Today | News | Books | Recipes
Notes | QuickTake | Wiki | Browse
Maps | Reference | Reddit | YouTube
Chat | Games | About

Adventure | Science Fiction | Ghost stories | Poetry | Children | History

Book

Open Original Text

glish. When I
came to talk to them about eight days before we sailed, I was very
much mortified in finding that they had not frequented any churches
since they were here, to be baptized, nor was any attention paid to
their morals. I was very sorry for this mock Christianity, and had
just an opportunity to take some of them once to church before we
sailed. We embarked in the month of November 1775, on board of the
sloop Morning Star, Captain David Miller, and sailed for Jamaica. In
our passage, I took all the pains that I could to instruct the Indian
prince in the doctrines of Christianity, of which he was entirely
ignorant; and, to my great joy, he was quite attentive, and received
with gladness the truths that the Lord enabled me to set forth to him.
I taught him in the compass of eleven days all the letters, and he
could put even two or three of them together and spell them. I had
Fox's Martyrology with cuts, and he used to be very fond of looking
into it, and would ask many questions about the papal cruelties he saw
depicted there, which I explained to him. I made such progress with
this youth, especially in religion, that when I used to go to bed at
different hours of the night, if he was in his bed, he would get up on
purpose to go to prayer with me, without any other clothes than his
shirt; and before he would eat any of his meals amongst the gentlemen
in the cabin, he would first come to me to pray, as he called it. I
was well pleased at this, and took great delight in him, and used much
supplication to God for his conversion. I was in full hope of seeing
daily every appearance of that change which I could wish; not knowing
the devices of satan, who had many of his emissaries to sow his tares
as fast as I sowed the good seed, and pull down as fast as I built up.
Thus we went on nearly four fifths of our passage, when satan at last
got the upper hand. Some of his messengers, seeing this poor heathen
much advanced in piety, began to ask him whether I had converted him
to Christianity, laughed, and made their jest at him, for which I
rebuked them as much as I could; but this treatment caused the prince
to halt between two opinions. Some of the true sons of Belial, who did
not believe that there was any hereafter, told him never to fear the
devil, for there was none existing; and if ever he came to the prince,
they desired he might be sent to them. Thus they teazed the poor
innocent youth, so that he would not learn his book any more! He would
not drink nor carouse with these ungodly actors, nor would he be with
me, even at prayers. This grieved me very much. I endeavoured to
persuade him as well as I could, but he would not come; and entreated
him very much to tell me his reasons for acting thus. At last he asked
me, 'How comes it that all the white men on board who can read and
write, and observe the sun, and know all things, yet swear, lie, and
get drunk, only excepting yourself?' I answered him, the reason was,
that they did not fear God; and that if any one of them died so they
could not go to, or be happy with God. He replied, that if these
persons went to hell he would go to hell too. I was sorry to hear
this; and, as he sometimes had the toothach, and also some other
persons in the ship at the same time, I asked him if their toothach
made his easy: he said, No. Then I told him if he and these people
went to hell together, their pains would not make his any lighter.
This answer had great weight with him: it depressed his spirits much;
and he became ever after, during the passage, fond of being alone.
When we were in the latitude of Martinico, and near making the land,
one morning we had a brisk gale of wind, and, carrying too much sail,
the main-mast went over the side. Many people were then all about the
deck, and the yards, masts, and rigging, came tumbling all about us,
yet there was not one of us in the least hurt, although some were
within a hair's breadth of being killed: and, particularly, I saw two
men then, by the providential hand of God, most miraculously preserved
from being smashed to pieces. On the fifth of January we made Antigua
and Montserrat, and ran along the rest of the islands: and on the
fourteenth we arrived at Jamaica. One Sunday while we were there I
took the Musquito Prince George to church, where he saw the sacrament
administered. When we came out we saw all kinds of people, almost from
the church door for the space of half a mile down to the waterside,
buying and selling all kinds of commodities: and these acts afforded
me great matter of exhortation to this youth, who was much astonished.
Our vessel being ready to sail for the Musquito shore, I went with the
Doctor on board a Guinea-man, to purchase some slaves to carry with
us, and cultivate a plantation; and I chose them all my own
countrymen. On the twelfth of February we sailed from Jamaica, and on
the eighteenth arrived at the Musquito shore, at a place called
Dupeupy. All our Indian guests now, after I had admonished them and a
few cases of liquor given them by the Doctor, took an affectionate
leave of us, and went ashore, where they were met by the Musquito
king, and we never saw one of them afterwards. We then sailed to the
southward of the shore, to a place called Cape Gracias a Dios, where
there was a large lagoon or lake, which received the emptying of two
or three very fine large rivers, and abounded much in fish and land
tortoise. Some of the native Indians came on board of us here; and we
used them well, and told them we were come to dwell amongst them,
which they seemed pleased at. So the Doctor and I, with some others,
went with them ashore; and they took us to different places to view
the land, in order to choose a place to make a plantation of. We fixed
on a spot near a river's bank, in a rich soil; and, having got our
necessaries out of the sloop, we began to clear away the woods, and
plant different kinds of vegetables, which had a quick growth. While
we were employed in this manner, our vessel went northward to Black
River to trade. While she was there, a Spanish guarda costa met with
and took her. This proved very hurtful, and a great embarrassment to
us. However, we went on with the culture of the land. We used to make
fires every night all around us, to keep off wild beasts, which, as
soon as it was dark, set up a most hideous roaring. Our habitation
being far up in the woods, we frequently saw different kinds of
animals; but none of them ever hurt us, except poisonous snakes, the
bite of which the Doctor used to cure by giving to the patient, as
soon as possible, about half a tumbler of strong rum, with a good deal
of Cayenne pepper in it. In this manner he cured two natives and one
of his own slaves. The Indians were exceedingly fond of the Doctor,
and they had good reason for it; for I believe they never had such an
useful man amongst them. They came from all quarters to our dwelling;
and some _woolwow_, or flat-headed Indians, who lived fifty or sixty

Previous Next