 8:20:06
  less than thirty thousand strong. The Russian governor sent out messengers to appease them,
• 8:20:11
  assuring them that he knew nothing of it, and that there had not
• 8:20:15
  a soul in his garrison been abroad, so that it could not be from
• 8:20:18
  anybody there. But if they could let him know who did it, they
• 8:20:22
  should be exemplarily punished. They returned haughtily that all the country reverenced the great
• 8:20:27
  cham Chitungu, who dwelt in the sun, and no mortal would have dared
• 8:20:33
  to offer violence to his image, but some Christian miscreant, and they therefore
• 8:20:37
  resolved to denounce war against him and all the Russians, who they said were
• 8:20:41
  miscreants and Christians. The governor, unwilling to make a breach or to have
• 8:20:47
  any cause of war alleged to be given by him, The Tsar, having
• 8:20:51
  strictly charged him to treat the conquered country with gentleness, gave them all the
• 8:20:56
  good words he could. At last, he told them there was a caravan
• 8:21:00
  and gone towards Russia that morning, and perhaps it was some of them who
• 8:21:03
  had done this injury, and that if they would be satisfied with that,
• 8:21:07
  he would send after them to inquire into it. This seemed to appease them
• 8:21:11
  a little, and accordingly the governor sent after us and gave us a particular
• 8:21:15
  account how the thing was, intimating withal that if any in our caravan had
• 8:21:21
  done it, they should make their escape, but that whether we had done
• 8:21:23
  it or no, we should make all the haste forward that was possible,
• 8:21:27
  and that in the meantime he would keep them in play as long as he
• 8:21:32
  could. This was very friendly in the governor. However, when it came
• 8:21:37
  to the caravan, there was nobody knew anything of the matter, And as
• 8:21:41
  for us, that we were guilty, we were least of all suspected.
• 8:21:45
  However, the captain of the caravan for the time took the hint that the
• 8:21:48
  governor gave us, and we traveled two days and two nights without any considerable
• 8:21:52
  stop, and then we lay at a village called Plothos. Nor did we
• 8:21:56
  make any long stop here, but hastened on towards Jarrowena, another Muscovite colony,
• 8:22:02
  and where we expected we should be safe. But upon the second day's
• 8:22:06
  march from Plothos, by the clouds of dust behind us at a great distance,
• 8:22:10
  it was plain we were pursued. We had entered a vast desert and
• 8:22:14
  had passed by a great lake called Shanksoser. When we perceived a large body
• 8:22:18
  of horse appear on the other side of the lake to the north. We
• 8:22:22
  traveling west. We observed they went away west as we did, but had
• 8:22:26
  supposed we would have taken that side of the lake, whereas we very happily
• 8:22:30
  took the south side. And in two days more they disappeared again, for
• 8:22:36
  they, believing we were still before them, pushed on till they came to
• 8:22:38
  the Uda, a very great river when it passes farther north. But when
• 8:22:44
  we came to it we found it narrow and fordable. The third day they
• 8:22:48
  had either found their mistake or had intelligence of us, and came pouring in
• 8:22:52
  upon us towards dusk. We had, to our great satisfaction, just pitched
• 8:22:56
  upon a convenient place for our camp, for as we had just entered upon
• 8:23:00
  a desert above five hundred miles over where we had no towns to lodge at,
• 8:23:06
  and indeed expected none, but the city Jarawena, which we had yet
• 8:23:10
  two days march to the desert, however, had some few woods in it
• 8:23:14
  on this side, and little rivers which ran all into the great river Udda.
• 8:23:18
  It was in a narrow strait between little but very thick woods that We
• 8:23:22
  pitched our camp that night, expecting to be attacked before morning. As it
• 8:23:27
  was usual for the Mogul Tartars to go about in troops in that desert,
• 8:23:32
  so the caravans always fortify themselves every night against them, as against armies of
• 8:23:37
  robbers. And it was therefore no new thing to be pursued. But we
• 8:23:41
  had this night a most advantageous camp, for as we lay between two woods,
• 8:23:47
  with a little rivulet running just before our front, we could not be
• 8:23:49
  surrounded or attacked any way. But in our front or rear. We took
• 8:23:55
  care also to make our front as strong as we could, by placing our
• 8:23:59
  packs with the ca hamels and horses all in a line on the inside of
• 8:24:03
  the river, and felling some trees in our rear. In this posture we
• 8:24:07
  encamped for the night, but the enemy was upon us before we had finished.
• 8:24:11
  They did not come on like thieves, as we expected, but sent
• 8:24:15
  three messengers to us to demand the men to be delivered to them that had
• 8:24:19
  abused their priests and burned their idol, that they might burn them with fire.
• 8:24:25
  And upon this they said they would go away and do us no further
• 8:24:27
  harm, otherwise they would destroy us. All our men looked very blank at
• 8:24:33
  this message, and began to stare at one another to see who looked with
• 8:24:37
  the most guilt in their faces. But nobody was the word. Nobody did
• 8:24:41
  it. The leader of the caravan sent word. He was well assured that
• 8:24:45
  it was not done by any of our camp, that we were peaceful merchants
• 8:24:48
  traveling on our business, that we had done no harm to them or to
• 8:24:52
  anyone else, and that therefore they must look further for the enemies who had
• 8:24:56
  injured them, For we were not the people so they. We desired them
• 8:25:00
  not to disturb us. If they did, we should defend ourselves. They
• 8:25:04
  were far from being satisfied with this for an answer, and a great crowd
• 8:25:10
  of them came running down in the morning by break of day to our camp.
• 8:25:14
  But seeing us so well posted, they durst come no farther than the
• 8:25:18
  brook in our front, where they stood in such number as to terrify us
• 8:25:22
  very much. Indeed, some spoke of ten thousand. Here they stood and
• 8:25:26
  looked at us awhile, and then, setting up a great howl, let
• 8:25:30
  fly a crowd of arrows among us. But we were well enough sheltered under
• 8:25:33
  our baggage, and I do not remember that one of us was hurt.
