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Page 19
offered up to appease them, every minute peeping and quaking: but my
good friend Dick came shortly towards me, and I took an opportunity to
ask him, as well as I could, what these fish were. Not being able to
talk much English, I could but just make him understand my question;
and not at all, when I asked him if any offerings were to be made to
them: however, he told me these fish would swallow any body; which
sufficiently alarmed me. Here he was called away by the captain, who
was leaning over the quarter-deck railing and looking at the fish; and
most of the people were busied in getting a barrel of pitch to light,
for them to play with. The captain now called me to him, having
learned some of my apprehensions from Dick; and having diverted
himself and others for some time with my fears, which appeared
ludicrous enough in my crying and trembling, he dismissed me. The
barrel of pitch was now lighted and put over the side into the water:
by this time it was just dark, and the fish went after it; and, to my
great joy, I saw them no more.
However, all my alarms began to subside when we got sight of land; and
at last the ship arrived at Falmouth, after a passage of thirteen
weeks. Every heart on board seemed gladdened on our reaching the
shore, and none more than mine. The captain immediately went on shore,
and sent on board some fresh provisions, which we wanted very much:
we made good use of them, and our famine was soon turned into
feasting, almost without ending. It was about the beginning of the
spring 1757 when I arrived in England, and I was near twelve years of
age at that time. I was very much struck with the buildings and the
pavement of the streets in Falmouth; and, indeed, any object I saw
filled me with new surprise. One morning, when I got upon deck, I saw
it covered all over with the snow that fell over-night: as I had never
seen any thing of the kind before, I thought it was salt; so I
immediately ran down to the mate and desired him, as well as I could,
to come and see how somebody in the night had thrown salt all over the
deck. He, knowing what it was, desired me to bring some of it down to
him: accordingly I took up a handful of it, which I found very cold
indeed; and when I brought it to him he desired me to taste it. I did
so, and I was surprised beyond measure. I then asked him what it was;
he told me it was snow: but I could not in anywise understand him. He
asked me if we had no such thing in my country; and I told him, No. I
then asked him the use of it, and who made it; he told me a great man
in the heavens, called God: but here again I was to all intents and
purposes at a loss to understand him; and the more so, when a little
after I saw the air filled with it, in a heavy shower, which fell down
on the same day. After this I went to church; and having never been at
such a place before, I was again amazed at seeing and hearing the
service. I asked all I could about it; and they gave me to understand
it was worshipping God, who made us and all things. I was still at a
great loss, and soon got into an endless field of inquiries, as well
as I was able to speak and ask about things. However, my little friend
Dick used to be my best interpreter; for I could make free with him,
and he always instructed me with pleasure: and from what I could
understand by him of this God, and in seeing these white people did
not sell one another, as we did, I was much pleased; and in this I
thought they were much happier than we Africans. I was astonished at
the wisdom of the white people in all things I saw; but was amazed at
their not sacrificing, or making any offerings, and eating with
unwashed hands, and touching the dead. I likewise could not help
remarking the particular slenderness of their women, which I did not
at first like; and I thought they were not so modest and shamefaced as
the African women.
I had often seen my master and Dick employed in reading; and I had a
great curiosity to talk to the books, as I thought they did; and so to
learn how all things had a beginning: for that purpose I have often
taken up a book, and have talked to it, and then put my ears to it,
when alone, in hopes it would answer me; and I have been very much
concerned when I found it remained silent.
