in my embrace, and with the warmth of my kisses, brought her again
to life. Oh that I were endowed with the expression of a Raphael, the
graces of a Guido, the magic touches of a Titian, that I might represent
the fond concern, the chastened rapture and ingenuous blush, that
mingled on her beauteous face, when she opened her eyes upon me,
and pronounced, "O heavens! is it you?" I am afraid I have already
encroached upon the reader's patience with the particulars of
this amour, of which (I own) I cannot help being impertinently
circumstantial. I shall therefore omit the less material passages of
this interview, during which I convinced her reason, though I could not
appease the sad presages of her love, with regard to the long voyage
and dangers I must undergo. When we had spent an hour (which was all she
could spare from the barbarity of her brother's vigilance) in lamenting
over our hard fate, and in repeating our reciprocal vows, Miss Williams
reminded us of the necessity there was for our immediate parting; and,
sure, lovers never parted with such sorrow and reluctance as we. But
because my words are incapable of doing justice to this affecting
circumstance, I am obliged to draw a veil over it, and observe, that I
returned in the dark to the house of Mrs. Sagely, who was overjoyed
to hear of my success, and opposed the tumults of my grief with
such strength of reason, that my mind regained, in some measure, its
tranquillity; and that very night, after having forced upon the good
gentlewoman a purse of twenty guineas, as a token of my gratitude and
esteem, I took my leave of her, and set out on foot for the inn, where
my arrival freed honest Strap from the horrors of unutterable dread.

We took horse immediately, and alighted early next morning at Deal,
where I found my uncle in great concern on account of my absence,
because he had received his despatches, and must have weighed with the
first fair wind, whether I had been on board or not. Next day, a brisk
easterly gale springing up, we set sail, and in eight and forty hours
got clear of the Channel.

When we were about two hundred leagues to westward of the Land's End,
the captain, taking me apart into the cabin, told me that, now he
was permitted by his instructions, he would disclose the intent and
destination of our voyage. "The ship," said he, "which has been fitted
out at a great expense, is bound for the coast of Guinea, where we shall
exchange part of our ca