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第3章 重抵极阳城

ee tothemselves, their fright was over, and they saw no savages forseveral years after.

　　We had a prisoner, indeed, but the creature was so sullen that hewould neither cat nor speak, and we all fancied he would starvehimself to death. But I took a way to cure him: for I had madethem take him and turn him into the long-boat, and make him believethey would toss him into the sea again, and so leave him where theyfound him, if he would not speak; nor would that do, but theyreally did throw him into the sea, and came away from him. Then hefollowed them, for he swam like a cork, and called to them in histongue, though they knew not one word of what he said; however atlast they took him in again., and then he began to he moretractable: nor did I ever design they should drown him.

gain asbrought them into a great deal of trouble.

e onthe points of religion in which we may not agree, further than youshall give me leave."

w the restof the boats began to come up. Our men in the pinnace followedtheir orders, and took up three men, one of whom was just drowning,and it was a good while before we could recover him. As soon asthey were on board we crowded all the sail we could make, and stoodfarther out to the sea; and we found that when the other boats cameup to the first, they gave over their chase.

　　In what he said there seemed so much sincerity of repentance, thatit painfully affected me. I could not but reflect that I, too, hadshortened the life of a good, tender father by my bad conduct andobstinate self-will. I was, indeed, so surprised with what he hadtold me, that I thought, instead of my going about to teach andinstruct him, the man was made a teacher and instructor to me in amost unexpected manner.

　　But the misery of the poor passengers in the cabin was of anothernature, and far beyond the rest; for as, first, the ship's companyhad so little for themselves, it was but too true that they had atfirst kept them very low, and at last totally neglected them: sothat for six or seven days it might be said they had really no foodat all, and for several days before very little. The poor mother,who, as the men reported, was a woman of sense and good breeding,had spared all she could so affectionately for her son, that atlast she entirely sank under it; and when the mate of our ship wentin, she sat upon the floor on deck, with her back up against thesides, between two chairs, which were lashed fast, and her headsunk between her shoulders like a corpse, though not quite dead.My mate said all he could to revive and encourage her, and with aspoon put some broth into her mouth. She opened her lips, andlifted up one hand, but could not speak: yet she understood whathe said, and made signs to him, intimating, that

　　I had a great many discourses with them about their circumstanceswhen they were among the savages. They told me readily that theyhad no instances to give of their application or ingenuity in thatcountry; that they were a poor, miserable, dejected handful ofpeople; that even if means had been put into their hands, yet theyhad so abandoned themselves to despair, and were so sunk under theweight of their misfortune, that they thought of nothing butstarving. One of them, a grave and sensible man, told me he wasconvinced they were in the wrong; that it was not the part of wisemen to give themselves up to their misery, but always to take holdof the helps which reason offered, as well for present support asfor future deliverance: he told me that grief was the mostsenseless, insignificant passion in the world, for that it regardedonly things past, which were generally impossible to be recalled orto be remedied, but had no views of things to come, and had noshare in anything that looked like deliverance, but rath

s careliving in a total neglect of God and His commands. It is not yourmen being Protestants, whatever my opinion may be of such, thatdischarges me from being concerned for their souls, and fromendeavouring, if it lies before me, that they should live in aslittle distance from enmity with their Maker as possible,especially if you give me leave to meddle so far in your circuit."