204 TK£ LI FE OF 



find it, he would procure his own liberty and 

 p^ine; for if we were once in a fecret of that 

 nature and importance, they would, for their 

 own fecurity, fend us away, in preference to 

 any other pcrfons. The Purfer affured me that' 

 there was neither money nor plate in the fhip, 

 but that in one of the lockers of the cabin there 

 "U'as a fmall cafe of watches, his property ; and 

 this information we agreed to give them the fame 

 evening. Some days previous to that time they 

 had been in the cuftom of fending for the Purfer 

 and myfelf every evening, to afTift them in ex- 

 amining the fliip's papers ; the ufual hour ar- 

 rived, and we were called for. We found the 

 three chiefs alone in the cabin : I communica- 

 ted to them what Mr. Black had told me, and 

 he pointed out where the watches were. The 

 cafe contained fifty-two, of different forts ; 

 they prefented him with fix, and me with two, 

 of the beft; the reft they divided equally among 

 themfelves. 



This done, I knew no more objedlions could 

 be made to our departure, and, indeed, from 

 that moment they became very indulgent to- 

 wards us. The ringleaders, being naturally 

 afraid that if we were offended we might expofe 

 their infidelity to their comrades, were extreme- 

 ly anxious to furnifli us with an opportunity of 

 leaving them : in lad we were now become dan- 

 gerous 



