Page:Life and astonishing adventures of Peter Williamson (2).pdf/4

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amusements with my fellow-sufferers in the steer- age, being never suffered to go upon deck whilst the vessel lay in the harbour. In about a month’s time the ship set sail for America. I eannot forget that, when we arrived on the coast we were destined for, a hard gale of wind sprung up from the S. E. and, to the eap- tain’s great surprise (he not thinking he was near land, although having been 11 weeks on the pass- age), about twelve o’eloek at night, the ship struek on a sand bank off Cape May, near the Capes of Delaware, and, to the great terror and affright of the ship’s eompany, in a short time was almost full of water. The boat was then hoisted out, into whieh the eaptain and his fel- low villians, the erew, got with some diffieulty, leaving me and my deluded eompanions to perish, as they then naturally eoneluded inevitable death to be our fate. Often, in my distresses and miseries sinee, have I wished that sueh had been the eonsequenee, when in a state of innocenee ! But Providence thought proper to reserve me for future trials of its goodness. Thus abandoned and deserted, without the least prospeet of relief, but threatened every moment with death, did these villians leave us. The eries, the shrieks, and tears of a parcel of infants, had no effect on, or caused the least remorse in the breasts of these merciless wretches. Scarce ean I say to which