out of his cabin. Accordingly I went, and my husband, whose
spirits were still so much sunk with the indignity (as he
understood it) offered him, that he was scare yet himself, was
so revived with the account that I gave him of the reception
we were like to have in the ship, that he was quite another man,
and new vigour and courage appeared in his very countenance.
So true is it, that the greatest of spirits, when overwhelmed
by their afflictions, are subject to the greatest dejections, and
are the most apt to despair and give themselves up.
After some little pause to recover himself, my husband came
up with me, and gave the mate thanks for the kindness, which
he had expressed to us, and sent suitable acknowledgment by
him to the captain, offering to pay him by advance, whatever
he demanded for our passage, and for the conveniences he had
helped us to. The mate told him that the captain would be on
board in the afternoon, and that he would leave all that till he
came. Accordingly, in the afternoon the captain came, and we
found him the same courteous, obliging man that the boatswain
had represented him to be; and he was so well pleased with
my husband’s conversation, that, in short, he would not let us
keep the cabin we had chosen, but gave us one that, as I said
before, opened into the great cabin.
Nor were his conditions exorbitant, or the man craving and
eager to make a prey of us, but for fifteen guineas we had our
whole passage and provisions and cabin, ate at the captain’s
table, and were very handsomely entertained.
The captain lay himself in the other part of the great cabin,
having let his round house, as they call it, to a rich planter
who went over with his wife and three children, who ate by
themselves. He had some other ordinary passengers, who
quartered in the steerage, and as for our old fraternity, they
were kept under the hatches while the ship lay there, and came
very little on the deck.
I could not refrain acquainting my governess with what had
happened; it was but just that she, who was so really concerned
for me, should have part in my good fortune. Besides, I wanted
her assistance to supply me with several necessaries, which
before I was shy of letting anybody see me have, that it might
not be public; but now I had a cabin and room to set things in,
I ordered abundance of good things for our comfort in the
voyage, as brandy, sugar, lemons, etc., to make punch, and
treat our benefactor, the captain; and abundance of things for
eating and drinking in the voyage; also a larger bed, and bedding
proportioned to it; so that, in a word, we resolved to want for
nothing in the voyage.
All this while I had provided nothing for our assistance when
we should come to the place and begin to call ourselves planters;
and I was far from being ignorant of what was needful on that
occasion; particularly all sorts of tools for the planter’s work,
and for building; and all kinds of furniture for our dwelling,
which, if to be bought in the country, must necessarily cost
double the price.
So I discoursed that point with my governess, and she went
and waited upon the captain, and told him that she hoped ways
might be found out for her two unfortunate cousins, as she
called us, to obtain our freedom when we came into the country,
and so entered into a discourse with him about the means and
terms also, of which I shall say more in its place; and after
thus sounding the captain, she let him know, though we were
unhappy in the circumstances that occasioned our going, yet
that we were not unfurnished to set ourselves to work in the
country, and we resolved to settle and live there as planters,
if we might be put in a way how to do it. The captain readily
offered his assistance, told her the method of entering upon
such business, and how easy, nay, how certain it was for