Adventure | Science Fiction | Ghost stories | Poetry | Children | History

Book

Open Original Text

. At length
Captain Phillips hired a sloop to carry him and some of the slaves
that he could not sell to Georgia; and I agreed to go with him in this
vessel, meaning now to take my farewell of that place. When the vessel
was ready we all embarked; and I took my leave of New Providence, not
without regret. We sailed about four o'clock in the morning, with a
fair wind, for Georgia; and about eleven o'clock the same morning a
short and sudden gale sprung up and blew away most of our sails; and,
as we were still amongst the keys, in a very few minutes it dashed the
sloop against the rocks. Luckily for us the water was deep; and the
sea was not so angry but that, after having for some time laboured
hard, and being many in number, we were saved through God's mercy;
and, by using our greatest exertions, we got the vessel off. The next
day we returned to Providence, where we soon got her again refitted.
Some of the people swore that we had spells set upon us by somebody in
Montserrat; and others that we had witches and wizzards amongst the
poor helpless slaves; and that we never should arrive safe at Georgia.
But these things did not deter me; I said, 'Let us again face the
winds and seas, and swear not, but trust to God, and he will deliver
us.' We therefore once more set sail; and, with hard labour, in seven
day's time arrived safe at Georgia.

After our arrival we went up to the town of Savannah; and the same
evening I went to a friend's house to lodge, whose name was Mosa, a
black man. We were very happy at meeting each other; and after supper
we had a light till it was between nine and ten o'clock at night.
About that time the watch or patrol came by; and, discerning a light
in the house, they knocked at the door: we opened it; and they came in
and sat down, and drank some punch with us: they also begged some
limes of me, as they understood I had some, which I readily gave them.
A little after this they told me I must go to the watch-house with
them: this surprised me a good deal, after our kindness to them; and I
asked them, Why so? They said that all negroes who had light in their
houses after nine o'clock were to be taken into custody, and either
pay some dollars or be flogged. Some of those people knew that I was a
free man; but, as the man of the house was not free, and had his
master to protect him, they did not take the same liberty with him
they did with me. I told them that I was a free man, and just arrived
from Providence; that we were not making any noise, and that I was not
a stranger in that place, but was very well known there: 'Besides,'
said I, 'what will you do with me?'--'That you shall see,' replied
they, 'but you must go to the watch-house with us.' Now whether they
meant to get money from me or not I was at a loss to know; but I
thought immediately of the oranges and limes at Santa Cruz: and seeing
that nothing would pacify them I went with them to the watch-house,
where I remained during the night. Early the the next morning these
imposing ruffians flogged a negro-man and woman that they had in the
watch-house, and then they told me that I must be flogged too. I asked
why? and if there was no law for free men? And told them if there was
I would have it put in force against them. But this only exasperated
them the more; and instantly they swore they would serve me as Doctor
Perkins had done; and they were going to lay violent hands on me; when
one of them, more humane than the rest, said that as I was a free man
they could not justify stripping me by law. I then immediately sent
for Doctor Brady, who was known to be an honest and worthy man; and on
his coming to my assistance they let me go.

This was not the only disagreeable incident I met with while I was in
this place; for, one day, while I was a little way out of the town of
Savannah, I was beset by two white men, who meant to play their usual
tricks with me in the way of kidnapping. As soon as these men accosted
me, one of them said to the other, 'This is the very fellow we are
looking for that you lost:' and the other swore immediately that I was
the identical person. On this they made up to me, and were about to
handle me; but I told them to be still and keep off; for I had seen
those kind of tricks played upon other free blacks, and they must not
think to serve me so. At this they paused a little, and one said to
the other--it will not do; and the other answered that I talked too
good English. I replied, I believed I did; and I had also with me a
revengeful stick equal to the occasion; and my mind was likewise good.
Happily however it was not used; and, after we had talked together a
little in this manner, the rogues left me. I stayed in Savannah some
time, anxiously trying to get to Montserrat once more to see Mr. King,
my old master, and then to take a final farewell of the American
quarter of the globe. At last I met with a sloop called the Speedwell,
Captain John Bunton, which belonged to Grenada, and was bound to
Martinico, a French island, with a cargo of rice, and I shipped myself
on board of her. Before I left Georgia a black woman, who had a child
lying dead, being very tenacious of the church burial service, and not
able to get any white person to perform it, applied to me for that
purpose. I told her I was no parson; and besides, that the service
over the dead did not affect the soul. This however did not satisfy
her; she still urged me very hard: I therefore complied with her
earnest entreaties, and at last consented to act the parson for the
first time in my life. As she was much respected, there was a great
company both of white and black people at the grave. I then
accordingly assumed my new vocation, and performed the funeral
ceremony to the satisfaction of all present; after which I bade adieu
to Georgia, and sailed for Martinico.

CHAP. IX

 _The author arrives at Martinico--Meets with new
 difficulties--Gets to Montserrat, where he takes leave of
 his old master, and sails for England--Meets Capt.
 Pascal--Learns the French horn--Hires himself with Doctor
 Irving, where he learns to freshen sea water--Leaves the
 doctor, and goes a voyage to Turkey and Portugal; and
 afterwards goes a voyage to Grenada, and another to
 Jamaica--Returns to the Doctor, and they embark together on
 a voyage to the North Pole, with the Hon. Capt. Phipps--Some
 account of that voyage, and the dangers the author was
 in--He returns to England._

I thus took a final leave of Georgia; for the treatment I had received
in it disgusted me very much against the place; and when I left it and
sailed for Martinico I determined never more to revisit it. My new
captain conducted his vessel safer than my former one; and, after an
agreeable voyage, we got safe to our intended port. While I was on
this island I went about a good deal, and found it very pleasant: in
particular I admired the town of St. Pierre, which is the principal
one in the island, and built more like an European town than any I had
seen i

Previous Next