with a sail!" and the foolish boy was frighted
out of his wits, thinking it must needs be some of his master's ships
sent to pursue us, when I knew we were gotten far enough out of their
reach. I jumped out of the cabin, and immediately saw not only the ship,
but what she was, viz. that it was a Portuguese ship, and, as I thought,
was bound to the coast of Guinea for Negroes. But when I observed the
course she steered, I was soon convinced they were bound some other way,
and did not design to come any nearer to the shore; upon which I
stretched out to sea as much as I could, resolving to speak with them
if possible.

With all the sail I could muster, I found I should not be able to
come in their way, but that they would be gone by before I could
make any signal to them; but after I had crowded to the utmost,
and began to despair, they, it seems, saw me by the help of their
perspective-glasses, and that it was some European boat, which, as they
supposed, must belong to some ship that was lost; so they shortened sail
to let me come up. I was encouraged with this; and as I had my patron's
ancient on board, I made a waft of it to them for a signal of distress,
and fired a gun, both which they saw, for they told me they saw the
smoke, though they did not hear the gun: upon these signals they very
kindly brought to, and lay by for me, and in about three hours time I
came up with them.

They asked me what I was in Portuguese, and in Spanish, and in French;
but I understood none of them; but at last a Scots sailor, who was on
board, called to me, and I answered him, and told him I was an
Englishman, that I had made my escape out of slavery from the Moors at
Sallee. Then they had me come on board, and very kindly took me in, and
all my goods.

It was an inexpressible joy to me, that any one would believe that I was
thus delivered, as I esteemed it, from such a miserable and almost
hopeless condition as I was in, and immediately offered all I had to the
captain of the ship, as a return for my deliverance; but he generously
told me, he would take nothing from me, but that all I had should be
delivered safe to me when I came to the Brasils; "For," says he, "I have
saved your life on no other terms than I would be glad to be saved
myself; and it may one time or other be my lot to be taken up in the
same condition: Besides," said he, "when I carry you to the Brasils, so
great a way from your own country, if I should take from you