industrious people to recover their fortunes in such a manner.
‘Madam,’ says he, ”tis no reproach to any many in that country
to have been sent over in worse circumstances than I perceive
your cousins are in, provided they do but apply with diligence
and good judgment to the business of that place when they
come there.’
She then inquired of him what things it was necessary we
should carry over with us, and he, like a very honest as well
as knowing man, told her thus: ‘Madam, your cousins in the
first place must procure somebody to buy them as servants,
in conformity to the conditions of their transportation, and
then, in the name of that person, they may go about what they
will; they may either purchase some plantations already begun,
or they may purchase land of the Government of the country,
and begin where they please, and both will be done reasonably.’
She bespoke his favour in the first article, which he promised
to her to take upon himself, and indeed faithfully performed
it, and as to the rest, he promised to recommend us to such as
should give us the best advice, and not to impose upon us,
which was as much as could be desired.
She then asked him if it would not be necessary to furnish us
with a stock of tools and materials for the business of planting,
and he said, ‘Yes, by all means.’ And then she begged his
assistance in it. She told him she would furnish us with
everything that was convenient whatever it cost her. He
accordingly gave her a long particular of things necessary for
a planter, which, by his account, came to about fourscore or
a hundred pounds. And, in short, she went about as dexterously
to buy them, as if she had been an old Virginia merchant; only
that she bought, by my direction, above twice as much of
everything as he had given her a list of.
These she put on board in her own name, took his bills of
loading for them, and endorsed those bills of loading to my
husband, insuring the cargo afterwards in her own name, by
our order; so that we were provided for all events, and for
all disasters.
I should have told you that my husband gave her all his whole
stock of #108, which, as I have said, he had about him in gold,
to lay out thus, and I gave her a good sum besides; sot that I
did not break into the stock which I had left in her hands at
all, but after we had sorted out our whole cargo, we had yet
near #200 in money, which was more than enough for our
purpose.
In this condition, very cheerful, and indeed joyful at being so
happily accommodated as we were, we set sail from Bugby’s
Hole to Gravesend, where the ship lay about ten more days,
and where the captain came on board for good and all. Here
thecaptain offered us a civility, which indeed we had no reason
to expect, namely, to let us go on shore and refresh ourselves,
upon giving our words in a solemn manner that we would not
go from him, and that we would return peaceably on board
again. This was such an evidence of his confidence in us,
that it overcame my husband, who, in a mere principle of
gratitude, told him, as he could not be in any capacity to make
a suitable return for such a favour, so he could not think of
accepting of it, nor could he be easy that the captain should
run such a risk. After some mutual civilities, I gave my
husband a purse, in which was eighty guineas, and he put in
into the captain’s hand. ‘There, captain,’ says he, ‘there’s
part of a pledge for our fidelity; if we deal dishonestly with
you on any account, ’tis your own.’ And on this we went
on shore.
Indeed, the captain had assurance enough of our resolutions
to go, for that having made such provision to settle there, it
did not seem rational that we would choose to remain here at