shed by an earthquake
and lightning. Here we continued about five months, being very sparingly
dieted, and locked up every night.

This place, however, I thought a paradise to our former dungeon; and as
we were not overworked, we made our lives comfortable enough, having the
air all day to refresh us from the heat, and not wanting for company;
for there were at least three hundred of us about the whole work; and
I often fancied myself at the tower of Babel, each labourer almost
speaking in a language of his own.

Towards the latter end of our work our keepers grew more and more remiss
in their care of us. At my first coming thither, I had contracted a
familiarity with one of the natives, but of a different kingdom, who was
then a slave with me; and he and I being able tolerably to understand
each other, he hinted to me, one day, the desire he had of seeing his
own country and family, who neither knew whether he was dead or alive,
or where he was, since he had left them, seven years before, to make war
in this kingdom; and insinuated that as he had taken a great liking to
me, if I would endeavour to escape with him, and we succeeded, he would
provide for me. "For," says he, "you see, now our work is almost over,
we are but slightly guarded; and if we stay till this job is once
finished, we may be commanded to some new works at the other end of the
kingdom, for aught we know, so that our labours will only cease with our
lives: and for my part, immediate death in the attempt of liberty is to
me preferable to a lingering life of slavery."

These, and such-like arguments, prevailed on me to accompany him, as he
had told me he had travelled most of the country before in the wars of
the different nations; so having taken our resolution, the following
evening, soon after our day's work, and before the time came for locking
up, we withdrew from the rest, but within hearing, thinking if we should
then be missed and called, we would appear and make some excuse for our
absence, but if not, we should have the whole night before us.

When we were first put upon this work, we were called over singly, by
name, morning and evening, to be let out and in, and were very narrowly
observed in our motions; but not one of us having been ever absent, our
actions were at length much less minded than before, and the ceremony of
calling us over was frequently omitted; so that we concluded if we
got away unobserved the first night, we should be