• 8:25:38
  Some time after this, we saw them move a little to our right and
• 8:25:41
  expected them on the rear, when a cunning fellow, a cossack of Jarawena,
• 8:25:47
  calling to the leader of the caravan, said to him, I will
• 8:25:49
  send all these people away to Sebeka. This was a city four or five
• 8:25:53
  days journey at least to the right and rather behind us. So he takes
• 8:25:57
  his bow and arrows, and getting on horseback, he rides away from our
• 8:26:02
  rear, directly, as it were, back to Narzinsky. After this,
• 8:26:06
  he takes a great circle about and comes directly on the army of the Tartars,
• 8:26:11
  as if he had been sent express to tell them a long story,
• 8:26:14
  that the people who had burned the cham Chitongu were gone to Sibeilka with a
• 8:26:18
  caravan of miscreants, as he called them, that is to say, Christians,
• 8:26:22
  and that they had resolved to burn the god Skalisar belonging to the Tonguses.
• 8:26:27
  As this fellow was himself a Tartar and perfectly spoke their language, he
• 8:26:32
  counterfeited so well that they all believed him, and away they drove in a
• 8:26:37
  violent hurry to Sibeilka. In less than three hours, they were entirely out
• 8:26:41
  of our sight, and we never heard any more of them, nor whether
• 8:26:45
  they went to Sebeilka or no. So we passed away safely on to Jarawena,
• 8:26:49
  where there was a Russian garrison, and there we rested five days.
• 8:26:55
  From this city we had a frightful desert which held us twenty three days March.
• 8:27:00
  We furnished ourselves with some tents here for the better accommodating ourselves in the
• 8:27:04
  night, and the leader of the caravan procured sixteen wagons of the country for
• 8:27:10
  carrying our water or provisions, and these carriages were our defense every night round
• 8:27:15
  our little camp. So that had the tartars appeared, unless they had been
• 8:27:18
  very numerous, indeed, they would not have been able to hurt us.
• 8:27:22
  We may well be supposed to have wanted rest again after this long journey,
• 8:27:26
  for in this desert we neither saw a house nor tree, and scarce a
• 8:27:30
  bush. Though we saw abundance of the sable hunters, who are all tartars
• 8:27:34
  of Mogul Tartary, of which this country is a part, and they frequently
• 8:27:38
  attack small caravans. But we saw no numbers of them together. After we
• 8:27:45
  had passed this desert, we came into a country pretty well inhabited, that
• 8:27:48
  is to say, we found towns and castles settled by the Tsar, with
• 8:27:52
  garrisons of stationary soldiers to protect the caravans and defend the country against the Tartars
• 8:27:59
  who would otherwise make it very dangerous traveling. And his Zarish Majesty has given
• 8:28:03
  such strict orders for the well guarding the caravans that if there are any Tartars
• 8:28:08
  heard of in the country, detachments of the garrison are always sent to see
• 8:28:12
  the travelers safe from station to station. Thus, the Governor of Adinskoy,
• 8:28:18
  whom I had an opportunity to make a visit to by means of the Scots
• 8:28:21
  merchant who was acquainted with him, offered us a guard of fifty men if
• 8:28:26
  we thought there was any danger to the next station. I thought long before
• 8:28:30
  this that as we came nearer to Europe, we should find the country better
• 8:28:33
  inhabited and the people more civilized. But I found myself mistaken in both,
• 8:28:40
  for we had yet the nation of the Tonguses to pass through, where we
• 8:28:44
  saw the same tokens of paganism and barbarity as before, only as they were
• 8:28:48
  conquered by the Muscovites, they were not so dangerous, but for rudeness of
• 8:28:52
  manners and idolatry, no people in the world ever went beyond them. They
• 8:28:56
  are all clothed in skins of beasts, and their houses are built of the
• 8:29:00
  same. You know not a man from a woman, neither by the ruggedness
• 8:29:04
  of their countenance nor their clothes. And in the winter, when the ground
• 8:29:08
  is covered with snow, they live underground in vaults which have cavities going from
• 8:29:12
  one to another. If the Tartars had their cham Chitongu for a whole village
• 8:29:18
  or country, these had idols in every hut and every cave. This country
• 8:29:22
  I reckon was from the desert I spoke of last, at least four hundred
• 8:29:27
  miles, half of it being another desert, which took us up twelve days
• 8:29:32
  severe traveling without house or tree, and we were obliged again to carry our
• 8:29:37
  own provisions, as well water as bread. After we were out of this
• 8:29:41
  desert and had traveled two days, we came to Janize, a Muscovite city
• 8:29:45
  or station on the great River Janize, which they told us there parted Europe
• 8:29:51
  from Asia. All the country between the River Obi and the River Janize is
• 8:29:56
  entirely pagan, and the people as barbarous as to the the remotest of the
• 8:30:00
  Tartars. I also found, which I observed to the Muscovite governors, whom
• 8:30:04
  I had an opportunity to converse with, that the poor Pagans are not much
• 8:30:08
  wiser or nearer Christianity for being under the Muscovite government, which they acknowledged was
• 8:30:15
  true enough. But that, as they said, was none of their business.
• 8:30:18
  That if the Tsar expected to convert his Siberian Tonguse or Tartar subjects,
• 8:30:25
  it should be done by sending clergymen among them, not soldiers. And they
• 8:30:29
  added, with more sincerity than I expected, that it was not so much
• 8:30:33
  the concern of their monarch to make the people Christians as to make them subjects.
