Chapter
8
Place where I at first
landed my Rafts, and so landed just at my Door.
I was at first ready to
sink down with the Surprize. For I saw my Deliverance indeed visibly put into
my Hands, all things easy, and a large Ship just ready to carry me away whither
I pleased to go. At first, for some time, I was not able to answer him one
Word; but as he had taken me in his Arms, I held fast by him, or I should have
fallen to the Ground.
He perceived the
Surprize, and immediately pulls a Bottle out of his Pocket, and gave me a Dram
of Cordial, which he had brought on Purpose for me; after I had drank it, I sat
down upon the Ground; and though it brought me to my self, yet it was a good
while before I could speak a Word to him.
All this while the poor
Man was in as great an Extasy as I, only not under any Surprize, as I was; and
he said a thousand kind tender things to me, to compose me and bring me to my
self; but such was the Flood of Joy in my Breast, that it put all my Spirits
into Confusion, at last it broke out into Tears, and in a little while after, I
recovered my Speech.
Then I took my Turn, and
embrac'd him as my Deliverer; and we rejoyc'd together. I told him, I look upon
him as a Man sent from Heaven to deliver me, and that the whole Transaction
seemed to be a Chain of Wonders; that such things as these were the Testimonies
we had of a secret Hand of Providence governing the World, and an Evidence,
that the Eyes of an infinite Power could search into the remotest Corner of the
World, and send Help to the Miserable whenever he pleased.
I forgot not to lift up
my Heart in Thankfulness to Heaven, and what Heart could forbear to bless him,
who had not only in a miraculous Manner provided for one in such a Wilderness,
and in such a desolate Condition, but from whom every Deliverance must always
be acknowledged to proceed.
When we had talk'd a
while, the Captain told me, he had brought me some little Refreshment, such as
the Ship afforded, and such as the Wretches that had been so long his Master
had not plunder'd him of: Upon this he call'd aloud to the Boat, and bid his
Men bring the things ashore that were for the Governour; and indeed it was a
Present, as if I had been one not that was to be carry'd away along with them,
but as if I had been to dwell upon the Island still, and they were to go
without me.
First he had brought me
a Case of Bottles full of excellent Cordial Waters, six large Bottles of Madera
Wine; the Bottles held two Quarts a-piece; two Pound of excellent good Tobacco,
twelve good Pieces of the Ship's Beef, and six Pieces of Pork, with a Bag of
Pease, and about a hundred Weight of Bisket.
He brought me also a Box
of Sugar, a Box of Flower, a Bag full of Lemons, and two Bottles of Lime-
Juice, and Abundance of other things: But besides these, and what was a
thousand times more useful to me, he brought me six clean new Shirts, six very
good Neckcloaths, two Pair of Gloves, one Pair of Shoes, a Hat, and one Pair of
Stockings, and a very good Suit of Cloaths of his own, which had been worn but
very little: In a Word, he cloathed me from Head to Foot.
It was a very kind and
agreeable Present, as any one may imagine to one in my Circumstances: But never
was any thing in the World of that Kind so unpleasant, awkard, and uneasy, as
it was to me to wear such Cloaths at their first putting on.
After these Ceremonies
past, and after all his good things were brought into my little Apartment, we
began to consult what was to be done with the Prisoners we had; for it was
worth considering, whether we might venture to take them away with us or no,
especially two of them, who we knew to be incorrigible and refractory to the
last Degree; and the Captain said, he knew they were such Rogues, that there
was no obliging them, and if he did carry them away, it must be in Irons, as
Malefactors to be delivered over to Justice at the first English
Colony he could come at; and I found that the Captain himself was very anxious
about it.
Upon this, I told him,
that if he desir'd it, I durst undertake to bring the two Men he spoke of, to
make it their own Request that he should leave them upon the
Well, says I, I will
send for them up, and talk with them for you; so I caused Friday and
the two Hostages, for they were now discharg'd, their Comrades having perform'd
their Promise; I say, I caused them to go to the Cave, and bring up the five
Men pinion'd, as they were, to the Bower, and keep them there 'till I came.
After some time, I came
thither dress'd in my new Habit, and now I was call'd Governour again; being
all met, and the Captain with me, I caused the Men to be brought before me, and
I told them, I had had a full Account of their villanous Behaviour to the
Captain, and how they had run away with the Ship, and were preparing to commit
farther Robberies, but that Providence had ensnar'd them in their own Ways, and
that they were fallen into the Pit which they had digged for others.
I let them know, that by
my Direction the Ship had been seiz'd, that she lay now in the Road; and they
might see by and by, that their new Captain had receiv'd the Reward of his
Villany; for that they might see him hanging at the Yard-Arm.
That as to them, I
wanted to know what they had to say, why I should not execute them as Pirates
taken in the Fact, as by my Commission they could not doubt I had Authority to
do.
One of them answer'd in
the Name of the rest, That they had nothing to say but this, That when they
were taken, the Captain promis'd them their Lives, and they humbly implor'd my
Mercy; But I told them, I knew not what Mercy to shew them; for as for my self,
I had resolv'd to quit the Island with all my Men, and had taken Passage with
the Captain to go for England: And as for the Captain, he could not
carry them to England, other than as Prisoners in Irons to be try'd
for Mutiny, and running away with the Ship; the Consequence of which, they must
needs know, would be the Gallows; so that I could not tell which was best for
them, unless they had a Mind to take their Fate in the Island; if they desir'd,
that I did not care, as I had Liberty to leave it, I had some Inclination to
give them their Lives, if they thought they could shift on Shore.
They seem'd very
thankful for it, said they would much rather venture to stay there, than to be
carry'd to England to be hang'd; so I left it on that Issue.
However, the Captain
seem'd to make some Difficulty of it, as if he durst not leave them there: Upon
this I seem'd a little angry with the Captain, and told him, That they were my
Prisoners, not his; and that seeing I had offered them so much Favour, I would
be as good as my Word; and that if he did not think fit to consent to it, I
would set them at Liberty, as I found them; and if he did not like it, he might
take them again if he could catch them.
Upon this they appear'd
very thankful, and I accordingly set them at
Upon this I prepar'd to
go on Board the Ship, but told the Captain, that I would stay that Night to
prepare my things, and desir'd him to go on Board in the mean time, and keep
all right in the Ship, and send the Boat on Shore the next Day for me; ordering
him in the mean time to cause the new Captain who was kill'd, to be hang'd at
the Yard-Arm that these Men might see him.
When the Captain was
gone, I sent for the Men up to me to my Apartment, and entred seriously into
Discourse with them of their Circumstances, I told them, I thought they had
made a right Choice; that if the Captain carry'd them away, they would
certainly be hang'd. I shewed them the new Captain, hanging at the Yard-Arm of
the Ship, and told them they had nothing less to expect.
When they had all
declar'd their Willingness to stay, I then told them, I would let them into the
Story of my living there, and put them into the Way of making it easy to them:
Accordingly I gave them the whole History of the Place, and of my coming to it;
shew'd them my Fortifications, the Way I made my Bread, planted my Corn, cured
my Grapes; and in a Word, all that was necessary to make them easy: I told them
the Story also of the sixteen Spaniards that were to be expected; for
whom I left a Letter, and made them promise to treat them in common with
themselves.
