The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, Or Gustavus Vassa, The African
sickly, he could not do without me, and that, as the safety of the
vessel and cargo depended greatly upon me, he therefore hoped that I
would not be offended at what had passed between us, and swore he
would make up all matters when we arrived in the West Indies; so I
consented to slave on as before. Soon after this, as the bullocks were
coming on board, one of them ran at the captain, and butted him so
furiously in the breast, that he never recovered of the blow. In order
to make me some amends for his treatment about the bullocks, the
captain now pressed me very much to take some turkeys, and other
fowls, with me, and gave me liberty to take as many as I could find
room for; but I told him he knew very well I had never carried any
turkeys before, as I always thought they were such tender birds that
they were not fit to cross the seas. However, he continued to press me
to buy them for once; and, what was very surprising to me, the more I
was against it, the more he urged my taking them, insomuch that he
ensured me from all losses that might happen by them, and I was
prevailed on to take them; but I thought this very strange, as he had
never acted so with me before. This, and not being able to dispose of
my paper-money in any other way, induced me at length to take four
dozen. The turkeys, however, I was so dissatisfied about that I
determined to make no more voyages to this quarter, nor with this
captain; and was very apprehensive that my free voyage would be the
worst I had ever made. We set sail for Montserrat. The captain and
mate had been both complaining of sickness when we sailed, and as we
proceeded on our voyage they grew worse. This was about November, and
we had not been long at sea before we began to meet with strong
northerly gales and rough seas; and in about seven or eight days all
the bullocks were near being drowned, and four or five of them died.
Our vessel, which had not been tight at first, was much less so now;
and, though we were but nine in the whole, including five sailors and
myself, yet we were obliged to attend to the pumps every half or three
quarters of an hour. The captain and mate came on deck as often as
they were able, which was now but seldom; for they declined so fast,
that they were not well enough to make observations above four or five
times the whole voyage. The whole care of the vessel rested,
therefore, upon me, and I was obliged to direct her by my former
experience, not being able to work a traverse. The captain was now
very sorry he had not taught me navigation, and protested, if ever he
should get well again, he would not fail to do so; but in about
seventeen days his illness increased so much, that he was obliged to
keep his bed, continuing sensible, however, till the last, constantly
having the owner's interest at heart; for this just and benevolent man
ever appeared much concerned about the welfare of what he was
intrusted with. When this dear friend found the symptoms of death
approaching, he called me by my name; and, when I came to him, he
asked (with almost his last breath) if he had ever done me any harm?
'God forbid I should think so,' I replied, 'I should then be the most
ungrateful of wretches to the best of sorrow by his bedside, he
expired without saying another word; and the day following we
committed his body to the deep. Every man on board loved this man, and
regretted his death; but I was exceedingly affected at it, and I found
that I did not know, till he was gone, the strength of my regard for
him. Indeed I had every reason in the world to be attached to him;
for, besides that he was in general mild, affable, generous, faithful,
benevolent, and just, he was to me a friend and a father; and, had it
pleased Providence that he had died but five months before, I verily
believe I should not have obtained my freedom when I did; and it is
not improbable that I might not have been able to get it at any rate
afterwards. The captain being dead, the mate came on the deck, and
made such observations as he was able, but to no purpose. In the
course of a few days more, the few bullocks that remained were found
dead; but the turkies I had, though on the deck, and exposed to so
much wet and bad weather, did well, and I afterwards gained near three
hundred per cent, on the sale of them; so that in the event it proved
a happy circumstance for me that I had not bought the bullocks I
intended, for they must have perished with the rest; and I could not
help looking on this, otherwise trifling circumstance, as a particular
providence of God, and I was thankful accordingly. The care of the
vessel took up all my time, and engaged my attention entirely. As we
were now out of the variable winds, I thought I should not be much
puzzled to hit upon the islands. I was persuaded I steered right for
Antigua, which I wished to reach, as the nearest to us; and in the
course of nine or ten days we made this island, to our great joy; and
the next day after we came safe to Montserrat. Many were surprised
when they heard of my conducting the sloop into the port, and I now
obtained a new appellation, and was called Captain. This elated me not
a little, and it was quite flattering to my vanity to be thus styled
by as high a title as any free man in this place possessed. When the
death of the captain became known, he was much regretted by all who
knew him; for he was a man universally respected. At the same time the
sable captain lost no fame; for the success I had met with increased
the affection of my friends in no small measure.
FOOTNOTES:
[Footnote U: Acts, chap. xii. ver. 9.]
CHAP. VIII.
