A Token for Mariners, Part 3
The great Dangers, and Merciful Deliverances of William Okely and his Company from Slavery in a Canvas Boat, &c.
In the Year 1639. We took Ship at …aveſend, in the Mary of London, Mr. Boarder Maſter, bound for the Iſle of Providence in the Weſt-Indies, five weeks we lay in the Downs, waiting for a wind, and then we ſet Sail, and came to an Anchor near the Iſle of Wight, but by this time all the Beer in our Ship ſtunk, and we were forced to throw it overboard, and ſo take in Vinegar to mix with Water for our Voyage; the next Lords day we ſet Sail again, and coming between the Iſland, and the main Land, we ſtuck faſ… in the Sands, but the Tide coming in… heaved us off: the ſixth day after ou… ſetting Sail from the Iſle of Wight, we diſcovered three Turks men of War, wh… chaſed us, and at break of day boarde… and took us; having kept us clo… Priſoners at Sea, at the end of five or ſix weeks, they brought us to Algiers, when I was ſold for a ſlave the firſt Market da… to a Patron, who told me, I muſt allow him two Dollars a Month, and live aſhore where I would, and get it when I could, though I knew not where t… levy the leaſt Mite of it: Wandring u… and down I met with an Engliſh-man … his little Shop, who Traded with T… bacco, and a few other things; I beca… his Partner with a little Money I h… reſerved, and a ſmall modicum my Patr… had allowed me for my ſtock; Here I got money and hired a Celler, where I laid up ſome other of my Goods; when weary of my ſlavery, I formed a deſign for my Liberty, and communicated it to John Anthony Carpenter, William Adams Brick-layer, John Jephs Seaman, John a Carpenter, and two others, men of able Bodies, and uſeful in the intended project, which was to contrive the Model of a Boat, which being formed in parcels, and afterward put together, might be the means of our eſcape: They approved the Propoſal, and in my Cellar we began our work, we provided firſt a piece of Timber of twelve foot long to make the Keel, but becauſe it was impoſſible to convey it of that length out of the City, but it muſt be ſeen and ſuſpected; we therefore cut it in two pieces and fitted it for jointing juſt at the middle, and then we provided Ribs, after which we made the Boat Water-tight, and becauſe boards would require much hammering, and that noiſe was like to betray us, we bought as much ſtrong Canvas as would cover our Boat twice over upon the Convex of the Carine; we provided alſo as much Pitch, Tar, and Tallow, as would ſerve to make it a kind of Tarpawling Cerecloth to ſwaddle the Naked Body of our Infant Boat; of two Pipe ſtaves ſawed at the Corners, we made two things to ſerve for Oars, and for our Proviſion, we had a little Bread, and two Leather Bottles full of freſh Water, we alſo remembered to buy as much Canvas as would ſerve for a Sail, we carried out theſe in parts and parcels fitted them together in the Valley about half a mile from the Sea, whither Four of our Company carried the Boat on their Shoulders, and the reſt followed them, at the Sea-ſide we ſtript, put our clothes into the Boat, and carried it and them as far into the Sea as we could wade, and then all ſeven got into the Boat, but finding ſhe was over laden, two of the Sea-men were content to ſtay on ſhore; having bid them farewel, we lanched out, June 30. 1644. The Bill of Lading was John Anthony, William Adams, John Jephs, John the Carpenter, and William Okely; Four of us wrought continually at the Oar, the Fifth was to free the Boat of that Water, which by degrees leaked through our Canvas, our Bread was ſoon ſpoiled with the ſoaking in the Salt-water, our Freſh-water ſtunk of the Tanned Skins, and Owze, yet we complained not, three days with good Husbandry our Bread laſted us, but then Pale Famine ſtar'd us in the Face; Water indeed we might have, but it muſt be Salt, out of the Sea, or that which had been ſtrain'd through our own Bodies, and that we choſe of the two; but we muſt not have that after a while, unleſs we would accept of the other firſt; and the miſery was, that did not aſſwage our Thirſt, but increaſe it; the Wind too, for ſome time was full againſt us, but God rebuked it, and made it our Friend; a ſecond inconvenience was, that our Labour was without intermiſſion; and a third, the extremity of the Heat by day, the ſeaſon raging hot, the beginning of July, and we wanted freſh-water to cool the Heat, our Labour made it inſupportable to our Bodies, and our little hope made it as grievous to our Souls; one help we had, a poor one, he that emptied the Boat, threw the Water on the Bodies of the other to cool them; but our Bodies thus ſchorched and cooled roſe up in Bliſters all over; great pain we felt, great dangers we were in, great miſeries