The Life, Adventures & Piracies of the Famous Captain Singleton

hard, and theyhad not tools to dig with, and so it was impossible for them to buryhim; and having a small matter of money left him, viz., a pagoda and agold ring, he hired a man, and so buried him in as decent a manner astheir condition would permit.

  His dead father being thus removed out of his sight, but his aguecontinuing, he was reduced very low, partly by sorrow and partly by hisdisease. All the comfort he had was to go into the wood and fields witha book, either the "Practice of Piety" or Mr Rogers's "Seven Treatises,"which were the only two books he had, and meditate and read, andsometimes pray; in which his anguish made him often invert Elijah'spetition,--that he might die, because his life was a burden to him. God,though He was pleased to prolong his life, yet He found a way to lightenhis grief, by removing his ague, and granting him a desire which aboveall things was acceptable to him. He had read his two books over sooften that he had both almost by heart; and though they were bothpious and good writings, yet he longed for the truth from the originalfountain, and thought it his greatest unhappiness that he had not aBible, and did believe that he should never see one again; but, contraryto his expectation, God brought him one after this manner. As he wasfishing one day with his black boy, to catch some fish to relieve hishunger, an old man passed by them, and asked his boy whether his mastercould read; and when the boy had answered yes, he told him that he hadgotten a book from the Portuguese, when they left Colombo; and, if hismaster pleased, he would sell it him. The boy told his master, who badehim go and see what book it was. The boy having served the Englishsome time, knew the book, and as soon as he got it into his hand, camerunning to him, calling out before he came to him, "It is the Bible!"The words startled him, and he flung down his angle to meet him, and,finding it was true, was mightily rejoiced to see it; but he was afraidhe should not have enough to purchase it, though he was resolved to partwith all the money he had, which was but one pagoda, to buy it; but hisblack boy persuading him to slight it, and leave it to him to buy it, heat length obtained it for a knit cap.

  This accident he could not but look upon as a great miracle, that Godshould bestow upon him such an extraordinary blessing, and bring him aBible in his own native language, in such a remote part of the world,where His name was not known, and where it was never heard of that anEnglishman had ever been before. The enjoyment of this mercy was a greatcomfort to him in captivity, and though he wanted no bodily conveniencethat the country did afford; for the king, immediately after hisfather's death, had sent an express order to the people of the towns,that they should be kind to him, and give him good victuals; and afterhe had been some time in the country, and understood the language,he got him good conveniences, as a house and gardens; and fallingto husbandry, God so prospered him, that he had plenty, not only forhimself, but to lend others; which being, according to the custom of thecountry, at 50 per cent. a year, much enriched him: he had also goats,which served him for mutton, and hogs and hens. Notwithstanding this, Isay, for he lived as fine as any of their noblemen, he could not so farforget his native country as to be contented to dwell in a strange land,where there was to him a famine of God's word and sacraments, the wantof which made all other things to be of little value to him; therefore,as he made it his daily and fervent prayer to God, in His good time, torestore him to both, so, at length, he, with one Stephen Rutland, whohad lived with him two years before, resolved to make their escape, and,about the year 1673, meditated all secret ways to compass it. They hadbefore taken up a way of peddling about the country, and buying tobacco,pepper, garlic, combs, and all sorts of iron ware, and carried them intothose parts of the country where they wanted them; and now, to promotetheir design, as they went with their commodities from place to place,they discoursed with the country people (for they could now speak theirlanguage well) concerning the ways and inhabitants, where the isle wasthinnest and fullest inhabited, where and how the watches lay from onecountry to another, and what commodities were proper for them to carryinto all parts; pretending that they would furnish themselves with suchwares as the respective places wanted. None doubted but what they didwas upon the account of trade, because Mr Knox was so well seated, andcould not be supposed to leave such an estate, by travelling northward,because that part of the land was least inhabited; and so, furnishingthemselves with such wares as were vendible in those parts, they setforth, and steered their course towards the north part of the islands,knowing very little of the ways, which were generally intricate andperplexed, because they have no public roads, but a multitude of littlepaths from one town to another, and those often changing; and for whitemen to inquire about the ways was very dangerous, because the peoplewould presently suspect their design.

