A RACE FOR LIFE. 255

away from them, and ran with incredible swiftness along the sands
directly towards me; I mean, towards that part of the coast where
my habitation was.

I was dreadfully frighted, that I must acknowledge, when I
perceived him to 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 for the rest of it—namely, 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 were not above three men that followed him; and still
more was I encouraged, when I found that he outstripped them
exceedingly in running, and gained ground of 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 men-
tioned often at the first part of my story, when I landed my car-
goes 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, though
the tide was then up, but plunging in, swam through in about
thirty strokes or thereabouts, landed and ran on 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 other, but went
no further ; and soon after went softly back, which, as it happened,
was very well for him in the main.

I observed that the two who swam were yet more than twice as
long swimming over the creek as the fellow was that fled from
them. It came now very warmly upon my thoughts, and indeed
irresistibly, that now was my time to get me a servant, and per-
haps a companion or assistant; and that I was called plainly by
Providence to save this poor creature’s life. I immediately ran
down the ladders with all possible expedition, fetches my two
guns, for they were both but at the foot of the ladders, as I

observed above; and getting up again with the same haste to the
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