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 leaving
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 be fully satisfied." Upon this, he pulls out an old
pouch, and gives me one hundred and sixty Portugal moidores in gold; and
giving the writings of his title to the ship, which his son was gone to
the Brazils in, of which he was a quarter-part owner, and his son
another, he puts them both into my hands for security of the rest.

I was too much moved with the honesty and kindness of the poor man to be
able to bear this; and remembering what he had done for me, how he had
taken me up at sea, and how generously he had used me on all occasions,
and particularly how sincere a friend he was now to me, I could hardly
refrain weeping at what he had said to me; therefore I asked him if his
circumstances admitted him to spare so much money at that time, and if
it would not straiten him? He told me he could not say but it might
straiten him a little; but, however, it was my money, and I might want
it more than he.

Every thing the good man said was full of affection, and I could hardly
refrain from tears while he spoke; in short, I took one hundred of the
moidores, and called for a pen and ink to give him a receipt for them:
then I returned him the rest, and told him if ever I had possession of
the plantation, I would return the other to him also, (as, indeed, I
afterwards did;) and that as to the bill of sale of his part in his
son's ship, I would not take it by any means; but that if I wanted the
money, I found he was honest enough to pay me; and if I did no