part8-第5章

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sentence　upon　my　consenting　to　be　transported。



I　told　him　I　fared　the　worse　for　being　taken　in　the　prison　for　

one　Moll　Flanders；　who　was　a　famous　successful　thief；　that　

all　of　them　had　heard　of；　but　none　of　them　had　ever　seen；　but　

that；　as　he　knew　well；　was　none　of　my　name。　　But　I　placed　all　

to　the　account　of　my　ill　fortune；　and　that　under　this　name　I　

was　dealt　with　as　an　old　offender；　though　this　was　the　first　

thing　they　had　ever　known　of　me。　　I　gave　him　a　long　particular　

of　things　that　had　befallen　me　since　I　saw　him；　but　I　told　him　

if　I　had　seen　him　since　he　might　thing　I　had；　and　then　gave　

him　an　account　how　I　had　seen　him　at　Brickhill；　how　furiously　

he　was　pursued；　and　how；　by　giving　an　account　that　I　knew　

him；　and　that　he　was　a　very　honest　gentleman；　one　Mr。；　

the　hue…and…cry　was　stopped；　and　the　high　constable　went　

back　again。



He　listened　most　attentively　to　all　my　story；　and　smiled　at　

most　of　the　particulars；　being　all　of　them　petty　matters；　and　

infinitely　below　what　he　had　been　at　the　head　of；　but　when　I　

came　to　the　story　of　Brickhill；　he　was　surprised。　　'And　was　it　

you；　my　dear；'　said　he；　'that　gave　the　check　to　the　mob　that　

was　at　our　heels　there；　at　Brickhill？'　　'Yes；'　said　I；　'it　was　I　

indeed。'　　And　then　I　told　him　the　particulars　which　I　had　

observed　him　there。　　'Why；　then；'　said　he；　'it　was　you　that　

saved　my　life　at　that　time；　and　I　am　glad　I　owe　my　life　to　you；　

for　I　will　pay　the　debt　to　you　now；　and　I'll　deliver　you　from　

the　present　condition　you　are　in；　or　I　will　die　in　the　attempt。'