_The author, to oblige Mr. King, once more embarks for
Georgia in one of his vessels--A new captain is
appointed--They sail, and steer a new course--Three
remarkable dreams--The vessel is shipwrecked on the Bahama
bank, but the crew are preserved, principally by means of
the author--He sets out from the island with the captain, in
a small boat, in quest of a ship--Their distress--Meet with
a wrecker--Sail for Providence--Are overtaken again by a
terrible storm, and are all near perishing--Arrive at New
Providence--The author, after some time, sails from thence
to Georgia--Meets with another storm, and is obliged to put
back and refit--Arrives at Georgia--Meets new
impositions--Two white men attempt to kidnap him--Officiates
as a parson at a funeral ceremony--Bids adieu to Georgia,
and sails for Martinico._
As I had now, by the death of my captain, lost my great benefactor and
friend, I had little inducement to remain longer in the West Indies,
except my gratitude to Mr. King, which I thought I had pretty well
discharged in bringing back his vessel safe, and delivering his cargo
to his satisfaction. I began to think of leaving this part of the
world, of which I had been long tired, and returning to England, where
my heart had always been; but Mr. King still pressed me very much to
stay with his vessel; and he had done so much for me that I found
myself unable to refuse his requests, and consented to go another
voyage to Georgia, as the mate, from his ill state of health, was
quite useless in the vessel. Accordingly a new captain was appointed,
whose name was William Phillips, an old acquaintance of mine; and,
having refitted our vessel, and taken several slaves on board, we set
sail for St. Eustatia, where we stayed but a few days; and on the 30th
of January 1767 we steered for Georgia. Our new captain boasted
strangely of his skill in navigating and conducting a vessel; and in
consequence of this he steered a new course, several points more to
the westward than we ever did before; this appeared to me very
extraordinary.
On the fourth of February, which was soon after we had got into our
new course, I dreamt the ship was wrecked amidst the surfs and rocks,
and that I was the means of saving every one on board; and on the
night following I dreamed the very same dream. These dreams however
made no impression on my mind; and the next evening, it being my watch
below, I was pumping the vessel a little after eight o'clock, just
before I went off the deck, as is the custom; and being weary with the
duty of the day, and tired at the pump, (for we made a good deal of
water) I began to express my impatience, and I uttered with an oath,
'Damn the vessel's bottom out.' But my conscience instantly smote me
for the expression. When I left the deck I went to bed, and had
scarcely fallen asleep when I dreamed the same dream again about the
ship that I had dreamt the two preceeding nights. At twelve o'clock
the watch was changed; and, as I had always the charge of the
captain's watch, I then went upon deck. At half after one in the
morning the man at the helm saw something under the lee-beam that the
sea washed against, and he immediately called to me that there was a
grampus, and desired me to look at it. Accordingly I stood up and
observed it for some time; but, when I saw the sea wash up against it
again and again, I said it was not a fish but a rock. Being soon
certain of this, I went down to the captain, and, with some confusion,
told him the danger we were in, and desired him to come upon deck
immediately. He said it was very well, and I went up again. As soon as
I was upon deck the wind, which had been pretty high, having abated a
little, the vessel began to be carried sideways towards the rock, by
means of the current. Still the captain did not appear. I therefore
went to him again, and told him the vessel was then near a large rock,
and desired he would come up with speed. He said he would, and I
returned to the deck. When I was upon the deck again I saw we were not
above a pistol shot from the rock, and I heard the noise of the
breakers all around us. I was exceedingly alarmed at this; and the
captain having not yet come on the deck I lost all patience; and,
growing quite enraged, I ran down to him again, and asked him why he
did not come up, and what he could mean by all this? 'The breakers,'
said I, 'are round us, and the vessel is almost on the rock.' With
that he came on the deck with me, and we tried to put the vessel
about, and get her out of the current, but all to no purpose, the
wind being very small. We then called all hands up immediately; and
after a little we got up one end of a cable, and fastened it to the
anchor. By this time the surf was foaming round us, and made a
dreadful noise on the breakers, and the very moment we let the anchor
go the vessel struck against the rocks. One swell now succeeded
another, as it were one wave calling on its fellow: the roaring of the
billows increased, and, with one single heave of the swells, the sloop
was pierced and transfixed among the rocks! In a moment a scene of
horror presented itself to my mind, such as I never had conceived or
experienced before. All my sins stared me in the face; and especially,
I thought that God had hurled his direful vengeance on my guilty head
for cursing the vessel on which my life depended. My spirits at this
forsook me, and I expected every moment to go to the bottom: I
determined if I should still be saved that I would never swear again.
And in the midst of my distress, while the dreadful surfs were dashing
with unremitting fury among the rocks, I remembered the Lord, though
fearful that I was undeserving of forgiveness, and I thought that as
he had often delivered he might yet deliver; and, calling to mind the
many mercies he had shewn me in times past, they gave me some small
hope that he might still help me. I then began to think how we might
be saved; and I believe no mind was ever like mine so replete with
inventions and confused with schemes, though how to escape death I