The History and Travels of Hector Maclean, Late Sailor

Preface

THE following Hitory preents the Reader with nothing but Facts that are well known to many other Sailors who have been in thoe Parts of the World where our Author has been. Nor mut the Reader expect as accurate Obervations and Decriptions of Animals, &c. as if it had been wrote by a Scholar and a Naturalit. The ole Intention of the Book is to entertain the charitable Reader with unpolih'd and delightful Truths, from the Mouth of a poor blind Seaman, who has no other Means of ubiting himelf and mall Family than this his Hitory; and he humbly hopes the Smallnes of the Price will recommend his Book, and the more epecially when it is publih'd entirely for his Support, and not with the View of excelling other Hitorians.—However, the Reader hall not be wearied (as is commonly the Cae in Voyages) with a tedious Diary of Trifles, uch as the Changing of the Wind from one Point of the Compas to another, &c. but Occurrences hall be told candidly; and the Reader may depend on meeting nothing here of the extravagant Liberties (but Truth) uually taken by Travellers.

Section I

IWas born in the Ile of Tirrie, and Shire of Argyle, in ; and when eight Years of Age, my Brother, with three other Merchants, who had a coating Boat among them, loaded with Beef, Blankets, Linen, Skins, &c. took me along, at my Deire, to lead a Hore to the Port; where being arrived, I went unperceived aboard of the Boat, and hid myelf in a Barrel, to give my Father the Slip; and the Boat ailing off, I was carried to a Port to the Ile of Mull, twelve Leagues from Tirrie, before it was known to the Merchants that I was aboard, I having got myelf a very ound Sleep in my Concealment during the Paage. My Father, in the mean Time, was almot ditracted for me, as he could not find me any where, till my Brother ent Word Home that I was aboard: And it being inconvenient to return me Home, they proceeded on their Voyage, and carried me to the Port of Greenock, where they delivered their Cargo, and had their Veel again loaded with uch Goods from Glagow as were mot wanted in the Highlands of Scotland. My Brother ordered me to abide in the Boat, but my Curioity to ee the Town of Greenock, prevailed upon me to diobey his Command; o I tole out unperceived, and wandered though the Town till Night, taring at every Thing, as I had never een any Buildings or Curioities before; nor could I find the Way back to the Key where I left the Boat, till they were obliged, after a long Search, to ail off without me. Not one Word of Englih did I then undertand, or could peak; o Night coming on, I went into a Houe for Shelter, the Good Wife of which was o cruel and unhopitable, that clapping one of her Hands below my Houghs, and the other under the Nape of my Neck, he whip'd me up and carried me to the Middle of the Street, where he left me crying. In this poor Condition, a Man of more Humanity took Pity upon me, and carried me to his Houe, and made my Quarters good, after a very warm Dipute with his Wife, who trongly oppoed it. I could perceive them both in a great Paion, and as I did not undertand any Thing of their Quarrel, I was under dreadful Apprehenions of being murdered by them. However, I was, in Spite of my Hotes, heltered under her Roof all Night; nor did my Landlord top his Kindnes here, but next Day got me provided for in a Country Houe near Greenock, where I was to herd three Cows and a Hore: Here I was ued very well, and now I began to undertand ome Words of Englih. And being ent by my Landlady one Day to ell ome Cream, which I carried to Greenock in a Timber Stoup, with a Spoon; and being ignorant of what I was to do, or that I was to have Money for it, I invited every Body to tate till it was all pent, then returning Home, told my Mitres every Body liked it; he perceived my Ignorance, and was o far from chiding me on Account of my bad Market, that he laughed very heartily at the Joke, but never ent me to ell her Cream any more.