I left them my Fire
Arms, viz. Five Muskets, three Fowling Pieces, and three Swords. I had
above a Barrel and half of Powder left; for after the first Year or two, I used
but little, and wasted none. I gave them a Description of the Way I manag'd the
Goats, and Directions to milk and fatten them, and to make both Butter and
Cheese.
In a Word, I gave them
every Part of my own Story; and I told them, I would prevail with the Captain
to leave them two Barrels of Gun-Powder more, and some Garden-Seeds, which I
told them I would have been very glad of; also I gave them the Bag of Pease
which the Captain had brought me to eat, and bad them be sure to sow and
encrease them.
Having done all this, I
left them the next Day, and went an Board the Ship: We prepared immediately to
sail, but did not weigh that Night: The next Morning early, two of the five Men
came swimming to the Ship's Side, and making a most lamentable Complaint of the
other three, begged to be taken into the Ship, for God's Sake, for they should
be murthered, and begg'd the Captain to take them on Board, tho' he hang'd them
immediately.
Upon this the Captain
pretended to have no Power without me; But after some Difficulty, and after
their solemn Promises off Amendment, they were taken on Board, and were some
time after soundly whipp'd and pickl'd; after which, they prov'd very honest
and quiet Fellows.
Some time after this,
the Boat was order'd on Shore, the Tide being up, with the things promised to
the Men, to which the Captain at my Intercession caused their Chests and
Cloaths to be added, which they took, and were very thankful for; I also
encourag'd them, by telling them, that if it lay in my Way to send any Vessel
to take them in, I would not forget them.
When I took leave of
this Island, I carry'd on board for Reliques, the great Goat's-Skin-Cap I had
made, my Umbrella, and my Parrot; also I forgot not to take the Money I
formerly mention'd, which had lain by me so long useless, that it was grown
rusty, or tarnish'd, and could hardly pass for Silver, till it had been a
little rubb'd, and handled; as also the Money I found in the Wreck of the Spanish
Ship.
And thus I left the
Island, the Nineteenth of December, as I found by the Ship's Account,
in the Year 1686, after I had been upon it eight and twenty Years, two Months,
and 19 Days; being deliver'd from this second Captivity, the same Day of the
Month, that I first made my Escape in the Barco-Longo, from among the Moors
of Sallee.
In this Vessel, after a
long Voyage, I arriv'd in
When I came to
I went down afterwards
into Yorkshire; but my Father was dead, and my Mother, and all the
Family extinct, except that I found two Sisters, and two of the Children of one
of my Brothers; and as I had been long ago given over for dead, there had been
no Provision made for me; so that in a Word, I found nothing to relieve, or
assist me; and that little Money I had, would not do much for me, as to
settling in the World.
I met with one Piece of
Gratitude indeed, which I did not expect; and this was, That the Master of the
Ship, who I had so happily deliver'd, and by the same Means sav'd the Ship and
Cargo, having given a very handsome Account to the Owners, of the Manner how I
had sav'd the Lives of the Men, and the Ship, they invited me to meet them, and
some other Merchants concern'd, and altogether made me a very handsome
Compliment upon the Subject, and a Present of almost two hundred Pounds
Sterling.
But after making several
Reflections upon the Circumstances of my Life, and how little way this would go
towards settling me in the World, I resolv'd to go to Lisbon, and see
if I might not come by some Information of the State of my Plantation in the Brasils,
and of what was become of my Partner, who I had reason to suppose had some
Years now given me Over for dead.
With this View I took
Shipping for Lisbon, where I arriv'd in April following; my
Man Friday accompanying me very honestly in all these Ramblings, and
proving a most faithful Servant upon all Occasions.
When I came to Lisbon,
I found out by Enquiry, and to my particular Satisfaction, my old Friend the
Captain of the Ship, who first took me up at Sea, off of the Shore of Africk:
He was now grown old, and had left off the Sea, having put his Son, who was far
from a young Man, into his Ship; and who still used the Brasil Trade.
The old Man did not know me, and indeed, I hardly knew him; but I soon brought
him to my Remembrance, and as soon brought my self to his Remembrance, when I
told him who I was.
After some passionate
Expressions of the old Acquaintance, I enquir'd, you may be sure, after my
Plantation and my Partner: The old Man told me he had not been in the Brasils
for about nine Years; but that he could assure me, that when he came away, my
Partner was living, but the Trustees, who I had join'd with him to take
Cognizance of my Part, were both dead; that however, he believ'd that I would
have a very good Account of the Improvement of the Plantation; for that upon
the general Belief of my being cast away, and drown'd, my Trustees had given in
the Account of the Produce of my Part of the Plantation, to the Procurator
Fiscal, who had appropriated it, in Case I never came to claim it; one Third to
the King, and two Thirds to the Monastery of St. Augustine, to be
expended for the Benefit of the Poor, and for the Conversion of the Indians
to the Catholick Faith; but that if I appear'd, or any one for me, to claim the
Inheritance, it should be restor'd; only that the Improvement, or Annual
Production, being distributed to charitable Uses, could not be restor'd; but he
assur'd me, that the Steward of the King's Revenue (from Lands) and the
Proviedore, or Steward of the Monastery, had taken great Care all along, that
the Incumbent, that is to say my Partner, gave every Year a faithful Account of
the Produce, of which they receiv'd duly my Moiety.
I ask'd him if he knew
to what height of Improvement he had brought the
He told me, he could not
tell exactly, to what Degree the Plantation was improv'd; but this he knew,
that my Partner was grown exceeding Rich upon the enjoying but one half of it;
and that to the best of his Remembrance, he had heard, that the King's Third of
my Part, which was it seems granted away to some other Monastery, or Religious
House, amounted to above two hundred Moidores a Year; that as to my being
restor'd to a quiet Possession of it, there was no question to be made of that,
my Partner being alive to witness my Title, and my Name being also enrolled in
the Register of the Country; also he told me, That the Survivors of my two
Trustees, were very fair honest People, and very Wealthy; and he believ'd I
would not only have their Assistance for putting me in Possession, but would
find a very considerable Sum of Money in their Hands, for my Account; being the
Produce of the Farm while their Fathers held the Trust, and before it was given
up as above, which as he remember'd, was for about twelve Years.
I shew'd my self a
little concern'd, and uneasy at this Account, and enquir'd of the old Captain,
How it came to pass, that the Trustees should thus dispose my Effects, when he
knew that I had made my Will, and had made him, the Portuguese
Captain, my universal Heir, & c.
He told me, that was
true; but that as there was no Proof of my being dead, he could not act as
Executor, until some certain Account should come of my Death, and that besides,
he was not willing to intermeddle with a thing so remote; that it was true he
had registred my Will, and put in his Claim; and could he have given any Account
of my being dead or alive, he would have acted by Procuration, and taken
Possession of the Ingenio, so they call'd the Sugar-House, and had'
given his Son, who was now at the Brasils, Order to do it.
But, says the old Man, I
have one Piece of News to tell you, which perhaps may not be so acceptable to
you as the rest, and that is, That believing you were lost, and all the World
believing so also, your Partner and Trustees did offer to accompt to me in your
Name, for six or eight of the first Years of Profits, which I receiv'd; but
there being at that time, says he, great Disbursements for encreasing the
Works, building an Ingenio, and buying Slaves, it did not amount to
near so much as afterwards it produced: However, says she old Man, I shall give
you a true Account of what I have received in all, and how I have disposed of
it.
