continuing, he was reduced very low, partly by sorrow and partly by his
disease. All the comfort he had was to go into the wood and fields with
a book, either the "Practice of Piety" or Mr Rogers's "Seven Treatises,"
which were the only two books he had, and meditate and read, and
sometimes pray; in which his anguish made him often invert Elijah's
petition,--that he might die, because his life was a burden to him. God,
though He was pleased to prolong his life, yet He found a way to lighten
his grief, by removing his ague, and granting him a desire which above
all things was acceptable to him. He had read his two books over so
often that he had both almost by heart; and though they were both
pious and good writings, yet he longed for the truth from the original
fountain, and thought it his greatest unhappiness that he had not a
Bible, and did believe that he should never see one again; but, contrary
to his expectation, God brought him one after this manner. As he was
fishing one day with his black boy, to catch some fish to relieve his
hunger, an old man passed by them, and asked his boy whether his master
could read; and when the boy had answered yes, he told him that he had
gotten a book from the Portuguese, when they left Colombo; and, if his
master pleased, he would sell it him. The boy told his master, who bade
him go and see what book it was. The boy having served the English
some time, knew the book, and as soon as he got it into his hand, came
running to him, calling out before he came to him, "It is the Bible!"
The words startled him, and he flung down his angle to meet him, and,
finding it was true, was mightily rejoiced to see it; but he was afraid
he should not have enough to purchase it, though he was resolved to part
with all the money he had, which was but one pagoda, to buy it; but his
black boy persuading him to slight it, and leave it to him to buy it, he
at length obtained it for a knit cap.
This accident he could not but look upon as a great miracle, that God
should bestow upon him such an extraordinary blessing, and bring him a
Bible in his own native language, in such a remote part of the world,
where His name was not known, and where it was never heard of that an
Englishman had ever been before. The enjoyment of this mercy was a great
comfort to him in captivity, and though he wanted no bodily convenience
that the country did afford; for the king, immediately after his
father's death, had sent an express order to the people of the towns,
that they should be kind to him, and give him good victuals; and after
he had been some time in the country, and understood the language,
he got him good conveniences, as a house and gardens; and falling
to husbandry, God so prospered him, that he had plenty, not only for
himself, but to lend others; which being, according to the custom of the
country, at 50 per cent. a year, much enriched him: he had also goats,
which served him for mutton, and hogs and hens. Notwithstanding this, I
say, for he lived as fine as any of their noblemen, he could not so far
forget his native country as to be contented to dwell in a strange land,
where there was to him a famine of God's word and sacraments, the want
of which made all other things to be of little value to him; therefore,
as he made it his daily and fervent prayer to God, in His good time, to
restore him to both, so, at length, he, with one Stephen Rutland, who
had lived with him two years before, resolved to make their escape, and,
about the year 1673, meditated all secret ways to compass it. They had
before taken up a way of peddling about the country, and buying tobacco,
pepper, garlic, combs, and all sorts of iron ware, and carried them into
those parts of the country where they wanted them; and now, to promote
their design, as they went with their commodities from place to place,
they discoursed with the country people (for they could now speak their
language well) concerning the ways and inhabitants, where the isle was
thinnest and fullest inhabited, where and how the watches lay from one
country to another, and what commodities were proper for them to carry
into all parts; pretending that they would furnish themselves with such
wares as the respective places wanted. None doubted but what they did
was upon the account of trade, because Mr Knox was so well seated, and
could not be supposed to leave such an estate, by travelling northward,
because that part of the land was least inhabited; and so, furnishing
themselves with such wares as were vendible in those parts, they set
forth, and steered their course towards the north part of the islands,
knowing very little of the ways, which were generally intricate and
perplexed, because they have no public roads, but a multitude of little
paths from one town to another, and those often changing; and for white
men to inquire about the ways was very dangerous, because the people
would presently suspect their design.
At this time they travelled from Conde Uda as far as the country of
Nuwarakalawiya, which is the furthermost part of the king's dominions,
and about three days' journey from their dwelling. They were very
thankful to Providence that they had passed all difficulties so far,
but yet they durst not go any farther, because they had no wares left to
traffic with; and it being the first time they had been absent so long
from home, they feared the townsmen would come after them to seek for
them; and so they returned home, and went eight or ten times into those
parts with their wares, till they became well acquainted both with the
people and the paths.