Here I taid till after Harvet, when coming up to Glagow in a Lighter, where I was entertained for what little Services I could then do; and wandering through that pretty Town, admiring every Thing I aw, I was aked by a Gentleman's Servant, if I would go along with him? I agreed, and taking me to an Inn where his Mater was, I got ome Punch to drink, which by the Fatigue of the Day and Heat of the Fire lull me aleep; and I was carried before the Servant on Horeback in that Condition to Auchinrooch, in the Parih of Campie and Shire of Stirling, where I taid three Years, and was happy beyond Expreion. This being a fine Family, I cannot here mention it without the warmet Wihes for their Succeors Happines; for I am informed, that both my kind Mater and his Lady Mother are dead, who, when in Life, were a Bleing to all around them.

When I parted with this good Family it was after Harvet, and with a Promie to return in the Spring; o I went to Glagow again, genteelly cloathed, and my Mater, with his own Hands, tied up my Wages in my Shirt. Now I had a confued Speech, for I poke a Mixture of Languages, Eare and Englih; and here I providentially went into a Public Houe, where my own Brother, with his three Partners, who firt brought me from the Iland of Tirrie, were itting. My Brother did not know me, but what was trange, one of his Partners did; and after tedfatly looking upon my Brother, I felt ome very uncommon Emotions, which at lat made me fly to him: We were both in Tranports for ome Time; and my Brother, who was in the Belief that I had fallen out of the Boat at Greenock, and had perihed, inited upon my going Home to my Father, whom he had made believe that he had left me with a Gentleman, tho' he was of Opinion himelf I had perihed at Greenock, as is jut now aid; I returned Home in my Brother's Veel, and was put to School, where I was taught to read and write. But my wandering Inclination grew upon me till; nor could I be prevailed upon to tay at Home from the Sea: So I left my Father's Houe, and went aboard of Capt. M'Cun, belonging to Greenock, who was Commander of the Little Marion, who came to an Anchor at Icolmkill, near Tirrie, by Stres of Weather: He carried me up to Greenock, and was glad of me, as he intended I hould have continued aboard of his Ship: However, not liking his Terms, I agreed with Captain Grey of the Mattie, belonging alo to Glagow, and the ame Company, then bound to Virginia. I taid aboard this Ship four Years, and was in all fifteen Years in the Company's Service. And the Occurrences which happened to fall under my Knowledge during this Period, with Decription of what I have een in different Countries, together with the Cutoms and Manners of their Inhabitants, trange Land and Water Animals, &c. hall be the Subject of the next and following Sections.

Section II

IWas hitherto, as they ay, only a freh Water Sailor, having never been o far from the Coat at to loe Sight of Land: Now I was bound to Virginia as a Tryal Voyage, and had fifteen Shillings per Month for the firt two Years.

We had a rough Paage, being eleven Weeks at Sea, betwixt Tory in Ireland and Cape Henry in Virginia. In our Paage we prung out three lower Mats, and our Bowprit, and was obliged at lat to reef our Top-mats, and leen our Sails by putting up our Mizen Top-ail for the Main Top-ail, let the Storm hould carry all our Mats away. In Paage, the Sally Snow, alo bound for Virginia, commanded by Pateron, Mr Arthur of Greenock the Owner, was parted from us in the Storm; and had not again een her for ix Weeks after, when we aw her, he was much in my Condition: We attempted to come up to her, but we uppoe he took us to be a French Ship, for he bore right before the Wind to the Southward, and was never heard of ince, as no Doubt he perihed at Sea and all her Crew. We arrived at lat at Virginia, and anchored at Cherry Point, in Rapahnock River; but by Reaon of the evere Frot we durt not venture up the River amongt the Ice, o continued at Anchor ix Weeks, when we ventured up Epol Town, where we moored our Ship with a Swivel. When we were homeward bound, we had an Eagle on Board which devoured a Quarter of a mall Hog at a Meal. We had alo a very odd Animal called an Opoom on Board. This Creature in Shape and Size omewhat reembles our Badger, but of a light dun Colour, with a long Tail like a Rat's, but thicker. The Skin of his Belly is very large, and folded o as to meet like a Pure, where it ecures its Young while little. It was kept in a Cage, and two young ones which went into this fale Belly of the Mother all the Night, and came out again in the Morning. It feeds upon Fih, and breeds in Virginia. Our Captain was offered ix Pounds Sterling for the Animal at Greenock, by a Show-man, but refued to part with it; tho' it was carried off from the Ship afterwards, none could tell how, which the Captain was very angry for.