• 8:30:38
  From this river to the Obi we crossed a wild, uncultivated country,
• 8:30:44
  barren of people and good management. Otherwise, it is in itself a pleasant,
• 8:30:48
  fruitful and agreeable country. What inhabitants we found in it are all Pagans,
• 8:30:52
  except such as are sent among them from Russia. For this is the
• 8:30:56
  country I mean on both sides the river Obi, whither the Muscovite criminals that
• 8:31:02
  are not put to death are banished, and from whence it is next to
• 8:31:04
  impossible they should ever get away. I have nothing material to say of my
• 8:31:10
  particular affairs till I came to Tobolski, the capital city of Siberia, where
• 8:31:15
  I continued some time on the following account. We had now been almost seven
• 8:31:19
  months on our journey, and winter began to come on apace, whereupon my
• 8:31:23
  partner and I called a council about our particular affairs, in which we found
• 8:31:29
  it proper as we were bound for England, to consider how to dispose of
• 8:31:33
  ourselves. They told us of sledges and reindeer to carry us over the snow
• 8:31:37
  in the winter time, by which means indeed the Russians travel more in winter
• 8:31:41
  than they can in summer, as in these sledges they are able to run
• 8:31:45
  night and day. The snow being frozen is one universal covering to nature,
• 8:31:51
  by which the hills, vales, rivers and lakes are all smooth and hard
• 8:31:55
  as a stone, and they run upon the surface without any regard to what
• 8:31:59
  is unneath. But I had no occasion to urge a winter journey of this
• 8:32:04
  kind. I was bound to England, not to Moscow, and my route
• 8:32:08
  lay two ways. Either I must go on as the caravan went till I
• 8:32:13
  came to Jarislaw, and then go off west for Narva and the Gulf of
• 8:32:16
  Finland, and so on to Danzik, where I might possibly sell my China
• 8:32:22
  cargo to good advantage. Or I must leave the caravan at a little town
• 8:32:25
  on the Dvina, from whence I had but six days by water to Archangel,
• 8:32:30
  and from thence must be sure of shipping either to England, Holland,
• 8:32:34
  or Hamburg. Now to go any one of these journeys in the winter would
• 8:32:37
  have been preposterous, for as to Danzik, the Baltic would have been frozen
• 8:32:42
  up and I could not get passage, and to go by land in those
• 8:32:45
  countries was far less safe than among the Mogul Tartars. Likewise, as to
• 8:32:51
  Archangel in October, all the ships would be gone from thence, and even
• 8:32:54
  the merchants who dwell there in summer retire south to Moscow in the winter when
• 8:32:59
  the sho ships are gone, so that I could have nothing but extremity of
• 8:33:02
  cold to encounter with a scarcity of provisions, and must lie in an empty
• 8:33:07
  town all the winter. Therefore, upon the whole I thought it much my
• 8:33:12
  better way to let the caravan go and make provision to winter. Where I
• 8:33:15
  was at Tobolski in Siberia, in the latitude of about sixty degrees, where
• 8:33:21
  I was sure of three things to wear out a cold winter, with viz
• 8:33:24
  plenty of provisions, such as the country afforded a warm house, with fuel
• 8:33:29
  enough and excellent company. I was now in quite a different climate from my
• 8:33:35
  beloved island, where I never felt cold, except when I had my egg
• 8:33:38
  yew. On the contrary, I had much to do to bear any clothes
• 8:33:43
  on my back, and never made any fire, but without doors, which
• 8:33:46
  was necessary for dressing my food, et cetera. Now I had three good
• 8:33:51
  vests with large robes or gowns over them to hang down to the feet and
• 8:33:54
  button close to the wrists, and all these lined with furs to make them
• 8:33:59
  sufficiently warm. As to a warm house, I must confess I greatly dislike
• 8:34:04
  our way in England of making fires in every room of the house in open
• 8:34:07
  chimneys, which when the fire is out always keeps the air in the room
• 8:34:12
  cold as the climate. So I took an apartment in a good house in
• 8:34:15
  the town, and ordered a chimney to be built like a furnace in the
• 8:34:20
  center of six several rooms, like a stove. The funnel to carry the
• 8:34:23
  smoke went up one way, the door to come at the fire went in
• 8:34:27
  another, and all the rooms were kept equally warm, but no fire seen,
• 8:34:31
  just as they heat baths in England. By this means we had always
• 8:34:36
  the same climate in all the rooms, and an equal heat was preserved.
• 8:34:39
  And yet we saw no fire, nor were ever incommoded with smoke. The
• 8:34:45
  most wonderful thing of all was that it should be possible to meet with good
• 8:34:50
  company here in a country so barbarous as this, one of the most northerly
• 8:34:53
  parts of Europe, but this being the country where the state criminals of Muscovy,
• 8:34:58
  as I observed before, are all banished. The city was full of
• 8:35:01
  Russian noblemen, gentlemen, soldiers and courtiers. Here was the famous Prince galitzin
• 8:35:07
  the old German Robostiski, and several other persons of note, and some ladies
• 8:35:13
  by means of my Scotch merchant, whom nevertheless I parted with. Here,
• 8:35:16
  I made an acquaintance with several of these gentlemen, and from these, in
• 8:35:21
  the long winter nights in which I stayed there, I received several very agreeable
• 8:35:25
  visits. End of Chapter fifteen. Chapter sixteen, Safe Arrival in England.
• 8:35:35
  It was talking one night with a certain prince, one of the vanished ministers
• 8:35:38
  of state belonging to the Tsar, that the discourse of my particular case began.
• 8:35:44
  He had been telling the abundance of fine things, of the greatness,
• 8:35:46
  the magnificence, the dominions, and the absolute power of the Emperor of the
• 8:35:52
  Russians. I interrupted him and told him I was a greater and more powerful
• 8:35:55
  prince than ever the Tsar was, though my dominion were not so large or
• 8:36:00
  my people so many. The Russian Grande looked a little surprised, and,
• 8:36:05
  fixing his eyes steadily upon me, began to wonder what I meant. I
• 8:36:08
  said his wonder would cease when I had explained myself and told him the story
• 8:36:14
  at large of my living in the island, and then how I managed both
• 8:36:17
  myself and the people that were under me, just as I have since minuted
• 8:36:22
  it down. They were exceedingly taken with the story, and especially the prince,
• 8:36:27
  who told me with a sigh, that the true greatness of life was
• 8:36:30
  to be masters of ourselves, that he would not have exchanged such a state
• 8:36:34
  of life as mine to be Tsar of Muscovy, and that he found more
• 8:36:37
  felicity in the retirement he seemed to be banished to there than ever he found
• 8:36:43
  in the highest authority he enjoyed in the court of his master, the Czar,
• 8:36:46
  that the height of human wisdom was to bring our tempers down to our
• 8:36:50
  circumstances, and to make a calm within under the weight of the greatest storms.