In these parts Mr Knox met his black boy, whom he had turned away divers
years before. He had now got a wife and children, and was very poor;
but being acquainted with these quarters, he not only took directions
of him, but agreed with him, for a good reward, to conduct him and
his companions to the Dutch. He gladly undertook it, and a time was
appointed between them; but Mr Knox being disabled by a grievous pain,
which seized him on his right side, and held him five days that he could
not travel, this appointment proved in vain; for though he went as
soon as he was well, his guide was gone into another country about his
business, and they durst not at that time venture to run away without
him.
These attempts took up eight or nine years, various accidents hindering
their designs, but most commonly the dry weather, because they feared in
the woods they should be starved with thirst, all the country being in
such a condition almost four or five years together for lack of rain.
On September 22, 1679, they set forth again, furnished with knives and
small axes for their defence, because they could carry them privately
and send all sorts of wares to sell as formerly, and all necessary
provisions, the moon being twenty-seven days old, that they might have
light to run away by, to try what success God Almighty would now give
them in seeking their liberty. Their first stage was to Anuradhapoora,
in the way to which lay a wilderness, called Parraoth Mocolane, full of
wild elephants, tigers, and bears; and because it is the utmost confines
of the king's dominions, there is always a watch kept.
In the middle of the way they heard that the governor's officers of
these parts were out to gather up the king's revenues and duties, to
send them up to the city; which put them into no small fear, lest,
finding them, they should send them back again; whereupon they withdrew
to the western parts of Ecpoulpot, and sat down to knitting till they
heard the officers were gone. As soon as they were departed, they went
onwards of their journey, having got a good parcel of cotton-yarn to
knit caps with, and having kept their wares, as they pretended, to
exchange for dried flesh, which was sold only in those lower parts.
Their way lay necessarily through the governor's yard at Kalluvilla, who
dwells there on purpose to examine all that go and come. This greatly
distressed them, because he would easily suspect they were out of their
bounds, being captives; however, they went resolutely to his house, and
meeting him, presented him with a small parcel of tobacco and betel;
and, showing him their wares, told him they came to get dried flesh to
carry back with them. The governor did not suspect them, but told
them he was sorry they came in so dry a time, when no deer were to be
catched, but if some rain fell, he would soon supply them. This answer
pleased them, and they seemed contented to stay; and accordingly,
abiding with him two or three days, and no rain falling, they presented
the governor with five or six charges of gunpowder, which is a rarity
among them; and leaving a bundle at his house, they desired him to shoot
them some deer, while they made a step to Anuradhapoora. Here also they
were put in a great fright by the coming of certain soldiers from the
king to the governor, to give him orders to set a secure guard at the
watches, that no suspicious persons might pass, which, though it was
only intended to prevent the flight of the relations of certain nobles
whom the king had clapped up, yet they feared they might wonder to see
white men here, and so send them back again; but God so ordered it that
they were very kind to them and left them to their business, and so they
got safe to Anuradhapoora. Their pretence was dried flesh, though they
knew there was none to be had; but their real business was to search the
way down to the Dutch, which they stayed three days to do; but finding
that in the way to Jaffnapatam, which is one of the Dutch ports, there
was a watch which could hardly be passed, and other inconveniences not
surmountable, they resolved to go back, and take the river Malwatta Oya,
which they had before judged would be a probable guide to lead them to
the sea; and, that they might not be pursued, left Anuradhapoora just at
night, when the people never travel for fear of wild beasts, on Sunday,
October 12, being stored with all things needful for their journey,
viz., ten days' provision, a basin to boil their provision in, two
calabashes to fetch water in, and two great tallipat leaves for tents,
with jaggery, sweetmeats, tobacco, betel, tinder-boxes, and a deerskin
for shoes, to keep their feet from thorns, because to them they chiefly
trusted. Being come to the river, they struck into the woods, and kept
by the side of it; yet not going on the sand (lest their footsteps
should be discerned), unless forced, and then going backwards.