During the Storm in our Outward bound Paage, we oberved three Crows, which had been driven off the Land by it, which flew around our Ship, and reted upon our Tops; we took Pity on them, and put up Berly for them to feed upon, which they did, and being quite wearied out, we catched them in the Night, and brought them down, cliped their Wings, and fed them among the Pidgeons, and they became very tame; but one Day, poor Creatures! when the Ship was rolling, they all plumped over Board, and perihed, after all our Hopitality and Attempts to preerve them, and it would have been impoible for us at that Time to have aved the bet Man in Europe, if he had fallen over Board.

Once beating the Windward Paage Home from amaica, one of our Hands, a brisk young Fellow, a Native of England, and a dexterous Swimmer, was foolih enough to attempt taking up the Enign Staff and Colours along with it, was broke and blown over Board by the Sea Breeze (which was very alutary in that Iland) and were driven to Leeward: we put our Ship about to recover them. He took the Lead Line in his Mouth, bidding the Mate haul in the Line when he would call him; he eized the Staff and Colours by jumping over the Wait under the Lee of the Ship, and then called out, Hawl, hawl; by which calling he let the Line lip our of this Mouth, and the Mate hawled it in, and left him a Stern, and the Ship went A-head. The Captain, who till then knew nothing of this deperate Affair, ordered the Ship to be put about, which, before it could be done, we could hardly perceive him from the Tops, but only like a Gul on the Top of the Water; we were only afraid he would be eaten up the Sharkes, for we knew he could keep above till we could come to his Relief; which we indeed affected; but before we got the Boat out, we heaved the ame Rope to him, and by wonderful Providence he was got up jut in the Intant of Time, a Shark was turning on her Back to lay hold of him, and made a Jump at him, and went down with a plunge again, after miing her Prey. The Captain reprimanded him for his Rahnes, and advied him never to be guilty of the like any more.

The Shark is very large, and reckoned the boldet of all Fih; I have heard of one that weighed near ten hundred Weight, and have alo heard of a Fih of this Sort that weighed no les than four thouand neat Pounds, which being cut up, had a whole Man found in his Belly; and I have heard of one caught at Mareilles, in the Belly of which was found a Man armed with a Coat of Mail. The Head and Mouth of the Fih is large in Proportion to the ret of the Body: The Number of its Teeth is altogether uncertain, and varies according to the Age of the Fih; and it has been oberved that they breed new Teeth every Year as long as they live. I have een one with nine Rows of Teeth, very hard, trong, and harp.

This Fih is common in the Wet Indies, and is very detructive to thoe Men who divert themelves with Swimming, it ometimes biting a Man aunder, at other Times at leat taking away a Limb. &c. yet it is often catched and eaten by Sailors. When it eizes its Prey it always turns upon its Back; though it is vatly trong, yet when it takes the Bait it is oon taken if you play him with the Line. The Fih when eaten tates trong, and has a very hard Skin.

The Pilot Fih is of a deep Blue, the Belly is of a lighter Colour than the Back or Sides, the Scales are mooth like a Tench, its Back is peckled like a Seal's Skin; wimming it appears much like a Mackrel, and looks as if it were painted blue and white, like a Barber's Pole. The Shark is always attended by one or two of thee Fih, which he will not devour, though never o hungry, becaue they find out the Prey for him. It is reckoned very good Fih to eat.

