st of North America,
and making their retreat at New Providence, cruise from the Gulf of
Florida, north upon the coast of Carolina, and as high as the Capes of
Virginia.

But nothing could be resolved on, until at last Gow let them into the
secret of a project, which, as he told them, he had long had in his
thoughts, and this was to go away to the North of Scotland, near the
coast of which, as he said, he was born and bred, and where he said, if
they met with no purchase upon the sea, he could tell them how they
should enrich themselves by going on shore. To bring them to concur with
this design, he represented the danger they were in where they were, the
want they were in of fresh water, and of several kinds of provisions,
but above all, the necessity they were in of careening and cleaning
their ship; that it was too long a run for them to go to southward, and
that they had not provisions to serve them till they could reach to any
place proper for that purpose, and might be driven to the utmost
distress, if they should be put by from watering, either by weather or
enemies.

Also, he told them, if any of the men-of-war came out in search of them,
they would never imagine they were gone away to the northward, so that
their run that way was perfectly secure, and he could assure them of his
own knowledge that if they landed in such places as he should direct,
they could not fail of considerable booty in plundering some gentlemen's
houses, who lived secured and unguarded very near the shore; and that
though the country should be alarmed, yet before the Government could
send any men-of-war to attack them, they might clean their ship, lay in
a store of fresh provisions, and be gone. Beside that, they would get a
good many stout fellows to go along with them upon his encouragement, so
that they should be better manned than they were yet, and should be
ready against all events.

These arguments and their approaching fate concurring, had a sufficient
influence on the ship's company to prevail on them to consent, so they
made the best of their way to the northward; and about the middle of
January they arrived at Carristoun,[104] in the Isles of Orkney, and
came to an anchor in a place which Gow told them was safe riding under
the lee of a small island at some distance from the port. But now their
misfortunes began to come on, and things looked but with an indifferent
aspect upon them, for several of their men, especially such