place they belonged to. The man replied, To the west of
England, to one Mr. Buck of Biddeford, to whom most of the town belonged.
Our hero's heart leaped for joy at this good news, and he hastily asked
if the captains Kenny, Hervey, Hopkins, and George Bird were there; the
man replying in the affirmative, still heightened his satisfaction. Will
you have the goodness to be an unfortunate prisoner's friend, said he to
the person he was talking with, and present my humble duty to any of
them, but particularly to Captain Hervey, and inform them I am here. The
man very civilly replied he would do it; and asked what he should tell
them was his name? Carew, replied our hero. Away ran the messenger with
great haste, but before he got half way, forgetting the name ran back
again to ask it. Tell them my name is Carew, the rat-catcher; away went
the man again, repeating all the way, Carew, the rat-catcher, lest he
should forget it a second time; and he now executed his message so well,
that very soon after came the captains to the gaol door.

Inquiring for Carew, the rat-catcher, as they wanted to speak with him;
our hero, who heard them, answered with a tantivy, and a halloo to the
dogs; upon which Captain Hervey swore it was Carew, and fell a laughing
very heartily, then coming to the window, they very cordially shook hands
with him, saying, they should as soon have expected to have seen Sir
Robert Walpole there as him. They then inquired by what means he came
there; and he informed them circumstantially of every thing as already
mentioned. The captains asked him if he would drink a glass of rum,
which he accepted of very gladly in his present condition; one of them
quickly sent down to the storehouse for a bottle of rum and a bottle of
October, and then they all went into the gaol, and sat down with him.

Thus did he see himself once more surrounded by his friends, so that he
scarcely regretted his meeting with the timbermen, as they had brought
him into such good company. He was so elevated with his good fortune,
that he forgot all his misfortunes, and passed the evening as cheerfully
as if he was neither a slave nor a prisoner. The captains inquired if he
had been sold to a planter before he made his escape; he replied in the
negative, when they informed him, that unless his captain came and
demanded him, he would be publicly sold the next court-day. When they
took their leaves, they told him they would see him the