When lying at Anchor off Craword's Wharf Kington in Jamaica (being the firt Time I was there) I put out as much Salt Beef, tied to a Rope to frehen it in the Sea, as was ufficient to erve the whole Crew, (being twenty five Men) for Dinner and Supper, and when I went to draw it up, in order to boil it, to my great Surprize it was taken away: I went down again to the Barrel unknown to the Mate, let he hould be angry, as perhaps thinking I had not properly fatened it in the Rope what I got lat; o I brought up uch another large Piece, and hung it over, fatened as formerly, but it was no ooner out than it was likewie taken off, upon which I told the Carpenter lhe whole Affair, begging his Advice and Aitance, as the Los of o much Beef was owing to my own Lazines in not drawing up Water for frehning it, as it was ordered, he immediately undertood the Robber of my Beef to be a Shark, and ordered me down for a Shark Hook that was below under his Bed, which was fatened to a Chain and Swivel, the Fore-top-ail being down on the Cap drying, and the Halliards lying looe on the Deck. He fatened the Halliards to the Chain, and baited the Hook with a Lump of Beef, and hove it overboard, and intantly the Top-ail went aloft fater than tho' twenty Men had been hoiting, till it was quite chock to the Block. The Men turning round with Surprize, eeing the Top-ail going up without knowing by what Means; but eeing the Halliards tretching out from the Ship, then they cry'd A Shark, a Shark is fat. Upon which the Carpenter and the Ret got hold of the Rope, but were not able to bring her in; o we went down in the Boat, and made a bowling Knot with another Rope about her middle, then hooked the bitten Tackle to it, and o hoited the Shark upon Deck; where the Strokes he gave with her Tail, was (one would have thought) enough to drive one of the Planks through the Deck. The Mate run for a Handpike and put it into her Mouth, which he chewed to Pieces; but the Carpenter with his broad Axe truck off her Tail, from which the Blood prung to an amazing Height: We then cut off her Head, and ripped her up, her Milt filled a Barrel in which we ued to teep our Beef. And looking at her Gut Bag, it was o big that our Curioity led us to open it likewie; here my Beef was the firt Thing that preented me, and it would have been now no longer in my Power to have denied my Error in thus feeding the Shark with the Crews Proviions. Here was likewie a large Hook and Line in it, and a Man's Leg bit off above the Knee: Upon eeing this the Men cryed to heave her over Board, which was intantly do and not withtanding her being thus angled he wam round the Ship before he went to the Bottom; at the ame Time her Heart was moving on the Deck, and continued to move o after the Body was unk. The Negroes came crowding to the Ship on Purpoe to buy her from us, and would have given us a Pitole for her, but by this Time he was gone, o by this Means we lot a good Doe of Rum, and they a Feat, for they devour a Shark when catched as greedily as a Shark devours a Man. This Fih was about ixteen Feet long.

Section III

IT would be to no Purpoe in this hort Hitory to give a long and trifling Account of my Voyages in Order of Time, which would erve only to weary the Reader, without preenting him with Matters delightful and curious; therefore, Puruing of the Plan at firt propoed, I hall continue only to remark thoe Incidents that happened to me and Companions, which I judge may be mut entertaining, paing by a Number of Things of mall Conequence, as unworthy of Notice. So begging the Indulgence of my charitable Readers, I hall continue to narrate Facts without Order.

On the th of November, , I ailed from Greenock Road, a Board the Deniton Snow, Captain Collin Campbell, Commander, under Convoy of the Tranports bound for the Wet Indies, our Ship being bound for Charles Town in South Carolina. The very Night we et Sail we had a hard Gale of Wind, and our Ship being weakly manned, our Sails that Night beat to Pieces, before we cleared the Coat of Scotland. When Day-light came, we could ee none of the Tranports, but perceived the Man of War (Ludlow Catle, a Gun Ship) lying too under a Balance Mizen, waiting on the Ret of the Fleet, which we uppoe were cattered and put in, ome into Ireland, and others into the Harbours in Scotland. We were going under a Fore-ail, and thought for to have laid too for the Man of War, but the Storm being o great, and the Wind fair for us, being at S. E. we eaed our Fore Sheet, and put our Helm hard a Weather, and bore away right before it. it. We went to work, bent new top ails to our Yards and left our Convoy behind. In a little Time we made all nug, and in a hort pace ran out of the Sight of Land, puruing our Voyage, and had tormy Weather and contrary Winds frequently, through the whole of our Paage, being under great Apprehenions too of every Sail we aw, thinking they might be French Privateers; however in nine Weeks Time we got ight of Land, to our great Joy; being o beaten by the Weather, that we had not a ratling upon one of our Shrouds, and our Fore-ails beat too. The firt Land we aw was Cape Faro, our Captain looked into the Map to ee what Land it was; and when he knew, we altered our Coure, the Wind being E. N. E. we ailed right before it, and next Morning a Pilot came aboard of us a few Leagues without Charles Town, who carried us in, and we came to an Anchor off Charles Town Wharf.

