the hand of Heaven had overtaken me, and I was undone without redemption. But, alas! this was but a taste of the mifery I was to go through, as will appear in the sequel of the ftory.

As my new patron or master had taken me home to his houfe, fo I was in hopes that he would take me with him when he went to fea again, believing that it would fome time or other be his fate to be taken by a Spanish or Portugal man of war; and that then I fhould be fet at liberty. But this hope of mine was foon taken away; for when he went to fea, he left me on fhore to look after his little garden, and do the common drudgery of flaves about his houfe; and when he came home again from his cruife, he ordered me to lye in the cabin to look after the ship.

Here I meditated nothing but my escape; and what method I might take to effect it, but found no way that had the least probability in it: nothing prefented to make the fuppofition of it rational; for I had nobody to communicate it to, that would embark with me; no fellow-flave, no Englifhman, Irishman, or Scotfman there but myfelf; fo that for two years, though I often pleafed myself with the imagination, yet I never had the leaft encouraging profpect of putting it in practice.

After about two years an odd circumstance prefented itself, which put the old thought of making fome attempt for my liberty again in my head: my patron lying at home longer than ufual, without fitting out his fhip, which, as I heard, was for want of money, he used conftantly, once or twice a week, fometimes oftener, if the weather was fair, to take

the

the fhip's pinnace, and go out into the road a fishing; and as he always took me and a young Marefco with him to row the boat, we made him very merry, and I proved very dexterous in catching fifh; infomuch that fometimes he would fend me with a Moor, one of his kinfmen, and the youth, the Marefco as they called him, to catch a difh of fish for him.

It happened one time, that going a fishing in a stark calm morning, a fog rose so thick, that though we were not half a league from the shore we loft fight 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 fea instead of pulling in for the fhore; and that we were at least two leagues from the fhore : however we got well in again, though with a great deal of labour, and fome danger; for the wind began to blow pretty fresh in the morning; but particularly we were all very hungry.

But our patron, warn'd by this disaster, refolved to take more care of himself for the future; and having lying by him the long boat of our English ship he had taken, he refolved he would not go a fishing any more without a compafs and fome provifion; fo he ordered the carpenter of his ship, who also was an English flave, to build a little state-room or cabin in the middle of the long-boat, like that of a barge, with a place to ftand behind it to steer and hale home the main-sheet; and room before for a hand or two to ftand and work the fails; fhe failed with that we call a fhoulder of mutton fail; and the boom gibed over the top of the cabin, which lay very fnug and low,

and had in it room for him to lye, with a flave or two, and a table to eat on, with fome small lockers to put in fome bottles of fuch liquor as he thought fit to drink; particularly his bread, rice and coffee.

We went frequently out with this boat a fishing, and as I was moft 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 fifh, with two or three Moors of fome diftinction in that place, and for whom he had provided extraordinarily; and had therefore fent on board the boat over night a larger ftore of provifions than ordinary; and had ordered me to get ready three fuzees with powder and and fhot, which were on board his ship; for that they defigned fome 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 every thing to accommodate his guefts; when by and by my patron came on board alone, and told me his guests had put off going, upon fome business that fell out, and ordered me with the man and boy, as ufual, to go out with the boat and catch them some fish, for that his friends were to fup at his house; and commanded that as foon as I got fome fish I should bring it home to his houfe; all which I prepared to do.

This moment my former notions of deliverance darted into my thoughts, for now I found I was like to have a little fhip at my command; and my master being gone, I prepared to furnish myself, not for fishing bufinefs, but for a voyage; though I knew not,

neither

neither did I fo much as confider, whither I should where to get out of that place was

fteer; for any

my way.

My first contrivance was to make a pretence to fpeak to this Moor, to get fomething for our fubfiftance on board; for I told him we must not presume to eat of our patron's bread; he said, that was true; fo he brought a large basket of rusk or bisket of their kind, and three jarrs with fresh water into the boat. I knew where my patron's cafe of bottles ftood, which it was evident by the make were taken out of fome English prize; and I conveyed them into the boat while the Moor was on fhore, as if they had been there before for our mafter: I conveyed alfo a great lump of bees-wax into the boat, which weighed above half a hundred weight, with a parcel of twine or thread, a hatchet, a faw, and a hammer, all which were of great use to us afterwards; especially the wax to make candles. Another trick I tryed upon him, which he innocently came into also; his name was Ifmael, who they call Muly, or Moley; fo I called to him, Moley, faid 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 fome Alcamies (a fowl like our Curlieus) for ourselves, for I know he keeps the gunner's ftores in the fhip? Yes, fays he, I'll bring fome, and accordingly he brought a great leather pouch which held about a pound and a half of powder, or rather more; and another with shot, that had five or fix pounds, with some bullets, and put all into the boat: at the fame time I had found fome powder of my master's in the great cabin, with which I filled

one

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 fish: the caftle 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. N. E. 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 reft 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 master will not be thus served, we must stand farther of: 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 to as if I would fifh, when giving the boy the helm, I stept forward to where the Moor was, and making as if I stoopt 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 calling 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 ftept into the cabin, and fetching one of the fowling pieces, I prefented it at him,

and