A NARRATIVE, &c.
To THE READER,
AS my Capacities and Condition of Life are
very low, it cannot be expected that I should make
those Remarks on the Sufferings I have met with, or the
kind Providence of a good GOD for my Preservation, as one
in a higher Station ; but shall leave that to the Reader as he goes along,
and so I shall only relate Matters of Fact as they occur to my Mind —
ON Monday, 25th Day of December, 1747,
with the leave of my Master, I went from Marshfield,
with an Intention to go a Voyage to Sea, and the next Day, the 26th, got
to Plymouth, where I immediately ship'd myself
on board of a Sloop, Capt. John Howland, Master, bound to
Jamaica
and the
Bay.—We sailed from
Plymouth
in a short Time, and after a pleasant Passage of about 30 Days, arrived at
Jamaica ; we was detain'd at
Jamaica
only 5 Days, from whence we sailed for the
Bay,
where we arrived safe in 10 Days. We loaded our Vessel with Logwood, and sailed
from the
Bay the 25th Day of
May following,
and the 15th Day of
June, we were cast away on
Cape-Florida, about 5 Leagues from the Shore ; being now
destitute of every Help, we knew not what to do or what Course to
take in this our sad Condition :—The Captain was advised,
intreated, and beg'd on, by every Person on board, to heave over but only
20 Ton of the
Wood, and we should get
clear, which if he had done, might have sav'd his Vessel and Cargo,
and not only so, but his own Life, as well as the Lives of the Mate and
Nine Hands, as I shall presently relate.
After being upon this Reef two Days, the Captain order'd the Boat to be
hoisted out, and then ask'd who were willing to tarry on board? The whole
Crew was for going on Shore at this Time, but as the Boat would not carry
12 Persons at once, and to prevent any Uneasiness, the Captain, a Passenger,
and one Hand tarry'd on board, while the Mate, with Seven Hands besides
myself, were order'd to go on Shore in the Boat, which as soon as we had
reached, one half
were to be Landed, and the other four to return to the Sloop, to fetch the
Captain and the others on Shore. The Captain order'd us to take with us our
Arms, Ammunition, Provisions and Necessaries for Cooking, as also a Sail to
make a Tent of, to shelter us from the Weather ; after having left
the Sloop we stood towards the Shore, and being within Two Leagues of
the same, we espy'd a Number of Canoes, which we at first took to be Rocks,
but soon found our Mistake, for we perceiv'd they moved
towards us ; we presently saw an English Colour hoisted in one of the Canoes,
at the Sight of which we were not a little rejoiced, but on our advancing yet
nearer, we found them, to our very great Surprize, to be
Indians of which there were Sixty ; being now so
near them we could not possibly make our Escape ; they soon
came up with and boarded us, took away all our Arms Ammunition, and
Provision.
The whole Number of CaRoes (being about Twenty,) then made for the
Sloop, except Two which they left to guard us, who order'd us to follow
on with them ; the Eighteen which made for the Sloop, went so much faster
than we that they got on board above Three Hours before
we came along side, and had kill'd Captain Howland, the
Passenger and the other hand ; we came to the Larboard side of the
Sloop, and they order'd us round to the Starboard, and as we were
passing round the
Bow, we saw the whole Number of
Indians, advancing
forward and loading their Guns, upon which the Mate said,
“
my Lads we are all dead Men,” and
before we had got round, they discharged their Small Arms upon us, and
kill'd Three of our hands, viz.
Reuben Young of
Cape-Cod, Mate ;
Joseph Little
and
Lemuel Doty of
Plymouth, upon
which I immediately jump'd overboard, chusing rather to be drowned,
than to be kill'd by those barbarous and inhuman Savages.
In three or four Minutes after, I heard another Volley which
dispatched the other five, viz. John Nowland, and
Nathaniel Rich, both belonging to
Plymouth, and Elkanah Collymore,
and James Webb, Strangers, and
Moses Newmock, Molatto. As soon as they had
kill'd the whole of the People, one of the Canoes padled after me, and
soon came up with me, hawled me into the Canoe, and beat me most terribly
with a Cutlass, after that they ty'd me down, then this Canoe stood for the
Sloop again and as soon as she came along side, the Indians
on board the Sloop betook themselves to their Canoes, then set the Vessel
on Fire, making a prodigious shouting and hallowing like so many
Devils. As soon as the Vessel was burnt down to the Water's edge, the
Indians stood for the Shore, together with our Boat, on board
of which they put 5 hands. After we came to the Shore, they led me to their
Hutts, where I expected nothing but immediate
Death, and as they spoke broken English, were often telling me, while coming
from the Sloop to the Shore, that they intended to roast me alive. But the
Providence of God order'd it otherways, for He appeared for my Help,
in this Mount of Difficulty, and they were better to
me then my Fears, and soon unbound me, but set a Guard over me every Night.
