That I dwell so long upon the attentions of this Atkinson, is only because his death, which happened just before we got to England, affected me so much, that he alone of all the ship’s crew has engrossed my mind ever since; though indeed the captain and all were singularly kind to me, and strove to make up for my uneasy and unnatural situation.  The boatswain would pipe for my diversion, and the sailor-boy would climb the dangerous mast for my sport.  The rough foremastman would never willingly appear before me, till he had combed his long black hair smooth and sleek, not to terrify me.  The officers got up a sort of play for my amusement, and Atkinson, or, as they called him, Betsy, acted the heroine of the piece.  All ways that could be contrived, were thought upon, to reconcile me to my lot.  I was the universal favourite;—­I do not know how deservedly; but I suppose it was because I was alone, and there was no female in the ship besides me.  Had I come over with female relations or attendants, I should have excited no particular curiosity; I should have required no uncommon attentions.  I was one little woman among a crew of men; and I believe the homage which I have read that men universally pay to women, was in this case directed to me, in the absence of all other woman-kind.  I do not know how that might be, but I was a little princess among them, and I was not six years old.

I remember the first draw-back which happened to my comfort, was Atkinson’s not appearing during the whole of one day.  The captain tried to reconcile me to it, by saying that Mr. Atkinson was confined to his cabin;—­that he was not quite well, but a day or two would restore him.  I begged to be taken in to see him, but this was not granted.  A day, and then another came, and another, and no Atkinson was visible, and I saw apparent solicitude in the faces of all the officers, who nevertheless strove to put on their best countenances before me, and to be more than usually kind to me.  At length, by the desire of Atkinson himself, as I have since learned, I was permitted to go into his cabin and see him.  He was sitting up, apparently in a state of great exhaustion, but his face lighted up when he saw me, and he kissed me, and told me that he was going a great voyage, far longer than that which we had passed together, and he should never come back; and though I was so young, I understood well enough that he meant this of his death, and I cried sadly; but he comforted me and told me, that I must be his little executrix, and perform his last will, and bear his last words to his mother and his sister, and to his cousin Jenny, whom I should see in a short time; and he gave me his blessing, as a father would bless his child, and he sent a last kiss by me to all his female relations, and he made me promise that I would go and see them when I got to England, and soon after this he died; but I was in another part of the ship when he died, and I was not told it till we got to shore, which was a few days after; but they kept telling me that he was better and better, and that I should soon see him, but that it disturbed him to talk with any one.  Oh, what a grief it was, when I learned that I had lost my old ship-mate, that had made an irksome situation so bearable by his kind assiduities; and to think that he was gone, and I could never repay him for his kindness!