• 8:36:54
  Without when he came first hither, he said, he used to tear
• 8:36:59
  them hair from his head and the clothes from his back, as others had
• 8:37:02
  done before him. But a little time and consideration had made him look into
• 8:37:07
  himself as well as round him to things. Without that he found the mind
• 8:37:12
  of man, if it was but once brought to reflect upon the state of
• 8:37:15
  universal life, and how little this world was concerned in its true felicity,
• 8:37:21
  was perfectly capable of making a felicity for itself, fully satisfying to itself and
• 8:37:27
  suitable to its best ends and desires. With but very little assistance from the
• 8:37:31
  world. That being now deprived of all the fancied felicity which he enjoyed in
• 8:37:37
  the full exercise of worldly pleasures, he said he was at leisure to look
• 8:37:40
  upon the dark side of them, where he found all manner of deformity,
• 8:37:45
  and was now convinced that virtue only makes a man truly wise, rich and
• 8:37:50
  great, and preserves him in the way to a superior happiness in a future
• 8:37:54
  state. And in this he said, they were more happy in their banishment
• 8:37:59
  than all all their enemies were, who had the full possession of all the
• 8:38:02
  wealth and power they had left behind them. No, sir, says he
• 8:38:07
  do. I bring my mind to this politically from the necessity of my circumstances,
• 8:38:12
  which some call miserable. But if I know anything of myself, I
• 8:38:15
  would not now go back, though thus are my master should call me and
• 8:38:20
  reinstate me in all my former grandeur. He spoke this with so much warmth
• 8:38:25
  in his temper, so much earnestness and motion of his spirits, that it
• 8:38:30
  was evident it was the true sense of his soul. There was no room
• 8:38:32
  to doubt his sincerity. I told him, I once thought myself a kind
• 8:38:37
  of monarch in my old station, of which I had given him an account,
• 8:38:42
  But that I thought he was not only a monarch, but a great
• 8:38:44
  conqueror. For he that had got a victory over his own exorbitant desires and
• 8:38:50
  the absolute dominion over himself, he whose reason entirely governs his will, is
• 8:38:54
  certainly greater than he that conquers a city. I had been here eight months
• 8:39:00
  and a dark, dreadful winter. I thought it, the cold so intense
• 8:39:04
  that I could not so much as look abroad without being wrapped in furs,
• 8:39:07
  and a kind of mask of fur before my face, with only a hole
• 8:39:10
  for breath and two for sight. The little daylight we had was for three
• 8:39:15
  months not above five hours a day, and six at most, only that,
• 8:39:20
  the snow lying on the ground continually, and the weather being clear,
• 8:39:23
  it was never quite dark. Our horses were kept, or rather starved,
• 8:39:29
  underground. And as for our servants, whom we hired here to look after
• 8:39:32
  ourselves and horses, we had every now and then their fingers and toes to
• 8:39:37
  thaw and take care of lest they should mortify and fall off. It is
• 8:39:43
  true within doors we were warm, the houses being closed, the walls thick,
• 8:39:47
  the windows small, and the glass all double. Our food was chiefly
• 8:39:52
  the flesh of deer, dried and cured in the season. Bread good enough,
• 8:39:55
  but baked as biscuits, dried fish of several sorts, and some flesh
• 8:40:00
  of mutton and of buffaloes, which is pretty good meat. All the stores
• 8:40:05
  of provisions for the winter are laid up in the summer and well cured.
• 8:40:08
  Our drink was water mixed with aqua vitai instead of brandy, and for a
• 8:40:13
  treat meat instead of wine, which, however they have very good. The
• 8:40:17
  hunters who venture abroad all weathers frequently brought us in fine venison, and sometimes
• 8:40:23
  bear's flesh, but we did not much care for the last. We had
• 8:40:28
  a good stock of tea with which we treated our friends, and we lived
• 8:40:31
  cheerfully and well, all things considered. It was now March, the days
• 8:40:37
  grown considerably longer, and the weather at least tolerable. So the other travelers
• 8:40:42
  began to prepare sledges, to carry them over the snow, and to get
• 8:40:45
  things ready to be going. But my measures, being fixed, as I
• 8:40:49
  have said, for archangel and not for Muscovy or the Baltic, I made
• 8:40:53
  no motion, knowing very well that the ships from the south do not set
• 8:40:58
  out for that part of the world till May or or June, and that
• 8:41:00
  if I was there by the beginning of August, it would be as soon
• 8:41:04
  as any ships would be ready to sail. Therefore I made no haste to
• 8:41:08
  be gone as others did. In a word, I saw a great many
• 8:41:12
  people, nay, all the travelers go away before me. It seems every
• 8:41:16
  year they go from Thence to Muscovy for trade, to carry furs and buy
• 8:41:21
  necessaries, which they bring back with them to furnish their shops. Also,
• 8:41:25
  others went on the same errand to Archangel in the month of May. I
• 8:41:30
  began to make all ready to pack up, And as I was doing this,
• 8:41:34
  it occurred to me that, seeing all these people were banished by the
• 8:41:37
  Tsar to Siberia, and yet when they came there were left at liberty to
• 8:41:42
  go whither they would, why they did not then go away to any part
• 8:41:45
  of the world wherever they thought fit? And I began to examine what should
• 8:41:50
  hinder them from making such an attempt. But my wonder was over when I
• 8:41:53
  entered upon that subject with the person I have mentioned, who answered me.
