part of our story, our ship being disabled, and three of our
men killed, and eight wounded, we were obliged to yield,
and were carried all prisoners into Sallee, a port belonging
to the Moors.
The usage I had there was not so dreadful as at first I
apprehended; nor was I carried up the country to the em-
peror’s court, as the rest of our men were, but was kept by
the captain of the rover as his proper prize, and made his
slave, being young and nimble, and fit for his business. At
this surprising change of my circumstances, from a mer-
chant to a miserable slave, I was perfectly overwhelmed; and
now I looked back upon my father’s prophetic discourse to
me, that I should be miserable and have none to relieve me,
which I thought was now so effectually brought to pass that
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I could not be worse; for now the hand of Heaven had over-
taken me, and I was undone without redemption; but, alas!
this was but a taste of the misery I was to go through, as will
appear in the sequel of this story.
As my new patron, or master, had taken me home to his
house, so I was in hopes that he would take me with him
when he went to sea again, believing that it would some
time or other be his fate to be taken by a Spanish or Portu-
gal man-of-war; and that then I should be set at liberty. But
this hope of mine was soon taken away; for when he went to
sea, he left me on shore to look after his little garden, and do
the common drudgery of slaves about his house; and when
he came home again from his cruise, he ordered me to lie in
the cabin to look after the ship.
Here I meditated nothing but my escape, and what meth-
od I might take to effect it, but found no way that had the
least probability in it; nothing presented to make the sup-
position of it rational; for I had nobody to communicate it
to that would embark with me - no fellow-slave, no English-
man, Irishman, or Scotchman there but myself; so that for
two years, though I often pleased myself with the imagi-
nation, yet I never had the least encouraging prospect of
putting it in practice.
After about two years, an odd circumstance presented
itself, which put the old thought of making some attempt
for my liberty again in my head. My patron lying at home
longer than usual without fitting out his ship, which, as I
heard, was for want of money, he used constantly, once or
twice a week, sometimes oftener if the weather was fair, to
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take the ship’s pinnace and go out into the road a- fishing;
and as he always took me and young Maresco with him to
row the boat, we made him very merry, and I proved very
dexterous in catching fish; insomuch that sometimes he
would send me with a Moor, one of his kinsmen, and the
youth - the Maresco, as they called him - to catch a dish of
fish for him.
It happened one time, that going a-fishing in a calm
morning, a fog rose so thick that, though we were not half
a league from the shore, we lost sight of it; and rowing we
knew not whither or which way, we laboured all day, and all
the next night; and when the morning came we found we
had pulled off to sea instead of pulling in for the shore; and
that we were at least two leagues from the shore. However,
we got well in again, though with a great deal of labour and
some danger; for the wind began to blow pretty fresh in the
morning; but we were all very hungry.
But our patron, warned by this disaster, resolved to
take more care of himself for the future; and having lying
by him the longboat of our English ship that he had taken,
he resolved he would not go a- fishing any more without a
compass and some provision; so he ordered the carpenter of
his ship, who also was an English slave, to build a little state-
room, or cabin, in the middle of the long- boat, like that of
a barge, with a place to stand behind it to steer, and haul
home the main-sheet; the room before for a hand or two
to stand and work the sails. She sailed with what we call a
shoulder-of-mutton sail; and the boom jibed over the top of
the cabin, which lay very snug and low, and had in it room
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for him to lie, with a slave or two, and a table to eat on, with
some small lockers to put in some bottles of such liquor as
he thought fit to drink; and his bread, rice, and coffee.
We went frequently out with this boat a-fishing; and as
I was most dexterous to catch fish for him, he never went
without me. It happened that he had appointed to go out in
this boat, either for pleasure or for fish, with two or three
Moors of some distinction in that place, and for whom he
had provided extraordinarily, and had, therefore, sent on
board the boat overnight a larger store of provisions than
ordinary; and had ordered me to get ready three fusees with
powder and shot, which were on board his ship, for that they
designed some sport of fowling as well as fishing.
I got all things ready as he had directed, and waited the
next morning with the boat washed clean, her ancient and
pendants out, and everything to accommodate his guests;
when by-and-by my patron came on board alone, and told
me his guests had put off going from some business that
fell out, and ordered me, with the man and boy, as usual, to
go out with the boat and catch them some fish, for that his
friends were to sup at his house, and commanded that as
soon as I got some fish I should bring it home to his house;
all which I prepared to do.
This moment my former notions of deliverance darted
into my thoughts, for now I found I was likely to have a
little ship at my command; and my master being gone, I
prepared to furnish myself, not for fishing business, but for
a voyage; though I knew not, neither did I so much as con-
sider, whither I should steer - anywhere to get out of that
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place was my desire.
