Our health, which had been improving during the passage home, now began to recover quickly. We had every attention paid to us that was possible; our cancers were subjected to medical treatment, and in a few weeks I was completely cured.
I stayed here five months, hoping to accompany William to England; but a boy threw a stone at him, which severely hurt his head, and threw him again on a bed of sickness, and deferred his departure. At the time I left, he was recovering fast.
Not wishing to be longer dependent on the bounty of any person, and an opportunity offering, of a situation on board the Florentia, commanded by Captain Deloitte, bound to London, I took my farewell of William and my other kind friends, and went on board in the month of February.
We set sail, and experienced a little rough weather on our passage, but arrived in London without accident, in August.
I had now been absent from England nearly four years; and it is impossible to describe my feelings when again putting my foot upon its long-desired ground; none but those similarly situated can understand them. All I wish the kind reader to do, is to avoid the savages of Boydan, but lend a helping hand to civilize the kind natives of Murray’s Island, and the Indians of Torres Straits.
TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES
- Silently corrected typographical errors.
- Retained anachronistic and non-standard spellings as printed.