Page:Most remarkable passages in the life of the honourable Colonel James Gardiner.pdf/13

 And now I am come to that astonishing part of his story, the account of his conversion; which I cannot enter upon without alluring the reader, that I have sometimes been tempted to suppress many circumstances of it, not only as they may seem incredible to some, and enthusiastical to others, but as I am very sensible they are liable to great abuses; which was the reason that he gave me for concealing the most extraordinary from many persons to whom he mentioned some of the rest. And I believe it was this, together with the desire of avoiding every thing that might look like ostentation on this head, that prevented his leaving a written account of it, though I have often intreated him to do it, as I particularly remember I did in the very last letter I ever wrote him; and pleaded the possibility of his falling amidst those dangers to which I knew his valour might in such circumstances naturally expose him. I was not so happy as to receive any answer to this letter, which reached him but a few days before his death; nor can I certainly say, whether he had or had not complied with my request, as it is very possible a paper of that kind, if it were written, might be lost amidst the ravages which the rebels made when they plundered Bankton.

The story, however, was so remarkable, that I had little reason to apprehend I should ever forget it ; and yet, to guard against all contingencies of that kind, I wrote it down that very evening, as I heard it from his own mouth: And I have now before me the memoirs of that conversation, dated August 14th 1739, which conclude with these words, (which I added, that, if we should both have died that night, the world might not have lost this edifying and affecting history, or have wanted any attestation of it I was capable of giving.) “ N. B. I have written down this account with all the exactness I am capable of, and could safely take an oath of it, as to the truth