My first contrivance was to make a pretence to speak to
this Moor, to get something for our subsistence on board;
for I told him we must not presume to eat of our patron’s
bread. He said that was true; so he brought a large basket of
rusk or biscuit, and three jars of fresh water, into the boat.
I knew where my patron’s case of bottles stood, which it
was evident, by the make, were taken out of some English
prize, and I conveyed them into the boat while the Moor
was on shore, as if they had been there before for our mas-
ter. I conveyed also a great lump of beeswax into the boat,
which weighed about half a hundred-weight, with a parcel
of twine or thread, a hatchet, a saw, and a hammer, all of
which were of great use to us afterwards, especially the wax,
to make candles. Another trick I tried upon him, which he
innocently came into also: his name was Ismael, which they
call Muley, or Moely; so I called to him - ‘Moely,’ said I, ‘our
patron’s guns are on board the boat; can you not get a little
powder and shot? It may be we may kill some alcamies (a
fowl like our curlews) for ourselves, for I know he keeps the
gunner’s stores in the ship.’ ‘Yes,’ says he, ‘I’ll bring some;’
and accordingly he brought a great leather pouch, which
held a pound and a half of powder, or rather more; and
another with shot, that had five or six pounds, with some
bullets, and put all into the boat. At the same time I had
found some powder of my master’s in the great cabin, with
which I filled one of the large bottles in the case, which was
almost empty, pouring what was in it into another; and thus
furnished with everything needful, we sailed out of the port
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to fish. The castle, which is at the entrance of the port, knew
who we were, and took no notice of us; and we were not
above a mile out of the port before we hauled in our sail
and set us down to fish. The wind blew from the N.N.E.,
which was contrary to my desire, for had it blown southerly
I had been sure to have made the coast of Spain, and at least
reached to the bay of Cadiz; but my resolutions were, blow
which way it would, I would be gone from that horrid place
where I was, and leave the rest to fate.
After we had fished some time and caught nothing - for
when I had fish on my hook I would not pull them up, that
he might not see them - I said to the Moor, ‘This will not
do; our master will not be thus served; we must stand far-
ther off.’ He, thinking no harm, agreed, and being in the
head of the boat, set the sails; and, as I had the helm, I ran
the boat out near a league farther, and then brought her to,
as if I would fish; when, giving the boy the helm, I stepped
forward to where the Moor was, and making as if I stooped
for something behind him, I took him by surprise with my
arm under his waist, and tossed him clear overboard into
the sea. He rose immediately, for he swam like a cork, and
called to me, begged to be taken in, told me he would go all
over the world with me. He swam so strong after the boat
that he would have reached me very quickly, there being
but little wind; upon which I stepped into the cabin, and
fetching one of the fowling-pieces, I presented it at him, and
told him I had done him no hurt, and if he would be quiet I
would do him none. ‘But,’ said I, ‘you swim well enough to
reach to the shore, and the sea is calm; make the best of your
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way to shore, and I will do you no harm; but if you come
near the boat I’ll shoot you through the head, for I am re-
solved to have my liberty;’ so he turned himself about, and
swam for the shore, and I make no doubt but he reached it
with ease, for he was an excellent swimmer.
I could have been content to have taken this Moor with
me, and have drowned the boy, but there was no ventur-
ing to trust him. When he was gone, I turned to the boy,
whom they called Xury, and said to him, ‘Xury, if you will
be faithful to me, I’ll make you a great man; but if you will
not stroke your face to be true to me’ - that is, swear by Ma-
homet and his father’s beard - ‘I must throw you into the
sea too.’ The boy smiled in my face, and spoke so innocently
that I could not distrust him, and swore to be faithful to me,
and go all over the world with me.
While I was in view of the Moor that was swimming, I
stood out directly to sea with the boat, rather stretching
to windward, that they might think me gone towards the
Straits’ mouth (as indeed any one that had been in their
wits must have been supposed to do): for who would have
supposed we were sailed on to the southward, to the truly
Barbarian coast, where whole nations of negroes were sure
to surround us with their canoes and destroy us; where we
could not go on shore but we should be devoured by savage
beasts, or more merciless savages of human kind.
But as soon as it grew dusk in the evening, I changed my
course, and steered directly south and by east, bending my
course a little towards the east, that I might keep in with the
shore; and having a fair, fresh gale of wind, and a smooth,
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quiet sea, I made such sail that I believe by the next day, at
three o’clock in the afternoon, when I first made the land,
I could not be less than one hundred and fifty miles south
of Sallee; quite beyond the Emperor of Morocco’s domin-
ions, or indeed of any other king thereabouts, for we saw
no people.