Being gotten a good way into the wood, it began to rain; wherefore they
erected their tents, made a fire, and refreshed themselves against the
rising of the moon, which was then eighteen days old; and having tied
deerskins about their feet, and eased themselves of their wares, they
proceeded on their journey. When they had travelled three or four hours
with difficulty, because the moon gave but little light among the thick
trees, they found an elephant in their way before them, and because they
could not scare him away, they were forced to stay till morning; and so
they kindled a fire, and took a pipe of tobacco. By the light they could
not discern that ever anybody had been there, nothing being to be seen
but woods; and so they were in great hopes that they were past all
danger, being beyond all inhabitants; but they were mistaken, for the
river winding northward, brought them into the midst of a parcel of
towns, called Tissea Wava, where, being in danger of being seen, they
were under a mighty terror; for had the people found them, they would
have beat them, and sent them up to the king; and, to avoid it, they
crept into a hollow tree, and sat there in mud and wet till it began to
grow dark, and then betaking themselves to their legs, travelled till
the darkness of night stopped them. They heard voices behind them, and
feared it was somebody in pursuit of them; but at length, discerning
it was only an hallooing to keep the wild beasts out of the corn, they
pitched their tents by the river, and having boiled rice and roasted
meat for their suppers, and satisfied their hunger, they committed
themselves to God's keeping, and laid them down to sleep.
The next morning, to prevent the worst, they got up early and hastened
on their journey; and though they were now got out of all danger of the
tame Chiangulays, they were in great danger of the wild ones, of whom
those woods were full; and though they saw their tents, yet they were
all gone, since the rains had fallen, from the river into the woods; and
so God kept them from that danger, for, had they met the wild men, they
had been shot.
Thus they travelled from morning till night several days, through bushes
and thorns, which made their arms and shoulders, which were naked,
all of a gore blood. They often met with bears, hogs, deer, and wild
buffaloes; but they all ran away as soon as they saw them. The river was
exceedingly full of alligators; in the evening they used to pitch their
tents, and make great fires both before and behind them, to affright
the wild beasts; and though they heard the voices of all sorts, they saw
none.
On Thursday, at noon, they crossed the river Coronda [? Kannadera Oya],
which parts the country of the Malabars from the king's, and on Friday,
about nine or ten in the morning, came among the inhabitants, of whom
they were as much afraid as of the Chiangulays before; for, though the
Wanniounay, or prince of this people, payeth tribute to the Dutch out
of fear, yet he is better affected to the King of Kandy, and, if he had
took them, would have sent them up to their old master; but not knowing
any way to escape, they kept on their journey by the river-side by day,
because the woods were not to be travelled by night for thorns and wild
beasts, who came down then to the river to drink. In all the Malabar
country they met with only two Brahmins, who treated them very civilly;
and for their money, one of them conducted them till they came into the
territories of the Dutch, and out of all danger of the King of Kandy,
which did not a little rejoice them; but yet they were in no small
trouble how to find the way out of the woods, till a Malabar, for the
lucre of a knife, conducted them to a Dutch town, where they found
guides to conduct them from town to town, till they came to the fort
called Aripo, where they arrived Saturday, October 18, 1679, and there
thankfully adored God's wonderful providence, in thus completing their
deliverance from a long captivity of nineteen years and six months.
I come now back to my own history, which grows near a conclusion, as to
the travels I took in this part of the world. We were now at sea, and we
stood away to the north for a while, to try if we could get a market for
our spice, for we were very rich in nutmegs, but we ill knew what to
do with them; we durst not go upon the English coast, or, to speak more
properly, among the English factories to trade; not that we were afraid
to fight any two ships they had, and, besides that, we knew that, as
they had no letters of marque, or of reprisals from the government, so
it was none of their business to act offensively, no, not though we were
pirates. Indeed, if we had made any attempt upon them, they might have
justified themselves in joining together to resist, and assisting one
another to defend themselves; but to go out of their business to attack
a pirate ship of almost fifty guns, as we were, it was plain that it was
none of their business, and consequently it was none of our concern, so
we did not trouble ourselves about it; but, on the other hand, it was
none of our business to be seen among them, and to have the news of us
carried from one factory to another, so that whatever design we might be
upon at another time, we should be sure to be prevented and discovered.