After a few Days farther
Conference with this ancient Friend, he brought me an Account of the six first
Years Income of my Plantation, sign'd by my Partner and the Merchants Trustees,
being always deliver'd in Goods, viz. Tobacco in Roll, and Sugar in Chests,
besides Rum, Molossus, & c. which is the Consequence of a Sugar Work; and I
found by this Account, that every Year the Income considerably encreased; but
as above, the Disbursement being large, the Sum at first was small: However,
the old Man let me see, that he was Debtor to me 470 Moidores of Gold, besides
60 Chests of Sugar, and 15 double Rolls of Tobacco which were lost in his Ship;
he having been Ship-wreck'd coming Home to Lisbon about 11 Years after
my leaving the Place.
The good Man then began
to complain of his Misfortunes, and how he had been obliged to make Use of my
Money to recover his Losses, and buy him a Share in a new Ship: However, my old
Friend, says he, you shall not want a Supply in your Necessity; and as soon as
my Son returns, you shall be fully satisfy'd.
Upon this, he pulls out
an old Pouch, and gives me 160 Portugal Moidores in Gold; and giving
me the Writing of his Title to the Ship, which his Son was gone to the Brasils
in, of which he was a Quarter Part Owner, and his Son another, he puts them
both into my Hands for Security of the rest.
I was too much mov'd
with the Honesty and Kindness of the poor Man, to be able to bear this; and
remembering what he had done for me, how he had taken me up at Sea, and how
generously he had used me on all Occasions, and particularly, how sincere a
Friend he was now to me, I could hardly refrain Weeping at what he said to me:
Therefore, first I asked him, if his Circumstances admitted him to spare so
much Money at that time, and if it would not straiten him? He told me, he could
not say but it might straiten him a little; but however it was my Money, and I
might want it more than he.
Every thing the good Man
said was full of Affection, and I could hardly refrain from Tears while he
spoke: In short, I took 100 of the Moidores, and call'd for a Pen and Ink to
give him a Receipt for them; then I returned him the rest, and told him, If
ever I had Possession of the Plantation, I would return the other to him also,
as indeed I afterwards did; and that as to the Bill of Sale of his Part in his
Son's Ship, I would not take it by any Means; but that if I wanted the Money, I
found he was honest enough to pay me; and if I did not, but came to receive
what he gave me reason to expect, I would never have a Penny more from him.
When this was pass'd,
the old Man began to ask me, If he should put me into a Method to make my Claim
to my
This being regularly
attested by a Notary, and a Procuration affix'd, he directed me to send it with
a Letter of his Writing, to a Merchant of his Acquaintance at the Place, and
then propos'd my staying with him till an Account came of the Return.
Never any Thing was more
honourable, than the Proceedings upon this Procuration; for in less than seven
Months, I receiv'd a large Packet from the Survivors of my Trustees the
Merchants, for whose Account I went to Sea, in which were the following
particular Letters and Papers enclos'd.
First, There was the
Account Current of the Produce of my Farms or
Secondly, There was the
Account of four Years more while they kept the Effects in their Hands, before
the Government claim'd the Administration, as being the Effects of a Person not
to be found, which they call'd Civil
Death; and the
Ballance of this, the Value of the
Thirdly, There was the
Prior of the Augustin's Account, who had receiv'd the Profits for above
fourteen Years; but not being to account for what was dispos'd to the Hospital,
very honestly declar'd he had 872 Moidores not distributed, which he
acknowledged to my Account; as to the King's Part, that refunded nothing.
There was a Letter of my
Partner's, congratulating me very affectionately upon my being alive, giving me
an Account how the Estate was improv'd, and what it produced a Year, with a
Particular of the Number of Squares or Acres that it contained; how planted,
how many Slaves there were upon it, and making two and twenty Crosses for
Blessings, told me he had said so many Ave Marias to thank the Blessed
Virgin that I was alive; inviting me very passionately to come over and take
Possession of my own; and in the mean time to give him Orders to whom he should
deliver my Effects, if I did not come my self; concluding with a hearty Tender
of his Friendship, and that of his Family, and sent me, as a Present, seven
fine Leopard's Skins, which he had it seems received from Africa, by
some other Ship which he had sent thither, and who it seems had made a better
Voyage than I: He sent me also five Chests of excellent Sweet-meats, and an
hundred Pieces of Gold uncoin'd, not quite so large as Moidores.
By the same Fleet, my
two Merchant Trustees shipp'd me 1 200 Chests of Sugar, 800 Rolls of Tobacco,
and the rest of the whole Accompt in Gold.
I might well say, now
indeed, That the latter End of Job was better than the Beginning. It
is impossible to express pere the Flutterings of my very Heart, when I look'd
over these Letters, and especially when I found all my Wealth about me; for as
the Brasil Ships come all in Fleets, the same Ships which brought my
Letters, brought my Goods; and the Effects were safe in the River before the
Letters came to my Hand. In a Word, I turned pale, and grew sick; and had not
the old Man run and fetch'd me a Cordial, I believe the sudden Surprize of Joy
had overset Nature, and I had dy'd upon the Spot.
Nay after that, I
continu'd very ill, and was so some Hours, 'till a Physician being sent for,
and something of the real Cause of my illness being known, he order'd me to be
let Blood; after which, I had Relief, and grew well: But I verily believe, if
it had not been eas'd by a Vent given in that Manner, to the Spirits, I should
have dy'd.
I was now Master, all on
a Sudden, of above
The first thing I did,
was to recompense my original Benefactor, my good old Captain, who had been
first charitable to me in my Distress, kind to me in my Beginning, and honest
to me at the End: I shew'd him all that was sent me, I told him, that next to
the Providence of Heaven, which disposes all things, it was Owing to him; and
that it now lay on me to reward him, which I would do a hundred fold: So I
first return'd to him the hundred Moidores I had receiv'd of him, then I sent
for a Notary, and caused him to draw up a general Release or Discharge for the
470 Moidores, which he had acknowledg'd he ow'd me in the fullest and firmest
Manner possible; after which, I caused a Procuration to be drawn, impowering
him to be my Receiver of the annual Profits of my Plantation, and appointing my
Partner to accompt to him, and make the Returns by the usual Fleets to him in
my Name; and a Clause in the End, being a Grant of 100 Moidores a Year to him,
during his Life, out of the Effects, and 50 Moidores a Year to his Son after
him, for his Life: And thus I requited my old Man.
I was now to consider
which Way to steer my Course next, and what to do with the Estate that
Providence had thus put into my Hands; and indeed I had more Care upon my Head
now, than I had in my silent State of Life in the Island, where I wanted
nothing but what I had, and had nothing but what I wanted: Whereas I had now a
great Charge upon me, and my Business was how to secure it. I had ne'er a Cave
now to hide my Money in, or a Place where it might lye without Lock or Key,
'till it grew mouldy and tarnish'd before any Body would meddle with it: On the
contrary, I knew not where to put it, or who to trust with it. My old Patron,
the Captain, indeed was honest, and that was the only Refuge I had.
