EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. 269 



cut flicks againft his orders, I quit tly ftepped up to his CHAP. 



XI 



hammock in the dark, to undeceive him, and foftly af- ^ 

 fured him that the whole camp was faft afleep ; when he, 

 on pretence of not knowing me, fuddenly gave a loud 

 roar, and with hoth his hands caught hold of me by the 

 hair of the head. I efcaped, and got fairly under cover, 

 while he called, " Fire at him ! fire at him !" to the infi- 

 nite amufement of the whole camp, who lay in their 

 hammocks convulfed with laughter. Having found out 

 Quaco, I inftantly fent him back to bring my luncheon ; 

 and fuch was his diligence, that he a6lually brought me 

 back a piece of beef at leafl: ten times as large as what 

 I had left, with which I had once more the fatis faction 

 to regale the poor flaves : and thus ended this horrid 

 day. 



The 13th we once more returned to the Wana Creek, 

 fatigued beyond the power of defcription with thefe 

 fruitlefs fufferings. 



Here the old gentleman regaled his friends with my 

 rum in my prefence, and without offering me a fingle 

 drop. Here alfo I found a letter from the ifland of Cey- 

 lon in the Eafl Indies, where my friend and relation, 

 Mr. Arnoldus De Ly, being governor of Poind-de-Gale 

 and Maturee, I was invited to come and find my fortune 

 ready made, but which for the prefent my evil ftars 

 prevented my accepting, as it would have been diOio- 

 nourable to leave the fervice at this juncture. 



The 



