“That he had a letter on board from my father, with full instructions as well from him as his owners, to purchase my liberty let it cost what it would. And in case I could not possibly come down myself, to send him word the reason of it, and what measures he should take to serve me.”
Rer Moume perceived that my countenance changed whilst I was reading the letter, and asked me what was the matter? I told him, that the captain desired to speak with me, and that my father had sent for me home, and hoped that he would please to give his consent. “How do you know all this?” says the prince, “can you conjure?” Then turning to the messengers, “Have you, pray, heard any thing like this?” “Yes,” said they, “it is all the discourse at the seaside, that Robin’s father sent both these ships for him, and more than all this, the king your father expects him there with your leave, and desires to see him before he goes to the ship.” Rer Moume took the letter, and turning it over and over said, he had heard of such methods of conveying intelligence to one another, but never actually saw it before, and could not conceive which way it could be done without conjuration. I endeavoured to demonstrate to him, as well as I could, how we learned in our infancy the characters first, and then we put them together. “But,” says he, “I presume you have no inclination to leave us now, since you live here so much at your ease; you have several cattle and a slave, and if you shall want more you shall have them, you shall have too as many wives as you please, and be a great man.” I begged him to make my case his own, and that he would please to consider whether he should not be desirous of seeing his parents and native country, had he been absent so long as I had? “I think I should,” he said, “and therefore I will take it into consideration, and ask my wives’ advice about it, and give an answer in the morning.”
My readers may easily imagine what a night of disorder this was to my mind, agitated with hopes on one hand and with fears on the other; however, I took care to attend him as soon as ever he was stirring, and seated with his wives about him. After he had looked steadfastly on me for some time, “Robin,” says he, “I have opened your affair to my wives here, and your mother Ry Anzackar, and one or two more, consent to your going, but the rest are all against it; however, let them speak for themselves, it is out of respect to you that they are desirous you should continue amongst them.” Upon this, I turned towards them, and without waiting to hear what they had to offer, begged them to consider, as they were mothers, whether or no, if a child of theirs was in a strange country, they should not have an earnest inclination to see him, and he them? Hereupon the prince told me, if I was willing to stay, he would all along, as he had hitherto done, treat me like his own son, but he would not make use of compulsion, so that if I was resolutely bent on going he would dismiss me. Moreover, he told me, that my slave should go with me; that as to my cattle, they were mine to dispose of as I pleased. I replied, if he was so good as not to take my cattle from me, though they were in fact his own, they might still remain there as they were marked for mine; for I was fully determined to make one voyage more here, in hopes of having it in my power to make him some amends for the great care he had taken of me, by bringing a ship to traffic with him; (and in this I was very sincere, and afterwards as good as my word.) I asked him if he thought proper to demand any consideration of the captain for my freedom. He answered, nothing; but if my friends would make him a present of a good gun, he should accept of the favour, and call it Robin in remembrance of me. This noble, generous answer, and so prince-like, gave me such transports of joy, that I immediately kneeled down, and licked his feet with the utmost sincerity, as justly thinking I could never express my gratitude enough to this good, this indulgent prince. He would not dismiss me instantly, but did in a day or two after; and ordered the messengers to be taken care of in the mean time. When the day of my departure came, I had one remaining difficulty to get over, and that was the parting with my wife, the women of the prince’s family, and himself, which I did with as much reluctance, as when I left my natural parents at my departure from them; and they discovered an equally tender affection for me; he would not, however, let us go empty handed, but ordered an ox for our subsistence on our journey, and appointed likewise two of his own people to accompany the other two; and then we set forward.
I had yet one suspicious circumstance still to pass over, and that was to call on Rer Trimmonongarevo: this gave me no small uneasiness; but when we came near Moherbo, we were informed that he was gone to a place within an hour’s walk of the seaside. As soon as I approached him, he instantly made an apology for his too warm constitution, and confessed that he had sometimes done mischief in his passion, but hoped I would excuse him for what had passed; and said he was loth to let me go till the ship was near upon sailing, lest I should prove detrimental to the trade. I told him, I had no complaint to make, since his son had been so indulgent to me; and that if he pleased to dismiss me at my friend’s request, they would take it as a favour; but should he detain me, when they knew I was so near, I did not know what ill consequences might ensue thereupon. He kept me, however, this night, but dismissed me with his blessing the next morning; praying that God and the demons would be my guardians, and send me safely to my native country. So I licked his feet and took my last farewell of him, and of this odd and filthy custom likewise.
When I came down to the seaside, the first man who spoke to me was William Purser, my old acquaintance in Feraignher; he came away to live in more security and plenty, as well as several others; and was at this time interpreter for the trade. Here were several houses, but such as the English call huts, erected by the inhabitants at a small distance from the factory, for the more commodious selling of milk and other provisions. There I met Mr Hill, the steward of the Drake, captain Macket’s ship, and two or three more of their crew, who took me for a wild man; and in a letter he sent off by a canoe to the captain, he told him the wild Englishman was come. I desired William Purser to inform them that I could speak but little English; and though by the conversation I had with William Thornbury I had regained some, yet I was frequently puzzled for words to speak freely for several days. Captain Macket soon came on shore, and captain Bloom with him, for here were two ships, the Drake and the Sarah. I gazed at them as intently as if I had never seen a white man dressed before; and what added to the wildness of my appearance, was, that I had nothing on but my lamber; my skin being swarthy and full of freckles, and my hair long and matted together, I really made a frightful figure; but they soon restored me to my original form, Mr Hill cut my hair off, and ordered me to be shaved, and dressed in a neat seaman’s habit, light and fit for the country. The captain asked me what ransom was expected for my freedom? I told him nothing but a gun for a present, to be kept in remembrance of me. He thereupon picked out a handsome and very good Buccaneer gun, as also some powder, flints, and case of spirits, as a present to Rer Moume. He gave likewise knives and beads to his two men, and a small gun to the messengers who went for me. For my own part, I presented the captain with my slave Anthony. After this he gave me the following letter from my father.
“To Robert Drury, on the island of Madagascar.
“Loughborough, February 27th, 1715.
“Son Robert Drury,
“I am informed by one Mr Thornbury, that he left you in health on the island of Madagascar, which I was glad to hear; my very good friend, Mr Terry, hath a friend, commander of a ship, the bearer hereof, that hath promised to do all he can to get you your liberty; I therefore desire you to do the captain all the service you can in the country; and so doing you will oblige our good friend Mr Terry, and your ever-loving father till death,
“John Drury.”