They kept me with them about five Weeks, during which Time they us'd me
pretty well, and gave me boil'd Corn, which was what they
often eat themselves. The Way I made my Escape from these Villains was this ; A
Spanish Schooner arriving there from
St. Augustine, the
Master of which, whose Name was
Romond, asked the
Indians to let me go on board
his Vessel, which they granted, and the Captain
[1]
The Way I came to know this Gentleman was, by his being taken last
War by an English Privateer, and brought into
Jamaica, while I was there.
knowing me very well, weigh'd Anchor and carry'd me off to the
Havanna, and after being there four Days
the
Indians came after me, and insisted on having me again,
as I was their Prisoner ;—They made Application to the Governor, and
demanded me again from him ; in answer to which the Governor told them,
that as they had put the whole Crew to Death, they should not have me
again, and so paid them Ten Dollars for me, adding, that he would not
have them kill any Person
son hereafter, but take as many of them as they could, of those that should
be cast away, and bring them to him, for which he would pay them Ten Dollars
a-head. At the
Havanna I lived with the Governor in
the Castle about a Twelve-month, where I was walking thro' the Street,
I met with a Press-Gang who immediately prest me, and put me into Goal, and
with a Number of others I was confin'd till next Morning, when we were
all brought out, and ask'd who would go on board the King's
Ships, four of which having been lately built, were bound to
Old-Spain, and on my refusing to serve on board, they
put me in a close Dungeon, where I was confin'd
Four Years
and seven months ; during which Time I often made
application to the Governor, by Persons who came to see the Prisoners,
but they never acquainted him with it, nor did he know all this Time what
became of me, which was the means of my being confin'd there so long.
But kind Providence so order'd it, that
after I had been in this Place so long as the Time mention'd above the
Captain of a Merchantman, belonging to
Boston, having
sprung a Leak was obliged to put into the
Havanna to refit,
and while he was at Dinner at Mrs.
Betty
Howard's, she told the Captain of my deplorable Condition, and
said she would be glad, if he could by some means or other relieve me ;
The Captain
told Mrs.
Howard he would use his best Endeavours for my
Relief and Enlargement.
Accordingly, after Dinner, came to the Prison, and ask'd the Keeper if
he might see me ; upon his Request I was brought out of the Dungeon, and
after the Captain had Interrogated me, told me, he would intercede with
the Governor for my Relief out of that miserable Place,
which he did, and the next Day the Governor sent an Order to
release me ; I lived with the Governor about a Year after I was delivered
from the Dungeon, in which Time I endeavour'd three Times to make my Escape,
the last of which proved effectual ; the first Time I got on board of Captain
Marsh, an English Twenty Gun Ship,
with a Number of others, and lay on board conceal'd that Night ;
and the next Day the Ship being under sail, I thought myself
safe, and so made my Appearance upon Deck, but as soon as we were discovered
the Captain ordered the Boat out, and sent us all on Shore—I intreated
the Captain to let me, in particular, stay on board, begging, and crying to
him, to commiserate my unhappy Condition, and added, that I had been
confin'd almost five Years in a close Dungeon, but the Captain would
not hearken to any Intreaties, for fear of having the
Governor's Displeasure, and so was obliged to go on Shore,
After being on Shore another Twelvemonth, I endeavour'd to make my Escape the
second Time, by trying to get on board of a Sloop bound to
Jamaica, and as I was going from the City to the Sloop,
was unhappily taken by the Guard, and ordered back to the Castle,
and there confined.—However, in a short Time I
was set at Liberty, and order'd with a Number of others to carry the
[2]
He is carried (by Way of Respect) in a large Two-arm Chair ; the
Chair is lin'd with crimson Velvet, and supported by eight
Persons.
Bishop from the Castle, thro' the Country, to confirm
the old People, baptize Children, &c. for which he receives large Sums of
Money.—I was employ'd in this Service about Seven Months, during
which Time I lived very well, and then returned to the Castle again,
where I had my Liberty to walk about the City, and do Work for my self
;—The
Beaver, an
English Man of War
then lay in the Harbour, and having been informed by some of the Ship's
Crew that she was to sail in a few Days, I had nothing now to do,
but to seek an Opportunity how I should make my Escape.
