“Capt. Loe said, Gentlemen, you all know what Arguments we have had already about this Matter, and how Capt. Russel, and some more, were angry with the Master of the Sloop, and, I verily believe, without any Cause by him given to any of you designedly; and therefore, I hope you have consider’d better of it since, and laid aside your Resentments against the poor Man; neither, said he, let us do any Thing now in Passion, for I do not design (nor would I, if I could) to inforce any of you to comply to any Thing against your Will; nor would I have you think, Gentlemen, that I shall ever shew so much Respect to any Prisoner, as, on his Account, to cause a Difference or Wrangling among our selves; but yet, Gentlemen, give me Leave to say, That tho’ we are Pirates, yet we are Men, and tho’ we are deem’d by some People dishonest, yet let us not wholly divest ourselves of Humanity, and make ourselves more Savage than Brutes. If we send this poor Man away from us, without Provisions or Hands to assist him, Pray what greater Cruelty can there be? I think the more lingering any Death is made, the more barbarous ’tis accounted by all Men; and therefore, Gentlemen, I leave it to your own Consideration.
“To this, Russel made answer, That he, in the Company’s Name, had made the Master of the Sloop very good and generous Offers, in the Hearing of all the Company; but that I had, in his Opinion, after a very slighting Manner, refus’d them: That ’twas my Choice to be sent thus on Board the Sloop, rather than the Compulsion of the Company; and that, notwithstanding he told me what I must trust to by insisting on the Sloop, and how favourable they were design’d to be to me, if I would have but a little Patience ’till they could provide for me, yet that I had refus’d their Favours, notwithstanding the Pains he took to perswade me; adding an egregious Falshood, (but I durst not tell him so) That I had petition’d and begg’d of the Company, rather to be put in the Sloop in the Condition he now propos’d for me, and that therefore, according to my Desire, it should be so; and he hoped it could never be reckon’d Cruelty in them to give a Person his free Choice. And, Gentlemen, says he, we have had a great many more Words about this Matter already, than ever we had in the like Case before; but I hope you all have so much Value and Respect for one another, and for the general Peace, as that we shall have no more Debate on this Head, but determine at once the Time when he is to be discharg’d, the Manner of it being already settled by the major Part, and I as your Quarter-master, as my Office requires, will see it executed, and, perhaps, in a more favourable Manner than at first I design’d, or he really deserves at mine or your Hands either; but let that rest there.
“Then Capt. Loe said, Mr. Russel hath spoke to you, Gentlemen, his Sentiments, which, in the main, are reasonable and true, and I am glad he is reconcil’d to the Master of the Sloop before their parting; and, I cannot say, but I always believ’d Jack Russel to be a Man of so much Sense, as well as Good-nature, that he would scorn to take Revenge on one whose Condition render’d him uncapable of helping himself. And I think, Gentlemen, we may discharge him as soon as you please, and this Afternoon, if you are all agreed to it. They all said Ay. Upon which Russel told them, it should be done that Afternoon; telling Loe, That after Dinner he would take me on Board the Scooner with him, and, from thence, send me on Board the Sloop, and see what could be done for me.
“Some of Loe’s Company said, They would look out some Things, and give me along with me when I was going away; but Russel told them, they should not, for he would toss them all into Davy Jones’s Locker if they did; for I was the Scooner’s Prize, and she had all my Cargo and Plunder on Board of her, and therefore what was given to me should be given to me out of her: And turning to me said, Well, Master, I will this Evening put you on Board your own Sloop, and will be a better Friend to you, perhaps, than them that pretended a great deal more; but I am above being led by Passion, &c. They all din’d on Board of Loe, who, after Dinner, order’d a Bowl of Punch to be made in the great Silver Bowl, and set a Dozen of Claret on the Table, and that they said was for me to take my Leave of them, and part Sailor-like. I thank’d them; so they drank round to my good Success, and then to their own fortunate Proceedings and good Success; and Loe told me, He wish’d me very well, and hoped to meet with me again, at some Time when they had a good Prize of rich Goods, and he would not fail to make me a Retaliation with good Advantage for my present Loss. And they all present said, I need not fear meeting with a Friend, whenever I met with them again.
“About duskish, they began to prepare to go on Board their Ships, and I took my Leave of Capt. Loe, and all his Ship’s Company, and in particular of the three Men, who, I believe, were my hearty Friends, and return’d them all Thanks for their Kindness, as well as good Humour, shew’d to me since my first coming on Board of them. I also took my Leave of Capt. Spriggs, and those of his Company who were present, wish’d me well, but not one of them, I believe, dar’d to give me any Lumber with me, nor durst I have accepted of it had they offer’d it, for Fear of angering my but newly and seemingly reconcil’d Enemy, who, in all Likelihood, would have taken from me whatever they would have given me: And for that Reason I believe it was, that none of them offer’d to give me a Farthing, notwithstanding all their Professions of Kindness to me; tho’ this Generosity is very usual with them, to People that they profess much less Favour for, than they did to me.
“Russel being ready, I was order’d to go in his Boat, which I did; and, as soon as we were come on Board the Scooner, he order’d a Supper to be got ready, and, in the mean Time, there was a Bowl of Punch made, and some Wine set on the Table. Russel invited me down into the Cabbin, as also all his Officers, and we drank and smoak’d ’till Supper was brought, and then he told me I was very welcome, and bid me eat and drink heartily; For, he said, I had as tedious a Voyage to go through, as Elijah’s forty Days Journey was to Mount Horeb, and, as far as he knew, without a Miracle, it must only be by the Strength of what I eat now; for I should have neither Eatables nor Drinkables with me in the Sloop.
“I told him, I hoped not so: He rapt out a great Oath, That I should find it certainly true. I told him, That rather than be put on Board the Sloop, in that Manner, where there was no Possibility to escape perishing, without a Miracle, I would submit to tarry on Board, ’till an Opportunity offer’d to put me ashore where they pleas’d; or would yield to any Thing else they should think fit to do with me, excepting to enter into their Service.
“He said, It was once in my Power to have been my own Friend; but my slighting their proffer’d Favours, and my own chusing what I now must certainly accept, had render’d me uncapable of any other Choice; and that therefore all Apologies were but in vain; and he thought he shew’d himself more my Friend than I could well expect, or than I had deserv’d at his Hands, having caused him to have a great deal of Difference with the Company more than ever he had in his Life before, or ever should have again, he hoped.
“I told him, I was very sorry that I was so unfortunate as to be the unhappy Occasion of it; but could from my Heart aver, that it was not only undesign’d, but also sorely against my Inclinations; and begg’d of him, and all the Gentlemen then present, to consider me as an Object rather of their Pity, than of their Revenge.
“He told me, All my Arguments and Perswasions now were in vain, it being too late: I had not only refus’d their Commiseration when I was offer’d it, but ungratefully despis’d it: Therefore, says he, as I told you before, it’s in vain for you to plead any more: Your Lot is cast, and you have nothing now to do, but to go through with your Chance as well as you can, and fill your Belly with good Victuals and good Drink, to strengthen you to hold it as long as you can: It may be, and is very probable to be, the last Meal that ever you may eat in this World: However, perhaps, such a Conscientious Man as you would fain seem, or it may be are, may have a supernatural, or, at least, a natural Means wrought by a supernatural Power, in a miraculous Manner, to deliver you. However, I cannot say but I pity the two Boys, and have a great Mind to take them on Board, and let the miraculous Deliverance be wrought on you alone.