together, set fast against the frame of the cabin table: in short,
she lay just like one in the agonies of death, and yet she was
alive too. The poor creature was not only starved with hunger, and
terrified with the thoughts of death, but, as the men told us
afterwards, was broken-hearted for her mistress, whom she saw dying
for two or three days before, and whom she loved most tenderly. We
knew not what to do with this poor girl; for when our surgeon, who
was a man of very great knowledge and experience, had, with great
application, recovered her as to life, he had her upon his hands
still; for she was little less than distracted for a considerable
time after.
Whoever shall read these memorandums must be desired to consider
that visits at sea are not like a journey into the country, where
sometimes people stay a week or a fortnight at a place. Our
business was to relieve this distressed ship’s crew, but not lie by
for them; and though they were willing to steer the same course
with us for some days, yet we could carry no sail to keep pace with
a ship that had no masts. However, as their captain begged of us
to help him to set up a main-topmast, and a kind of a topmast to
his jury fore-mast, we did, as it were, lie by him for three or
four days; and then, having given him five barrels of beef, a
barrel of pork, two hogsheads of biscuit, and a proportion of peas,
flour, and what other things we could spare; and taking three casks
of sugar, some rum, and some pieces of eight from them for
satisfaction, we left them, taking on board with us, at their own
earnest request, the youth and the maid, and all their goods.
The young lad was about seventeen years of age, a pretty, well-
bred, modest, and sensible youth, greatly dejected with the loss of
his mother, and also at having lost his father but a few months
before, at Barbadoes. He begged of the surgeon to speak to me to
take him out of the ship; for he said the cruel fellows had
murdered his mother: and indeed so they had, that is to say,
passively; for they might have spared a small sustenance to the
poor helpless widow, though it had been but just enough to keep her
alive; but hunger knows no friend, no relation, no justice, no
right, and therefore is remorseless, and capable of no compassion.
The surgeon told him how far we were going, and that it would carry
him away from all his friends, and put him, perhaps, in as bad
circumstances almost as those we found him in, that is to say,
starving in the world. He said it mattered not whither he went, if
he was but delivered from the terrible crew that he was among; that
the captain (by which he meant me, for he could know nothing of my
nephew) had saved his life, and he was sure would not hurt him; and
as for the maid, he was sure, if she came to herself, she would be
very thankful for it, let us carry them where we would. The
surgeon represented the case so affectionately to me that I
yielded, and we took them both on board, with all their goods,
except eleven hogsheads of sugar, which could not be removed or
come at; and as the youth had a bill of lading for them, I made his
commander sign a writing, obliging himself to go, as soon as he
came to Bristol, to one Mr. Rogers, a merchant there, to whom the
youth said he was related, and to deliver a letter which I wrote to
him, and all the goods he had belonging to the deceased widow;
which, I suppose, was not done, for I could never learn that the
ship came to Bristol, but was, as is most probable, lost at sea,
being in so disabled a condition, and so far from any land, that I
am of opinion the first storm she met with afterwards she might