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thought a little strange at first. At the end of this time behold my husband came on board; he looked with a dejected, angry, countenance; his great heart was swelled with rage and disdain ; to be dragged along with three keepers of Newgate, and put on board like a convict, when he had not so much as been brought to a trial. He made loud complaints of it by his friends, for it seems he had some interest; but his friends got some check in their application, and were told he had had favour enough, and that they had received such accounts of him since the last grant of his transportation, that he ought to think himself very well treated that he was not prosecuted anew. This answer quieted him at once, for he knew too much what might have happened, and what he had room to expect. And now he saw the goodness of the advice to him, which prevailed with him to accept of the offer of a voluntary transportation; and after his chagrin at these hell-hounds, as he called them, was a little over, he looked a little composed, began to be cheerful, and as I was telling him how glad I was to have him once more out of their hands, took me in his arms, and acknowledged with great tenderness that I had given him the best advice possible. "My dear," says he," thou hast twice saved my life, from henceforward it shall be all employed for you, and I will always take your advice."

Our first business was to compare our stock. He was very honest to me, and told me his stock was pretty good when he came to the prison, but the living there as he did in a figure like a gentleman, and which was ten times as much, the making of friends, and soliciting his case, had been very expensive; and in a word, all his stock that he had left was an hundred and eight pounds, which he had about him all in gold.

I gave him an account of my stock as faithfully, that is to say, of what I had taken to carry with me; for I was resolved, whatever should happen, to keep what I had left with my governess in reserve, that in case I should die what I had with me was enough to give him, and that which was left in my governess's hands would be her own, which she had well deserved of me indeed.

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dition (as to what appeared) only of a poor naked convict, ordered to be transported in respite from the gallows; my clothes were poor and mean, but not ragged or dirty, and none knew in the whole ship that I had anything of value about me.

However, as I had a great many good clothes, and linen in abundance, which I had ordered to be packed up in two great boxes, I had them shipped on board, not as my goods, but as consigned to my real name in Virginia; and had the bills of lading signed by a captain in my pocket, and in these boxes was my plate and watches, and everything of value, except my money, which I kept by itself in a private drawer in my chest, and which could not be found, or opened if found, without splitting the chest to pieces.

The ship began now to fill, several passengers came on board, who were embarked on no criminal account, and these had accommodations assigned them in the great cabin, and other parts of the ship, whereas we, as convicts, were thrust down below I know not where. But when my husband came on board I spoke to the boatswain who had so early given me hints of his friendship in carrying my letter; I told him he had befriended me in many things, and I had not made any suitable return to him, and with that I put a guinea into his hand. I told him that my husband was now come on board, that though we were both under the present misfortunes, yet we had been persons of a different character from that wretched crew that we came with, and desired to know of him whether the captain might not be moved to admit us to some conveniences in the ship, for which we would make him what satisfaction he pleased, and that we would gratify him for his pains in procuring this for us. He took the guinea, as I could see, with great satisfaction, and assured me of his assist

ance.

Then he told us he did not doubt but that the captain, who was one of the best humoured gentlemen in the world, would be easily brought to accommodate us as well as we could desire, and to make me easy told me he would go up the next tide on purpose to speak to the captain about it.

The next morning, happening to sleep a little longer than ordinary, when I got up and began to look abroad, I saw the boatswain among the men in his ordinary business. I was a little melancholy at seeing him there, and going forwards to speak to him he saw me, and came towards me, but not giving him time to speak first, I said, smiling, I doubt, sir, you have forgotten us, for I see you are very busy."

