 became frantick; vented my rage in oaths and execrations, till my
spirits being quite exhausted, I remained quiet and insensible of the load that
oppressed me. - The engagement lasted till broad day, when captain Oakhum,
finding he was like to gain neither honour nor advantage by the affair,
pretended to be undeceived by seeing their colours; and hailing the ship with
whom he had fought all night, protested be believed them Spaniards, and the guns
being silenced on each side, ordered the barge to be hoisted out, and went on
board of the French commodore. - Our loss amounted to ten killed and eighteen
wounded, most part of whom afterwards died. - My fellow-mates had no sooner
dispatched their business in the cockpit, than full of friendly concern, they
came to visit me. - Morgan ascending first, and seeing my face almost covered
with brains and blood, concluded I was no longer a man for this world; and
calling to Thomson with great emotion, bid him come up and take his last farewel
of his comrade and countryman, who was posting to a petter place, where there
were no Mackshanes nor Oakhums to asperse and torment him. - »No (said he,
taking me by the hand) you are going to a country where there is more respect
shewn to unfortunate shentlemen, and where you will have the satisfaction of
peholding your adversaries tossing upon pillows of purning primstone.« - Thomson
alarmed at this apostrophe, made haste to the place where I lay, and sitting
down by me, with tears in his eyes, enquired into the nature of my calamity. -
By this time I had recollected myself so far as to be able to converse
rationally with my friends, whom, to their great satisfaction, I immediately
undeceived with regard to their apprehension of my being mortally wounded. -
After I had got myself disengaged from the carnage in which I wallowed, and
partaken of a refreshment which my friends brought along with them, we entered
into discourse upon the hardships we sustained, and spoke very freely of the
authors of our misery; which being overheard by the centinel who guarded me, he
was no sooner relieved, than he reported to the captain every syllable of our
conversation, according to the orders he had received: The effects of this soon
appeared in the arrival of the master at arms, who replaced Morgan in his former
station; and gave the second mate a caution to keep a strict guard over his
tongue, if he did not chuse to accompany us in our confinement. - Thomson
foreseeing that the whole slavery of attending and dressing the sick
