nd uneasy at this account, and
inquired of the old captain how it came to pass that the trustees should
thus dispose of my effects, when he knew that I had made my will, and had
made him, the Portuguese captain, my universal heir, &c.

He told me that was true; but that as there was no proof of my being
dead, he could not act as executor until some certain account should come
of my death; and, besides, he was not willing to intermeddle with a thing
so remote: that it was true he had registered my will, and put in his
claim; and could he have given any account of my being dead or alive, he
would have acted by procuration, and taken possession of the ingenio (so
they call the sugar-house), and have given his son, who was now at the
Brazils, orders to do it. "But," says the old man, "I have one piece of
news to tell you, which perhaps may not be so acceptable to you as the
rest; and that is, believing you were lost, and all the world believing
so also, your partner and trustees did offer to account with me, in your
name, for the first six or eight years' profits, which I received. There
being at that time great disbursements for increasing the works, building
an ingenio, and buying slaves, it did not amount to near so much as
afterwards it produced; however," says the old man, "I shall give you a
true account of what I have received in all, and how I have disposed of
it."

After a few days' further conference with this ancient friend, he brought
me an account of the first six years' income of my plantation, signed by
my partner and the merchant-trustees, being always delivered in goods,
viz. tobacco in roll, and sugar in chests, besides rum, molasses, &c.,
which is the consequence of a sugar-work; and I found by this account,
that every year the income considerably increased; but, as above, the
disbursements being large, the sum at first was small: however, the old
man let me see that he was debtor to me four hundred and seventy moidores
of gold, besides sixty chests of sugar and fifteen double rolls of
tobacco, which were lost in his ship; he having been shipwrecked coming
home to Lisbon, about eleven years after my having the place. The good
man then began to complain of his misfortunes, and how he had been
obliged to make use of my money to recover his losses, and buy him a
share in a new ship. "However, my old friend," says he, "you shall not
want a supply in your necessity; and as soon as my son returns you shall