The Surprising Adventures of Bampfylde Moore Carew, King of the Beggars: Containing his Life, a Dictionary of the Cant Language, and many Entertaining Particulars of that Extraordinary ManUnknown
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The Surprising Adventures of Bampfylde Moore Carew, King of the Beggars: Containing his Life, a Dictionary of the Cant Language, and many Entertaining Particulars of that Extraordinary Man
On the eighth day, being upon a tree, he discovered a lone house, near
the skirts of the woods, and saw all the family (as he supposed) going
out to hoe tobacco, and the dog following them; this was a joyful sight
to him, for he had not, the two preceding nights, met with any cows, and
consequently had been without food. As soon, therefore, as the family
were out of sight, he came down from the tree, and ventured in the house,
where he found not only enough to satisfy his hunger, but what might be
deemed luxury in his present condition: for there was a jolly cake,
powell, a sort of Indian corn bread, and good omani, which is
kidney-beans ground with Indian corn, sifted, then put into a pot to
boil, and eat with molasses. Seeing so many dainties, he did not
hesitate long, but, hunger pressing, sat down and ate the omani with as
much composure as if he had been invited thereto by the owner of it: and
knowing that hunger and necessity are bound by no laws of honour, he took
the liberty of borrowing the jolly cake, powell, and a leg of fine pork,
then hastened back to the tree with his booty. What the people thought
when they returned at night with good appetites, and found their dainty
omani, their jolly cake, and their pork, all vanished, we know not, but
suppose they were not a little surprised.
Being thus stocked with provisions, he made the best of his way to
Ogle-town that night, and so to Old-town. In the dawn of the morning of
the eleventh day, he came in sight of Duck’s Creek; but being afraid he
might fall into the hands of his pursuers, he struck a great way into the
woods towards Tuck Hoe; where staying all the day in a tree, he came
again in the middle of the night to Duck’s Creek. As soon as he came
here, he ran to the water side to seek for a canoe, but found them all
chained; he immediately set himself about breaking the chain, but found
it too strong, and all endeavours to break it were in vain. Never was
man more thunder-struck than he was now, just at the time when he
expected to be out of danger, to meet with so unforeseen and
insurmountable an obstacle. He knew there was no way of escaping, but by
passing the river Delaware, and could not think of a method of effecting
it. Several hours did he pass in this agitation of mind: sometimes he
had a mind to try his strength in swimming, but the river being so wide,
he thought he could not reach the opposite shore; at last, reflecting
what one of his ancestors had done in swimming a horse over Teignmouth
bar, and seeing some horses grazing thereabout, he resolved to attempt
passing the Delaware in that manner; for, let the worst happen, he
thought death preferable to slavery. Being thus resolved, he soon caught
one of the horses, and, making a sort of bridle with his handkerchief,
brought the horse to the water side; he walked for some time on the
banks, looking for a proper place to enter the horse: at last, espying a
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