236 me  iliats Fourth Voyage of

 

Opportunity one day to get at a distance from the houses, and to
make my escape. An old man who saw me, and suspected my
design, called to me as loud as he could to return, but instead
of obeying him, I redoubled my pace, and quickly got out of sight.
At that time there was none but the. old man about the houses, the
rest being away, and not to come home till night, which was pretty
usual with them ; therefore, being sure that they could not come in
time to pursue me, I went on till night, when I stopped to rest a
little, and to eat some of the provisions I. had taken care to bring ;
but I speedily set forward again, and travelled seven days, avoiding
those places which seemed to be inhabited, and living for the most
part upon cecoanuts, which served me for both meat and drink.
On the eighth day I came near the sea, and all of a sudden saw
white people like myself gathering pepper, of which there was
great plenty in that place. This I took to. be a good omen, and
went to them without any scruple.
The people who gathered pepper came-to.meet me as soon as
they saw me, and asked me in Arabic who I was, and whence I
came. I was overjoyed to hear them speak in my own language,
and satisfied their curiosity: by. giving them an account of my
shipwreck, and how I fell into the hands of the black men. ‘Those
black men,’ replied they, ‘are cannibals, and by what miracle did
you escape their cruelty?’ I told them the same story I now tell
you, at which they were wonderfully surprised. = ;
I stayed with ‘them till they had gathered. their quantity of
pepper, and then sailed with them to the island from whence
they came. They presented me to their king, who was a good
prince. He had the patience to hear the relation of my adventures,
which surprised him, and he afterwards gave me _ clothes, and
commanded care to be taken of me. Et eaeae =
_ .The island was very well. peopled, ‘plentiful in everything, and
the capital was a place of great trade, This ‘agreeable retreat, was