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passengers, and others, seeing this, found much fault with him for it,
saying it was a very dangerous thing to let a negro know navigation;
thus I was hindered again in my pursuits. About the latter end of the
year 1764 my master bought a larger sloop, called the Providence,
about seventy or eighty tons, of which my captain had the command. I
went with him into this vessel, and we took a load of new slaves for
Georgia and Charles Town. My master now left me entirely to the
captain, though he still wished for me to be with him; but I, who
always much wished to lose sight of the West Indies, was not a little
rejoiced at the thoughts of seeing any other country. Therefore,
relying on the goodness of my captain, I got ready all the little
venture I could; and, when the vessel was ready, we sailed, to my
great joy. When we got to our destined places, Georgia and Charles
Town, I expected I should have an opportunity of selling my little
property to advantage: but here, particularly in Charles Town, I met
with buyers, white men, who imposed on me as in other places.
Notwithstanding, I was resolved to have fortitude; thinking no lot or
trial is too hard when kind Heaven is the rewarder. We soon got loaded
again, and returned to Montserrat; and there, amongst the rest of the
islands, I sold my goods well; and in this manner I continued trading
during the year 1764; meeting with various scenes of imposition, as
usual. After this, my master fitted out his vessel for Philadelphia,
in the year 1765; and during the time we were loading her, and getting
ready for the voyage, I worked with redoubled alacrity, from the hope
of getting money enough by these voyages to buy my freedom in time, if
it should please God; and also to see the town of Philadelphia, which
I had heard a great deal about for some years past; besides which, I
had always longed to prove my master's promise the first day I came to
him. In the midst of these elevated ideas, and while I was about
getting my little merchandize in readiness, one Sunday my master sent
for me to his house. When I came there I found him and the captain
together; and, on my going in, I was struck with astonishment at his
telling me he heard that I meant to run away from him when I got to
Philadelphia: 'And therefore,' said he, 'I must sell you again: you
cost me a great deal of money, no less than forty pounds sterling; and
it will not do to lose so much. You are a valuable fellow,' continued
he; 'and I can get any day for you one hundred guineas, from many
gentlemen in this island.' And then he told me of Captain Doran's
brother-in-law, a severe master, who ever wanted to buy me to make me
his overseer. My captain also said he could get much more than a
hundred guineas for me in Carolina. This I knew to be a fact; for the
gentleman that wanted to buy me came off several times on board of us,
and spoke to me to live with him, and said he would use me well. When
I asked what work he would put me to he said, as I was a sailor, he
would make me a captain of one of his rice vessels. But I refused: and
fearing, at the same time, by a sudden turn I saw in the captain's
temper, he might mean to sell me, I told the gentleman I would not
live with him on any condition, and that I certainly would run away
with his vessel: but he said he did not fear that, as he would catch
me again; and then he told me how cruelly he would serve me if I
should do so. My captain, however, gave him to understand that I knew
something of navigation: so he thought better of it; and, to my great
joy, he went away. I now told my master I did not say I would run away
in Philadelphia; neither did I mean it, as he did not use me ill, nor
yet the captain: for if they did I certainly would have made some
attempts before now; but as I thought that if it were God's will I
ever should be freed it would be so, and, on the contrary, if it was
not his will it would not happen; so I hoped, if ever I were freed,
whilst I was used well, it should be by honest means; but, as I could
not help myself, he must do as he pleased; I could only hope and trust
to the God of Heaven; and at that instant my mind was big with
inventions and full of schemes to escape. I then appealed to the
captain whether he ever saw any sign of my making the least attempt to
run away; and asked him if I did not always come on board according to
the time for which he gave me liberty; and, more particularly, when
all our men left us at Gaurdeloupe and went on board of the French
fleet, and advised me to go with them, whether I might not, and that
he could not have got me again. To my no small surprise, and very
great joy, the captain confirmed every syllable that I had said: and
even more; for he said he had tried different times to see if I would
make any attempt of this kind, both at St. Eustatia and in America,
and he never found that I made the smallest; but, on the contrary, I
always came on board according to his orders; and he did really
believe, if I ever meant to run away, that, as I could never have had
a better opportunity, I would have done it the night the mate and all
the people left our vessel at Gaurdeloupe. The captain then informed
my master, who had been thus imposed on by our mate, though I did not
know who was my enemy, the reason the mate had for imposing this lie
upon him; which was, because I had acquainted the captain of the
provisions the mate had given away or taken out of the vessel. This
speech of the captain was like life to the dead to me, and instantly
my soul glorified God; and still more so on hearing my master
immediately say that I was a sensible fellow, and he never did intend
to use me as a common slave; and that but for the entreaties of the
captain, and his character of me, he would not have let me go from the
stores about as I had done; that also, in so doing, he thought by
carrying one little thing or other to different places to sell I might
make money. That he also intended to encourage me in this by crediting
me with half a puncheon of rum and half a hogshead of sugar at a time;
so that, from being careful, I might have money enough, in some time,
to purchase my freedom; and, when that was the case, I might depend
upon it he would let me have it for forty pounds sterling money, which
was only the same price he gave for me. This sound gladdened my poor
heart beyond measure; though indeed it was no more than the very idea
I had formed in my mind of my master long before, and I immediately
made him this reply: 'Sir, I always had that very thought of you,
indeed I had, and that made me so diligent in serving you.' He then
gave me a large piece of silver coin, such as I never had seen or had
before, and told me to get ready for the voyage, and he would credit
me with a tierce of sugar, and another of rum; he also said that he
had two amiable sisters in Philadelphia, from whom I might get some
necessary things. Upon this my noble captain desired me to go aboard;
and, knowing th

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