A New Voyage Round the World by a Course Never Sailed BeforeDefoe, Daniel
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A New Voyage Round the World by a Course Never Sailed Before
Defoe, Daniel
Adventure stories; Voyages around the world -- Fiction
The surgeon accordingly brought him on board to me, and making a
confidence of the whole matter to me, I turned to the Padre, and told
him in English, giving him my hand, that I would be under all the
engagements and promises of secrecy that our surgeon had been in, for
his security and satisfaction; that he had merited too well of us to
wish him any ill, and, in short, that the whole ship should be engaged
for his security. That, as to his coming on board and bringing anything
off that belonged to him, he must take his own measures, and answer to
himself for the success; but that, after he was on board, we would sink
the ship under him, or blow her aloft in the air, before we would
deliver him up on any account whatever.
He was so pleased with my frank way of talking to him, that he told me
he would put his life into my hands with the same freedom as he had done
before with my surgeon; so we began to concert measures for his coming
on board with secrecy.
He told us there was no need of any proposals, for he would acquaint the
head of the house that he intended to go on board the French ship in the
road, and to go to St. Jago, where he had several times been in the same
manner; and that, as they had not the least suspicion of him, he was
very well satisfied that they would make no scruple of it.
But his mistake in this might have been his ruin; for though, had it
been a Spanish ship, they would not have mistrusted him, yet, when he
named the French ship in the road of Callao, they began to question him
very smartly about it. Upon which, he was obliged to tell them, that,
since they were doubtful of him, he would not go at all, telling them
withal, that it was hard to suspect him, who had been so faithful to his
vows, as to reside for near thirty years among them, when he might
frequently have made an escape from them, if he had been so disposed.
So, for three or four days, he made no appearance of going at all; but
having had private notice from me the evening before we sailed, he found
means to get out of their hands, came down to Callao on a mule in the
night, and our surgeon, lying ready with our boat about half a league
from the town, as by appointment, took him on board, with a negro, his
servant, and brought him safe to the ship; nor had we received him on
board half an hour, but, being unmoored and ready to sail, we put out to
sea, and carried him clear off.
He made his excuses to me that he was come away naked, according to his
profession; that he had purposed to have furnished himself with some
provisions for the voyage, but that the unexpected suspicions of the
head of their college, or house, had obliged him to come away in a
manner that would not admit of it; for that he might rather be said to
have made his escape than to have come fairly off.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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