Accordingly one Sunday Night the Lieutenant of the Ship with a Number
of the Barge Crew were in a Tavern, and Mrs. Howara
who had before been a Friend to me, interceded
with the Lieutenant to carry me on board : the Lieutenant said he would
with all his Heart, and immediately I went on board in the Barge. The next
Day the
Spaniards came along side the
Beaver, and demanded me again, with a Number of others
who had made their Escape from them, and got on board the Ship, but
just before I did ; but the Captain, who was a true
Englishman, refus'd them, and said he could not answer it,
to deliver up any
Englishmen under
English Colours.—In a few Days we set Sail for
Jamaica, where we arrived safe, after a short and
pleasant Passage.
After being at Jamaica a short Time we sail'd for
London, as convoy to a Fleet of Merchantmen, who all
arrived safe in the Downs, I was turned
over to another Ship, the Arcenceil, and there remained
about a Month. From this Ship I went on board the Sandwich
of 90 Guns ; on board the Sandwich, I tarry'd 6 Weeks,
and then was order'd on board the Hercules,
Capt. John Porter, a 74 Gun Ship, we sail'd on a Cruize, and
met with a French 84 Gun Ship, and had a very smart
Engagement,
[3]
A particular Account of this Engagement, has been Publish'd in the
Boston News-Papers.
in which about 70 of our Hands were Kill'd and Wounded, the Captain lost his
Leg
in the Engagement, and I was Wounded in the Head by a small Shot. We should
have taken this Ship, if they had not cut away the most of our Rigging ;
however, in about three Hours after, a 64 Gun Ship, came up with and
took her.—I was discharged from the
Hercules the
12th Day of
May 1759 (having been
on board of that Ship 3 Months) on account of my being disabled in the Arm, and
render'd incapable of Service, after being honourably paid the Wages
due to me. I was put into the
Greenwich Hospital where
I stay'd and soon recovered.—I then ship'd myself a Cook on
board Captain
Martyn, an arm'd Ship in the
King's Service. I was on board this Ship almost Two Months, and after
being paid my Wages, was discharg'd in the Month of
October.—After my discharge
from Captain
Martyn, I was taken sick in
London of a Fever, and was
confin'd about 6 Weeks, where I expended all my Money, and left in very poor
Circumstances ; and unhappy for me I knew nothing of my
good
Master's being in
London at this my very
difficult Time. After I got well of my sickness, I ship'd myself
on board of a large Ship bound to
Guinea, and being
in a publick House one Evening, I overheard a Number of Persons
talking about Rigging a Vessel bound to
New-England,
I ask'd them to what Part of
New-England this Vessel
was bound? they told me,
to
Boston ; and having ask'd them who was Commander?
they told me, Capt.
Watt ; in a few Minutes after this
the Mate of the Ship came in, and I ask'd him if Captain
Watt
did not want a Cook, who told me he did, and that the Captain would be in,
in a few Minutes ; and in about half an Hour the Captain came in, and then
I ship'd myself at once, after begging off from the Ship bound to
Guinea ; I work'd on board Captain
Watt's Ship almost Three Months, before she sail'd,
and one Day being at Work in the Hold, I overheard some
Persons on board mention the Name of
Winslow, at the
Name of which I was very inquisitive, and having ask'd what
Winslow they were talking about?
They told me it was
General Winslow ; and that he was one
of the Passengers, I ask'd them what
General Winslow?
For I never knew
my good Master, by that Title before;
but after enquiring more particularly I found it must
be
Master, and in a few Days Time the Truth was joyfully
verify'd by a happy Sight of his Person, which so overcome me, that
I could not speak to him for some Time—
My good Master
was exceeding glad to see me, telling me that I was like one arose from
the Dead, for he thought I had been Dead a great many
Years, having heard nothing of me for almost Thirteen Years.
I think I have not deviated from Truth, in any particular of this my
Narrative, and tho' I have omitted a great many Things, yet what is
wrote may suffice to convince the Reader, that I have been
most grievously afflicted, and yet thro' the Divine Goodness,
as miraculously preserved, and delivered out of many Dangers ; of
which I desire to retain a
grateful Remembrance,
as long as I live in the World.
And now, That in the Providence of that GOD, who delivered his
Servant David out of the Paw of the Lion and out of the Paw of the
Bear, I am freed from a long and
dreadful Captivity, among worse Savages than they ; And
am return'd to my own Native Land, to Shew how Great Things
the Lord hoth done for Me ; I would call upon all Men,
and Say, O Magnifie the Lord with Me, and let us Exalt
his Name together !—O that Men would Praise the Lord for His
Goodness, and for his Wonderful Works to the Children of Men!