• 8:41:58
  Thus could sider, first, sir, said he, the place where we
• 8:42:01
  are, and secondly the condition we are in, and especially the generality of
• 8:42:06
  the people who are banished. Thither we are surrounded with stronger things than bars
• 8:42:10
  or bolts. On the north side an unnavigable ocean, where ship never sailed
• 8:42:15
  and boat never swam. Every other way, we have above a thousand miles
• 8:42:20
  to pass through the Zarzon dominion, and by ways utterly impassable except by the
• 8:42:24
  roads made by the government, and through the towns garrisoned by his troops.
• 8:42:30
  In short, we could neither pass undiscovered by the road, nor subsist any
• 8:42:35
  other way, so that it is in vain to attempt it. I was
• 8:42:38
  silenced at once, and found that they were in a prison every jot as
• 8:42:43
  secure as if they had been locked up in the castle at Moscow. However,
• 8:42:46
  it came into my thoughts that I might certainly be made an instrument to
• 8:42:51
  procure the escape of this excellent person, and that whatever hazard I ran,
• 8:42:55
  I would certainly try if I could carry him off. Upon this, I
• 8:43:00
  took an occasion one evening to tell him my thoughts. I represented to him
• 8:43:05
  that it was very easy for me to carry him away, there being no
• 8:43:08
  guard over him in the country, and as I was not going to Moscow
• 8:43:13
  but to arch Angel, and that I went in the retinue of a caravan,
• 8:43:16
  by which I was not obliged to lie in the stationary towns in the
• 8:43:21
  desert, but could in camp every night, where I would, we might
• 8:43:23
  easily pass uninterrupted to arch Angel, where I would immediately secure him on board
• 8:43:29
  an English ship and carry him safe along with me. And as to his
• 8:43:34
  subsistence and other particulars, it should be my care till he could better supply
• 8:43:37
  himself. He heard me very attentively, and looked earnestly on me all the
• 8:43:43
  while I spoke. Nay, I could see in his very face that what
• 8:43:46
  I said put his spirits into an exceeding ferment. His color frequently changed,
• 8:43:52
  his eyes looked red, and his heart fluttered till it might be even perceived
• 8:43:57
  in his countenance. Nor could he immediately answer me when I had done,
• 8:44:00
  and as it were, hesitated what he would say to it. But after
• 8:44:05
  he had paused a little, he embraced me and said, how unhappy we
• 8:44:08
  are, unguarded creatures as we are, that even our greatest acts of friendship
• 8:44:14
  are made snares unto us, and we are made tempters of one another.
• 8:44:19
  He then heartily thanked me for my offers of service, but withstood resolutely the
• 8:44:23
  arguments I used to urge him to set himself free. He declared in earnest
• 8:44:29
  terms that he was fully bent on remaining where he was, rather than seek
• 8:44:32
  to return to his former miserable greatness, as he called it, where the
• 8:44:37
  seeds of pride, ambition, avarice, and luxury might revive, take root,
• 8:44:42
  and again overwhelm him. Let me remain, dear sir, he said,
• 8:44:45
  in conclusion, Let me remain in this blessed confinement, banished from the
• 8:44:50
  crimes of life, rather than purchase a show of freedom at the expense of
• 8:44:54
  the liberty of my reason and at the future happiness which I now have in
• 8:44:59
  my view. But should then I fear quickly lose sight of for I am
• 8:45:02
  but flesh, a man, a mere man, and have passions and affections
• 8:45:07
  as likely to possess and overthrow me as any man. Oh be not my
• 8:45:12
  friend and tempter both together. If I was surprised before, I was quite
• 8:45:17
  dumb now, and stood silent looking at him, and indeed admiring what I
• 8:45:22
  saw. The struggle in his soul was so great that though the weather was
• 8:45:27
  extremely cold, it put him into a most violent heat. So I said
• 8:45:30
  a word or two that I would leave him to consider of it and wait
• 8:45:35
  on him again. And then I withdrew to my own apartment. About two
• 8:45:39
  hours after, I heard somebody at or near the door of my room,
• 8:45:44
  and I was going to open the door, but he had opened it and
• 8:45:46
  come in. My dear friend, says he. You had almost overset me,
• 8:45:52
  but I am recovered. Do not take it ill that I do not
• 8:45:54
  close with your offer. I assure you it is not for want of sense
• 8:45:59
  of the kindness of it you and I came to make the most sincere acknowledgment
• 8:46:02
  of it to you. But I hope I have got the victory over myself,
• 8:46:07
  my Lord, said I. I hope you are fully satisfied that you
• 8:46:10
  do not resist the call of heaven. Sir said he. If it had
• 8:46:15
  been from heaven, the same power would have influenced me to have accepted it.
• 8:46:19
  But I hope and am fully satisfied that it is from Heaven that I
• 8:46:22
  decline it, and I have infinite satisfaction in the parting that you shall leave
• 8:46:28
  me an honest man. Still, though not a free man, I had
• 8:46:31
  nothing to do but to acquiesce and make professions to him, of my having
• 8:46:37
  no end in it, but a sincere desire to serve him. He embraced
• 8:46:40
  me very passionately and assured me he was sensible of that and should always acknowledge
• 8:46:45
  it. And with that he offered me a very fine present of sables,
• 8:46:50
  too much indeed for me to accept from a man in his circumstances, and
• 8:46:54
  I would have avoided them, but he would not be refused. The next
• 8:46:59
  morning I sent myself servant to his lordship with a small present of tea and
• 8:47:02
  two pieces of China damask, and four little wedges of japan gold, which
• 8:47:07
  did not all weigh above six ounces or thereabouts, but were far short of
• 8:47:12
  the value of his sables, which when I came to England I found worth
• 8:47:16
  near two hundred pounds. He accepted the tea and one piece of the damask,
• 8:47:22
  and one of the pieces of gold, which had a fine stamp upon
• 8:47:24
  it. Of the Japanese coinage which I found he took for the rarity of
• 8:47:29
  it, but would not take any more, and he sent word by my
• 8:47:32
  servant that he desired to speak with me. When I came to him,
• 8:47:37
  he told me I knew what had passed between us, and hoped I would
• 8:47:40
  not move him any more in that affair, but that since I had made
• 8:47:45
  such a generous offer to him, he asked me, if I had kindness
• 8:47:49
  enough to share the same to another person, that he would name to me
• 8:47:52
  in whom he had a great share of concern. In a word, he
• 8:47:55
  told me it was his only son, who, though I had not seen
• 8:47:59
  him, was in the same condition with himself and above two hundred miles from
• 8:48:04
  him on the other side of the Obie, but that if I consented,
• 8:48:07
  he would send for him. I made no hesitation, but told him I
• 8:48:13
  would do it. I made some ceremony in letting him understand that it was
• 8:48:16
  wholly on his account, and that, seeing I could not prevail on him,
• 8:48:21
  I would show my respect to him by my concern for his son.