In the
It was some Months
however before I resolved upon this; and therefore, as I had rewarded the old
Captain fully, and to his Satisfaction, who had been my former Benefactor, so I
began to think of my poor Widow, whose Husband had been my first Benefactor,
and she, while it was in her Power, my faithful Steward and Instructor. So the
first thing I did, I got a Merchant in Lisbon to write to his
Correspondent in London, not only to pay a Bill, but to go find her
out, and carry her in Money, an hundred Pounds from me, and to talk with her,
and comfort her in her Poverty, by telling her she should, if I liv'd, have a
further Supply: At the same time I sent my two Sisters in the Country, each of
them an Hundred Pounds, they being, though not in Want, yet not in very good
Circumstances; one having been marry'd, and left a Widow; and the other having
a Husband not so kind to her as he should be.
But among all my
Relations, or Acquaintances, I could not yet pitch upon one, to whom I durst
commit the Gross of my Stock, that I might go away to the Brasils, and
leave things safe behind me; and this greatly perplex'd me.
I had once a Mind to
have gone to the Brasils, and have settled my self there; for I was,
as it were, naturaliz'd to the Place; but I had some little Scruple in my Mind
about Religion, which insensibly drew me back, of which I shall say more
presently. However, it was not Religion that kept me rom going there for the
present; and as I had made no Scruple of being openly of the Religion of the
Country, all the while I was among them, so neither did I yet; only that now
and then having of late thought more of it, (than formerly) when I began to
think of living and dying among them, I began to regret my having profess'd my
self a Papist, and thought it might not be the best Religion to die with.
But, as I have said,
this was not the main thing that kept me from going to the Brasils,
but that really I did not know with whom to leave my Effects behind me; so I
resolv'd at last to go to England with it, where, if I arrived, I
concluded I should make some Acquaintance, or find some Relations that would be
faithful to me; and according I prepar'd to go for England with all my
Wealth.
In order to prepare
things for my going Home, I first, the Brasil Fleet being just going
away, resolved to give Answers suitable to the just and faithful Account of
things I had from thence; and first to the Prior of St. Augustine I
wrote a Letter full of Thanks for their just Dealings, and the Offer of the 872
Moidores, which was indisposed of, which I desir'd might be given 500 to the
Monastery, and 372 to the Poor, as the Prior should direct, desiring the good Padres
Prayers for me, and the like.
I wrote next a Letter of
Thanks to my two Trustees, with all the Acknowledgment that so much Justice and
Honesty call'd for; as for sending them any Present, they were far above having
any Occasion of it.
Lastly, I wrote to my
Partner, acknowledging his Industry in the Improving the Plantation, and his
Integrity in encreasing the Stock of the Works, giving him Instructions for his
future Government of my Part, according to the Powers I had left with my old
Patron, to whom I desir'd him to send whatever became due to me, 'till he
should hear me more particularly; assuring him that it was my Intention, not
only to come to him, but to settle my self there for the Remainder of my Life:
To this I added a very handsom Present of some Italian Silks for his
Wife, and two Daughters, for such the Captain's Son inform'd me he had; with
two Pieces of fine English broad Cloath, the best I could get in Lisbon,
five Pieces of black Bays, and some Flanders Lace of a good Value.
Having thus settled my
Affairs, sold my Cargoe, and turn'd all my Effects into good Bills of Exchange,
my next Difficulty was, which Way to go to England: I had been
accustom'd enough to the Sea, and yet I had a strange Aversion to going to England
by Sea at that time; and though I could give no Reason for it, yet the
Difficulty encreas'd upon me so much, that though I had once shipp'd my
Baggage, in order to go, yet I alter'd my Mind, and that not once, but two or
three times.
It is true, I had been
very unfortunate by Sea, and this might be some of the Reason: But let no Man
slight the strong Impulses of his own Thoughts in Cases of such Moment: Two of
the Ships which I had singl'd out to go in, I mean, more particularly singl'd
out than any other, that is to say, so as in one of them to put my things on
Board, and in the other to have agreed with the Captain; I say, two of these
Ships miscarry'd, viz. One was taken by the Algerines, and the other
was cast away on the Start near
Having been thus
harass'd in my Thoughts, my old Pilot, to whom I communicated every thing,
press'd me earnestly not to go by Sea, but either to go by Land to the Groyne,
and cross over the Bay of Biscay to Rochell, from whence it
was but an easy and safe Journey by Land to Paris, and so to Calais
and Dover; or to go up to Madrid, and so all the Way by Land
thro' France.
In a Word, I was so
prepossess'd against my going by Sea at all, except from Calais to Dover,
that I resolv'd to travel all the Way by Land; which as I was not in Haste, and
did not value the Charge, was by much the pleasanter Way; and to make it more
so, my old Captain brought an English Gentleman, the Son of a Merchant
in Lisbon, who was willing to travel with me: After which, we pick'd
up two more English Merchants also, and two young Portuguese
Gentlemen, the last going to Paris only; so that we were in all six of
us, and five Servants; the two Merchants and the two Portuguese,
contenting themselves with one Servant, between two, to save the Charge; and as
for me, I got an English Sailor to travel with me as a Servant, besides
my Man Friday, who was too much a Stranger to be capable of supplying
the Place of a Servant on the Road.
In this Manner I set out
from Lisbon; and our Company being all very well mounted and armed, we
made a little Troop, whereof they did me the Honour to call me Captain, as well
because I was the oldest Man, as because I had two Servants, and indeed was the
Original' of the whole Journey.
As I have troubled you
with none of my Sea-Journals, so I shall trouble you now with none of my Land-
Journal: But some Adventures that happen'd to us in this tedious and difficult
Journey, I must not omit.
When we came to Madrid,
we being all of us Strangers to Spain, were willing to stay some time
to see the Court of Spain, and to see what was worth observing; but it
being the latter Part of the Summer, we hasten'd away, and set out from Madrid
about the Middle of October: But when we came to the Edge of Navarre,
we were alarm'd at several Towns on the Way, with an Account, that so much Snow
was fallen on the French Side of the Mountains, that several
Travellers were obliged to come back to Pampeluna, after having
attempted, at an extream Hazard, to pass on.
When we came to Pampeluna
it self, we found it so indeed; and to me that had been always used to a hot
Climate, and indeed to Countries where we could scarce bear any Cloaths on, the
Cold was insufferable; nor indeed was it more painful than it was surprising,
to come but ten Days before out of the old Castile where the Weather was not
only warm but very hot, and immediately to feel a Wind from the Pyrenean
Mountains, so very keen, so severely cold, as to be intollerable, and to
endanger benumbing and perishing of our Fingers and Toes.
Poor Friday was
really frighted when he saw the Mountains all cover'd with Snow, and felt cold
Weather, which he had never seen or felt before in his Life.
To mend the Matter, when
we came to Pampeluna, it continued snowing with so much Violence, and
so long, that the People said, Winter was come before its time, and the Roads
which were difficult before, were now quite impassable: For in a Word, the Snow
lay in some Places too thick for us to travel; and being not hard frozen, as is
the Case in Northern Countries: There was no going without being in Danger of
being bury'd alive every Step. We stay'd no less than twenty Days at Pampeluna;
when seeing the Winter coming on, and no Likelihood of its being better; for it
was the severest Winter all over Europe that had been known in the
Memory of Man. I propos'd that we should all go away to Fonterabia,
and there take Shipping for Bourdeaux, which was a very little Voyage.
But while we were
considering this, there came in four French Gentlemen, who having been
stopp'd on the French Side of the Passes, as we were on the Spanish,
had found out a Guide, who traversing the Country near the Head of Languedoc,
had brought them over the Mountains by such Ways, that they were not much
incommoded with the Snow; and where they met with Snow in any Quantity, they
said it was frozen hard enough to bear them and their Horses.
