by some enemy of the captain's to him, and therefore ought to be
kept in irons till he could be brought to a court-martial, which, no
doubt, would sift the affair to the bottom (by which means important
discoveries might be made), and then sentence the criminal to a death
according to his demerits. This suggestion, improbable as it was, had
the desired effect upon the captain, being exactly calculated for the
meridan of his intellects; more especially as Dr. Mackshane espoused
this opinion, in consequence of his previous declaration that the man
was not mad. Morgan finding there was no more damage done, could not
help discovering by his countenance the pleasure he enjoyed on this
occasion; and, while he bathed the doctor's face with an embrocation,
ventured to ask him, whether he thought there were more fools or madmen
on board? But he would have been wiser in containing this sally, which
his patient carefully laid up in his memory, to be taken notice of at
a more fit season. Meanwhile we weighed anchor, and, on our way to the
Downs, the madman, who was treated as a prisoner, took an opportunity,
while the sentinel attending him was at the head, to leap and frustrate
the revenge of the captain. We stayed not long at the Downs, but took
the benefit of the first easterly wind to go round to Spithead: where,
having received provisions on board for six months, we sailed from
St. Helen's in the grand fleet bound for the West Indies, on the
ever-memorable expedition of Carthagena.

It was not without great mortification I saw myself on the point of
being transported to such a distant and unhealthy climate, destitute of
every convenience that could render such a voyage supportable, and
under the dominion of an arbitrary tyrant, whose command was almost
intolerable; however, as these complaints were common to a great many on
board, I resolved to submit patiently to my fate, and contrive to make
myself as easy as the nature of the case would allow. We got out of the
channel with a prosperous breeze, which died away, leaving us becalmed
about fifty leagues to the westward of the Lizard: but this state of
inaction did not last long; for next night our maintop-sail was split
by the wind, which, in the morning, increased to a hurricane. I was
awakened by a most horrible din, occasioned by the play of the gun
carriages upon the decks above, the cracking of cabins, the howling of
the wind through the shrouds, the confused noise of the