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
Fresh reports were soon circulated that the king had commissioned one of
his officers, called Sambo Tom to arrest Moody and Jim. They hearing of
this report, determined to leave this part of the country, and pass
through a border settlement inhabited by a tribe of Indians called the
Woolwas, adjoining the Spanish settlements, and seek protection from the
Spaniards. Sambo Tom pursued, but not daring to arrest them himself, he
employed the Woolwas to do so. The negroes having arrived among the
Woolwas, hired some of them to transport them in their canoes to the
Spanish settlements; but being well armed, and having plenty of
ammunition, the Indians were afraid to attack them, and therefore
professed great friendship, agreeing to convey them where they wished to
go. Two canoes joined in this expedition, and while passing a fall in
the river the Indians upset the one containing the negroes, which wet
their guns and ammunition, when the Indians in the other canoe threw
their lances and killed them in the water. Their wives were given up to
their former owners at St. Andreas.
Little did I think when I landed in this country among a mixed race of
Indians, that I should find some _blood_ relations, so called by the
natives, among them. An Indian woman, calling her name Sally Bryant, the
wife of Scipio, one of the king's quarter-masters, called on me and told
me she was a blood-relation of mine, and claimed some present as an
acknowledgment of it on my part. I asked her what evidence she had of
our relationship. She replied, "That her father was an American." The
argument was so conclusive that I did not think it necessary to
contradict it, but gave her some small presents, which were well repaid.
Sally often volunteered to assist me in selling my goods, and brought me
many customers by saying to the Indians, "My countryman's goods are
better and cheaper than them Englishman's, and he no rogue, like them
English traders."
Soon after, a Curracoa man arrived from Bluefields, one of the
wealthiest men of that place, who brought a message from his wife, known
by the name of Mrs. Peggy, requesting me to furnish her with some goods
to sell on commission, and she would deal honestly by me, having heard
of my misfortune in losing my vessel, &c. that she wanted to see me very
much, and pitied me more because I was a relative of hers, her father
being an American. I forwarded Mrs. Peggy two or three hundred dollars'
worth of goods to sell on commission, the greatest part of which she
sold, made good returns, and I found her more honest than white
relations generally are in their trade with each other.
CHAPTER VII.
Visit to Corn Island.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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