We sent for this Guide,
who told us, he would undertake to carry us the same Way with no Hazard from
the Snow, provided we were armed sufficiently to protect our selves from wild
Beasts; for he said, upon these great Snows, it was frequent for some Wolves to
show themselves at the Foot of the Mountains, being made ravenous for Want of
Food, the Ground being covered with Snow: We told him, we were well enough
prepar'd for such Creatures as they were, if he would ensure us from a Kind of
two-legged Wolves, which we were told, we were in most Danger from, especially
on the French Side of the Mountains.
He satisfy'd us there
was no Danger of that kind in the Way that we were to go; so we readily agreed
to follow him, as did also twelve other Gentlemen, with their Servants, some French,
some Spanish; who, as I said, had attempted to go, and were obliged to
come back again.
Accordingly, we all set
Out from Pampeluna, with our Guide, on the fifteenth of November;
and indeed, I was surpriz'd, when instead of going forward, he came directly
back with us, on the same Road that we came from Madrid, above twenty
Miles; when being pass'd two Rivers, and come into the plain Country, we found
our selves in a warm Climate again, where the Country was pleasant, and no Snow
to be seen; but on a sudden, turning to his left, he approach'd the Mountains
another Way; and though it is true, the Hills and Precipices look'd dreadful,
yet he made so many Tours, such Meanders, and led us by such winding Ways, that
we were insensibly pass'd the Height of the Mountains, without being much
incumbred with the Snow; and all on a sudden, he shew'd us the pleasant
fruitful Provinces of Languedoc and Gascoign, all green and
flourishing; tho' indeed it was at a great Distance, and we had some rough Way
to pass yet.
We were a little uneasy
however, when we found it snow'd one whole Day, and a Night, so fast, that we
could not travel; but he bid us be easy, we should soon be past it all: We
found indeed, that we began to descend every Day, and to come more North
than before; and so depending upon our Guide, we went on.
It was about two Hours
before Night, when our Guide being something before us, and not just in Sight,
out rushed three monstrous Wolves, and after them a Bear, out of a hollow Way,
adjoyning to a thick Wood; two of the Wolves flew upon the Guide, and had he
been half a Mile before us, he had been devour'd indeed, before we could have
help'd him: One of them fastned upon his Horse, and the other attack'd the Man
with that Violence, that he had not Time, or not Presence of Mind enough to
draw his Pistol, but hollow'd and cry'd out to us most lustily; my Man Friday
being next me, I bid him ride up, and see what was the Matter; as soon as Friday
came in Sight of the Man, he hollow'd as loud as t'other, O Master! O
Master! But like a bold Fellow, rode directly up to the poor Man, and with
his Pistol shot the Wolf that attack'd him into the Head.
It was happy for the
poor Man, that it was my Man Friday; for he having been us'd to that
kind of Creature in his Country, had no Fear upon him; but went close up to
him, and shot him as above; whereas any of us, would have fir'd at a farther
Distance, and have perhaps either miss'd the Wolf, or endanger'd shooting the
Man.
But it was enough to
have terrify'd a bolder Man than I, and indeed it alarm'd all our Company, when
with the Noise of Friday's Pistol, we heard on both Sides the
dismallest Howling of Wolves, and the Noise redoubled by the Eccho of the
Mountains, that it was to us as if there had been a prodigious Multitude of
them; and perhaps indeed there was not such a Few, as that we had no cause of
Apprehensions.
However, as Friday
had kill'd this Wolf, the other that had fastned upon the Horse, left him
immediately, and fled; having happily fastned upon his Head, where the Bosses
of the Bridle had stuck in his Teeth; so that he had not done him much Hurt:
The Man indeed was most Hurt; for the raging Creature had bit him twice, once
on the Arm, and the other Time a little above his Knee; and he was just as it
were tumbling down by the Disorder of his Horse, when Friday came up
and shot the Wolf.
It is easy to suppose,
that at the Noise of Friday's Pistol, we all mended our Pace, and rid
up as fast as the Way (which was very difficult) would give us leave, to see
what was the Matter; as soon as we came clear of the Trees, which blinded us
before, we saw clearly what had been the Case, and how Friday had
disengag'd the poor Guide; though we did not presently discern what kind of Creature
it was he had kill'd.
But never was a Fight
manag'd so hardily, and in such a surprizing Manner, as that which follow'd
between Friday and the Bear, which gave us all (though at first we
were surpriz'd and afraid for him) the greatest Diversion imaginable: As the
Bear is a heavy, clumsey Creature, and does not gallop as the Wolf does, who is
swift, and light; so he has two particular Qualities, which generally are the
Rule of his Actions; First, As to Men, who are not his proper Prey; I say, not
his proper Prey; because tho' I cannot say what excessive Hunger might do,
which was now their Case, the Ground being all cover'd with Snow; but as to
Men, he does not usually attempt them, unless they first attack him: On the
contrary, if you meet him in the Woods, if you don't meddle with him, he won't
meddle with you; but then you must take Care to be very Civil to him, and give
him the Road; for he is a very nice Gentleman, he won't go a Step out of his
Way for a Prince; nay, if you are really afraid, your best way is to look
another Way, and keep going on; for sometimes if you stop, and stand still, and
look steadily at him, he takes it for an Affront; but if you throw or toss any
Thing at him, and it hits him, though it were but a bit of a Stick, as big as your
Finger, he takes it for an Affront, and sets all his other Business aside to
pursue his Revenge; for he will have Satisfaction in Point of Honour; that is
his first Quality: The next is, That if he be once affronted, he will never
leave you, Night or Day, till he has his Revenge; but follows at a good round
rate, till he overtakes you.
My Man Friday
had deliver'd our Guide, and when we came up to him, he was helping him off
from his Horse; for the Man was both hurt and frighted, and indeed, the last more
than the first; when on the sudden, we spy'd the Bear come Out Of the Wood, and
a vast monstrous One it was, the biggest by far that ever I saw: We were all a
little surpriz'd, when we saw him; but when Friday saw him, it was
easy to see Joy and Courage in the Fellow's Countenance; O! O! O! Says
Friday, three Times, pointing to him; O Master, You give me te
Leave! Me shakee te Hand mith him: Me make you good laugh.
I was surpriz'd to see
the Fellow so pleas'd; You Fool you, says I, he mill eat you up: Eatee me
up! Eatee me up! Says Friday, twice over again; Me eatee him
up: Me make you good laugh: You all stay here, me show you good laugh; so
down he sits, and gets his Boots off in a Moment, and put on a Pair of Pumps
(as we call the flat Shoes they wear) and which he had in his Pocket, gives my
other Servant his Horse, and with his Gun away he flew swift like the Wind.
The Bear was walking
softly on, and offer'd to meddle with no Body, till Friday coming
pretty near, calls to him, as if the Bear could understand him; Hark ye,
hark ye, says Friday, me speakee wit your: We follow'd at a
Distance; for now being come down on the Gascoign side of the
Mountains, we were entred a vast great Forest, where the Country was plain, and
pretty open, though many Trees in it scatter'd here and there.
