one of the large bottles in the cafe, which was almost empty; pouring what was in it into another: and thus furnished with every thing needful, we failed out of the port to fifh: 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 haled in our fail, and fet us down to fish: the wind blew from the N. NE. which was contrary to my defire; for had it blown foutherly I had been fure to have made the coaft of Spain, and at least reached to the bay of Cadiz ; but my refolutions 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 fifhed fome time and catched nothing, for when I had fifh on my hook I would not pull them up, that he might not fee them; I faid to the Moor, this will not do, our mafter will not be thus ferved, we must ftand farther off: he thinking no harm agreed, and being in the head of the boat set the fails; and as I had the helm I run the boat out near a league farther, and then brought her too as if I would fish, when giving the boy the helm, I stept forward to where the Moor was, and making as if I ftoopt for fomething behind him, I took him by furprize with my arm under his twift, and toft him clear over-board into the fea; he rofe immediately, for he fwam like a cork, and called to me, begged to be taken in, told me he would go all over the world with me; he fwam fo ftrong after the boat that he would have reached me very quickly, there being but little wind; upon which I ftept into the cabbin, and fetching one of the fowling-pieces, I prefented it at him,

and

and told him, I had done him no hurt, and if he would be quiet I would do him none: but, faid I, you fwim well enough to reach to the fhore, and the fea is calm, make the best of your way to fhore, and I will do you no harm, but if you come near the boat I'll fhoot you through the head; for I am refolved to have my liberty; fo he turned himfelf about and fwam for the fhore, and I make no doubt but he reached it with ease, for he was an excellent fwimmer.

I could have been content to have taken this Moor with me, and have drowned the boy, but there was no venturing to truft him: when he was gone. I turned to the boy, who 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, fwear by Mahomet and his father's beard, I must throw you into the fea too; the boy smiled in my face, and spoke fo innocently that I could not miftruft him; and fwore to be faithful to me, and go all over the world with me.

While I was in view of the Moor that was fwimming, I ftood out directly to fea 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 fuppofed we were failed on to the fouthward to the truly Barbarian coaft, where whole nations of negroes were fure to furround us with the canoes, and deftroy us; where we could never once go on fhore but we should be devoured

1

devoured by favage beafts, or more mercilefs favages of human kind.

But as foon as it grew dufk in the evening, I changed my courfe, and feered directly fouth and by east, bending my courfe a little toward the east, that I might keep in with the fhore; and having a fair fresh gale of wind, and a smooth quiet fea, I made fuch fail that I believe by the next day at three o'clock in the afternoon, when I first made the land, I could not be lefs than 150 miles fouth of Sallee; quite beyond the emperor of Morcco's dominions, or indeed of any other king thereabouts, for we saw no people.

Yet fuch was the fright I had taken at the Moors, and the dreadful apprehenfions I had of falling into their hands, that I would not stop, or go on fhore, or come to an anchor; the wind continuing fair, 'till I had failed in that manner five days and then the wind fhifting to the fouthward, I concluded alfo that if any of our veffels were in chace of me, they alfo would now give over; fo I ventured to make to the coaft, and come to an anchor in the mouth of a little river, I knew not what, or where; neither what latitude, what country, what nation, or what river: I neither faw, or defired to fee any people, the principal thing I wanted was fresh water. We came into this creek in the evening, refolving to fwim on fhore as foon as it was dark, and difcover the country; but as foon as it was quite dark, we heard fuch 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 fhore till day; well Xury, faid I,

then

then I won't, but it may be we may fee men by day, who will be as bad to us as thofe lions; then we give them the foot gun, fays Xury, laughing, make them run wey; fuch English Xury fpoke by converfing among us flaves. However I was glad to fee the boy fo chearful, and I gave him a dram (out of our patron's cafe of bottles) to chear him up: after all, Xury's advice was good, and I took it, we dropped our little anchor and lay ftill all night; I fay ftill, for we flept none; for in two or three hours we saw vaft great creatures (we knew not what to call them) of many forts, come down to the fea-fhore and run into the water, wallowing and wafhing themfelves for the pleasure of cooling themselves; and they made fuch hideous howlings and yellings, that I never indeed heard the like.

Kury was dreadfully frighted, and indeed fo was I too; but we were both more frighted when we heard one of thefe mighty creatures come fwimming towards our boat; we could not fee him, but we might hear him by his blowing to be a monstrous huge and furious beaft; Xury faid it was a lion, and it might be fo for ought I know; but poor Xury cried to me to weigh the anchor and row away; no, fays I, Xury, we can flip our cable with the buoy to it and go off to sea, they cannot follow us far; I had no fooner faid fo, but I perceived the creature (whatever it was) within two oars length, which fomething furprized me; however I immediately stept to the cabbin-door, and taking up my gun fired at him, upon which he immediately turned about, and fwam towards the fhore again.

But

But it is impoffible to defcribe the horrible noifes, and hideous cries and howlings, that were raised, as well upon the edge of the fhore, as higher within the country, upon the noife or report of the gun, a thing I have fome reafon to believe thofe creatures had never heard before; this convinced me that there was no going on fhore for us in the night upon that coaft, and how to venture on fhore in the day was another queftion too; for to have fallen into the hands of any of the favages, had been as bad as to have fallen into the hands of lions and tygers; at leaft we were equally apprehenfive of the danger of it.

Be that as it would, we were obliged to go on fhore fomewhere or other for water, for we had not a pint left in the boat; when or where to get to it was the point: Xury faid, if I would let him go on fhore with one of the jarrs, he would find if there was any water and bring fome to me. I asked him why he would go? why I fhould not go and he stay in the boat; the boy anfwered with fo much affection that made me love him ever after. Says he, If wild mans come, they eat me, you go wey. Well, Xury, faid I, we will both go, and if the wild mans come, we will kill them, they fhall eat neither of us; so I gave Xury a piece of rufk-bread to eat, and a dram out of our patron's cafe of bottles which I mentioned before; and we haled the boat in as near the shore as we thought was proper, and waded on shore; carrying nothing but our arms, and two jarrs for water.

I did not care to go out of fight of the boat, fearing the coming of canoes with Savages down the river: but the boy feeing a low place about a mile up the country, rambled to it; and by and by I faw