ters; where,
nevertheless, we continued. This so exercised the other passengers,
seeing us submit so willingly, that they themselves could no longer
endure it, and desired us to come with them, and make a mess of eight.
We had been compelled to buy our stores in England, as what we had
were spoiled, or not sufficient. There was not a bit of butter or
vinegar on the food during the whole voyage, except what we had
purchased at Falmouth. I do not know how long it was we had nothing to
eat except heads of salt fish, and those spoiled for the most part. We
had to eat them till they were thrown overboard. Most of the time we
had white peas, which our cook was too lazy to clean, or were boiled
in stinking water, and when they were brought on the table we had to
throw them away. The meat was old and tainted; the pork passable, but
enormously thick, as much as six inches; and the bread was mouldy or
wormy. We had a ration of beer three times a day to drink at table.
The water smelt very bad, which was the fault of the captain. When we
left England they called us to eat in the cabin, but it was only a
change of place and nothing more. Each meal was dished up three times
in the cabin, first for the eight passengers, then for the captain,
mate and wife, who sometimes did not have as good as we had, and
lastly for Margaret and Mr. Jan, who had prepared for them hardly any
thing else except poultry and the like. But this is enough.

After we left England, I took upon myself, out of love of the thing,
and because there were so few persons to work the ship, namely, ten in
all, including the captain, to watch and attend the rudder, as well as
to make observations in navigation; but when I perceived the sailors,
on this account, became lazy and depended upon me, I left the
rudder-gang. Nevertheless, when an English ship came near running us
down in the watch off Cape Cod, causing thereby much uproar and
confusion in our ship, I did my best to unfasten a rope which they
could not make loose, at which the mate raved and swore, and for which
he would have almost struck or killed me. When my comrade heard of it
he wished me not to do any thing more, and that was my opinion. I
could not, however, refrain from helping to the last, but I abandoned
the watch, and so caused the mate to feel that we were not insensible,
for there was nothing else to be done to him. He, nevertheless,
invited us daily more than any one else. Finally, when the voyag