Friday, who had as we
say, the Heels of the Bear, came up with him quickly, and takes up a great
Stone, and throws at him, and hit him just on the Head; but did him no more
harm, than if he had thrown it against a Wall; but it answer'd Friday's
End; for the Rogue was so void of Fear, that he did it purely to make the Bear
follow him, and show us some Laugh as he call'd it.
As soon as the Bear felt
the Stone, and saw him, he turns about, and comes after him, taking Devilish
long Strides, and shuffling along at a strange Rate, so as would have put a
Horse to a midling Gallop; away runs Friday, and takes his Course, as
if he run towards us for Help; so we all resolv'd to fire at once upon the
Bear, and deliver my Man; though I was angry at him heartily, for bringing the
Bear back upon us, when he was going about his own Business another Way; and
especially I was angry that he had turn'd the Bear upon us, and then run away;
and I call'd out, You Dog, said I, is this your making us laugh?
Come away, and take your Horse, that me may shoot the Creature; he hears
me, and crys Out, No shoot, no shoot, stand still, you get much Laugh.
And as the nimble Creature run two Foot for the Beast's one, he turn'd on a
sudden, on one side of us, and seeing a great Oak-Tree, fit for his Purpose, he
beckon'd to us to follow, and doubling his Pace, he gets nimbly up the Tree
laying his Gun down upon the Ground, at about five or six Yards from the Bottom
of the Tree.
The Bear soon came to
the Tree, and we follow'd at a Distance; the first Thing he did, he stopp'd at
the Gun, smelt to it, but let it lye, and up he scrambles into the Tree,
climbing like a Cat, though so monstrously heavy: I was amazed at the Folly, as
I thought it, of my Man, and could not for my Life see any Thing to laugh at
yet, till seeing the Bear get up the Tree, we all rod nearer to him.
When we came to the
Tree, there was Friday got out to the small End of a large Limb of the
Tree, and the Bear got about half way to him; as soon as the Bear got out to
that part where the Limb of the Tree was weaker, Ha, says he to us, now
you see me teachee the Bear dance; so he falls a jumping and shaking the
Bough, at which the Bear began to totter, but stood still, and begun to look
behind him, to see how he should get back; then indeed we did laugh heartily:
But Friday had not done with him by a great deal; when he sees him
stand still, he calls out to him again, as if he had suppos'd the Bear could
speak English; What you no come farther, pray you come farther;
so he left jumping and shaking the Tree; and the Bear, just as if he had
understood what he said, did come a little further, then he fell a jumping
again, and the Bear stopp'd again.
We thought now was a
good time to knock him on the Head, and I call'd to Friday to stand
still, and we would shoot the Bear; but he cry'd out earnestly, O pray! O
pray! No shoot, me shoot, by and then; he would have said, By and by:
However, to shorten the Story, Friday danc'd so much, and the Bear
Stood so ticklish, that we had laughing enough indeed, but still could not
imagine what the Fellow would do; for first we thought he depended upon shaking
the Bear off; and we found the Bear was too cunning for that too; for he would
not go out far enough to be thrown down, but clings fast with his great broad
Claws and Feet, so that we could not imagine what would be the End of it, and
where the Jest would be at last.
But Friday put
us out of doubt quickly; for seeing the Bear cling fast to the Bough, and that
he would not be persuaded to come any farther; Well, well, says Friday,
you no come farther, me go, me go; you no come to me, me go come to you;
and upon this, he goes out to the smallest End of the Bough, where it would
bend with his Weight, and gently lets himself down by it, sliding down the
Bough, till he came near enough to jump down on his Feet, and away he run to
his Gun, takes it up, and stands still.
Well, said I to him Friday,
What will you do now? Why don't you shoot him? No shoot, says Friday, no
yet, me shoot nom, me no kill; me stay, give you one more laugh; and
indeed so he did, as you will see presently; for when the Bear see his Enemy
gone, he comes back from the Bough where he stood; but did it mighty leisurely,
looking behind him every Step, and coming backward till he got into the Body of
the Tree; then with the same hinder End foremost, he came down the Tree,
grasping it with his Claws, and moving one Foot at a Time, very leisurely; at
this Juncture, and just before he could set his hind Feet upon the Ground, Friday
stept up close to him, clapt the Muzzle of his Piece into his Ear, and shot him
dead as a Stone.
Then the Rogue turn'd
about, to see if we did not laugh, and when he saw we were pleas'd by our
Looks, he falls a laughing himself very loud; so me kill Bear in my Country,
says Friday; so you kill them, says I, Why you have no Guns:
No, says he, no Gun,
but shoot, great much long Arrow.
This was indeed a good
Diversion to us; but we were still in a wild Place, and our Guide very much
hurt, and what to do we hardly knew; the Howling of Wolves run much in my Head;
and indeed, except the Noise I once heard on the Shore of Africa, of
which I have said something already, I never heard any thing that filled me
with so much Horrour.
These things, and the
Approach of Night, called us off, or else, as Friday would have had
us, we should certainly have taken the Skin of this monstrous Creature off,
which was which saving; but we had three Leagues to go, and our Guide hasten'd
us, so we left him, and went forward on our Journey.
The Ground was still
cover'd with Snow, tho' not so deep and dangerous as on the Mountains, and the
ravenous Creatures, as we heard afterwards, were come down into the Forest and
plain Country, press'd by Hunger to seek for Food; and had done a great deal of
Mischief in the Villages, where they surpriz'd the Country People, kill'd a
great many of their Sheep and Horses, and some People too.
We had one dangerous
Place to pass, which our Guide told us, if there were any more Wolves in the
Country, we should find them there; and this was in a small Plain, surrounded
with Woods on every Side, and a long narrow Defile or Lane, which we were to
pass to get through the Wood, and then we should come to the Village where we
were to lodge.
It was within half an
Hour of Sun-set when we entred the first Wood; and a little after Sun-set, when
we came into the Plain. We met with nothing in the first Wood, except, that in
a little Plain within the Wood, which was not above two Furlongs over, we saw
five great Wolves cross the Road, full Speed one alter another, as if they had
been in Chase of some Prey, and had it in View; they took no Notice of us, and
were gone, and out of our Sight in a few Moments.
Upon this our Guide, who
by the Way was a wretched faint-hearted Fellow, bid us keep in a ready Posture;
for he believed there were more Wolves a coming.
We kept our Arms ready,
and our Eyes about us, but we saw no more Wolves, 'till we came thro' that
Wood, which was near half a League, and entred the Plain; as soon as we came
into the Plain, we had Occasion enough to look about us: The first Object we
met with, was a dead Horse; that is to say, a poor Horse which the Wolves had
kill'd, and at least a Dozen of them at Work; we could not say eating of him,
but picking of his Bones rather; for they had eaten up all the Flesh before.
We did not think fit to
disturb them at their Feast, neither did they take much Notice of us: Friday
would have let fly at them, but I would not suffer him by any Means; for I
found we were like to have more Business upon our Hands than we were aware of.
