WHAT SHALL BE DONE? 881

on purpose for their deliverance, yet it was impossible for us wil-
fully to change our voyage on this particular account, nor could my
nephew, the captain, answer it to the freighters, with whom he
was under charter-party to pursue his voyage by the way of Brazil ;
and all I knew we could do for them was to put ourselves in the
way of meeting with other ships, homeward bound from the West
Indies, and get them passage, if possible, to England or France.

The first part of the proposal was so generous and kind, they
could not but be very thankful for it; but they were in a very
great consternation, especially the passengers, at the notion of
being carried away to the East Indies; and they then entreated
me, that seeing I was driven so far to the westward before I met
with them, I would at least keep on the same course to the Banks
of Newfoundland, where it was probable I might meet with some
ship or sloop that they might hire to carry them back to Canada,
from whence they came.

I thought this was but a reasonable request on their part, and
therefore I inclined to agree to it ; for, indeed, I considered that to
carry this whole company to the East Indies, would not only be an
intolerable severity upon the poor people, but would be ruining
our whole voyage by devouring all our provisions: so I thought
it no breach of charter-party, but what an unforeseen accident made
absolutely necessary to us, and in which no one could say we were
to blame; for the laws of God and nature would have forbid that
we should refuse to take up two boats full of people in such a dis-
tressed condition ; and the nature of the thing, as well respecting
ourselves as the poor people, obliged us to set them on shore some-
where or other for their deliverance. So I consented that we
should carry them to Newfoundland, if wind and weather would
permit, and if not, that I would carry them to Martinico in the
West Indies.

The wind continued fresh easterly, but the weather pretty good ;
and as the winds had continued in the points between north-east
and south-east a long time, we missed several opportunities of
sending them to France; for we met several ships bound. to
Europe, whereof two were French, from St. Christopher’s, but they
had been so long beating up against the wind, that they durst take