Yet such was the fright I had taken of the Moors, and
the dreadful apprehensions I had of falling into their hands,
that I would not stop, or go on shore, or come to an anchor;
the wind continuing fair till I had sailed in that manner five
days; and then the wind shifting to the southward, I con-
cluded also that if any of our vessels were in chase of me,
they also would now give over; so I ventured to make to the
coast, and came to an anchor in the mouth of a little riv-
er, I knew not what, nor where, neither what latitude, what
country, what nation, or what river. I neither saw, nor de-
sired to see any people; the principal thing I wanted was
fresh water. We came into this creek in the evening, resolv-
ing to swim on shore as soon as it was dark, and discover
the country; but as soon as it was quite dark, we heard such
dreadful noises of the barking, roaring, and howling of wild
creatures, of we knew not what kinds, that the poor boy was
ready to die with fear, and begged of me not to go on shore
till day. ‘Well, Xury,’ said I, ‘then I won’t; but it may be that
we may see men by day, who will be as bad to us as those li-
ons.’ ‘Then we give them the shoot gun,’ says Xury, laughing,
‘make them run wey.’ Such English Xury spoke by convers-
ing among us slaves. However, I was glad to see the boy so
cheerful, and I gave him a dram (out of our patron’s case of
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0
bottles) to cheer him up. After all, Xury’s advice was good,
and I took it; we dropped our little anchor, and lay still all
night; I say still, for we slept none; for in two or three hours
we saw vast great creatures (we knew not what to call them)
of many sorts, come down to the sea-shore and run into the
water, wallowing and washing themselves for the pleasure
of cooling themselves; and they made such hideous howl-
ings and yellings, that I never indeed heard the like.
Xury was dreadfully frighted, and indeed so was I too;
but we were both more frighted when we heard one of these
mighty creatures come swimming towards our boat; we
could not see him, but we might hear him by his blowing
to be a monstrous huge and furious beast. Xury said it was
a lion, and it might be so for aught I know; but poor Xury
cried to me to weigh the anchor and row away; ‘No,’ says I,
‘Xury; we can slip our cable, with the buoy to it, and go off to
sea; they cannot follow us far.’ I had no sooner said so, but
I perceived the creature (whatever it was) within two oars’
length, which something surprised me; however, I immedi-
ately stepped to the cabin door, and taking up my gun, fired
at him; upon which he immediately turned about and swam
towards the shore again.
But it is impossible to describe the horrid noises, and
hideous cries and howlings that were raised, as well upon
the edge of the shore as higher within the country, upon
the noise or report of the gun, a thing I have some reason
to believe those creatures had never heard before: this con-
vinced me that there was no going on shore for us in the
night on that coast, and how to venture on shore in the day
1
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was another question too; for to have fallen into the hands
of any of the savages had been as bad as to have fallen into
the hands of the lions and tigers; at least we were equally ap-
prehensive of the danger of it.
Be that as it would, we were obliged to go on shore some-
where or other for water, for we had not a pint left in the
boat; when and where to get to it was the point. Xury said,
if I would let him go on shore with one of the jars, he would
find if there was any water, and bring some to me. I asked
him why he would go? why I should not go, and he stay in
the boat? The boy answered with so much affection as made
me love him ever after. Says he, ‘If wild mans come, they eat
me, you go wey.’ ‘Well, Xury,’ said I, ‘we will both go and if
the wild mans come, we will kill them, they shall eat nei-
ther of us.’ So I gave Xury a piece of rusk bread to eat, and a
dram out of our patron’s case of bottles which I mentioned
before; and we hauled the boat in as near the shore as we
thought was proper, and so waded on shore, carrying noth-
ing but our arms and two jars for water.
I did not care to go out of sight of the boat, fearing the
coming of canoes with savages down the river; but the boy
seeing a low place about a mile up the country, rambled to
it, and by-and-by I saw him come running towards me. I
thought he was pursued by some savage, or frighted with
some wild beast, and I ran forward towards him to help
him; but when I came nearer to him I saw something hang-
ing over his shoulders, which was a creature that he had
shot, like a hare, but different in colour, and longer legs;
however, we were very glad of it, and it was very good meat;
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but the great joy that poor Xury came with, was to tell me
he had found good water and seen no wild mans.
But we found afterwards that we need not take such
pains for water, for a little higher up the creek where we
were we found the water fresh when the tide was out, which
flowed but a little way up; so we filled our jars, and feasted
on the hare he had killed, and prepared to go on our way,
having seen no footsteps of any human creature in that part
of the country.
As I had been one voyage to this coast before, I knew very
well that the islands of the Canaries, and the Cape de Verde
Islands also, lay not far off from the coast. But as I had no
instruments to take an observation to know what latitude
we were in, and not exactly knowing, or at least remember-
ing, what latitude they were in, I knew not where to look for
them, or when to stand off to sea towards them; otherwise I
might now easily have found some of these islands. But my
hope was, that if I stood along this coast till I came to that
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