Much less had we any occasion to be seen among any of the Dutch
factories upon the coast of Malabar; for, being fully laden with the
spices which we had, in the sense of their trade, plundered them of, it
would have told them what we were, and all that we had been doing; and
they would, no doubt, have concerned themselves all manner of ways to
have fallen upon us.
The only way we had for it was to stand away for Goa, and trade, if we
could, for our spices, with the Portuguese factory there. Accordingly,
we sailed almost thither, for we had made land two days before, and
being in the latitude of Goa, were standing in fair for Margaon, on the
head of Salsat, at the going up to Goa, when I called to the men at the
helm to bring the ship to, and bid the pilot go away N.N.W., till we
came out of sight of the shore, when William and I called a council,
as we used to do upon emergencies, what course we should take to trade
there and not be discovered; and we concluded at length that we would
not go thither at all, but that William, with such trusty fellows only
as could be depended upon, should go in the sloop to Surat, which was
still farther northward, and trade there as merchants with such of the
English factory as they could find to be for their turn.
To carry this with the more caution, and so as not to be suspected,
we agreed to take out all her guns, and put such men into her, and no
other, as would promise us not to desire or offer to go on shore, or to
enter into any talk or conversation with any that might come on board;
and, to finish the disguise to our mind, William documented two of our
men, one a surgeon, as he himself was, and the other, a ready-witted
fellow, an old sailor, that had been a pilot upon the coast of New
England, and was an excellent mimic; these two William dressed up like
two Quakers, and made them talk like such. The old pilot he made go
captain of the sloop, and the surgeon for doctor, as he was, and himself
supercargo. In this figure, and the sloop all plain, no curled work upon
her (indeed she had not much before), and no guns to be seen, away he
went for Surat.
I should, indeed, have observed, that we went, some days before we
parted, to a small sandy island close under the shore, where there was
a good cove of deep water, like a road, and out of sight of any of the
factories, which are here very thick upon the coast. Here we shifted the
loading of the sloop, and put into her such things only as we had a mind
to dispose of there, which was indeed little but nutmegs and cloves, but
chiefly the former; and from thence William and his two Quakers, with
about eighteen men in the sloop, went away to Surat, and came to an
anchor at a distance from the factory.
William used such caution that he found means to go on shore himself,
and the doctor, as he called him, in a boat which came on board them
to sell fish, rowed with only Indians of the country, which boat he
afterwards hired to carry him on board again. It was not long that they
were on shore, but that they found means to get acquaintance with some
Englishmen, who, though they lived there, and perhaps were the company's
servants at first, yet appeared then to be traders for themselves, in
whatever coast business especially came in their way; and the doctor was
made the first to pick acquaintance; so he recommended his friend, the
supercargo, till, by degrees, the merchants were as fond of the bargain
as our men were of the merchants, only that the cargo was a little too
much for them.
However, this did not prove a difficulty long with them, for the next
day they brought two more merchants, English also, into their bargain,
and, as William could perceive by their discourse, they resolved, if
they bought them, to carry them to the Gulf of Persia upon their
own accounts. William took the hint, and, as he told me afterwards,
concluded we might carry them there as well as they. But this was not
William's present business; he had here no less than three-and-thirty
ton of nuts and eighteen ton of cloves. There was a good quantity of
mace among the nutmegs, but we did not stand to make much allowance. In
short, they bargained, and the merchants, who would gladly have bought
sloop and all, gave William directions, and two men for pilots, to go
to a creek about six leagues from the factory, where they brought boats,
and unloaded the whole cargo, and paid William very honestly for it; the
whole parcel amounting, in money, to about thirty-five thousand pieces
of eight, besides some goods of value, which William was content to
take, and two large diamonds, worth about three hundred pounds sterling.
When they paid the money, William invited them on board the sloop, where
they came; and the merry old Quaker diverted them exceedingly with his
talk, and "thee'd" them and "thou'd" them till he made them so drunk
that they could not go on shore for that night.