He returned presently, "Come along with me, and you shall see;" so he took me into the great cabin, and there sat a good sort of a gentleman writing, and with a great many papers before

My stock which I had with me was two hundred and forty-six pounds, some odd shillings; so that we had three hundred and fifty-four pounds But a worse gotten estate was scarce ever put together to begin the world with. Our greatest misfortune as to our stock was that it was all in money, which every one knows is an unprofitable cargo to be carried to the plantations. I believe his was really all he had left in the world, as he told me it was; but I, who || had between seven and eight hundred pounds in the bank when this disaster befel me, and who had one of the faithfullest friends in the world to manage it for me, considering she was a woman "Here," says the boatswain to him that was of no manner of religious principles, had still writing, "is the gentlewoman that the captain three hundred pounds left in her hand, which I spoke to you of," and turning to me he said, "I reserved, as above. Besides, I had some very have been so far from forgetting your business valuable things with me, as particularly two gold that I have been up at the captain's house, and watches, some small pieces of plate, and some have represented faithfully to the captain what rings-all stolen goods. With this fortune, and you said relating to your being furnished with in the sixty-first year of my age, I launched out better convenience for yourself and your husinto a new world, as I may call it, in the con-band; and the captain has sent this gentleman,

him.

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who is mate of the ship, down with me, on purpose to show you everything, and to accommodate you fully to your content, and bid me assure you that you shall not be treated like what you were at first expected to be, but with the same respect as other passengers are treated."

The mate then spoke to me, and not giving me time to thank the boatswain for his kindness, confirmed what the boatswain had said, and added that it was the captain's delight to show himself kind and charitable, especially to those who were under any misfortunes, and with that he showed me several cabins built up, some in the great cabin, and some partitioned off, out of the steerage, but opening into the great cabin on purpose for the accommodation of passengers, and gave me leave to choose where I would. However, I chose a cabin which opened into the steerage, in which were very good conveniences to set our chest and boxes, and a table to eat on. The mate then told me that the boatswain had given so good a character of me and of my husband, as to our civil behaviour, that he had orders to tell me that we should eat with him, if we thought fit, during the whole voyage, on the common terms of passengers; that we might lay in some fresh provisions if we pleased; or if not, he should lay in his usual store, and we should have share with him.

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 eat by them. selves. He had some other ordinary passengers, who quartered in the steerage; and as for the 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 of my good fortune. Besides, I wanted her assistance to supply me with several necessaries, which, before, I was shy of letting any body 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, &c. to make punch, and treat our benefactor the captain; and abundance of things for eating and drinking on the voyage; also a larger bed, and bedding proportioned to it; so that, in a word, we resolved to want nothing on the voyage.

All this while I had provided nothing for our assistance when she 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 kind of furniture for our dwelling, which, if it be bought in the country, must necessarily cost there double the price.

This was very reviving news to me, after so many hardships and afflictions as I had gone through of late. I thanked him, and told him the captain should make his own terms with us, So I discoursed that point with my governess, and asked his leave to go and tell my husband and she went and waited upon the captain, and of it, who was not very well, and was not yet out told him that she hoped ways might be found out of his cabin. Accordingly I went, and my hus- for her two unfortunate cousins, as she called us, band, whose spirits were still so much sunk with to obtain our freedom, when we came into the the indignity (as he understood it) offered him, || country, and so entered into a discourse with him that he was scarce yet himself, was so revived about the means and terms also, of which I shall with the account I gave him of the reception we say more in its place; and after thus sounding were likely to have in the ship, that he was quite the captain, she let him know, though we were another man, and new vigour and courage ap- || unhappy in the circumstances that occasioned peared in his very countenance. So true is it our going, yet that we were not unfurnished to that the greatest of spirits, when overwhelmed set ourselves to work in the country; and we by their afflictions, are subject to the greatest resolved to settle and live there as planters, if we dejections, and are the most apt to despair and might be put in a way how to do it. The capgive themselves up. tain readily offered his assistance, told her the method of entering upon such a business, and how easy, nay, how certain it was for industrious people to recover their fortunes in such a manner. "Madam," says he, " 'tis no reproach to any man 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."

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 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, eat at the captain's table, and were very handsomely entertained.

The captain lay himself in the other part of

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 must in the first place 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 govern ment 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, faith

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fully performed it; and as to the rest, he promised to recommend us to such as should give us the best advice, and not 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 She told him she would furnish assistance in it. 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 lading for them, and endorsed those bills of lading to my husband, insuring the cargo afterwards in her own name, by her 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 one hundred and eighty pounds, which, as I have said, he had about him in gold, to lay out thus, and gave her a good sum besides; so 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 two hundred pounds in money, which was more than enough for our purpose.

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fowls, and such things as we thought might be
acceptable on board.