We delivered our Cargo, but could not get a Fright, o we ailed for Cape Faro and came into Wilmington Town. Here I aw an Alligator. Which was killed by a Ship Carpenter belonging to Leith, who was ettled there with his Family. This montrous Creature was thirty-ix foot long. And when opened there was found in its Belly a whole and entire Deer, with large branching Horns upon his Head.

The Crocodile and Alligator eem to be one and the ame Animal, at different Ages. They are amphibious, and live both at Land and in the water. It has two fierce glaring Eyes, and carries its Head high above the water when wimming, and will look the Sailors fiercely in the face. It lies amongt the Marhes on the Banks of Ri- vers, and will overtake a Man in an Intant if he run traight forward, but if he ling to a Side he may eaily ecape this Monter, as the cales that cover its Body (which are impenetrable to Bullets) hinder it from turning itelf peedily: It reembles a great Log of Wood, and People are thereby deceived, and very often come within the reach of its Leap, before they are aware; and Numbers have thus been devoured by it. Its Teeth are large, hharp, and terrible; and it as well as the Shark, lifts its upper Jaw to uch an extent as devout a Man at a mouthful. They abound in the Wet Indies, and are with great difficulty killed, and are only to be lain with a Musket hot through the Head, as this one before related was, by a Leith Carpenter. They are very dangerous too to thoe who divert themelves by wimming in thoe parts of the World, which I think it my duty the more to caution Travellers againt.

When lying at Anchor in Nancy Bay, Potomack River in Virginia, we went up a Creek with our Flat (called in Scotland a Lighter) and returning down the Creek loaded with Tobacco to our Ship, the Tide being againt us, we came too in the Mouth of the Creek; and oberved a Negro coming off in his Canoe, which is hollowed out of a Log of Wood, and formed like a Boat; he made fat his Rope to a tate of wood in the middle of the River, which tands like a Perch to direct the Chancel; Here he began to Fih, but the Day being hot, he tretched himelf down on his Belly in the bottom of the Canoe, and fell aleep, which we could oberve from our Flat. The Freh coming down, and the Tide being out, the Sturgeons were jumping above the Surface of the water, one of which jumped o very high that he lighted directly above the Negro in to Bottom of the Canoe; which was with uch force that he broke the Negro's back, and mothered him where he lay,

Virginia is a pleaant and delightful Country, and abounds with fine Fruits, and many trange Animals. Here is the Pointer who hollows in the Woods with the Voice like a Man; and if he can trapan a Peron within his reach, he will intantly devour him. He is of the Dog kind, and very wift and fierce. Here too the Bull Frogs make such hideous croaking noie in the Marhes, that it is impoible for a tranger to leep near them: And the Fire Flies in the Night make a wonderfull Appearance. The Torbin too is a trange amphibious Animal, with a Head like a Frog, and Eyes like a Bird, with a Shell like a Turtle, under which he withdraws his Head from Danger at Pleaure, and from which he extends it again when his fright is over. This Creature is bigger then a large Rattan. I brought one alive to Glagow, under the Hen Coop, which fed upon the Excrements of the Fowls during the Paage.