My master lodged at the house of a gentleman in Falmouth, who had a
fine little daughter about six or seven years of age, and she grew
prodigiously fond of me; insomuch that we used to eat together, and
had servants to wait on us. I was so much caressed by this family that
it often reminded me of the treatment I had received from my little
noble African master. After I had been here a few days, I was sent on
board of the ship; but the child cried so much after me that nothing
could pacify her till I was sent for again. It is ludicrous enough,
that I began to fear I should be betrothed to this young lady; and
when my master asked me if I would stay there with her behind him, as
he was going away with the ship, which had taken in the tobacco again,
I cried immediately, and said I would not leave her. At last, by
stealth, one night I was sent on board the ship again; and in a little
time we sailed for Guernsey, where she was in part owned by a
merchant, one Nicholas Doberry. As I was now amongst a people who had
not their faces scarred, like some of the African nations where I had
been, I was very glad I did not let them ornament me in that manner
when I was with them. When we arrived at Guernsey, my master placed me
to board and lodge with one of his mates, who had a wife and family
there; and some months afterwards he went to England, and left me in
care of this mate, together with my friend Dick: This mate had a
little daughter, aged about five or six years, with whom I used to be
much delighted. I had often observed that when her mother washed her
face it looked very rosy; but when she washed mine it did not look so:
I therefore tried oftentimes myself if I could not by washing make my
face of the same colour as my little play-mate (Mary), but it was all
in vain; and I now began to be mortified at the difference in our
complexions. This woman behaved to me with great kindness and
attention; and taught me every thing in the same manner as she did her
own child, and indeed in every respect treated me as such. I remained
here till the summer of the year 1757; when my master, being appointed
first lieutenant of his majesty's ship the Roebuck, sent for Dick and
me, and his old mate: on this we all left Guernsey, and set out for
England in a sloop bound for London. As we were coming up towards the
Nore, where the Roebuck lay, a man of war's boat came alongside to
press our people; on which each man ran to hide himself. I was very
much frightened at this, though I did not know what it meant, or what
to think or do. However I went and hid myself also under a hencoop.
Immediately afterwards the press-gang came on board with their swords
drawn, and searched all about, pulled the people out by force, and put
them into the boat. At last I was found out also: the man that found
me held me up by the heels while they all made their sport of me, I
roaring and crying out all the time most lustily: but at last the
mate, who was my conductor, seeing this, came to my assistance, and
did all he could to pacify me; but all to very little purpose, till I
had seen the boat go off. Soon afterwards we came to the Nore, where
the Roebuck lay; and, to our great joy, my master came on board to us,
and brought us to the ship. When I went on board this large ship, I
was amazed indeed to see the quantity of men and the guns. However my
surprise began to diminish as my knowledge increased; and I ceased to
feel those apprehensions and alarms which had taken such strong
possession of me when I first came among the Europeans, and for some
time after. I began now to pass to an opposite extreme; I was so far
from being afraid of any thing new which I saw, that, after I had been
some time in this ship, I even began to long for a battle. My griefs
too, which in young minds are not perpetual, were now wearing away;
and I soon enjoyed myself pretty well, and felt tolerably easy in my
present situation. There was a number of boys on board, which still
made it more agreeable; for we were always together, and a great part
of our time was spent in play. I remained in this ship a considerable
time, during which we made several cruises, and visited a variety of
places: among others we were twice in Holland, and brought over
several persons of distinction from it, whose names I do not now
remember. On the passage, one day, for the diversion of those
gentlemen, all the boys were called on the quarter-deck, and were
paired proportionably, and then made to fight; after which the
gentleman gave the combatants from five to nine shillings each. This
was the first time I ever fought with a white boy; and I never knew
what it was to have a bloody nose before. This made me fight most
desperately; I suppose considerably more than an hour: and at last,
both of us being weary, we were parted. I had a great deal of this
kind of sport afterwards, in which the captain and the ship's company
used very much to encourage me. Sometime afterwards the ship went to
Leith in Scotland, and from thence to the Orkneys, where I was
surprised in seeing scarcely any night: and from thence we sailed with
a great fleet, full of soldiers, for England. All this time we had
never come to an engagement, though we were frequently cruising off
the coast of France: during which we chased many vessels, and took in
all seventeen prizes. I had been learning many of the manoeuvres of
the ship during our cruise; and I was several times made to fire the
guns. One evening, off Havre de Grace, just as it was growing dark, we
were standing off shore, and met with a fine large French-built
frigate. We got all things immediately ready for fighting; and I now
expected I should be gratified in seeing an engagement, which I had so
long wished for in vain. But the very moment the word of command was
given to fire we heard those on board the other ship cry 'Haul down
the jib;' and in that instant she hoisted English colours. There was
instantly with us an amazing cry of--Avast! or stop firing; and I
think one or two guns had been let off, but happily they did no
mischief. We had hailed them several times; but they not hearing, we
received no answer, which was the cause of our firing. The boat was
then sent on board of her, and she proved to be the Ambuscade man of
war, to my no small disappointment. We returned to Portsmouth, without
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