as in great demand
at Norfolk. I did so, and sold some cargoes to Mr. Moses Myers, of
Norfolk. As I was waiting at the door of his store for settlement, he
came up with Mr. Trewitt, whom I did not then know. Mr. Myers said to
Mr. Trewitt, 'Here is a captain doing business for you.' Mr. Trewitt
then asked me who had chartered the boats, and to whom I belonged. I
told him Mr. Sutton had chartered me, and that I had belonged to Mr.
James Grandy, but had bought myself. He said he would buy me; on which
Mr. Myers told him he could not, as I had already bought myself, and
further said I was one of their old war captains, and had never lost a
single thing of the property intrusted to me. Mr. Trewitt said he
would buy me, and would see about it as soon as he got to Elizabeth
City. I thought no more about it. On my return voyage, I delivered a
cargo at Elizabeth City, for Mr. Trewitt. I had been at Mr. Grice's,
the owner of the boats; and, on my going away from him to meet Mr.
Trewitt for settlement, he said he would go with me, as he wanted
money. Opposite the custom house we met Mr. Trewitt, who said, 'Well,
captain, I have bought you.' Mr. Grice said, 'Let us have no nonsense;
go and settle with him.' Angry words passed between them, one saying
he had bought me, and the other denying that he had or could, as I had
bought myself already. We all went to Mr. Grice's dwelling house;
there Mr. Trewitt settled with me about the freight, and then, jumping
up, said, 'Now I will show you, Mr. Grice, whether I am a liar or
not.' He fetched the bill of sale; on reading it, Mr. Grice's color
changed, and he sent for Mrs. Grice. When she read it, she began to
cry; seeing that, I began to cry too. She sent me to her brother, who
was at Mr. Wood's boarding house. He was playing at billiards. I said
to him, 'Master James, have you sold me?' He said, 'No.' I said he
had; when he turned round and went into another room, crying; I
followed him. All the gentlemen followed us, saying, 'Captain Grandy,
what is the matter?' I told them Master James had sold me again. They
asked him why he had done it; he said it was because people had jeered
him by saying I had more sense than he had. They would not suffer him
to remain in the boarding house, but turned him out, there and then,
with all his trunks and boxes. Mrs. Grice, his sister, sued him in my
name for my liberty, but he gained the cause. The court maintained
that I, and all I could do, belonged