DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.70300#0353
MATTHEW COX, ESO.
315
my stay in the prison, I had liberty to walk in the fields till
evening, when thoughts of making my escape from so dismal
a situation, often made great impressions on my mind; but
several companies of sailors having attempted it before in
vain, met with the most cruel treatment after being retaken;
some of them had been put on an iron bar, three feet from
the ground, and eighteen inches from the wall, in a close
place, with a shackle on one leg, the other on the bar, till
they were cramped, and then fell to the ground. Others
they put into the cashoot, which is like an oven with double
doors, filling it with as many as they could cram in, some of
which were dragged out, nearly suffocated.
At last I came to the resolution of attempting an escape
by the assistance of an English negro, who was cook of our
vessel, and who was now taken into the French service
against his will. He procured a barge, with six oars, masts,
and sails, but no compass. I had mentioned my scheme to
my fellow sufferers, a surgeon and a mate of a Guineaman,
who were also prisoners; we had bread, cheese, raisins, and
water, sufficient for fourteen days, at short allowance. On
the 16th of May, we set off at about eight o’clock at night;
my boy had our provisions on his head, and went first,
the negro carried the water, and we followed at some dis-
tance from each other. We had agreed to go off at the
fort, thinking it most secure. Passing the guard-house, the
boy was stopped by the centinel, and confined, with all our
stock of provisions. We got safe down to the shore, and
by the darkness of the night concealed ourselves while the
negro went to buy a pound of bread, which cost three shil-
lings, being all the silver we had, and we could not trust
him with gold; for if a negro has gold, he is taken up for
examination- We dared not venture ourselves into the town
at this time of the night; we then took a small boat, and
put off with one oar to our own barge; but when we
came alongside of her, how great was our consternation,
when we found the masts, sails, and oars, taken out: we
2
315
my stay in the prison, I had liberty to walk in the fields till
evening, when thoughts of making my escape from so dismal
a situation, often made great impressions on my mind; but
several companies of sailors having attempted it before in
vain, met with the most cruel treatment after being retaken;
some of them had been put on an iron bar, three feet from
the ground, and eighteen inches from the wall, in a close
place, with a shackle on one leg, the other on the bar, till
they were cramped, and then fell to the ground. Others
they put into the cashoot, which is like an oven with double
doors, filling it with as many as they could cram in, some of
which were dragged out, nearly suffocated.
At last I came to the resolution of attempting an escape
by the assistance of an English negro, who was cook of our
vessel, and who was now taken into the French service
against his will. He procured a barge, with six oars, masts,
and sails, but no compass. I had mentioned my scheme to
my fellow sufferers, a surgeon and a mate of a Guineaman,
who were also prisoners; we had bread, cheese, raisins, and
water, sufficient for fourteen days, at short allowance. On
the 16th of May, we set off at about eight o’clock at night;
my boy had our provisions on his head, and went first,
the negro carried the water, and we followed at some dis-
tance from each other. We had agreed to go off at the
fort, thinking it most secure. Passing the guard-house, the
boy was stopped by the centinel, and confined, with all our
stock of provisions. We got safe down to the shore, and
by the darkness of the night concealed ourselves while the
negro went to buy a pound of bread, which cost three shil-
lings, being all the silver we had, and we could not trust
him with gold; for if a negro has gold, he is taken up for
examination- We dared not venture ourselves into the town
at this time of the night; we then took a small boat, and
put off with one oar to our own barge; but when we
came alongside of her, how great was our consternation,
when we found the masts, sails, and oars, taken out: we
2