• 8:48:24
  He sent the next day for his son, and in about twenty days he
• 8:48:28
  came back with the messenger, bringing six or seven horses loaded with very rich
• 8:48:32
  furs, which in the whole amounted to a very great value. His servants
• 8:48:37
  brought the horses into the town, but left the young lord at a distance
• 8:48:42
  till night, when he came incognito into our apartment, and his father presented
• 8:48:45
  him to me, and in short we concerted the manner of our traveling and
• 8:48:51
  everything proper for the journey. I had bought a considerable quantity of sables,
• 8:48:55
  black fox skins, fine ermines, and such other errors as are very rich
• 8:49:00
  in that city, in exchange for some of the goods I had brought from
• 8:49:04
  China, in particular for the clothes and nutmegs, of which I sold the
• 8:49:08
  greatest part here and the rest afterwards at Archangel for a much better price than
• 8:49:14
  I could have got at London. And my partner, who was sensible of
• 8:49:16
  the prophet, and whose business, more particularly than mine was merchandise, was
• 8:49:22
  mightily pleased with our stay. On account of the traffic we made here.
• 8:49:27
  It was the beginning of June when I left this remote place. We were
• 8:49:30
  now reduced to a very small caravan, having only thirty two horses and camels
• 8:49:36
  in all which passed for mine, though my new guest was proprietor of eleven
• 8:49:40
  of them. It was natural also that I should take more servants with me
• 8:49:45
  than I had before, and the young Lord passed for my steward, What
• 8:49:49
  great man I passed for myself, I know not. Neither did it concern
• 8:49:52
  me to inquire. We had here the worst and the largest desert to pass
• 8:49:58
  over that we met with in our whole journe journey. I call it the
• 8:50:00
  worst because the way was very deep in some places and very uneven in others.
• 8:50:06
  The best we had to say for it was that we thought we had
• 8:50:09
  no troops of tartars or robbers to fear, as they never came on this
• 8:50:14
  side of the River Obi, or at least very seldom. But we found
• 8:50:17
  it Otherwise. My young Lord had a faithful Siberian servant who was perfectly acquainted
• 8:50:24
  with the country, and led us by private roads so that we avoided coming
• 8:50:29
  into the principal towns and cities upon the great Road, such as two men
• 8:50:34
  Soloy Kamaskoy, and several others, because the Muscovite garrisons which are kept there
• 8:50:38
  are very curious and strict in their observation upon travelers and searching lest any of
• 8:50:45
  the banished persons of notes should make their escape that way into Muscovy. But
• 8:50:50
  by this means we were kept out of the cities, so our whole journey
• 8:50:53
  was a desert, and we were obliged to encamp and lie in our tents,
• 8:50:58
  when we might have had a very good adc comody in the cities on
• 8:51:00
  the way. This the young lord was sensible of that. He would not
• 8:51:05
  allow us to lie abroad when we came to several cities on the way,
• 8:51:08
  but lay abroad himself with his servant in the woods, and met us always
• 8:51:13
  at the appointed places. We had just entered Europe, having passed the River
• 8:51:17
  Kama, which in these parts is the boundary between Europe and Asia, and
• 8:51:22
  the first city on the European side was called Soloy Kamaskoy, that is,
• 8:51:27
  the great city on the River Kama. And here we thought to see some
• 8:51:30
  evident alteration in the people, but we were mistaken, for as we had
• 8:51:35
  a vast desert to pass, which is near seven hundred miles long in some
• 8:51:39
  places, but not above two hundred miles over where we passed it. So
• 8:51:44
  till we came past that horrible place we found very little difference between that country
• 8:51:49
  and Mogul Tartary. The people are mostly Pagans, their houses and towns full
• 8:51:53
  of idols, and their way of living holy barbarous, except in those cities
• 8:51:59
  and village near them, where they are Christians, as they called themselves,
• 8:52:02
  of the Greek Church, but have their religion mingled with so many relics of
• 8:52:07
  superstition, that it is scarce to be known in some places from mere sorcery
• 8:52:12
  and witchcraft. In passing this forest, after all our dangers were, to
• 8:52:16
  our imagination escaped, I thought, indeed, we must have been plundered and
• 8:52:22
  robbed, and perhaps murdered by a troop of thieves. Of what country they
• 8:52:25
  were, I am yet at a loss to know, But they were all
• 8:52:29
  on horseback, carried bows and arrows, and were at first about forty five
• 8:52:34
  in number. They came so near to us as to be within two musket
• 8:52:37
  shot, and asking no questions, surrounded us with their horses, and looked
• 8:52:42
  very earnestly upon us. Twice. At length they placed themselves just in our
• 8:52:46
  way, upon which we drew up into a little line before our camels,
• 8:52:51
  Being not above sixteen men in all thus drawn up, we halted and sent
• 8:52:55
  out the Siberian servant, who attended his lord to see who they were.
