Page 414 - Child's own book

softly to me, and told me, that we had best go farther off the
shore: u for," said he, 11 look, yonder lies a dreadful monster
fast asleep," I looked where he pointed, and saw a great lion
that lay on the side of the shore, under the shade of a piece of
the hill that hung a little over him ; upon which, charging my
three guns, I took aim at his head, but lying with his foot
raised a little above bis nose, the slug broke his leg. He started
up growling, hut fell down again, and gave the most hideous
roar I ev<*r heard; but firing again, and shooting him in the
head, I had the pleasure to sec him drop. I resolved to take
off his skin, and going ashore, the boy and I accomplished it:
then spreading it upon the top of tlie cabin, the sun dried it in
two days’ time, and it afterwards served me to lie upon.
About ten days after, as I was steering out to sea, in order to
double a cape, I bad a view of some islands, which I supposed
to be those of Cape Verd. ! was afraid of venturing too far from
Ihe shore, for if I should be taken with a fresh gale of wind, I
might never be able to reach agnin the one or the other. In this
dilemma I sat down in the cabin, when on a sudden, Xurv cried
out in a fright, u Master, master, a ship! ” foolishly im:*gining
that it was his master’s ship, come so far in pursuit of us. 1
jumped out of the cabin, and saw that it was a Portuguese vessel,
and instantly stretched out to sea with all the sail I could make :
they perceived me by the help of their glasses, and shortened
sail to let me come up. A Scotch sailor on ln>ard called to me,
and I answered that 1 had made my escape from lhe Moors at
Sallee. They very kindly took me in and nil my goods. W e
had a very good voyage to the Brazils, and arrived at All Saints*
Bay in about twenty-two days. The generous captain recom­
mended me to an honest man who had a plantation, with whom
1 lived till I had learned the mannerof making sugar, after which
1 purchased a piece of land, and became a planter. I had lived