HOP-O"-MY-THUMB. 137

 

the Emperor would not permit. Having thus prepared all
things as well as I was able, I set sail on the 24th day of Sep-
tember, 1701, at in the morning. On the next day, about
three in the afternoon, I descried a sail steering to the south-
cast ; I hailed her, and in about half-an-hour she spied me,
then hung out her ancient, and discharged agun. It is not
easy to express the joy I felt at the unexpected hope of once
more seeing my beloved country and the dear pledges I had
left in it, The ship slackened ber sails, and I came up with
her Setween five and six in the evening, and my heart leaped
within me to see English colours. I put my cows and sheep
into my coat-pockets, and got on board with all my little
cargo of provisions. ‘I'he vessel was an English merchantman,
returning from Japan by the North and South Seas: the
captain was a very civil man, and an excellent sailor, and [
experienced great kindness from him,

Ishall not trouble the reader with a particular account of
this voyage, which was very prosperous for the most part. We
arrived in the Downs on the 13th of April, 1702. I had only
one misfortune—the rats on board carried away one of my
sheep, the rest of my cattle got safe ashore, and I set them
a-grazing on a howling-green at Greenwich, where the fineness
of the grass caused them to feed very heartily.

 

 

 

 

 

HOP-O’-MY-THUMB.

Taenr once lived in a village a faggot-maker and his wife,
who had seven children, all boys ; the eldest was no more than
ten years old, and the youngest was only seven, It was odd
enough, to be sure, that they should have so many children