CHAPTER III
WHEN VOYAGES WENT AWRY
Tales of Trouble When Lying on the Slave Coast — "We are Ready to Devour One Another, for Our Case is Desprit“ — A Second Mate's Unlucky Trip in a Long Boat — Sickness in the Hold as Well as Among the Crew — Cocoanuts and Oranges Could Not Serve in Place of Water — Story of the Mutiny on the Slaver Perfect — Risks the Underwriters Assumed — The Proportion of Disastrous Voyages.
"Anamaboe, October 27th, 1736.
"Sir: After my Respects to you, these may Inform how it is with me at pres'nt. I bless God I Injoy my health very well as yett, but am like to have a long and trublesum voyage of it, for there never was so much Rum on the Coast at one time before. Nor ye like of ye french ships was never seen before, for ye whole Coast is full of them. for my part T can give no guess when I shall get away, for I purchest but 27 slaves since I have been here, for slaves is very scarce: we have had nineteen sails of us at one time in ye Rhoad, so that those ships that used to carry pryme slaves off is now forsed to take any that comes: here is 7 sails of us Rum men that we are ready to devour one another, for our Case is Desprit. Sir, I beg that you will exist my famely in what they shall want, for Ino not when I shall get home to them myself. I have had the misfortin to Bury my chefe mate on ye 21st of Sept. and one man more, and Lost the negro man Prymus and Adam over board on my pasedge, one three weeks after another: that makes me now very weke handed for out of what it left thair is two that is good for nothing. Capt.
