I Had Like To Bee Lost Severall Times In These Journeys
By Reason Of Great Stores Of Ice; & The Passage Of The Entrance Of The
River To Double The Point To Enter Into That Where Mr. Bridgar & The New
England Shipp Lay Was Allways Dangerous.
I will not here insist upon the perrills I expos'd my self unto in coming &
going to prepare things
For our departure when the season would permitt;
but I cannot omit telling that amongst other kindnesses I did Mr. Bridgar I
gave him stuff suffitient to sheath his shallup, which was quite out of
order, as also cordage & all things else necessary; but hee did not well by
me, for contrary to his word which he had given me not to goe to the fort
in the Island, hee attempted to goe thether with his people in his shallup,
& being come within musket-shott under a pretence of desiring some Powder,
the comander would not suffer him to come any neerer, & made him cast anker
farther off. Hee sent his boats for Mr. Bridgar, who came alone into the
fort, though hee earnestly desired one of his men might bee admitted along
with him, but was deny'd. His men were order'd to lodge themselves ashore
the North side of the River in hutts, & provisions was sent unto them. Mr.
Bridgar spent that night in the Fort, went away the next day. The day
before I see the shallup going full salle towards the fort, whether I was
also going myself by land with one Englishman in whom I put a great deale
of confidence, having no body else with me. I did suspect that Mr. Bridgar
had a dessign to make some surprise, but I was not much afraid by reason of
the care & good order I had taken to prevent him.
Nevertheless I feared that things went not well; for when I came neer the
fort, seeing the boate coming for me, & that the comander did not make the
signall that was agreed upon betwixt us, this startled me very much, & I
appeared as a man that had cause to feare the worst; which one of our
frenchmen that steered the boat wherin ther was 4 Englishmen perceiving,
cry'd out all was well, & made the signall. I blamed him & the comander for
putting me in feare in not making the usuall signes.
When I came to the fort I was told Mr. Bridgar was there, & that hee was
receayed, as has been recited. I was also tould hee had privat discours
with the carpenter of the new England shipp that I had formerly ingadged in
a friendly manner to attend & serve him. This discours made the comander
the more narrowly to inspect Mr. Bridgar. & to stand better upon his gard,
the Scotch man telling him hee was not come thither with any good
intention; so that the comander of the Fort sent him away in the morning,
having given him some Pork, Pease, & Powder.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 182 of 223
Words from 94107 to 94606
of 117345