We were not gone half over the Plain, but we began to hear the Wolves howl in
the Wood on our Left, in a frightful Manner, and presently alter we saw about a
hundred coming on directly towards us, all in a Body, and most of them in a
Line, as regularly as an Army drawn up by experienc'd Officers. I scarce knew
in what Manner to receive them; but found to draw our selves in a close Line
was the only Way: so we form'd in a Moment: But that we might not have too much
Interval, I order'd, that only every other Man should fire, and that the others
who had not fir'd should stand ready to give them a second Volley immediately,
if they continued to advance upon us, and that then those who had fir'd at
first, should not pretend to load their Fusees again, but stand ready with
every one a Pistol; for we were all arm'd with a Fusee, and a Pair of Pistols
each Man; so we were by this Method able to fire six Volleys, half of us at a
Time; however, at present we had no Necessity; for upon firing the first
Volley, the Enemy made a full Stop, being terrify'd as well with the Noise, as
with the Fire; four of them being shot into the Head, dropp'd, several others
were wounded, and went bleeding off, as we could see by the Snow: I found they
stopp'd, but did not immediately retreat; whereupon remembring that I had been
told, that the fiercest Creatures were terrify'd at the Voice of a Man, I
caus'd all our Company to hollow as loud as we could; and I found the Notion
not altogether mistaken; for upon our Shout, they began to retire, and turn
about; then I order'd a second Volley to be fir'd, in their Rear, which put
them to the Gallop, and away they went to the Woods.
This gave us leisure to
charge our Pieces again, and that we might loose no Time, we kept going; but we
had but little more than loaded our Fusees, and put our selves into a
Readiness, when we heard a terrible Noise in the same Wood, on our Left, only
that it was farther onward the same Way we were to go.
The Night was coming on,
and the Light began to be dusky, which made it worse on our Side; but the Noise
encreasing, we could easily perceive that it was the Howling and Yelling of
those hellish Creatures; and on a sudden, we perceiv'd 2 or 3 Troops of Wolves,
one on our Left, one behind us, and one on our Front; so that we seem'd to be
surrounded with 'em; however, as they did not fall upon us, we kept our Way
forward, as fast as we could make Our Horses go, which the Way being very rough,
was only a good large Trot; and in this Manner we came in View of the Entrance
of a Wood, through which we were to pass, at the farther Side of the Plain; but
we were greatly surpriz'd, when coming nearer the Lane, or Pass, we saw a
confus'd Number of Wolves standing just at the Entrance.
On a sudden, at another
opening of the Wood, we heard the Noise of a Gun; and looking that Way, out
rush'd a Horse, with a Saddle, and a Bridle on him, flying like the Wind, and
sixteen or seventeen Wolves after him, full Speed; indeed, the Horse had the
Heels of them; but as we suppos'd that he could not hold it at that rate, we
doubted not but they would get up with him at last, and no question but they
did.
But here we had a most
horrible Sight; for riding up to the Entrance where the Horse came out, we
found the Carcass of another Horse, and of two Men, devour'd by the ravenous
Creatures, and one of the Men was no doubt the same who we heard fir'd the Gun;
for there lay a Gun just by him, fir'd off; but as to the Man, his Head, and
the upper Part of his Body was eaten up.
This fill'd us with
Horror, and we knew not what Course to take, but the Creatures resolv'd us'
soon; for they gather'd about us presently, in hopes of Prey; and I verily
believe there were three hundred of them: It happen'd very much to our
Advantage, that at the Entrance into the Wood, but a little Way from it, there
lay some large Timber Trees, which had been cut down the Summer before, and I
Suppose lay there for Carriage; I drew my little Troop in among those Trees,
and placing our selves in a Line, behind one long Tree, I advis'd them all to
light, and keeping that Tree before us, for a Breast Work, to stand in a
Triangle, or three Fronts, enclosing Our Horses in the Center.
We did so, and it was well
we did; for never was a more furious Charge than the Creatures made upon us in
the Place; they came on us with a growling kind of a Noise (and mounted the
Piece of Timber, which as I said, was our Breast Work) as if they were only
rushing upon their Prey; and this Fury of theirs, it seems, was principally
occasion'd by their seeing our Horses behind us, which was the Prey they aim'd
at: I order'd our Men to fire as before, every other Man; and they took their
Aim so sure, that indeed they kill'd several of the Wolves at the first Volley;
but there was a Necessity to keep a continual Firing; for they came on like
Devils, those behind pushing on those before.
When we had fir'd our
second Volley of our Fusees, we thought they stopp'd a little, and hop'd they
would have gone off; but it was but a Moment; for others came forward again; so
we fir'd two Volleys of our Pistols, and I believe in these four Firings, we
had kill'd seventeen or eighteen of them, and lam'd twice as many; yet they
came on again.
I was loath to spend our
last Shot too hastily; so I call'd my Servant, not my Man Friday, for
he was better employ'd; for with the greatest Dexterity imaginable, he had
charg'd my Fusee, and his own, while we were engag'd; but as I said, I call'd
my other Man, and giving him a Horn of Powder, I bad him lay a Train, all along
the Piece of Timber, and let it be a large Train; he did so, and had but just
Time to get away, when the Wolves came up to it, and some were got up upon it;
when I snapping an uncharg'd Pistol, close to the Powder, set it on fire; those
that were upon the Timber were scorcht with it, and six or seven of them fell,
or rather jump'd in among us, with the Force and Fright of the Fire; we
dispatch'd these in an Instant, and the rest were so frighted with the Light,
which the Night, for it was now very near Dark, made more terrible, that they
drew back a little.
Upon which I order'd our
last Pistol to be fir'd off in one Volley, and after that we gave a Shout; upon
this, the Wolves turn'd Tail, and we sally'd immediately upon near twenty lame
Ones, who we found struggling on the Ground, and fell a cutting them with our
Swords, which answer'd our Expectation; for the Crying and Howling they made,
was better understood by their Fellows, so that they all fled and left us.
We had, first and last,
kill'd about three Score of them; and had it been Day-Light, we had kill'd many
more: The Field of Battle being thus clear'd, we made forward again; for we had
still near a League to go. We heard the ravenous Creatures houl and yell in the
Woods as we went, several Times; and sometimes we fancy'd we saw some of them,
but the Snow dazling our Eyes, we were not certain; so in about an Hour more,
we came to the Town, where we were to lodge, which we found in a terrible
Fright, and all in Arms; for it seems, that the Night before, the Wolves and
some Bears had broke into the Village in the Night, and put them in a terrible
Fright, and they were oblig'd to keep Guard Night and Day, but especially in
the Night, to preserve their Cattle, and indeed their People.
The next Morning our
Guide was so ill, and his Limbs swell'd with the rankling of his two Wounds,
that he could go no farther; so we were oblig'd to take a new Guide there, and
go to Tholouse, where we found a warm Climate, a fruitful pleasant
Country, and no Snow, no Wolves, or any Thing like them; but when we told our
Story at Tholouse, they told us it was nothing but what was ordinary
in the great Forest at the Foot of the Mountains, especially when the Snow lay on
the Ground: But they enquir'd much what kind of a Guide we had gotten, that
would venture to bring us that Way in such a severe Season; and told us, it was
very much' we were not all devour'd. When we told them how we plac'd our
selves, and the Horses in the Middle, they blam'd us exceedingly, and told us
it was fifty to one but we had been all destroy'd; for it was the Sight of the
Horses which made the Wolves so furious, Seeing their Prey; and that at other
Times they are really afraid of a Gun; but the being excessive Hungry, and
raging on that Account, the Eagerness to come at the Horses had made them
sensless of Danger; and that if we had not by the continu'd Fire, and at last
by the Stratagem of the Train of Powder, master'd them, it had been great Odds
but that we had been torn to Pieces; whereas had we been content to have sat
still on Horseback, and fir'd as Horsemen, they would not have taken the Horses
for so much their own, when Men were on their Backs, as otherwise; and withal
they told us, that at last, if we had stood altogether, and left our Horses,
they would have been so eager to have devour'd them, that we might have come
off safe, especially having our Fire Arms in our Hands, and being so many in
Number.
