Page:Life and unparalleled voyages and adventures of Ambrose Gwinnett (1).pdf/11

 it pleased God, that, about this time, a lad, who took care of them, came to drive them home for evening milking. The creatures, which were feeding almost under me, brought him near the gibbet, when, stopping to look at the melancholy spectacle, he perceived that the cloth was from off my face, and, in the very moment he looked up, saw me open my eyes and move my under jaw. He immediately ran home to inform the people at his master’s. At first, they had some difficulty in believing his story; but at length my brother came out, and, by the time he arrived at the field, I was so far recovered that my groans were very audible.

It was now dusk. The first thing they ran for was a ladder. One of my brother’s men mounted, and, putting his hand to my stomach, felt my heart beat very strongly. But it was found impossible to detach me from the gibbet without cutting it down. A saw, therefore, was got for that purpose, and, without giving you a detail of trifling circumstances, in less than half an hour, having freed me from my irons, they got me bled, and put me into a warm bed in my brother’s house.

It is an amazing thing, that, though upwards of eight persons were acquainted with this transaction, and I remained three days in the place after it happened, not a creature divulged the secret. Early next morning, it was known that the gibbet was cut down, and it immediately occurred to every body that it was done by my relations, in order to put a icil over their own shame, by burning the body. But, when my brother was summoned to the mayor’s house in order to be questioned, and he denied knowing anything of the matter, little more stir was made about it; partly because he was greatly respected by all the neighbouring gentlemen, and, in some measure, perhaps, because it was known that I continued to persist strongly in my being innocent of the crime for which I suffered