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peace; and, to our very great joy, in the beginning of December we had
orders to go up to London with our ship to be paid off. We received
this news with loud huzzas, and every other demonstration of gladness;
and nothing but mirth was to be seen throughout every part of the
ship. I too was not without my share of the general joy on this
occasion. I thought now of nothing but being freed, and working for
myself, and thereby getting money to enable me to get a good
education; for I always had a great desire to be able at least to read
and write; and while I was on shipboard I had endeavoured to improve
myself in both. While I was in the Ζtna particularly, the captain's
clerk taught me to write, and gave me a smattering of arithmetic as
far as the rule of three. There was also one Daniel Queen, about forty
years of age, a man very well educated, who messed with me on board
this ship, and he likewise dressed and attended the captain.
Fortunately this man soon became very much attached to me, and took
very great pains to instruct me in many things. He taught me to shave
and dress hair a little, and also to read in the Bible, explaining
many passages to me, which I did not comprehend. I was wonderfully
surprised to see the laws and rules of my country written almost
exactly here; a circumstance which I believe tended to impress our
manners and customs more deeply on my memory. I used to tell him of
this resemblance; and many a time we have sat up the whole night
together at this employment. In short, he was like a father to me; and
some even used to call me after his name; they also styled me the
black Christian. Indeed I almost loved him with the affection of a
son. Many things I have denied myself that he might have them; and
when I used to play at marbles or any other game, and won a few
half-pence, or got any little money, which I sometimes did, for
shaving any one, I used to buy him a little sugar or tobacco, as far
as my stock of money would go. He used to say, that he and I never
should part; and that when our ship was paid off, as I was as free as
himself or any other man on board, he would instruct me in his
business, by which I might gain a good livelihood. This gave me new
life and spirits; and my heart burned within me, while I thought the
time long till I obtained my freedom. For though my master had not
promised it to me, yet, besides the assurances I had received that he
had no right to detain me, he always treated me with the greatest
kindness, and reposed in me an unbounded confidence; he even paid
attention to my morals; and would never suffer me to deceive him, or
tell lies, of which he used to tell me the consequences; and that if I
did so God would not love me; so that, from all this tenderness, I had
never once supposed, in all my dreams of freedom, that he would think
of detaining me any longer than I wished.
In pursuance of our orders we sailed from Portsmouth for the Thames,
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