There is a trange Inect in Virginia, called the Ball Tumbler, which forms a Bowl of Earth; and one of thoe Inects at every End of this Bowl of Earth continue to roll it along the whole Day, and when Night comes on they go to ret under the lee of the Bowl, and return to their drudgery when the Day begins: It is about the ize of an Acorn and their Bowl with which they employ themelves to the end of their Days is about the ize of a Musket Bullet.

When I was in North Carolina, there came twelve of the Englih Indians, with a Scald to the Govenor, and demanded their Reward for it. They were in comical Dres, and looked more like Savages then Britih Allies; their Ears were cut o as to hang down like a Trencher, their Hair pulled off from the Forehead to the Crown, from whence it hung down their Backs as black as a Raven: They had their Bows and Arrows hung under their Arms, and a ingle Pidgeon flying pat their Colonel, he being walking in the Street of Willmington, drew an Arrow from his Bag, and mot dexterouly hot her dead at a great Ditance. The Colonel wore as a Badge of Pre-eminence a Plate of Silver round his Arm, and another Officer wore uch a Badge as our Captains on their Breat, Their Women were along with them, and eemed inenible of Shame, cloathed only with a Shirt to their Heels as black as the Chimney. They devour what Victuals was given to them by the People of the Town with great Greedines, reembling Wolves. The Men were naked, except a Bit of Blanket on their Shoulders, and they, as well as ths Women, are all bare-footed. They were tronger and taller then our People. Some gave them Money, others Meat, and the Town's People were not a little afraid of them, though they were their Allies.

On our Outward bound Paage from Glagow to New England, being near the Banks of Newfoundland, our Ship going at the Rate of ix Knots an Hour, a Whale roe under our Bow, and the Ship with great Force truck the Fih on the Side; he went down with a Plunge, and made the Water rie to a great Height, above the Deck. After he went out of our Sight, we founded our Pumps, and found a deal of Water in our Hold; upon which the Captain ordered us two and two in our turn to the Pumps, but the Water till encreaed till the next Morning, when providentially we found the Leak at the Stern, near as low as the Keil, where no Carpenter could go out to repair it. Upon which the Carpenter with Chiels cut a Peice of the Ceiling and found it out, and applied the following Remedy to it, viz. He took a Piece of Beef and topped the Leak, by nailing a Board above to keep it fat. The Beef being always wahed away in twenty-four Hours, he continued to repeat the Doe, till eleven Tierces of our Beef was pent before we came to Land; nor durt we eat any Beef ourelves, as it was exhauted for the Safety of our Lives in this Manner, and we were obliged to live on Bread and water for the ret of our Paage, which was about four weeks.

How little do thoe who never was at Sea know the Hardhips that Mariners are often reduce to! They are even apt to beleive Sailors gain their Money without Danger or Toil, when they ee them pend it o lavihly on hore in quet of their Pleaures. What Pity it is that Sailors, thoe valuable members of Commerce, hould judge o ill, in pending what they gain thus at the peril of their Lives, perhaps all in one Nighr's Debauch with a Woman, abandoned to evey Vice and lot to all Sene of Honour and Virtue.

Being freighted by Mers. Jameon and Ogilby, Merchants in Charles-town, and loaded with Rice, for Lisbon, we arrived at that Port, and for a Caution to others who may go there, to avoid the like Danger, I imprudently fell into, even after I was warned againt it; know that it is againt the Laws of Portugal (as it is a Roman Catholic Country) for a Britih Subject to carry a harp-pointed Knife ahore. The viiting Boat poke at a Ditance with us firt, and our Men were obliged to run fore and aft on the Decks before them, to hew they were wholeome; this neceary Precaution is, let any Ship may bring the Plague or any other Dieae to their hot Country. Next the Kings Boat boarded us, and earched our Ship for Tobacco and Soap, or other prohibited Goods, but found none: If they had found any, the Peron in whoe Cutody they were, was liable to large Penalties of Law, and would be directly carried to the Trunk (their Prion) and if not able to pay the high Fine inflicted upon them, would be tranported as a Slave to the Braziles. The reaon for this is, you are obliged to buy thoe prohibited Articles from them, while you are in their Ports.