• 8:53:00
  His master was the more willing to let him go, because he was not
• 8:53:04
  a little apprehensive that they were a Siberian troop sent out after him. The
• 8:53:08
  man came up near them with a flag of truce and called to them,
• 8:53:13
  but though he spoke several of their languages, or dialects of languages, rather,
• 8:53:16
  he could not understand a word they said. However, after some signs
• 8:53:21
  to him not to come near them at his peril, the fellow came back
• 8:53:24
  no wiser than he went, only that by their dress, he said,
• 8:53:29
  he believed them to be some Tartars of Kalmuk or of the Circassian hordes,
• 8:53:32
  and that there must be more of them upon the great desert, though he
• 8:53:36
  never heard that any of them were seen so far north before. This was
• 8:53:40
  small comfort to us, However, we had no remedy. There was on
• 8:53:45
  our left hand, at about a quarter of a mile distance a little grove,
• 8:53:49
  and very near the road. I immediately resolved we should advance to those
• 8:53:53
  trees and fortify ourselves as well as we could there. For first I considered
• 8:53:59
  that the trees would in a great measure cover us from their arrows, and
• 8:54:02
  in the next place they could not come to charge us. In a body.
• 8:54:06
  It was indeed my old Portuguese pilot who proposed it, and who had
• 8:54:09
  this excellency attending him, that he was always readiest and most apt to direct
• 8:54:15
  and encourage us in cases of the most danger. We advanced immediately with what
• 8:54:20
  speed we could, and gained that little wood. The tartars or thieves,
• 8:54:24
  for we knew not what to call them, keeping their stand and not attempting
• 8:54:29
  to hinder us. When we came thither, we found to our great satisfaction
• 8:54:34
  that it was a swampy piece of ground, and on the one side of
• 8:54:37
  a very great spring of water, which, running out in a little brook,
• 8:54:42
  was a little farther joined by another of the like size, and was
• 8:54:45
  in short the source of a considerable river, called afterwards the Virtzka. The
• 8:54:50
  trees which grew about this spring were not above two hundred but very large and
• 8:54:54
  stood pretty thick, so that as soon as we got in we saw ourselves
• 8:54:59
  perfect safe from the enemy, unless they attacked us on foot. While we
• 8:55:04
  stayed here waiting the motion of the enemy some hours without perceiving that they made
• 8:55:08
  any movement, our Portuguese, with some help, cut several arms of trees
• 8:55:14
  half off and laid them hanging across from one tree to another, and in
• 8:55:17
  a manner fenced us in. About two hours before night, they came down
• 8:55:22
  directly upon us, and though we had not perceived it, we found they
• 8:55:27
  had been joined by some more, so that they were near four score horse,
• 8:55:30
  whereof however, we fancied some were women. They came on till they
• 8:55:36
  were within half shot of our little wood, when we fired one musket without
• 8:55:39
  ball, and called to them in the Russian tongue to know what they wanted,
• 8:55:44
  and bade them keep off. But they came on with a double fury
• 8:55:46
  up to the wood side, not imagining we were so barricaded that they could
• 8:55:51
  not easily break in. Our old pilot was our captain, as well as
• 8:55:54
  our engineer, and desired us not to fire upon them till they came within
• 8:55:59
  pisce still shot, that we might be sure to kill, and that when
• 8:56:02
  we did fire, we should be sure to take good aim. We bade
• 8:56:06
  him give the word of command, which he delayed so long that they were
• 8:56:09
  some of them within two pike's length of us. When we let fly.
• 8:56:13
  We aimed so true that we killed fourteen of them and wounded several others,
• 8:56:17
  as also several of their horses, for we had all of us loaded our
• 8:56:22
  pieces with two or three bullets apiece at least. They were terribly surprised with
• 8:56:28
  our fire and retreated immediately about one hundred rods from us, in which time
• 8:56:32
  we loaded our pieces again, and seeing them keep that distance, we sallied
• 8:56:37
  out and caught four or five of their horses, whose riders we supposed were
• 8:56:42
  killed, and coming up to the dead, we judged they were tartars,
• 8:56:45
  but knew not how they came to make an excursion such an unusual length.
• 8:56:50
  About an hour after they again made a motion to attack us, and rode
• 8:56:54
  round our little wood to see where they might break in, but finding us
• 8:56:58
  always ready to face them, they went off again, and we resolved not
• 8:57:02
  to stir. For that night. We slept little, but spent the most
• 8:57:07
  part of the night in strengthening our situation and barricading the entrances into the wood,
• 8:57:13
  and keeping a strict watch. We waited for daylight, and when it
• 8:57:16
  came, it gave us a very unwelcome discovery. Indeed, for the enemy,
• 8:57:21
  who we thought were discouraged with the reception they met with, were now
• 8:57:24
  greatly increased, and had set up eleven or twelve huts or tents, as
• 8:57:30
  if they were resolved to besiege us, and this little camp they had pitched
• 8:57:34
  upon the open plain, about three quarters of a mile from us. I
• 8:57:38
  confess I now gave myself over for lost and all that I had. The
• 8:57:44
  loss of my effects did not lie so near me, though very considerable,
• 8:57:47
  as the thoughts of falling into the hands of such barbarians at the latter end
• 8:57:52
  of my journey, after so many difficulties and hazards as I had gone through,
• 8:57:57
  and even in sight of our port, where we expected so safe and
• 8:58:00
  deliverance. As to my partner, he was raging and declared that to lose
• 8:58:05
  his goods would be his ruin, and that he would rather die than be
• 8:58:07
  starved. And he was for fighting to the last drop. The young lord,
• 8:58:13
  a most gallant youth, was for fighting to the last also, and
• 8:58:16
  my old pilot was of opinion that we were able to resist them all in
• 8:58:21
  the situation we were then in. Thus we spent the day in debates of
• 8:58:24
  what we should do. But towards evening we found that the number of our
• 8:58:28
  enemies still increased, and we did not know but by the morning they might
• 8:58:31
  still be a greater number. So I began to inquire of those people we
• 8:58:36
  had brought from Tobolski, if there were no private ways by which we might
• 8:58:39
  avoid them in the night and perhaps retreat to some town or get help to
• 8:58:45
  guard us over the desert. The young lord's Siberian servant told us if we
• 8:58:50
  designed to avoid them and not fight, he would engage to carry us off
• 8:58:53
  in the night to a way that went north toward the river Petruz, by
• 8:58:58
  which he made no question, but we might get away and the Tartars never
• 8:59:01
  discover it. But he said his lord had told him he would not retreat,
• 8:59:06
  but would rather choose to fight. I told him he mistook his lord
• 8:59:09
  for that he was too wise a man to love fighting for the sake of
• 8:59:13
  it. That I knew he was brave enough by what he had showed already,
• 8:59:16
  but that he knew better than to desire seventeen or eighteen men to fight
• 8:59:21
  five hundred unless an unavoidable necessity forced them to it, And that if he
• 8:59:25
  thought it possible for us to escape in the night, we had nothing else
• 8:59:30
  to do but to attempt it. He answered, if his lordship gave him
• 8:59:34
  such orders he would lose his life if he did not perform it. We
• 8:59:37
  soon brought his lord to give that order, though privately, and we immediately
• 8:59:42
  prepared for putting it in practice. And first, as soon as it began
• 8:59:46
  to be dark, we kindled a fire in our little camp, which we
• 8:59:51
  kept burning and prepared so as to make it burn all night, that the
• 8:59:54
  Tartars might conclude we were still there, But as soon as it was dark
• 8:59:59
  and we could see the the stars, for our guide would not stir.
