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 asleep, I begged some of his slaves to slack the rope that was
round my body, that my feet might rest on something. This they did at
the risk of being cruelly used by their master, who beat some of them
severely at first for not tying me when he commanded them. Whilst I
remained in this condition, till between five and six o'clock next
morning, I trust I prayed to God to forgive this blasphemer, who cared
not what he did, but when he got up out of his sleep in the morning
was of the very same temper and disposition as when he left me at
night. When they got up the anchor, and the vessel was getting under
way, I once more cried and begged to be released; and now, being
fortunately in the way of their hoisting the sails, they released me.
When I was let down, I spoke to one Mr. Cox, a carpenter, whom I knew
on board, on the impropriety of this conduct. He also knew the doctor,
and the good opinion he ever had of me. This man then went to the
captain, and told him not to carry me away in that manner; that I was
the doctor's steward, who regarded me very highly, and would resent
this usage when he should come to know it. On which he desired a young
man to put me ashore in a small canoe I brought with me. This sound
gladdened my heart, and I got hastily into the canoe and set off,
whilst my tyrant was down in the cabin; but he soon spied me out, when
I was not above thirty or forty yards from the vessel, and, running
upon the deck with a loaded musket in his hand, he presented it at me,
and swore heavily and dreadfully, that he would shoot me that instant,
if I did not come back on board. As I knew the wretch would have done
as he said, without hesitation, I put back to the vessel again; but,
as the good Lord would have it, just as I was alongside he was abusing
the captain for letting me go from the vessel; which the captain
returned, and both of them soon got into a very great heat. The young
man that was with me now got out of the canoe; the vessel was sailing
on fast with a smooth sea: and I then thought it was neck or nothing,
so at that instant I set off again, for my life, in the canoe, towards
the shore; and fortunately the confusion was so great amongst them on
board, that I got out of the reach of the musquet shot unnoticed,
while the vessel sailed on with a fair wind a different way; so that
they could not overtake me without tacking: but even before that could
be done I should have been on shore, which I soon reached, with many
thanks to God for this unexpected deliverance. I then went and told
the other owner, who lived near that shore (with whom I had agreed for
my passage) of the usage I had met with. He was very much astonished,
and appeared very sorry for it. After treating me with kindness, he
gave me some refreshment, and three heads of roasted Indian corn, for
a voyage of about eighteen miles south, to look for another vessel. He
then directed me to an Indian chief of a district, who was also the
Musquito admiral, and had once been at our dwelling; after which I set
off with the canoe across a large lagoon alone (for I could not get
any one to assist me), though I was much jaded, and had pains in my
bowels, by means of the rope I had hung by the night before. I was
therefore at different times unable to manage the canoe, for the
paddling was very laborious. However, a little before dark I got to my
destined place, where some of the Indians knew me, and received me
kindly. I asked for the admiral; and they conducted me to his
dwelling. He was glad to see me, and refreshed me with such things as
the place afforded; and I had a hammock to sleep in. They acted
towards me more like Christians than those whites I was amongst the
last night, though they had been baptized. I told the admiral I wanted
to go to the next port to get a vessel to carry me to Jamaica; and
requested him to send the canoe back which I then had, for which I was
to pay him. He agreed with me, and sent five able Indians with a large
canoe to carry my things to my intended place, about fifty miles; and
we set off the next morning. When we got out of the lagoon and went
along shore, the sea was so high that the canoe was oftentimes very
near being filled with water. We were obliged to go ashore and drag
across different necks of land; we were also two nights in the swamps,
which swarmed with musquito flies, and they proved troublesome to us.
This tiresome journey of land and water ended, however, on the third
day, to my great joy; and I got on board of a sloop commanded by one
Captain Jenning. She was then partly loaded, and he told me he was
expecting daily to sail for Jamaica; and having agreed with me to work
my passage, I went to work accordingly. I was not many days on board
before we sailed; but to my sorrow and disappointment, though used to
such tricks, we went to the southward along the Musquito shore,
instead of steering for Jamaica. I was compelled to assist in cutting
a great deal of mahogany wood on the shore as we coasted along it, and
load the vessel with it, before she sailed. This fretted me much; but,
as I did not know how to help myself among these deceivers, I thought
patience was the only remedy I had left, and even that was forced.
There was much hard work and little victuals on board, except by good
luck we happened to catch turtles. On this coast there was also a
particular kind of fish called manatee, which is most excellent
eating, and the flesh is more like beef than fish; the scales are as
large as a shilling, and the skin thicker than I ever saw that of any
other fish. Within the brackish waters along shore there were likewise
vast numbers of alligators, which made the fish scarce. I was on board
this sloop sixteen days, during which, in our coasting, we came to
another place, where there was a smaller sloop called the Indian
Queen, commanded by one John Baker. He also was an Englishman, and had
been a long time along the shore trading for turtle shells and silver,
and had got a good quantity of each on board. He wanted some hands
very much; and, understanding I was a free man, and wanted to go to
Jamaica, he told me if he could get one or two, that he would sail
immediately for that island: he also pretended to me some marks of
attention and respect, and promised to give me forty-five shillings
sterling a month if I would go with him. I thought this much better
than cutting wood for nothing. I therefore told the other captain that
I wanted to go to Jamaica in the other vessel; but he would not listen
to me: and, seeing me resolved to go in a day or two, he got the
vessel to sail, intending to carry me away against my will. This
treatment mortified me extremely. I immediately, according to an
agreement I had made with the captain of the Indian Queen, called for
her boat, which was lying near us, and it came alongside; and, by the
means of a north-pole shipmate which I met with in the sloop I was in,
I got my things into the boat, and went on board of the Indian

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