It is impossible to express the consternation the poor negroes were in at the firing of my gun; much less can I mention their surprise, when they perceived the creature to be slain by it. I made signs to them to draw it near with a rope, and then gave it to them to haul on shore. It was a beautiful leopard, which made me desire its skin; and the negroes seeming to covet the carcase, I freely gave it to them. As for the other leopard, it made to shore, and ran with a prodigious swiftness out of sight. The negroes having kindly furnished me with water, and with what roots and grains, their country afforded, I took my leave, and after eleven days sail, came in sight of the Cape de Verd. But the great distance I was from it, and fearing contrary winds would prevent my reaching them, I began to grow imelancholy and dejected, when upon a sudden, Xury cried out, "Master, master," looking as affrighted as if it was his master's ship sent in search of us. But I soon discovered she was a Portuguese ship. Upon which I strove for life to come up to them. But in vain had it been, if through their perspective glasses, they had not perceived us, and shortened their sail to let us come in. Encouraged at this, I set up my patron's ancient, and fired a gun, both as signals of distress; upon which they very kindly lay to, so that in three hours time I came up with them, They spoke to me in Portuguese, Spanish, and French, but none of these did I understand, till at length a Scots sailor

called, and then I told him I was an Englishman, who had escaped from the Moors at Salee, upon which they took me kindly on board, with all my effects.

Having a pleasant voyage to the Brazils, we arrived in the Bay de Todos los Santos, or, All Saints Bay, in twenty-two days after. And here I cannot forget the generous treatment of the captain. He would take nothing for my passage, gave me twenty ducats for the leopard's skin, and thirty for the lion's. Every thing he caused to be delivered to me, and what I would sell he bought. In short, I made 220 pieces of my cargo, and with this stock I entered once more, as I may say, into the scene of life

To be brief, I bought a settlement next door to an honest and kind neighbour, born at Lisbon, of English parents, whose plantation joining to mine, we improved very anicably together. Both our stocks were low; and for two years we planted only for food: but the third year we planted some tobacco, and each of us dressed a large piece of ground, the ensuing year, for planting sugar-canes.

I was in some measure settled. before the captain who took me up departed from the Brazils. One day I went to him, and told him what stock I had in London, desiring his assistance in getting it sent out to me; to which the good gentleman readily consented, but would only have me send for half my money, dest it should miscarry, which, if it did, I might still have the

remainder to support me; and so taking let ters of procuration from me, bid me. trouble myself no further about it.

And indeed, he not only procured the money I had drawn for upon my captain's widow, but sent me over a servant, with a cargo proportionable to my condition. He also sent me over tools of all sorts, iron work and utensils necessary for my plantation.

Wealth now increasing on me, and uncom mon success crowning my prosperous labours, I might have rested happy in that middle state of life which my father so often recommended; yet nothing would content nie. Having lived four years in Brazil, I had not only learned the language, but contracted acquaintance with the most eminent planters, and even with the merchants of St. Salvadore, three of whom came one morning to me, saying they had a secret proposal to make. After enjoining me to secrecy, they told me they had a mind to fit out a ship to go to Guinea, in order to stock the plantation with negroes, which, as they could not be publicly sold, they would divide among them and if I would go their supercargo in the ship, to manage the trading part, I should have an equal share of the negroes, without providing any stock. The thing indeed was tair enough, had I been in another condition: however, I could not resist the proposal, but accepted the offer, upon condition of their looking after niy planta

tion.

The ship being fitted out, and all things ready, we set sail the first of September, 1659. We sailed northward upon the coast, from whence going farther into the ocean out of the sight of land, we steered as though we were. bound for the island Fernand de Norenba, leaving the island on the east; and then it was we met with a terrible tempest, which continued for twelve days successively, so that the winds carried us wheresoever they pleased. In this perplexity, one of our men died, and a man and a boy were washed overboard. When the weather cleared up a little, we found ourselves upon the coast of Guiana. Upon this the captain gave reasons for returning, which I opposed, counselling him to stand away for Barbadoes, which, as I posed, might be attained in fifteen days. So altering our course, we sailed north-west and by west, in order to reach the Leeward Islands; but a second storm succeeding, drove us to the westward, so that we were justly afraid of falling into the hands of cruel savages, or the paws of devouring beasts of prey.

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In this great distress, one of the men, early in the morning, cried out, Land! Land! which he had no sooner said, than our ship struck upon a sand-bank, and, in a moment, the sea broke over her in such a nanner that we expected we should perish immediately. We knew not where we were, or upon what land we were driven, whether it was an island or the main, inhabited or not inhabited, and we

could not so much as hope, that the ship would hold out many minutes, without breaking in pieces, unless the wind by a miracle. should turn about immediately. While we stood looking at one another, expecting death every moment, the mate lays hold of the boat, and with the help of the rest got her flung over the ship's side; into this we all got, being eleven in number and committed ourselves to God's mercy, and the wild sea.

And now we saw that this last effort would not be a suffi cient protection from death; so high did the sea rise, that it was impossible the boat should live. As to making a sail we had none, neither if we had, could we make use of any. So that when we had rowed, or rather were driven about a league and a half, a raging wave, like a lofty mountain, came rolling a-stern of us, and took us with such fury, that at once it overset the boat. Thus being swallowed up in a moment, we had only time to call upon the awful name of God, and to implore, in dying ejaculations, his infinite mercy to receive our departing souls.

Men are generally counted insensible, when struggling in the pangs of death; but while I was overwhelmed with water, I had the most dreadful apprehensions imaginable, for the thoughts of every thing which I had done. amiss came crowding to my mind.

I had disobeyed my parents, I had slighted their advice, I had left them to follow my own wayward inclination, and I was now about to ap

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