ch
made me ask, what Advantage it would be to doubt? It would but give us a
Fear of him, and possibly compel us to treat him so as I should be very
loth to behold; that is, it might occasion his Confinement. Perhaps this
was not so luckily spoke of me, for I perceiv'd he resented that Word,
which I strove to soften again in vain: However, he assur'd me, that
whatsoever Resolutions he should take, he would act nothing upon the
_White_ People; and as for myself, and those upon that _Plantation_
where he was, he would sooner forfeit his eternal Liberty, and Life
itself, than lift his Hand against his greatest Enemy on that Place. He
besought me to suffer no Fears upon his Account, for he could do nothing
that Honour should not dictate; but he accused himself for having
suffer'd Slavery so long; yet he charg'd that Weakness on Love alone,
who was capable of making him neglect even Glory itself; and, for which,
now he reproaches himself every Moment of the Day. Much more to this
Effect he spoke, with an Air impatient enough to make me know he would
not be long in Bondage; and tho' he suffer'd only the Name of a Slave,
and had nothing of the Toil and Labour of one, yet that was sufficient
to render him uneasy; and he had been too long idle, who us'd to be
always in Action, and in Arms. He had a Spirit all rough and fierce, and
that could not be tam'd to lazy Rest: And tho' all Endeavours were us'd
to exercise himself in such Actions and Sports as this World afforded,
as Running, Wrestling, Pitching the Bar, Hunting and Fishing, Chasing
and Killing _Tygers_ of a monstrous Size, which this Continent affords
in abundance; and wonderful _Snakes_, such as _Alexander_ is reported to
have encounter'd at the River of _Amazons_, and which _Caesar_ took great
Delight to overcome; yet these were not Actions great enough for his
large Soul, which was still panting after more renown'd Actions.

Before I parted that Day with him, I got, with much ado, a Promise from
him to rest yet a little longer with Patience, and wait the Coming of
the Lord Governour, who was every Day expected on our Shore: He assur'd
me he would, and this Promise he desired me to know was given perfectly
in Complaisance to me, in whom he had an entire Confidence.

After this, I neither thought it convenient to trust him much out of our
View, nor did the Country, who fear'd him; but with one Accord it was
advis'd to treat him fairly, and oblige him to remain within suc