My governess was with us all this while, and went with us round into the Downs, as did also the captain's wife, with whom she went back. I was never so sorrowful at parting with my own mother as I was at parting with her, and I never saw her more. We had a fair easterly wind sprung up the third day after we came to the Downs, and we sailed from thence the 10th of April; nor did we touch any more at any place till, being driven on the coast of Ireland by a very hard gale of wind, the ship came to an anchor in a little bay near the mouth of a river, whose name I remember not, but they said the river came down from Limerick, and that it was the largest river in Ireland.

Here being detained oy bad weather for some time, the captain, who continued the same kind, good-humoured man as at first, took us both on shore with him again: he did it now in kindness to my husband, who bore the sea very ill, and was very sick, especially when it blew so hard. Here we again bought in a store of fresh provisions, especially beef, pork, mutton and fowls, and the captain stayed to pickle up five or six barrels of beef, to lengthen out the ship's store. We were here not above five days, when the weather turning mild, and a fair wind, we set sail again, and in two and forty days came safe to the coast of Virginia.

When we drew near to the shore the captain I called me to him, and told me that he found by my discourse, I had some relations in the place, and that I had been there before, and so he sup

In this condition, very cheerful, and indeed joyful at being so happily accommodated as we were, we set sail from Bugby's-Hole to Graves-posed I understood the custom in their disposing of the convict prisoners when they arrived. end, where the ship lay about ten days more, and where the captain came on board for good and all.

Here the captain 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 were eighty guineas, and he put it into the captain's hand: There, captain," says he, "there is part of a pledge for our fidelity; if we deal dishonestly with you on any account, it is your own," and on this we went on shore.

Indeed the captain had assurance enough of our resolution to go, for that, having made such provision to settle there, it did not seem rational that we would chose to remain here, at the expense and peril of life, for such it must have been, if we had been taken again. In a word, we went all on shore with the captain, and supped together in Gravesend, where we were very merry, stayed all_night, lay at the house where we supped, and came all very honestly on board again with him in the morning. Here we bought ten dozen bottles of good beer, some wine, some

I told him I did not, and that as to what relations I had in the place, he might be sure I would make myself known to none of them while I was in the circumstances of a prisoner, and that as to the rest, we left ourselves entirely to him to assist us, as he was pleased to promise he would do.

He told me I must get somebody in the place to come and buy us as servants, and who must answer for us to the governor of the country, if he demanded us.

I told him we should do as he should direct; so he brought a planter to treat with him, as it were, for the purchase of these two servants, my husband and me, and there we were formally sold to him, and went ashore with him. The captain went with us, and carried us to a certain house, whether it was to be called a tavern or not

know not, but we had a bowl of punch there ma de of rum, &c., and were very merry.

After some time the planter gave us a certificate of discharge, and acknowledgment of having served him faithfully, and we were free from him the next morning to go whither we would.

For this piece of service the captain demanded of us six thousand weight of tobacco, which he said he was accountable for to his freighter, and which we immediately bought for him, and made him a present of twenty guineas besides, with which he was abundantly satisfied.

It is not proper to enter here into the partiIt may suffice to culars of what part of the colony of Virginia we settled in, for divers reasons.

mention that we went into the great river of || Potomac, the ship being bound thither; and there we intended to have settled at first, though afterwards we altered our minds.

The first thing I did of moment, after having gotten all our goods on shore, and placed them in a storehouse, or warehouse, which, with a lodging, we hired at the small place or village where we landed; I say, the first thing was to inquire after my mother, and after my brother (that fatal person whom I married as a husband, as I have related at large). A little inquiry furnished me with information that Mrs that is, my mother, was dead; that my brother, or husband, was alive, which I confess I was not very glad to hear; but which was worse, I found he was removed from the plantation where he lived formerly, and where I lived with him, and lived with one of his sons in a plantation just by the place where we landed, and where we had hired a warehouse.

herself known to him, and durst not take any
notice of him. Let any mother of children that
reads this consider it, and but think with what
anguish of mind I restrained myself; what yearn-
ings of soul I had in me to embrace him, and
weep over him; and how I thought all my en-
trails turned within me, that my very bowels
moved, and I knew not what to do; as I now
know not how to express those agonies. When
they went from me I stood gazing and trembling,
I
and looking after him as long as I could see him;
then sitting down on the grass, just at a place I
had marked, I made as if I lay down to rest me,
but turned me from her, and lying on my face,
wept, and kissed the ground he had set his foot on.

