The Autobiography of a Cornish Smuggler: (Captain Harry Carter, of Prussia Cove) 1749-1809Carter, Harry
History
The Autobiography of a Cornish Smuggler: (Captain Harry Carter, of Prussia Cove) 1749-1809
Carter, Harry
Carter, Harry, 1749-1829; Smuggling -- Great Britain -- History
by that means I saved myself from a great deal of empty chatchat, so by
that means pass allmoste whole days, sume times without speaking very
little. I have often heard sume of the French gentlemen speaking very
high thing in my favour one to another, not knowing I could understand
them, and I think it had allwayse this efect to humble me as in to the
dust before God and before man. I was still watching over all my
thoughts with all my words and actions. I do realy now beleve that there
did not one thought pass through my mind unperseved in all my waking
moments, still living as under the immediate eye of God, walking in the
broad light of his countanance from moment to moment. I had left of
drinking of water from the year of '89 in America, but there was a well
close by the backdoor. I had _a_ tumblar glass where I went sume times,
and _filled a_ glass with water, and look at it again and again. Oh, how
my heart would burn with love and thankfulness to God. Aboute a week
after I was there, I had a book given me by a French gent that spoak
English, caled "The Sinner's Guide," pen'd by a Spanyard, but translated
in English. The name of the gen^{t.} that gave it me was Mr. Lereu,
which proved a great blessing to me indeed.
25 Dec^{r.}, or Christmas day, 1793, Mr. T. M. and Mr. S. was taken from
us, and put to a town caled Carhay,[67] aboute thirty miles from
Morlaix, and there they joined Mr. and Mrs. Maccu^{h.}; all the rest of
us was moved to another Jen^{t.} house, a few dors off, where we had
more room, etc., Mr. C. and me still left together. The first thing I
allwayse lookt for first was a place to go in secret, and my friend C.
would allwayse look out for a place for himself and me to sleep in. I
found a nice _little_ place in the garat, with sume old mats and other
things I so inclosed, that it would just hold me to my knees, with my
feet out of sight, where I might stay so long as I pleased, and no
person distorb me. This was a blessed chainge again. I sleept in a room
with ten or twelve gent^{m.}, went to bed at ten o'clock, got up in the
morning at five, _spent an_ hour to myself, and at six went down stairs,
_and sat by_ the fire with the old men that garded _the house_. To read,
etc., until about half past seven or eight, when I should retire to my
little garat until nine, when I should come down, make my bed, and run
or walk in a large room until ten, and then retire again to my garat
until one o'clock, when I was caled to dinnar. After dinnar, aboute two,
I retired to my garat and stay there until half past three, come down
and run in the room until four, then retire, and stay there until aboute
seven or eight, stay down aboute half hour, and then pass in the garat
until ten, bed time. There was a small window in the garat aboute a foot
square, without glass, but a leef to shut and open, so that in the
daytime could see to read by it, but at night I seat without any light,
the days nearley the same length as they are in England.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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