They would fain have known who our people were, and whence they came;
but not a man in the sloop would answer them to any question they asked,
but in such a manner as let them think themselves bantered and jested
with. However, in discourse, William said they were able men for any
cargo we could have brought them, and that they would have bought twice
as much spice if we had had it. He ordered the merry captain to tell
them that they had another sloop that lay at Margaon, and that had a
great quantity of spice on board also; and that, if it was not sold when
he went back (for that thither he was bound), he would bring her up.
Their new chaps were so eager, that they would have bargained with the
old captain beforehand. "Nay, friend," said he, "I will not trade with
thee unsight and unseen; neither do I know whether the master of the
sloop may not have sold his loading already to some merchants of Salsat;
but if he has not when I come to him, I think to bring him up to thee."
The doctor had his employment all this while, as well as William and
the old captain, for he went on shore several times a day in the Indian
boat, and brought fresh provisions for the sloop, which the men had need
enough of. He brought, in particular, seventeen large casks of arrack,
as big as butts, besides smaller quantities, a quantity of rice, and
abundance of fruits, mangoes, pompions, and such things, with fowls and
fish. He never came on board but he was deep laden; for, in short, he
bought for the ship as well as for themselves; and, particularly, they
half-loaded the ship with rice and arrack, with some hogs, and six
or seven cows, alive; and thus, being well victualled, and having
directions for coming again, they returned to us.
William was always the lucky welcome messenger to us, but never more
welcome to us than now; for where we had thrust in the ship, we could
get nothing, except a few mangoes and roots, being not willing to make
any steps into the country, or make ourselves known till we had news of
our sloop; and indeed our men's patience was almost tired, for it
was seventeen days that William spent upon this enterprise, and well
bestowed too.
When he came back we had another conference upon the subject of trade,
namely, whether we should send the best of our spices, and other goods
we had in the ship, to Surat, or whether we should go up to the Gulf of
Persia ourselves, where it was probable we might sell them as well as
the English merchants of Surat. William was for going ourselves, which,
by the way, was from the good, frugal, merchant-like temper of the man,
who was for the best of everything; but here I overruled William, which
I very seldom took upon me to do; but I told him, that, considering our
circumstances, it was much better for us to sell all our cargoes here,
though we made but half-price of them, than to go with them to the Gulf
of Persia, where we should run a greater risk, and where people would be
much more curious and inquisitive into things than they were here, and
where it would not be so easy to manage them, seeing they traded freely
and openly there, not by stealth, as those men seemed to do; and,
besides, if they suspected anything, it would be much more difficult for
us to retreat, except by mere force, than here, where we were upon the
high sea as it were, and could be gone whenever we pleased, without any
disguise, or, indeed, without the least appearance of being pursued,
none knowing where to look for us.
My apprehensions prevailed with William, whether my reasons did or no,
and he submitted; and we resolved to try another ship's loading to the
same merchants. The main business was to consider how to get off that
circumstance that had exposed them to the English merchants, namely that
it was our other sloop; but this the old Quaker pilot undertook; for
being, as I said, an excellent mimic himself, it was the easier for
him to dress up the sloop in new clothes; and first, he put on all the
carved work he had taken off before; her stern, which was painted of
a dumb white or dun colour before, all flat, was now all lacquered and
blue, and I know not how many gay figures in it; as to her quarter, the
carpenters made her a neat little gallery on either side; she had twelve
guns put into her, and some petereroes upon her gunnel, none of which
were there before; and to finish her new habit or appearance, and make
her change complete, he ordered her sails to be altered; and as she
sailed before with a half-sprit, like a yacht, she sailed now with
square-sail and mizzen-mast, like a ketch; so that, in a word, she was a
perfect cheat, disguised in everything that a stranger could be supposed
to take any notice of that had never had but one view, for they had been
but once on board.
In this mean figure the sloop returned; she had a new man put into her
for captain, one we knew how to trust; and the old pilot appearing only
as a passenger, the doctor and William acting as the supercargoes, by a
formal procuration from one Captain Singleton, and all things ordered in
form.
We had a complete loading for the sloop; for, besides a very great
quantity of nutmegs and cloves, mace, and some cinnamon, she had
on board some goods which we took in as we lay about the Philippine
Islands, while we waited as looking for purchase.