998 DIVIDING THE LAND.

that he would give me some letters to his friends in London to let
them know how good I had been to him, and in what part of the
world and what circumstance [ had left him in: that he promised
me that, whenever I redeemed him, the plantation, and all the im-
provement he had made upon it, let the value be what it would,
should be wholly mine.

His discourse was very prettily delivered, considering his youth,
and was the more agreeable to me because he told me positively
the match was not for himself. I gave him all possible assurances
that, if I lived to come safe to England, I would deliver his letter,
and do his business etlectually, and that he might depend I would
never forget the circumstance I had left him in. But still I was
impatient to know who were the persons to be married, upon
which he told me it was my Jack of all trades and his maid
Susan.

I was most agreeably surprised when he named the match, for
indeed I thought it very suitable. The character of that man I
have given already; and as for the maid, she was a very honest,
modest, sober, and religious young woman ; had a very good share
of sense, was agreeable enough in her person, spoke very hand-
somely and to the purpose, always with decency and good man
ners, and not backward to speak when anything required it, or
impertinently forward to speak when it was not her business ; very
handy and housewifely in anything that was before her; an ex-
cellent manager, and fit indeed to have been governess to the
whole island; she knew very well how to behave to all kind of
folks she had about her, and to better, if she had found any there.

The match being proposed in this manner, we married them the
same day; and as I was father at the altar, as I may say, and gave
her away, so I gave her a portion; for I appointed her and her
husband a handsome large space of ground for their plantation.
And indeed this match, and the proposal the young gentleman
made to give him a small property in the island, put me upon
parcelling it out amongst them, that they might not quarrel after-
wards about their situation.

This sharing out the land to them I left to Will Atkins, who,
indeed, was now grown a most sober, grave, managing fellow,