The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, Or Gustavus Vassa, The African: Written By HimselfEquiano, Olaudah
History
The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, Or Gustavus Vassa, The African: Written By Himself
Equiano, Olaudah
Enslaved persons -- Great Britain -- Biography; Enslaved persons -- United States -- Biography; Equiano, Olaudah, 1745-1797
In order
to make me some amends for his treatment about the bullocks, the
captain now pressed me very much to take some turkeys, and other
fowls, with me, and gave me liberty to take as many as I could find
room for; but I told him he knew very well I had never carried any
turkeys before, as I always thought they were such tender birds that
they were not fit to cross the seas. However, he continued to press me
to buy them for once; and, what was very surprising to me, the more I
was against it, the more he urged my taking them, insomuch that he
ensured me from all losses that might happen by them, and I was
prevailed on to take them; but I thought this very strange, as he had
never acted so with me before. This, and not being able to dispose of
my paper-money in any other way, induced me at length to take four
dozen. The turkeys, however, I was so dissatisfied about that I
determined to make no more voyages to this quarter, nor with this
captain; and was very apprehensive that my free voyage would be the
worst I had ever made. We set sail for Montserrat. The captain and
mate had been both complaining of sickness when we sailed, and as we
proceeded on our voyage they grew worse. This was about November, and
we had not been long at sea before we began to meet with strong
northerly gales and rough seas; and in about seven or eight days all
the bullocks were near being drowned, and four or five of them died.
Our vessel, which had not been tight at first, was much less so now;
and, though we were but nine in the whole, including five sailors and
myself, yet we were obliged to attend to the pumps every half or three
quarters of an hour. The captain and mate came on deck as often as
they were able, which was now but seldom; for they declined so fast,
that they were not well enough to make observations above four or five
times the whole voyage. The whole care of the vessel rested,
therefore, upon me, and I was obliged to direct her by my former
experience, not being able to work a traverse. The captain was now
very sorry he had not taught me navigation, and protested, if ever he
should get well again, he would not fail to do so; but in about
seventeen days his illness increased so much, that he was obliged to
keep his bed, continuing sensible, however, till the last, constantly
having the owner's interest at heart; for this just and benevolent man
ever appeared much concerned about the welfare of what he was
intrusted with. When this dear friend found the symptoms of death
approaching, he called me by my name; and, when I came to him, he
asked (with almost his last breath) if he had ever done me any harm?
'God forbid I should think so,' I replied, 'I should then be the most
ungrateful of wretches to the best of sorrow by his bedside, he
expired without saying another word; and the day following we
committed his body to the deep. Every man on board loved this man, and
regretted his death; but I was exceedingly affected at it, and I found
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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