• 9:00:01
  Before having all our horses and camels ready loaded, we followed our new guide,
• 9:00:07
  who I soon found steered himself by the north star, the country being
• 9:00:10
  level for a long way. After we had traveled two hours very hard,
• 9:00:15
  it began to be lighter still, not that it was dark all night,
• 9:00:20
  but the moon began to rise, so that, in short, it was
• 9:00:22
  rather lighter than we wished it to be. But by six o'clock the next
• 9:00:27
  morning we had got above thirty miles, having almost spoiled our horses. Here,
• 9:00:31
  we found a Russian village named Khmazinskoy, where we rested and heard nothing
• 9:00:37
  of the Kalmuk Tartars that day. About two hours before night we set out
• 9:00:42
  again and traveled till eight the next morning, though not quite so hard as
• 9:00:45
  before, And about seven o'clock we passed a little river called Kurtza and came
• 9:00:51
  to a good large town inhabited by Russians called Ozomis. There we heard that
• 9:00:55
  several troops of Kalmuks had been abroad upon the desert, but that we were
• 9:01:00
  now completely out of danger of them, which was to our great satisfaction.
• 9:01:05
  Here we were obliged to get some fresh horses, and having need enough of
• 9:01:09
  rest, we stayed five days, and my partner and I agreed to give
• 9:01:14
  the honest Siberian who conducted us thither the value of ten pistoles. In five
• 9:01:19
  days more, we came to Vossima, upon the river Vizogda, and running
• 9:01:23
  into the Dvina. We were there very happily near the end of our travels
• 9:01:28
  by land, that river, being navigable in seven days passage to archangel.
• 9:01:32
  From hence we came to Lavrymskoy the third of July, and, providing ourselves
• 9:01:37
  with two luggage boats and a barge for our own convenience, we embarked the
• 9:01:43
  seventh and arrived all safe at Archangel the eighteenth, having been a year,
• 9:01:47
  five months and three days on the journey, including our stay of about eight
• 9:01:52
  months at Tubolski, we were obliged to stay at this place six weeks for
• 9:01:57
  the arrival of the ships, and must have tarried longer had not a Hamburger
• 9:02:01
  come in above a month, sooner than any of the English ships. When,
• 9:02:05
  after some consideration that the city of Hamburg might happen to be as good
• 9:02:08
  a market for our goods as London, we all took freight with him,
• 9:02:14
  and having put our goods on board, it was most natural for me to
• 9:02:16
  put my steward on board to take care of them, by which means my
• 9:02:21
  young lord had a sufficient opportunity to conceal himself, never coming on shore again
• 9:02:25
  all the time we stayed there, And this he did that he might not
• 9:02:30
  be seen in the city, where some of the Moscow merchants would certainly have
• 9:02:34
  seen and discovered him. We then set sail from Archangel the twentieth of August
• 9:02:39
  the same year, and after no extraordinary bad voyage, arrived safe in the
• 9:02:45
  Elba the eighteenth of September. Here my partner and I found a very good
• 9:02:49
  sale for our goods, as well those of China, as the sables,
• 9:02:52
  et cetera of Siberia, and dividing the produce, my share amounted to three
• 9:02:58
  thousand, four hundred seventy five pounds seventeen shillings three pence, including about six
• 9:03:04
  hundred pounds worth of diamonds, which I purchased at Bengal. Here the young
• 9:03:08
  Lord took his leave of us and went up the Elba in order to go
• 9:03:13
  to the court of Vienna, where he resolved to seek protection and could correspond
• 9:03:16
  with those of his father's friends who were left alive. He did not part
• 9:03:21
  without testimonials of gratitude for the service I had done him, and for my
• 9:03:25
  kindness to the Prince his father. To conclude, having stayed near four months
• 9:03:30
  in Hamburg, I came from thence by Land to the Hague, where I
• 9:03:35
  embarked in the packet, and arrived in London the tenth of January seventeen o
• 9:03:39
  five, having been absent from England ten years and nine months, and here
• 9:03:45
  resolving to harass myself no more, I am preparing for a longer journey than
• 9:03:50
  all these, Having lived seventy two years, a life of infinite variety and
• 9:03:55
  learned sufficiently to know the value of retirement and the blessing of ending our days
• 9:04:00
  in peace. End of Chapter sixteen, end of The Further Adventures of Robinson
• 9:04:07
  Crusoe by Daniel Dafoe.