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Our trading in Guinea was upon the coast line. I had my misfortunes even in this voyage. I was continually sick, being thrown into a violet calenture by the excessive heat of the climate.

Chapter II

Slavery and Escape

Recovering, I went to London with all the crew and our master. This voyage was very successful to us, all the crew members returned home grown rich. Even my 40 pounds turned into 300 pounds sterling. This first success elated me and I resolved to go to the same voyage again. However, one event overshadowed those days: to my great misfortune, my friend, the master of our ship, was dying soon after the arrival, though I was deprived of the faithful and honest comrade.

When I decided for the second time to set the sail, I found the widow of my deceased friend, captain, and left her 200 pounds for safekeeping, and I must say, she preserved this money very faithfully. So, I did not carry quite 100 pounds of my new-gained wealth with me to the new voyage.

That was the unhappiest trip that ever man made. Our ship, making her course towards the Canary Islands, or rather between those islands and the African shore, was surprised in the grey of the morning by a Turkish rover of Sallee, who gave chase to us with all the sail he could make. We crowded also as much canvas as our yards would spread, or our masts carry, to get clear; but finding the pirate gained upon us, and would certainly come up with us in a few hours, we prepared to fight; our ship having twelve guns, and the rogue eighteen. About three in the afternoon he came up with us and entered sixty men upon our decks, who immediately fell to cutting and hacking the sails and rigging. We plied them with small shot, half-pikes, powder-chests, and such like, and cleared our deck of them twice. However, to cut short this melancholy part of our story, our ship was disabled, and three of our men killed, and eight wounded, we were obliged to yield, and were carried all prisoners into Sallee, a port belonging to the Moors.

Most of our men were carried up the country to the emperor’s court or to the slave market. However, in those days I was young, strong, nimble and smart fellow, so my fate was not as abysmal as the rest crew: I was kept by the captain of the rover as his proper prize, and made his own slave. At this surprising change of my fate, from a merchant to a miserable slave, I was perfectly overwhelmed; and now I looked back upon my father’s prophetic discourse to me, that I should be miserable and have none to relieve me.

My new patron, or master, had taken me to his house, so I was in hopes that he would take me with him when he went to sea again. I believed, that it would some time, when this sea rover will be taken by a Spanish or Portugal man-of-war, and that then I should be set at liberty.