  At this time they travelled from Conde Uda as far as the country ofNuwarakalawiya, which is the furthermost part of the king's dominions,and about three days' journey from their dwelling. They were verythankful to Providence that they had passed all difficulties so far,but yet they durst not go any farther, because they had no wares left totraffic with; and it being the first time they had been absent so longfrom home, they feared the townsmen would come after them to seek forthem; and so they returned home, and went eight or ten times into thoseparts with their wares, till they became well acquainted both with thepeople and the paths.

  In these parts Mr Knox met his black boy, whom he had turned away diversyears before. He had now got a wife and children, and was very poor;but being acquainted with these quarters, he not only took directionsof him, but agreed with him, for a good reward, to conduct him andhis companions to the Dutch. He gladly undertook it, and a time wasappointed between them; but Mr Knox being disabled by a grievous pain,which seized him on his right side, and held him five days that he couldnot travel, this appointment proved in vain; for though he went assoon as he was well, his guide was gone into another country about hisbusiness, and they durst not at that time venture to run away withouthim.

  These attempts took up eight or nine years, various accidents hinderingtheir designs, but most commonly the dry weather, because they feared inthe woods they should be starved with thirst, all the country being insuch a condition almost four or five years together for lack of rain.

  On September 22, 1679, they set forth again, furnished with knives andsmall axes for their defence, because they could carry them privatelyand send all sorts of wares to sell as formerly, and all necessaryprovisions, the moon being twenty-seven days old, that they might havelight to run away by, to try what success God Almighty would now givethem in seeking their liberty. Their first stage was to Anuradhapoora,in the way to which lay a wilderness, called Parraoth Mocolane, full ofwild elephants, tigers, and bears; and because it is the utmost confinesof the king's dominions, there is always a watch kept.

  In the middle of the way they heard that the governor's officers ofthese parts were out to gather up the king's revenues and duties, tosend them up to the city; which put them into no small fear, lest,finding them, they should send them back again; whereupon they withdrewto the western parts of Ecpoulpot, and sat down to knitting till theyheard the officers were gone. As soon as they were departed, they wentonwards of their journey, having got a good parcel of cotton-yarn toknit caps with, and having kept their wares, as they pretended, toexchange for dried flesh, which was sold only in those lower parts.Their way lay necessarily through the governor's yard at Kalluvilla, whodwells there on purpose to examine all that go and come. This greatlydistressed them, because he would easily suspect they were out of theirbounds, being captives; however, they went resolutely to his house, andmeeting him, presented him with a small parcel of tobacco and betel;and, showing him their wares, told him they came to get dried flesh tocarry back with them. The governor did not suspect them, but toldthem he was sorry they came in so dry a time, when no deer were to becatched, but if some rain fell, he would soon supply them. This answerpleased them, and they seemed contented to stay; and accordingly,abiding with him two or three days, and no rain falling, they presentedthe governor with five or six charges of gunpowder, which i
s a rarityamong them; and leaving a bundle at his house, they desired him to shootthem some deer, while they made a step to Anuradhapoora. Here also theywere put in a great fright by the coming of certain soldiers from theking to the governor, to give him orders to set a secure guard at thewatches, that no suspicious persons might pass, which, though it wasonly intended to prevent the flight of the relations of certain nobleswhom the king had clapped up, yet they feared they might wonder to seewhite men here, and so send them back again; but God so ordered it thatthey were very kind to them and left them to their business, and so theygot safe to Anuradhapoora. Their pretence was dried flesh, though theyknew there was none to be had; but their real business was to search theway down to the Dutch, which they stayed three days to do; but findingthat in the way to Jaffnapatam, which is one of the Dutch ports, therewas a watch which could hardly be