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sailed in that manner five days; and then the wind shifting to the southward, I ventured to come to an anchor at the mouth of a little river.
The principal thing I wanted was fresh water. But though I was no less afraid of the savages than of the wild beasts, our necessities obliged us to land, for we had not a pint. The next morning Xury asked for one of the jars, and said he would go and seek for water. I asked him why he would go. The boy answered with so much affection, that I could not help loving him. “If wild man comes, they will eat me, you go away.” “Well, Xury,” said I, “we will both go, and if the wild men come we will kill them; they shall eat neither of us.”
The boy seeing a low place about a mile up the country, rambled thither; and by-and-by I saw him come running towards me, when, thinking he might be pursued by some savage or frightened by a wild beast, I ran to meet him, but when I came nearer I saw something hanging over his shoulder, which was a ereature he had shot like a hare, and we found it very good meat; but the great joy that Xury came with was to tell me he had found good water, and seen no wild mans. We therefore filled our jars, feasted on our hare, and then set sail.
About ten days after, as I was steering out to sea, in order to double a cape, I had the view of some islands, which I supposed to be those of Cape Verd. I was afraid of venturing so far from the shore, for if I should be taken with a fresh gale of wind, I might never be able to reach again the one or the other. In this dilemma I sat down in the cabin, when on a sudden Xury cried out in a fright, “Master! Master! a ship,” foolishly imagining that it was his master’s ship, come so far in pursuit for us: I jumped out of the cabin, and saw that it was a Portuguese vessel, and instantly stretched out to sea with all the sail I could make; they perceived me by the help of their glasses, and shortened sail to let me come up. A Scots sailor on board called to me, and I answered that I had made my escape from tho Moors at Salee. They very kindly took me in and all my goods.
We had a very good voyage to the Brazils, and arrived at All Saint’s Bay, in about twenty-two days. The captain recommended me to an honest man who had a plantation, with whom I lived till I had learnt the manner of planting and making sugar, after which I purchased a piece of land, and became a planter. I had lived here about four years, and had contracted an acquaintance among several merchants. I had frequently talked to them of the method of purchasing negroes on the Coast of Guinea, and they being pleased with the project, easily
