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myself, yet we were obliged to attend to the pumps every half or three
quarters of an hour. The captain and mate came on deck as often as
they were able, which was now but seldom; for they declined so fast,
that they were not well enough to make observations above four or five
times the whole voyage. The whole care of the vessel rested,
therefore, upon me, and I was obliged to direct her by my former
experience, not being able to work a traverse. The captain was now
very sorry he had not taught me navigation, and protested, if ever he
should get well again, he would not fail to do so; but in about
seventeen days his illness increased so much, that he was obliged to
keep his bed, continuing sensible, however, till the last, constantly
having the owner's interest at heart; for this just and benevolent man
ever appeared much concerned about the welfare of what he was
intrusted with. When this dear friend found the symptoms of death
approaching, he called me by my name; and, when I came to him, he
asked (with almost his last breath) if he had ever done me any harm?
'God forbid I should think so,' I replied, 'I should then be the most
ungrateful of wretches to the best of sorrow by his bedside, he
expired without saying another word; and the day following we
committed his body to the deep. Every man on board loved this man, and
regretted his death; but I was exceedingly affected at it, and I found
that I did not know, till he was gone, the strength of my regard for
him. Indeed I had every reason in the world to be attached to him;
for, besides that he was in general mild, affable, generous, faithful,
benevolent, and just, he was to me a friend and a father; and, had it
pleased Providence that he had died but five months before, I verily
believe I should not have obtained my freedom when I did; and it is
not improbable that I might not have been able to get it at any rate
afterwards. The captain being dead, the mate came on the deck, and
made such observations as he was able, but to no purpose. In the
course of a few days more, the few bullocks that remained were found
dead; but the turkies I had, though on the deck, and exposed to so
much wet and bad weather, did well, and I afterwards gained near three
hundred per cent, on the sale of them; so that in the event it proved
a happy circumstance for me that I had not bought the bullocks I
intended, for they must have perished with the rest; and I could not
help looking on this, otherwise trifling circumstance, as a particular
providence of God, and I was thankful accordingly. The care of the
vessel took up all my time, and engaged my attention entirely. As we
were now out of the variable winds, I thought I should not be much
puzzled to hit upon the islands. I was persuaded I steered right for
Antigua, which I wished to reach, as the nearest to us; and in the
course of nine or ten days we made this island, to our great joy; and
the next day after we came safe to Montserrat. Many were surprised
when they heard of my conducting the sloop into the port, and I now
obtained a new appellation, and was called Captain. This elated me not
a little, and it was quite flattering to my vanity to be thus styled
by as high a title as any free man in this place possessed. When the
death of the captain became known, he was much regretted by all who
knew him; for he was a man universally respected. At the same time the
sable captain lost no fame; for the success I had met with increased
the affection of my friends in no small measure.

FOOTNOTES:

[Footnote U: Acts, chap. xii. ver. 9.]

CHAP. VIII.

 _The author, to oblige Mr. King, once more embarks for
 Georgia in one of his vessels--A new captain is
 appointed--They sail, and steer a new course--Three
 remarkable dreams--The vessel is shipwrecked on the Bahama
 bank, but the crew are preserved, principally by means of
 the author--He sets out from the island with the captain, in
 a small boat, in quest of a ship--Their distress--Meet with
 a wrecker--Sail for Providence--Are overtaken again by a
 terrible storm, and are all near perishing--Arrive at New
 Providence--The author, after some time, sails from thence
 to Georgia--Meets with another storm, and is obliged to put
 back and refit--Arrives at Georgia--Meets new
 impositions--Two white men attempt to kidnap him--Officiates
 as a parson at a funeral ceremony--Bids adieu to Georgia,
 and sails for Martinico._

As I had now, by the death of my captain, lost my great benefactor and
friend, I had little inducement to remain longer in the West Indies,
except my gratitude to Mr. King, which I thought I had pretty well
discharged in bringing back his vessel safe, and delivering his cargo
to his satisfaction. I began to think of leaving this part of the
world, of which I had been long tired, and returning to England, where
my heart had always been; but Mr. King still pressed me very much to
stay with his vessel; and he had done so much for me that I found
myself unable to refuse his requests, and consented to go another
voyage to Georgia, as the mate, from his ill state of health, was
quite useless in the vessel. Accordingly a new captain was appointed,
whose name was William Phillips, an old acquaintance of mine; and,
having refitted our vessel, and taken several slaves on board, we set
sail for St. Eustatia, where we stayed but a few days; and on the 30th
of January 1767 we steered for Georgia. Our new captain boasted
strangely of his skill in navigating and conducting a vessel; and in
consequence of this he steered a new course, several points more to
the westward than we ever did before; this appeared to me very
extraordinary.

On the fourth of February, which was soon after we had got into our
new course, I dreamt the ship was wrecked amidst the surfs and rocks,
and that I was the means of saving every one on board; and on the
night following I dreamed the very same dream. These dreams however
made no impression on my mind; and the next evening, it being my watch
below, I was pumping the vessel a little after eight o'clock, just
before I went off the deck, as is the custom; and being weary with the
duty of the day, and tired at the pump, (for we made a good deal of
water) I began to express my impatience, and I uttered with an oath,
'Damn the vessel's bottom out.' But my conscience instantly smote me
for the expression. When I left the deck I went to bed, and had
scarcely fallen asleep when I dreamed the same dream again about the
ship that I had dreamt the two preceeding nights. At twelve o'clock
the watch was changed; and, as I had always the charge of the
captain's watch, I then went upon deck. At half after one in the
morning the man at the helm saw something under the lee-beam that the
sea washed against, and he immediately called to me that there was a
grampus, and desired me to look at it. Accordingly I stood up and
observed it for some time; but, when I saw the sea wash up against it
again and again, I said it was not a fish 

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