I could not conceal my disorder so much from the woman but that she perceived it, and thought I was not well, which I was obliged to pretend was true; upon which she pressed me to rise, the ground being damp and dangerous, which I did accordingly, and walked away.

As I was going back again, and still talking of this gentleman and his son, a new occasion of melancholy offered itself thus. The woman began, as if she would tell me a story to divert me: "There goes," says she, "a very odd tale among the neighbours where this gentleman formerly lived."

"What was that ?" said I.

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I was a little surprised at first, but as I ventured to satisfy myself that he could not know me, I was not only perfectly easy, but had a great mind to see him, if it was possible to do so without his seeing me. In order to that, I found out by inquiry a plantation where he lived, and with a woman of that place, whom I got to help me, like what we call a charwoman, I rambled about towards the place as if I had only a Why," says she, "that old gentleman going mind to see the country and look about me. At to England when he was a young man, fell in last I came so near that I saw the dwelling-love with a young lady there, one of the finest house. I asked the woman whose plantation women that ever was seen here, and married her, that was? She said it belonged to such a man, and brought her over hither to his mother, who and looking out a little to our right hands, was then living. He lived here several years "There," says she, "is the gentleman that owns with her," continued she, "and had several the plantation, and his father with him." children by her, of which the young gentleman that was with him now was one; but after some time the old gentlewoman (his mother) talking to her of something relating to herself when she was in England, and of her circumstances there, which were bad enough, the daughter-in-law began to be very much surprised and uneasy; and in short, examining farther into things, it appeared past all contradiction that she (the old gentlewoman) was her own mother; and that consequently that son was his wife's own brother, which struck the whole family with horror, and put them into such a state of confusion that it had almost ruined them all. The young woman would not live with him (the son); her brother and husband for a time went distracted, and at last the young woman went away for England, and has never been heard of since."

"What are their Christian names ?" said I. "I know not," said she, "what the old gentleman's name is, but his son's name is Humphry, and I believe," says she, "the father's is so too." "You may guess, if you can, what a confused mixture of joy and fright possessed my thoughts upon this occasion, for I immediately knew that this was nobody else but my own son, by that father she showed me, who was my own brother. I had no mask, but I ruffled my hood so about my face that I depended upon it, that after above twenty years' absence, and withal not expecting anything of me in that part of the world, he would not be able to know anything of me; but I need not have used all that caution, for the old gentleman was grown dim-sighted by some distemper which had fallen upon his eyes, and could but just see well enough to walk about, and not run against a tree, or into a ditch. The woman that was with me had told me that by a mere accident, knowing nothing of what importance it

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It is easy to believe that I was strangely affected with this story; but it is impossible to describe the nature of my disturbance. I seemed astonished at the story, and asked her a thousand questions about the particulars, which I found she was thoroughly acquainted with. At last 1 began to inquire into the circumstances of the family; how the old gentlewoman (I mean my mother) died, and how she had left what she had; for my mother had promised me very solemnly, that when she died, she would do something for me, and leave it so as that, if I was living, I should one way or other come at it, without its being in the power of her son (my brother and my husband) to prevent it.

She told me she did not know exactly how i

was ordered; but she had been told that my mother had left a sum of money, and had tied her plantation for the payment of it, to be made good to the daughter, if ever she could be heard of, either in England or elsewhere; and that the trust was left with this son, who was the person that we saw with his father.

This was news too good for me to make light of, and you may be sure filled my heart with a thousand thoughts, what course I should take, how, and when, and in what manner I should make myself known, or whether I should ever make myself known or no.

to whom we may communicate the joy of it or the grief of it, be it which it will, or it will be a double weight upon the spirits, and perhaps become even insupportable in itself; and this I appeal to all human testimony for the truth of.

