Narrative of the shipwreck of the brig Betsey, of Wiscasset, Maine, and murder of five of her crew, by pirates,: on the coast of Cuba, Dec. 1824. — John Shaqi
Narrative of the shipwreck of the brig Betsey, of Wiscasset, Maine, and murder of five of her crew, by pirates,: on the coast of Cuba, Dec. 1824.Collins, Daniel
History
Narrative of the shipwreck of the brig Betsey, of Wiscasset, Maine, and murder of five of her crew, by pirates,: on the coast of Cuba, Dec. 1824.
Collins, Daniel
Caribbean Area -- History; Pirates; Shipwrecks
After travelling nearly three miles, I discovered a number of
lights, about half a mile distant; and when we came up with them
we halted near a large bamboo grove, where, with his aid, I
dismounted, and by a signal from him, set down until he went to a
hut and returned with a shirt and pair of trowsers, with which he
covered my nakedness. He now took me by the hand and led me into
a large house, occupied by his master, the owner of the
plantation. A bench was brought me, on which I seated myself, and
the master of the house, a grey headed Spaniard, probably turned
of seventy, came toward me with an air of kindness, understanding
from the black I had been shipwrecked. As the old man was
examining my sores, he discovered on my arm a handsome impression
of the _Crucifix_ that had been pricked in with indelible ink, in
the East Indies some years before, which he kissed with apparent
rapture, saying to me, "Anglois very much of the christian,"
supposing me to be a Roman Catholic.--This drew around me all the
members of the family, who kneeled in succession, kissing the
image and manifesting their sensibility by tears, at the
sufferings which they perceived by my sores and emaciated
appearance, I must have endured. I was then conducted by an old
lady, whom I took to be his wife, into another apartment, in the
corner of which, was a kind of grate where a fire was kindled on
the ground. Here a table was spread that groaned under all the
luxuries which abound on the plantations of this Island; but it
was perhaps fortunate for me, that my throat was so raw and
inflamed I could swallow nothing but some soft-boiled rice and
coffee. After this refreshment, the kind old Spaniard stripped
me, dipped a clean linen cloth into pure virgin honey and rubbed
it over my sores. He then pointed to the bed, which had been
prepared for me in the same room. I gave him to understand, by
signs, that I should besmear his clean sheets; but this was
negatived by a shake of the head; so without further ceremony I
turned in--it was the softest pillow I ever did, or expect to,
lay my head on;--yet it was rest, not sleep.
The old man had ordered a servant to attend me during the night,
fearing the little food I had taken, after so long an abstinence,
might produce some serious illness. Every time I groaned or
turned, this servant would run to me with a bowl of strong hot
coffee, which I could not refuse without disobeying his master's
orders. Early in the morning, before I arose, the old planter
came to my bed side, examined my pulse and tongue, and brought me
a quart bowl of fresh tamarinds, more than half of which, he
compelled me to eat, in order to prepare my stomach for the after
reception of food, and prevent those symptoms of inflammation,
which his intimate knowledge of the healing art had enabled him
to discover.
I arose, put on my clothes and walked out to survey the
possessions of this wealthy old planter, to whose hospitality I
had been indebted for my life.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account