t where
my habitation was. I was dreadfully frightened, that I must
acknowledge, when I perceived him run my way; and especially when, as
I thought, I saw him pursued by the whole body; and now I expected
that part of my dream was coming to pass, and that he would certainly
take shelter in my grove; but I could not depend, by any means, upon
my dream, that the other savages would not pursue him thither, and
find him there. However, I kept my station, and my spirits began to
recover when I found that there was not above three men that followed
him; and still more was encouraged, when I found that he outstript
them exceedingly in running, and gained ground on them; so that, if he
could but hold it for half an hour, I saw easily he would fairly get
away from them all.

There was, between them and my castle, the creek, which I mentioned
often in the first part of my story, where I landed my cargoes out of
the ship; and this I saw plainly he must necessarily swim over, or the
poor wretch would be taken there; but when the savage escaping came
thither, he made nothing of it, tho the tide was then up; but,
plunging in, swam through in about thirty strokes, or thereabouts,
landed and ran with exceeding strength and swiftness. When the three
persons came to the creek I found that two of them could swim, but the
third could not, and that, standing on the other side, he looked at
the others, but went no farther, and soon after went softly back
again; which, as it happened, was very well for him in the end. I
observed that the two who swam were yet more than twice as long
swimming over the creek than the fellow was that fled from them. It
came very warmly upon my thoughts, and indeed irresistibly, that now
was the time to get me a servant, and perhaps a companion or
assistant; and that I was plainly called by Providence to save this
poor creature's life. I immediately ran down the ladder with all
possible expedition, fetched my two guns, for they were both at the
foot of the ladder, as I observed before, and getting up again with
the same haste to the top of the hill, I crost toward the sea; and
having a very short cut, and all down hill, clap'd myself in the way
between the pursuers and the pursued, hallooing aloud to him that
fled, who, looking back, was at first perhaps as much frightened at me
as at them; but I beckoned with my hand to him to come back; and, in
the mean time, I slowly advanced toward the two that followed; the