have done for us if we had been in their cafe, and they in our's; but that we took them up to serve them, not to plunder them; and that it would be a most barbarous thing, to take that little from them which they had faved out of the fire, and then fet them on fhore, and leave them; that this would be firft to save them from death, and then kill them ourselves; fave them from drowning, and then abandon them to ftarving; and therefore I would not let the least thing be taken from them: as to fetting them on fhore, I told them indeed, that was an exceeding difficulty to us, for that the fhip was bound to the Eaft-Indies; and though we were driven out of our courfe to the weftward a very great way, which perhaps was directed by heaven on purpofe for their deliverance, yet it was impoffible for us wilfully to change our voyage on this particular account; nor could my nephew, the captain, anfwer it to the freighters, with whom he was under charter-party to purfue his voyage by the way of Brafil; and all I knew he could do for them was, to put ourfelves in the way of meeting with other fhips homewardbound from the West-Indies, and get them paffage, if poffible, to England or France.

The first part of the propofal was fo generous and kind, they could not but be very thankful for it; but they were in a great confternation, efpecially the paffengers, at the notion of being carried away to the Eaft-Indies: they then intreated me, that feeing I was driven fo far to the weftward before I met with them, I would at least keep on the fame courfe to the banks of Newfoundland, where it was poffible I might meet with fome fhip or floop that they might hire to carry them back to Canada, from whence they came.

I thought

I thought this was but a reasonable request on their part; and therefore I inclined to agree to it; for indeed I confidered, that to carry this whole company to the East-Indies, would not only be an intolerable severity to the poor people, but would be ruining our whole voyage by devouring all our provifions; fo I thought it no breach of charter-party, but what an unforeseen accident made abfolutely neceffary to us; and in which no one could say we were to blame; for the laws of God and nature would have forbid, that we fhould refufe to take up two boats full of people in such a distressed condition; and the nature of the thing as well refpecting ourfelves, as the poor people, obliged us to fee them on fhore fomewhere or other, for their deliverance; fo I confented that we would carry them to Newfoundland, if wind and weather would permit; and, if not, that I would carry them to Martinico in the Weft-Indies.

The wind continued fresh easterly, but the weather pretty good; and as it had blowed continually in the points between N. E. and S. E. a long time, we miffed feveral opportunities of fending them to France; for we met feveral fhips bound to Europe, whereof two were French, from St. Christopher's; but they had been fo long beating up against the wind, that they durft take in no paffengers for fear of wanting provifions for the voyage, as well for themselves as for those they should take in; fo we were obliged to go on. It was about a week after this, that we made the Banks of Newfoundland, where, to fhorten my ftory, we put all our French people on board a bark, which they hired at fea there, to put them on fhore, and afterwards to carry them to

France,

France, if they could get provifions to victual themfelves with when, I fay, all the French went on fhore, I fhould remember, that the young priest I fpoke of, hearing we were bound to the East Indies, defired to go the voyage with us, and to be fet on fhore on the coaft of Coromandel: I readily agreed to that; for I wonderfully liked the man, and had very good reafon, as will appear afterwards; alfo four of the feamen entered themselves in our fhip, and proved very ufeful fellows.

From hence we directed our courfe for the WeftIndies, fteering away S. and S. by E, for about 20 days together, fometimes little or no wind at all, when we met with another fubject for our humanity to work upon, almost as deplorable as that before.

It was in the latitude of 27 degrees 5 minutes N. and the 19th day of March, 1684-5, when we efpied a fail, our course S. E. and by S. We foon perceived it was a large veffel, and that. fhe bore up to us; but could not at first know what to make of her, till, after coming a little nearer, we found fhe had loft her main-top-maft, fore-maft, and bowfprit; and prefently the fires a gun as a fignal of distress; the weather was pretty good, wind at N. N. W. a fresh gale, and we foon came to fpeak with her.

We found her a ship of Bristol bound home from Barbadoes, but had been blown out of the road at Barbadoes, a few days before fhe was ready to fail, by a terrible hurricane, while the captain and chief mate were both gone on fhore; fo that befide the terror of the ftorm, they were but in an indifferent cafe for good artists to bring the fhip home; they had been already nine weeks at sea, and had met with another terrible

terrible ftorm after the hurricane was over, which had blown them quite out of their knowledge to the weftward, and in which they had loft their mafts, as above; they told us, they expected to have feen the Bahama iflands, but were then driven away again to the fouth-east by a ftrong gale of wind at N. N. W. the fame that blew now, and having no fails to work the fhip with, but a main-courfe, and a kind of fquare fail upon a jury fore-maft, which they had fetup, they could not lie near the wind, but were endeavouring to ftand away for the Canaries.

But that which was worst of all, was, that they were almoft ftarved for want of provifions, befides the fatigues they had undergone; their bread and flefh was quite gone, they had not an ounce left in the fhip, and had had none for eleven days; the only relief they had, was, their water was not all fpent, and they had about half a barrel of flour left; they had fugar enough; fome fuccades or fweet-meats they had at first, but they were devoured, and they had feven cafks of rum.

There was a youth and his mother, and a maid-fervant, on board, who were going paffengers, and thinking the fhip was ready to fail, unhappily came on board the evening before the hurricane began; and, having no provifions of their own left, they were in a more deplorable condition than the rest; for the feamen, being reduced to fuch an extreme neceflity themselves, had no compaffion, we may be fure, for the poor paffengers; and they were indeed in a condition that their mifery is very hard to defcribe.

I had perhaps not known this part, if my curiofity had not led me, the weather being fair, and the wind abated, to go on board the fhip: the second mate, who upon this occafion commanded the ship, had been on board our fhip; and he told me indeed, that they had three paffengers in the great caɓbin, that they were in a deplorable condition; nay, fays he, I believe they are dead, for I have heard nothing of them for above two days; and I was afraid to enquire after them, said he, for I had nothing to relieve them with.

We immediately applied ourselves to give them what relief we could spare; and indeed I had fo far overruled things with my nephew, that I would have victualled them, though we had gone away to Verginia, or any part of the coast of America, to have fupplied ourselves; but there was no neceffity for that.

But now they were in a new danger; for they were afraid of eating two much, even of that little we gave them; the mate or commander brought fix men with him in his boat; but these poor wretches looked like skeletons, and were fo weak, they could hardly fit to their oars: the mate himself was very ill, and half-starved; for he declared he had reserved nothing from the men, and went fhare and fhare alike with them in every bit they eat.

I cautioned him to eat fparingly, but fet meat before him immediately, and he had not eaten three mouthfuls before he began to be fick, and out of order; fo he stopt awhile, and our furgeon mixed him up fomething with fome broth, which he faid would be to him both food and physick; and after

he