The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, Or Gustavus Vassa, The African eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 286 pages of information about The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, Or Gustavus Vassa, The African.

The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, Or Gustavus Vassa, The African eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 286 pages of information about The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, Or Gustavus Vassa, The African.
to ask him whether I had converted him to Christianity, laughed, and made their jest at him, for which I rebuked them as much as I could; but this treatment caused the prince to halt between two opinions.  Some of the true sons of Belial, who did not believe that there was any hereafter, told him never to fear the devil, for there was none existing; and if ever he came to the prince, they desired he might be sent to them.  Thus they teazed the poor innocent youth, so that he would not learn his book any more!  He would not drink nor carouse with these ungodly actors, nor would he be with me, even at prayers.  This grieved me very much.  I endeavoured to persuade him as well as I could, but he would not come; and entreated him very much to tell me his reasons for acting thus.  At last he asked me, ’How comes it that all the white men on board who can read and write, and observe the sun, and know all things, yet swear, lie, and get drunk, only excepting yourself?’ I answered him, the reason was, that they did not fear God; and that if any one of them died so they could not go to, or be happy with God.  He replied, that if these persons went to hell he would go to hell too.  I was sorry to hear this; and, as he sometimes had the toothach, and also some other persons in the ship at the same time, I asked him if their toothach made his easy:  he said, No.  Then I told him if he and these people went to hell together, their pains would not make his any lighter.  This answer had great weight with him:  it depressed his spirits much; and he became ever after, during the passage, fond of being alone.  When we were in the latitude of Martinico, and near making the land, one morning we had a brisk gale of wind, and, carrying too much sail, the main-mast went over the side.  Many people were then all about the deck, and the yards, masts, and rigging, came tumbling all about us, yet there was not one of us in the least hurt, although some were within a hair’s breadth of being killed:  and, particularly, I saw two men then, by the providential hand of God, most miraculously preserved from being smashed to pieces.  On the fifth of January we made Antigua and Montserrat, and ran along the rest of the islands:  and on the fourteenth we arrived at Jamaica.  One Sunday while we were there I took the Musquito Prince George to church, where he saw the sacrament administered.  When we came out we saw all kinds of people, almost from the church door for the space of half a mile down to the waterside, buying and selling all kinds of commodities:  and these acts afforded me great matter of exhortation to this youth, who was much astonished.  Our vessel being ready to sail for the Musquito shore, I went with the Doctor on board a Guinea-man, to purchase some slaves to carry with us, and cultivate a plantation; and I chose them all my own countrymen.  On the twelfth of February we sailed from Jamaica, and on the eighteenth arrived at the Musquito shore, at a place called Dupeupy.  All our Indian guests now,
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The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, Or Gustavus Vassa, The African from Project Gutenberg. Public domain.