The Servant being gone, the Linguist told me in private, “That the oldest Woman whom I had refused to buy, had that day been sacrificed to the Sea, by order of the great Captain. For she had highly offended the King, and as I would not take her, his Majesty had ordered her to be destroyed this way, in the room of another Victim that was designed for the same Purpose.” I asked him, What Crimes she had committed? He replied hastily, “Did I think he knew the King’s Secrets? adding, She had lived a long time in the Court, with good Repute till now.” I then wish’d in my mind I had bought her; but only said to the Linguist, “I wondered he should have a hand in such Cruelty, having been bred up amongst white People.” To which he answered, “Great Mens Commands were not to be disputed, especially there being no one but himself of the _Dahomes_, that durst go off in a Cannoe with her.” Whereupon he told me the following Story; “The Woman’s Hands being tied behind her, and her Feet across, she was put into the _Cannoe_, and carried off about half a Mile from the Shore: And then he ordered the Rowers to throw her over board; which they had no sooner done, but he saw some Sharks (voracious Fishes very common in those Seas) tear her to pieces in an instant.” On hearing this Account I pitied the Fate of this poor Creature, for I intirely credited the Story, knowing full well the Barbarity of those People. But the next day I was greatly surprized, with a Letter from my chief Mate, informing me, that the Woman was on board our Ship: Which happened in this manner. It seems, neither my People at the Tent, nor those in our Boats, which lay at the Moorings near the Shore, knew any thing of the real occasion of the Cannoe’s going off. For the Woman was put very privately into the Cannoe. They only thought the Linguist was gone, with a design to see some of the Ships. When he came on shore again, one of our Boats went just then from the Moorings, in order to go on board our Ship. Being got about half way, the Officer in the Boat spied something floating on the Sea, which at his coming nearer, he perceived to be a human Body lying on its back; and now and then spurting Water out at the Mouth. This showing it was still living, he ordered it to be taken into the Boat, being bound in the same manner as the Linguist had told me. Immediately they untied this poor Woman, chafed her Limbs, and rolled her Body about, whereupon she discharged a good quantity of salt Water out of her Mouth. Then they carried her on board the Ship, not knowing in the least the occasion of her being in the Sea, and extremely wondering she had escaped the Sharks, who are usually so voracious, that when a dead Person is thrown overboard, or a living one falls into the Sea by Accident, they are in an instant torn to pieces by those voracious Animals. So that this poor Creature seemed to have a miraculous Escape; and the knowledge of the greediness of these