Journal of Voyages: Containing an Account of the Author's being Twice Captured by the English and Once by Gibbs the Pirate...Dunham, Jacob
History
Journal of Voyages: Containing an Account of the Author's being Twice Captured by the English and Once by Gibbs the Pirate...
Dunham, Jacob
Voyages and travels
In the afternoon I was visited by the admiral, his two wives, and a
number of his tribe. I made him and his wives many presents, and he
promised to meet me the next day at the mouth of the river, when he
would furnish me with men and canoes to carry me to the Lagoon. He left
me soon after to return to his home. We proceeded with our three canoes
into the mouth of the river, where I found the other two, one of them
belonging to the pilot, who told me that, in crossing the bar at the
mouth of the river, the captain's canoe had turned over and lost one box
of check cloth, the ten gallon keg of rum, and they had both sunk, that
they had fished for them a long time, but could not find them; also,
that the captain had lost his dinner-pot by upsetting his canoe, and I
must pay him for it, because he was at work for me. Another Indian had
wrapped himself in his canoe-sail, and had laid so near the fire he had
burnt a hole in it, and I must pay for it because he was in my employ.
Soon after my arrival in the mouth of the river the pilot told me he
would go to the admiral's house and procure me some provisions; he left,
followed by the whole gang, except one sick Indian who remained with me,
with whom I could not converse except by signs. Knowing that a keg of
rum would not sink in the water, I thought it best to search the shore
and see what discoveries I could make. After walking about one-fourth of
a mile I discovered a cow-hide secreted in the edge of the woods, which
drew my attention to it. By removing the hide I discovered the box of
dry goods and the dinner-pot for which he had demanded payment. I walked
back to our landing place, took one of the canoes and carried the box,
pot, &c. to my camp, where I opened the box and found some of the check
a little wet, but not from the upsetting of the canoe. I searched the
beach for some time, but could not find any traces of the rum-keg.
Having no companion left with me except my sick Indian, and no food to
eat, I was obliged to pick up old cocoa-nuts or any other articles I
could swallow to satisfy my craving appetite.
On the evening of the third day after my arrival here my Indians
returned much intoxicated, without the pilot. They picked up their
baggage and prepared for their departure; then laid themselves down
near the fire, and soon fell asleep. I piled up my goods as compactly
as I could, loaded my pistols and laid myself down on the top of them,
supposing they would attempt to rob me, and escape with their plunder. I
did not shut my eyes until about four o'clock and then fell asleep,
which continued about half-an-hour, when I awoke and found they were
taking their departure. I took a hasty look at my goods and found they
had only taken from me one empty jug and a few small articles of little
value.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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