1696.] A FATAL DEPAETUKE. 187 



departed on Sunday Mornin,!:^, tlie lOtli of January 1696/ 

 without saying a word to any Body. Next Morning calling 

 him to our usual exercise of Prayer, we were surpris'd to 

 find him gone : You may guess at our Concern. We went 

 immediately and search'd among his Goods for Letters, not 

 doubting but if he was really gone, he would leave some 

 according to Promise. We found two ; in that directed for 

 us, he gave us a long account of his Intentions, assuring us 

 if God was pleas'd to let him get safe to Land, he would 

 break his little Boat to pieces, sink the Skins in the Sea 

 under a heap of Stones and dispose so of other matters, that 

 it should be impossible to find out that we assisted him in 

 his escape.- The other Letter was for the Governor: It 

 contain'd in Substance, that it was he that forc'd him to take 

 that melancholy liesolution, by his cruel and obstinate 

 refusal to suffer him to go a-shoar for recovery of his Health ; 

 that he was now going into the Woods with tlie same design, 

 and that he did not remove himself from Justice, since he 

 would not fail to surrender himself in his hands, as soon as 

 any Ship should arrive in the Port. lie carry 'd along with 

 him only a little Skillet,^ a Burning-glass to light fire, a 

 Prayer-Book, and some few Cloaths. 



Since this fatal Departure, we had never had the latest 

 News of him, whatever enquiries we made after him. We 

 perceiv'd none of the Signals he promised to give us, and all 

 our searches after him were vain. 



According to all probability this poor Man perish'd in his 

 Passage, or died miserably in the midst of the Woods, soon 

 after his arrival in the Island. A report indeed came to our 

 Ears, that the carcass of his Boat was found beaten to pieces 



' In orig. : " la uuit du Samedi au Dimanche." 



2 In orig. : " qu'on ne pourroit jamais decouvrir comment il auroit 

 ecliape du Roclier, ni noussoup^onnerd'avoireu part a son evasion.'' " We 

 have the originals of these two letters in our possession" {note in orig.). 



2 In orig. : " un petit poilon,'' i.e., poelou, a saucepan. 