we indur'd, great wants we were under, and had nothing but a little hope, food, and ſtrength: If any Ask by what Directions we Steered our courſe to Mayorck, whither we deſign'd to go; for the day a Pocket Dial did ſupply the place of a Compaſs, by Night the Stars when they appear'd, and when not, we gueſſed our way by the motion of the Clouds: Four days and nights were we in this woful plight; on the fifth, all hope that we ſhould be ſav'd was periſh'd, ſo that we left off our Labour, becauſe we had no ſtrength left, only we emptied the Boat of Water; but then God ſent us ſome Relief, for as we lay hulling up and down, we diſcover'd a Tortoiſe, not far from us aſleep in the Sea; had Drake diſcover'd the Spaniſh Fleet, he could not have more Rejoyc'd; we took up our Oars, ſilently rowed to our Prey, took it into the Boat with Great Triumph; we cut off her Head, and let her Bleed into a Pot, we drank the Blood, eat the Liver, and ſucked the fleſh: it wonderfully refreſhed our Spirits, and we picked up ſome crumbs of hope: about Noon we thought we diſcover'd Land; it's impoſſible to expreſs the joy of our raiſed Souls at this apprehenſion, we Wrought hard, and after further Labour were fully ſatisfy'd that it was Land, and proved to be Mayork, which we kept within ſight of all day. July the 6th. about Ten at Night we came under the Iſland, and crept as near the Shore as we could or durſt, till we found a convenient place, where we might thruſt in our Weather-beaten Boat; when we were come to Land we were not inſenſible of our deliverance; but though we had eſcap'd the Sea, we might die at Land; We had no Food ſince we eat the Liver, and drank the Blood of the Tortoiſe; therefore John Anthony and my ſelf were ſent out to Scout abroad for Freſh-Water, becauſe we ſpake ſome Spaniſh; We came to a Watch-Tower of the Spaniards, ſpake to them on the Watch, told them our Condition, earneſtly begged ſome Freſh-Water, and ſome Bread; he threw us down an old Mouldy Cake, but ſo long as it was a Cake, Hunger did not conſider its Mouldineſs; then he directed us to Freſh-Water which was hard by; We ſtood not telling of Stories, we remembred our Brethren left with our Boat, and obſerving the Centinels Directions, came to a Well, where there was a Pot with ſtrings to draw with; we drank a little Water, and eat a bit of our Cake, but the paſſage was ſo diſuſed, that we had much ado to force our Throats to relieve our clamorous Stomachs; we return to our Boat, and acquaint them with the Good Succeſſes of our Embaſſy, and all prepare to make to the Well, ſo tying our Boat as faſt as we could to the ſhore, we left her to Mercy: Now we are at the Well which hath Water therein, and we have ſomething to draw, but God muſt give us a Throat to ſwallow; for William Adams attempting to drink, after many Eſſays, was not able to ſwallow it, but ſtill the Water return'd, ſo that he ſunk down to the ground, fainting, ſaying, I am a dead Man: but after much ſtriving he took a little; ſo refreſhed with our Cake and Water, we lay by the Well ſide till the Morning; when it was clear day, we again went to the Watchman, intreating him to direct us the ready way to the next Houſe or Town, where we might find relief; he civilly pointed us to one about Two Miles off, and long it was ere our Bliſtering Feet could overcome the tediouſneſs of that little way: When we came thither, the honeſt Farmer moved with our Relation, ſent us Bread and Water, and Olives, and ſeeing us Thankful Beggars, inlarged his Civility to us, called us into his Houſe, and gave us good warm Bean Pottage, which ſeem'd to me the moſt pleaſant Food that ever I eat in my Life, then we advanced to the City of Mayorck, about Ten Miles from that place; that Night we lay by a Well ſide, and in the Morning we entred the Suburbs; the Vice-Roy was informed of us, and we were commanded to appear before him, who, after he had Examin'd us, and heard our Story, order'd we ſhould be maintain'd at his own Coſt, till we could have Paſſage to our own Countrey, But our Engliſh Ships ſeldom Trading thither, we Petition'd the Vice-Roy for Paſſage in the King of Spain's Gallies, which were in the Road bound for Alicant, which he graciouſly granted us; after ſome other Troubles we met with contrary Winds, and it was five Weeks ere we could reach the Downs, where we arriv'd in Sept. 1644. The Commander of the Ship was Captain Smith of Rotherhithe, Mr. Thomas Saunders, my Wives Brother, being in Mayorck not long after we came from thence, ſaw our Boat hung for a Monument upon the ſide of the Great Church there; and Mr. Robert Hales was there 1671. and aſſures me, that he ſaw the Naked Ribs and Skeleton of it then hanging in the ſame place. Wanly's Hiſt. Man, p. 642.