# The History and Travels of Hector Maclean, Late Sailor/Number I/Section III

​SECTION III. IT would be to no Purpose in this short History to give a long and trifling Account of my Voyages in Order of Time, which would serve only to weary the Reader, without presenting him with Matters delightful and curious; therefore, Pursuing of the Plan at first proposed, I shall continue only to remark those Incidents that happened to me and Companions, which I judge may be must entertaining, passing by a Number of Things of small Consequence, as unworthy of Notice. So begging the Indulgence of my charitable Readers, I shall continue to narrate Facts without Order.
On the 26th of November, 1758, I sailed from Greenock Road, a Board the Deniston Snow, Captain Collin Campbell, Commander, under Convoy of the Transports bound for the West Indies, our Ship being bound for Charles Town in South Carolina. The very Night we set 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 Coast of Scotland. When Day-light came, we could see none of the Transports, but perceived the Man of War (Ludlow Castle, a 40 Gun Ship) lying too under a Balance Mizen, waiting on the Rest of the Fleet, which we suppose were scattered and put in, some into Ireland, and others into the Harbours in Scotland. We were going under a Fore-sail, and thought for to have laid too for the Man of War, but the Storm being so great, and the Wind fair for us, being at S. E. we eased our Fore Sheet, and put our Helm hard a Weather, and bore away right before it. ​it. We went to work, bent new top sails to our Yards and left our Convoy behind. In a little Time we made all snug, and in a short space ran out of the Sight of Land, pursuing our Voyage, and had stormy Weather and contrary Winds frequently, through the whole of our Passage, being under great Apprehensions too of every Sail we saw, thinking they might be French Privateers; however in nine Weeks Time we got sight of Land, to our great Joy; being so beaten by the Weather, that we had not a ratling upon one of our Shrouds, and our Fore-sails beat too. The first Land we saw was Cape Faro, our Captain looked into the Map to see what Land it was; and when he knew, we altered our Course, the Wind being E. N. E. we sailed 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, so we sailed for Cape Faro and came into Wilmington Town. Here I saw an Alligator. Which was killed by a Ship Carpenter belonging to Leith, who was settled there with his Family. This monstrous Creature was thirty-six 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 seem to be one and the same 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 swimming, and will look the Sailors fiercely in the face. It lies amongst the Marshes on the Banks of Ri​vers, and will overtake a Man in an Instant if he run straight forward, but if he sling to a Side he may easily escape this Monster, as the scales that cover its Body (which are impenetrable to Bullets) hinder it from turning itself speedily: It resembles 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, shharp, and terrible; and it as well as the Shark, lifts its upper Jaw to such an extent as devout a Man at a mouthful. They abound in the West Indies, and are with great difficulty killed, and are only to be slain with a Musket shot through the Head, as this one before related was, by a Leith Carpenter. They are very dangerous too to those who divert themselves by swimming in those parts of the World, which I think it my duty the more to caution Travellers against.
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 against us, we came too in the Mouth of the Creek; and observed a Negro coming off in his Canoe, which is hollowed out of a Log of Wood, and formed like a Boat; he made fast his Rope to a staste of wood in the middle of the River, which stands like a Perch to direct the Chancel; Here he began to Fish, but the Day being hot, he strerched himself down on his Belly in the bottom of the Canoe, and fell asleep, which we could observe from our Flat. The Fresh coming down, and the Tide being out, the Sturgeons were jumping above the Surface of ​the water, one of which jumped so very high that she lighted directly above the Negro in to Bottom of the Canoe; which was with such force that she broke the Negro's back, and smothered him where he lay,
Virginia is a pleasant and delightful Country, and abounds with fine Fruits, and many strange Animals. Here is the Pointer who hollows in the Woods with the Voice like a Man; and if he can trapan a Person within his reach, he will instantly devour him. He is of the Dog kind, and very swift and fierce. Here too the Bull Frogs make such hideous croaking noise in the Marshes, that it is impossible for a stranger to sleep near them: And the Fire Flies in the Night make a wonderfull Appearance. The Torbin too is a strange 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 Pleasure, 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 Glasgow, under the Hen Coop, which fed upon the Excrements of the Fowls during the Passage.
There is a strange Insect in Virginia, called the Ball Tumbler, which forms a Bowl of Earth; and one of those Insects at every End of this Bowl of Earth continue to roll it along the whole Day, and when Night comes on they go to rest under the lee of the Bowl, and return to their drudgery when the Day begins: It is about the size of an Acorn and their Bowl with which they employ themselves to the end of their Days is about the size of a Musket Bullet.