This was the cause why many times, men as well as women, and men of the greatest and best qualities otherwise, yet have found themselves weak in this part, and have not been able to bear the weight of a secret joy or of a secret sorrow, but have been obliged to disclose it, even for the mere giving vent to themselves, and to unbend the mind, oppressed with the load and weight Here was a perplexity that I had not indeed which attended it. Nor was this any token of skill to manage myself in, neither knew I what folly and thoughtlessness at all, but a natural course to take. It lay heavy upon my mind consequence of the thing; and such people, had night and day, I could neither sleep or converse, they struggled longer with the oppression, would so that my husband perceived it, and wondered certainly have told it in their sleep, and disclosed what ailed me, strove to divert me, but it was all the secret, let it have been of what fatal nature to no purpose. He pressed me to tell him whatsoever, without regard to the person to whom it might be exposed. This necessity of nature is a thing which works sometimes with such vehemence in the minds of those who are guilty of any atrocious villany, such as secret murder in particular, that they had been obliged to discover it, though the consequences would necessarily be their own destruction. Now, though it may be true that the divine justice ought to have the glory of these discoveries and confessions, yet it is as certain that Providence, which ordinarily works by the hands of nature, makes use here of the same natural causes to produce those extraordinary effects.

it was troubled me, but I put it off, till at last importuning me continually, I was forced to form a story, which yet had a plain truth to lay it upon too. I told him I was troubled because I found we must shift our quarters, and alter our scheme of settling, for that I found 1 should be known, if I staid in that part of the country; for that my mother being dead, several of my relations were come into that part where we then were, and that I must either discover myself to them, which our present circumstances was not proper on many accounts, or remove; and which to do knew not; and that this it was that made me so melancholy and so thoughtful.

He joined me in this, that it was by no means proper for me to make myself known to anybody in the circumstances in which we then were; and he told me he would be willing to remove to any other part of the country, or even into any other country, if I thought fit. But now I had another difficulty, which was, that if I removed to any other colony, I might put myself out of the way of ever making a due search after those effects which my mother had left. Again, I could never so much as think of breaking the secret of my former marriage to my new husband. It was not a story, as I thought that would bear telling, nor could I tell what might be the consequence of it; and it was impossible to search into the bottom of the thing without making it public all over the country, as well who I was as what I now was also.

In this perplexity I continued a great while, and this made my spouse very uneasy; for he found me perplexed, and yet thought I was not open with him, and did not let him into every part of my grievances; and he would often say he wondered what he had done that I would not trust him with whatever it was, especially if it was grievous and afflicting. The truth is, he ought to have been trusted with everything, for no man in the world could deserve better of a wife; but this was a thing I knew not how to open to him, and yet having no one to disclose any part of it to, the burthen was too heavy for my mind; for let them say what they please of our sex not being able to keep a secret, my life is a plain conviction to me of the contrary. But, be it our sex or the man's sex, a secret of moment should always have a confidant, a bosom friend,

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I could give several remarkable instances of this in my long conversation with crimes and with criminals. I knew one fellow, that, while I was a prisoner in Newgate, was one of those they called then Night-Flyers. I know not what other word they may have understood it by since, but he was one who, by connivance, was permitted to go abroad every evening, when he played his pranks, and furnished those honest people they call thief-catchers with business to find out next day, and restore for a reward what they stole the evening before. This fellow was as sure to talk in his sleep all that he had done, and every step he had taken, and what he had stolen, and where, as sure as if he had been engaged to tell it waking, and as if there was no harm or danger in it; and therefore he was obliged, after he had been out, to lock himself up, or be locked up by some of the keepers that had him in fee, that nobody should hear him; but, on the other hand, if he had told all the particulars, and given a full account of his rambles and success to any comrade, any brother thief, or to his employers, as I may fairly call them, then all was well with him, and he slept as quietly as other people.

As the publishing this, account of my life, is for the sake of the just moral of every part of it, and for instruction, caution, warning, and improvement to every reader, so this will not pass, I hope, for an unnecessary digression concerning some people being obliged to disclose the greatest secrets either of their own or other people's affairs.

Under the certain oppression of this weight upon my mind, I laboured in the case I have been naming; and the only relief I found for it, was to

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