For my Part, I was never
so sensible of Danger in my Life; for seeing above three hundred Devils come
roaring and open mouth'd to devour us, and having nothing to shelter us, or
retreat to, I gave my self over for lost; and as was, I believe, I shall never
care to cross those Mountains again; I think I would much rather go a thousand
Leagues by Sea, though I were sure to meet with a Storm once a Week.
I have nothing uncommon
to take Notice of, in my Passage through France; nothing but what
other Travellers have given an Account of, with much more Advantage than I can.
I travell'd from Tholouse to Paris, and without any
considerable Stay, came to Callais, and landed safe at Dover,
the fourteenth of January, after having had a severely cold Season to
travel in.
I was now come to the
Center of my Travels, and had in a little Time all my new discover'd Estate
safe about me, the Bills of Exchange which I brought with me having been very
currently paid.
My principal Guide, and
Privy Councellor, was my good antient Widow, who in Gratitude for the Money I
had sent her, thought no Pains too much, or Care too great, to employ for me;
and I trusted her so entirely with every Thing, that I was perfectly easy as to
the Security of my Effects; and indeed, I was very happy from my Beginning, and
now to the End, in the unspotted Integrity of this good Gentle-woman.
And now I began to think
of leaving my Effects with this Woman, and setting out for Lisbon, and
so to the Brasils; but now another Scruple came in my Way, and that
was Religion; for as I had entertain'd some Doubts about the Roman
Religion, even while I was abroad, especially in my State of Solitude; so I
knew there was no going to the Brasils for me, much less going to
settle there, unless I resolv'd to embrace the Roman Catholick
Religion, without any Reserve; unless on the other hand, I resolv'd to be a
Sacrifice to my Principles, be a Martyr for Religion, and die in the
Inquisition; so I resolv'd to stay at Home, and if I could find Means for it,
to dispose of my Plantation.
To this Purpose I wrote
to my old Friend at Lisbon, who in Return gave me Notice, that he
could easily dispose of it there: But that if I thought fit to give him Leave
to offer it In my Name to the two Merchants, the Survivors of my Trustees, who
liv'd in the Brasils, who must fully under+ stand the Value of it, who
liv'd just upon the Spot, and who I knew were very rich; so that he believ'd
they would be fond of buying it; he did not doubt, but I should make 4 or 5000
Pieces Of Eight, the more of it.
Accordingly I agreed,
gave him Order to offer it to them, and he did so; and in about 8 Months more,
the Ship being then return'd, he sent me Account, that they had accepted the
Offer, and had remitted 33000 Pieces Of Eight, to a Correspondent of theirs at Lisbon,
to pay for it.
In Return, I sign'd the
Instrument of Sale in the Form which they sent from Lisbon, and sent
it to my old Man, who sent me Bills of Exchange for 32800 Pieces of Eight to
me, for the Estate; reserving the Payment of 100 Moidores a Year to him, the
old Man, during his Life, and 50 Moidores afterwards to his Son for his Life,
which I had promised them, which the Plantation was to make good as a
Rent-Charge.
And thus I have given
the first Part of a Life of Fortune and Adventure, a Life of Providence's
Checquer- Work, and of a Variety which the World will seldom be able to show
the like of: Beginning foolishly, but closing much more happily than any Part
of it ever gave me Leave so much as to hope for.
Any one would think,
that in this State of complicated good Fortune, I was past running any more
Hazards; and so indeed I had been, if other Circumstances had concurr'd, but I
was inur'd to a wandring Life, had no Family, not many Relations, nor however
rich had I contracted much Acquaintance; and though I had sold my Estate in the
Brasils, yet I could not keep the Country out of my Head, and had a
great Mind to be upon the Wing again, especially I could not resist the strong
Inclination I had to see my Island, and to' know if the poor Spaniards
were in Being there, and how the Rogues I left there had used them.
My true Friend, the
Widow, earnestly diswaded me from it, and so far prevail'd with me, that for
almost seven Years she prevented my running Abroad; during which time, I took
my two Nephews, the Children of one of my Brothers into my Care: The eldest
having something of his own, I bred up as a Gentleman, and gave him a
Settlement of some Addition to his Estate, after my Decease; the other I put
out to a Captain of a Ship; and after five Years, finding him a sensible bold
enterprising young Fellow, I put him into a good Ship, and sent him to Sea: And
this young Fellow afterwards drew me in, as old as I was, to farther Adventures
my self.
In the mean time, I in
Part settled my self here; for first of all I marry'd, and that not either to
my Disadvantage or Dissatisfaction, and had three Children, two Sons and one
Daughter: But my Wife dying, and my Nephew coming Home with good Success from a
Voyage to Spain, my Inclination to go Abroad, and his Importunity
prevailed and engag'd me to go in his Ship, as a private Trader to the East
Indies: This was in the Year 1694.
In this Voyage I visited
my new Collony in the Island, saw my Successors the Spaniards, had the
whole Story of their Lives, and of the Villains I left there; how at first they
insulted the poor Spaniards, how they afterwards agreed, disagreed,
united, separated, and how at last the Spaniards were oblig'd to use
Violence with them, how they were subjected to the Spaniards, how
honestly the Spaniards used them; a History, if it were entred into,
as full of Variety and wonderful Accidents, as my own Part, particularly also
as to their Battles with the Carribeans, who landed several times upon the
Island, and as to the Improvement they made upon the Island it self, and how
five of them made an Attempt upon the main Land, and brought away eleven Men
and five Women Prisoners, by which, at my coming, I found about twenty young
Children on the Island.
Here I stay'd about 20
Days, left them Supplies of all necessary things, and particularly of Arms,
Powder, Shot, Cloaths, Tools, and two Workmen, which I brought from England
with me, viz. a Carpenter and a Smith.
Besides this, I shar'd
the Island into Parts with 'em, reserv'd to my self the Property of the whole,
but gave them such Parts respectively as they agreed on; and having settled all
things with them, and engaged them not to leave the Place, I left them there.
From thence I touch'd at
the Brasils, from whence I sent a Bark, which I bought there, with
more People to the Island, and in it, besides other Supplies, I sent seven
Women, being such as I found proper for Service, or for Wives to such as would
take them: As to the English Men, I promis'd them to send them some
Women from England, with a good Cargoe of Necessaries, if they would
apply themselves to Planting, which I afterwards perform'd. And the Fellows
prov'd very honest and diligent after they were master'd, and had their
Properties set apart for them. I sent them also from the Brasils five
Cows, three of them being big with Calf, some Sheep, and some Hogs, which, when
I came again, were considerably encreas'd.
But all these things,
with an Account how 300 Caribbees came and invaded them, and ruin'd
their Plantations, and how they fought with that whole Number twice, and were
at first defeated, and three of them kill'd; but at last a Storm destroying
their Enemies Cannoes, they famish'd or destroy'd almost all the rest, and
renew'd and recover'd the Possession of their Plantation, and still liv'd upon
the Island.
All these things, with
some very surprizing Incidents in some new Adventures of my own, for ten Years
more, I may perhaps give a farther Account of hereafter.
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