When I was in North Carolina, there came twelve of the English Indians, with a Scald to the ​Govenor, and demanded their Reward for i⟨t.⟩ They were in comical Dress, and looked more like Savages then British Allies; their Ears were cut so 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 single Pidgeon flying past their Colonel, he being walking in the Street of Willmington, drew an Arrow from his Bag, and most dexterously shot her dead at a great Distance. The Colonel wore as a Badge of Pre-eminence a Plate of Silver round his Arm, and another Officer wore such a Badge as our Captains on their Breast, Their Women were along with them, and seemed insensible 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 Greediness, resembling 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 stronger 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 Passage from Glasgow to New England, being near the Banks of Newfoundland, our Ship going at the Rate of six Knots an Hour, a Whale rose under our Bow, and the Ship with great Force struck the Fish on the Side; she went down with a Plunge, and made the Water rise to a great Height, above the Deck. After she 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 still encreased 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 Cnissels 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 stopped the Leak, by nailing a Board above to keep it fast. The Beef being always washed away in twenty-four Hours, he continued to repeat the Dose, till eleven Tierces of our Beef was spent before we came to Land; nor durst we eat any Beef ourselves, as it was exhausted for the Safety of our Lives in this Manner, and we were obliged to live on Bread and water for the rest of our Passage, which was about four weeks.
How little do those who never was at Sea know the Hardships that Mariners are often reduce to! They are even apt to beleive Sailors gain their Money without Danger or Toil, when they see them spend it so lavishly on shore in quest of their Pleasures. What Pity it is that Sailors, those valuable members of Commerce, should judge so ill, in spending 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 lost to all Sense of Honour and Virtue.
Being freighted by Messrs. Jameson 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 against it; know that it is against the Laws of Portugal (as it is a Roman Catholic Country) for a British Subject to carry a sharp-pointed Knife ashore. ​The visiting Boat spoke at a Distance with us first, and our Men were obliged to run fore and aft on the Decks before them, to shew they were wholesome; this necessary Precaution is, lest any Ship may bring the Plague or any other Disease to their hot Country. Next the Kings Boat boarded us, and searched our Ship for Tobacco and Soap, or other prohibited Goods, but found none: If they had found any, the Person in whose Custody they were, was liable to large Penalties of Law, and would be directly carried to the Trunk (their Prison) and if not able to pay the high Fine inflicted upon them, would be transported as a Slave to the Braziles. The reason for this is, you are obliged to buy those prohibited Articles from them, while you are in their Ports.
One Day when employed working with my Knife upon Deck, the Captain ordered me with others to man the Boat; I in a hurry put my Knife in my Pocket and jumped into the Boat with my Comrades; and when the Captain was ashore, I went with another of my Fellows into a Portuguese Celler for a Bottle of Wine, which is only Three-pence of our Money; but having several Things lying above my Money, I brought out a Handful of them, amongst which was my Knife, which the Portuguese, like a Fury, wrung from my Hand, and drew a long sharp Knife of his own, called a Spadron, and would have stabbed me with it, had not an English Merchant, who was just coming past the Shop in that very Instant, jumped in and Seized the Villain and aided my Escape.
When our Ship was loaded there with Salt, Fruit, and Wine, we came down the River to Bull Bay, opposite of King's Palace, where we anchored. A Brig belonging to Yarmouth lay moored along-side of us, and some Brazil Ships ​was also moored there: Thi⟨s⟩ Brig had their Beef stole from them repeatedly by the Porteguese, when hung over the Stern a steeping; they were surpized who took it away; and at last one of the Sailors watched it very narrowly with a Fish Gigg in his Hand, and perceiving the Thief coming to cut away, as he had often done before, he very dexterously struck him through the Back, when going off with his Prize; and when he found that it was a Porteguese Sailor of one of the Brazil Ships, he shook him off the Gigg, cry⟨i⟩ng aloud to us and the other Ships, That he had struck a Shark stealing his Beef, but that he had thrown him down with the Tide, as not being eatable. The Portuguese, who are in general great Thieves, though vexed at this Affair, yet they made no Words about it; and our Beef, after the Death of this Human Shark, was never troubled any more, and the Adventure afforded great Diversion to the British Ships lying there.
My charitable Readers are entreated to preserve this the First Number of my History and Travels, as I intend, if the Almighty spare me to compleat the Whole in Two or three Numbers more, which will be filled with Occurrences both entertaining and instructive.
This work was published before January 1, 1929, and is in the public domain worldwide because the author died at least 100 years ago.
Public domainPublic domainfalsefalse