I　told　him；　by　no　means；　it　was　a　risk　too　great；　not　worth　his　

running　the　hazard　of；　and　for　a　life　not　worth　his　saving。　　

'Twas　no　matter　for　that；　he　said；　it　was　a　life　worth　all　the　

world　to　him；　a　life　that　had　given　him　a　new　life；　'for；'　says　

he；　'I　was　never　in　real　danger　of　being　taken；　but　that　time；　

till　the　last　minute　when　I　was　taken。'　　Indeed；　he　told　me　his　

danger　then　lay　in　his　believing　he　had　not　been　pursued　that　

way；　for　they　had　gone　from　Hockey　quite　another　way；　and　

had　come　over　the　enclosed　country　into　Brickhill；　not　by　the　

road；　and　were　sure　they　had　not　been　seen　by　anybody。



Here　he　gave　me　a　long　history　of　his　life；　which　indeed　would　

make　a　very　strange　history；　and　be　infinitely　diverting。　　He　

told　me　he　took　to　the　road　about　twelve　years　before　he　

married　me；　that　the　woman　which　called　him　brother　was　not　

really　his　sister；　or　any　kin　to　him；　but　one　that　belonged　to　

their　gang；　and　who；　keeping　correspondence　with　him；　lived　

always　in　town；　having　good　store　of　acquaintance；　that　she　

gave　them　a　perfect　intelligence　of　persons　going　out　of　town；　

and　that　they　had　made　several　good　booties　by　her　correspondence；　

that　she　thought　she　had　fixed　a　fortune　for　him　when　she　brought　

me　to　him；　but　happened　to　be　disappointed；　which　he　really　

could　not　blame　her　for；　that　if　it　had　been　his　good　luck　that　

I　had　had　the　estate；　which　she　was　informed　I　had；　he　had　

resolved　to　leave　off　the　road　and　live　a　retired；　sober　live　but　

never　to　appear　in　public　till　some　general　pardon　had　been　

passed；　or　till　he　could；　for　money；　have　got　his　name　into　

some　particular　pardon；　that　so　he　might　have　been　perfectly　

easy；　but　that；　as　it　had　proved　otherwise；　he　was　obliged　to　

put　off　his　equipage　and　take　up　the　old　trade　again。



He　gave　me　a　long　account　of　some　of　his　adventures；　and　

particularly　one　when　he　robbed　the　West　Chester　coaches　

near　Lichfield；　when　he　got　a　very　great　booty；　and　after　that；　

how　he　robbed　five　graziers；　in　the　west；　going　to　Burford　Fair　

in　Wiltshire　to　buy　sheep。　　He　told　me　he　got　so　much　money　

on　those　two　occasions；　that　if　he　had　known　where　to　have　

found　me；　he　would　certainly　have　embraced　my　proposal　of　

going　with　me　to　Virginia；　or　to　have　settled　in　a　plantation　

on　some　other　parts　of　the　English　colonies　in　America。



He　told　me　he　wrote　two　or　three　letters　to　me；　directed　

according　to　my　order；　but　heard　nothing　from　me。　　This　I　

indeed　knew　to　be　true；　but　the　letters　coming　to　my　hand　in　

the　time　of　my　latter　husband；　I　could　do　nothing　in　it；　and　

therefore　chose　to　give　no　answer；　that　so　he　might　rather　

believe　they　had　miscarried。



Being　thus　disappointed；　he　said；　he　carried　on　the　old　trade　

ever　since；　though　when　he　had　gotten　so　much　money；　he　

said；　he　did　not　run　such　desperate　risks　as　he　did　before。　　

Then　he　gave　me　some　account　of　several　hard　and　desperate　

encounters　which　he　had　with　gentlemen　on　the　road；　who　

parted　too　hardly　with　their　money；　and　showed　me　some　

wounds　he　had　received；　and　he　had　one　or　two　very　terrible　

wounds　indeed；　as　particularly　one　by　a　pistol　bullet；　which　

broke　his　arm；　and　another　with　a　sword；　which　ran　him　quite　

through　the　body；　but　that　missing　his　vitals；　he　was　cured　

again；　one　of　his　comrades　having　kept　with　him　so　faithfully；　

and　so　friendly；　as　that　he　assisted　him　in　riding　near　eighty　

miles　before　his　arm　was　set；　and　then　got　a　surgeon　in　a　

considerable　city；　remote　from　that　place　where　it　was　done；　

pretending　they　were　gentlemen　travelling　towards　Carlisle　

and　that　they　had　been　attacked　on　the　road　by　highwaymen；　

and　that　one　of　them　had　shot　him　into　the　arm　and　broke　

the　bone。



This；　he　said；　his　friend　managed　so　well；　that　they　were　not　

suspected　at　all；　but　lay　still　till　he　was　perfectly　cured。　　He　

gave　me　so　many　distinct　accounts　of　his　adventures；　that　it　

is　with　great　reluctance　that　I　decline　the　relating　them；　but　I　

consider　that　this　is　my　own　story；　not　his。



I　then　inquired　into　the　circumstances　of　his　present　case　at　

that　time；　and　what　it　was　he　expected　when　he　came　to　be　

tried。　　He　told　me　that　they　had　no　evidence　against　him；　or　

but　very　little；　for　that　of　three　robberies；　which　they　were　all　

charged　with；　it　was　his　good　fortune　that　he　was　but　in　one　

of　them；　and　that　there　was　but　one　witness　to　be　had　for　that　

fact；　which　was　not　sufficient；　but　that　it　was　expected　some　

others　would　come　in　against　him；　that　he　thought　indeed；　

when　he　first　saw　me；　that　I　had　been　one　that　came　of　that　

errand；　but　that　if　somebody　came　in　against　him；　he　hoped　

he　should　be　cleared；　that　he　had　had　some　intimation；　that　if　

he　would　submit　to　transport　himself；　he　might　be　admitted　

to　it　without　a　trial；　but　that　he　could　not　think　of　it　with　any　

temper；　and　thought　he　could　much　easier　submit　to　be　hanged。



I　blamed　him　for　that；　and　told　him　I　blamed　him　on　two　

accounts；　first；　because　if　he　was　transported；　there　might　be　

a　hundred　ways　for　him　that　was　a　gentleman；　and　a　bold　

enterprising　man；　to　find　his　way　back　again；　and　perhaps　

some　ways　and　means　to　come　back　before　he　went。　　He　

smiled　at　that　part；　and　said　he　should　like　the　last　the　best　of　

the　two；　for　he　had　a　kind　of　horror　upon　his　mind　at　his　being　

sent　over　to　the　plantations；　as　Romans　sent　condemned　

slaves　to　work　in　the　mines；　that　he　thought　the　passage　into　

another　state；　let　it　be　what　it　would；　much　more　tolerable　at　

the　gallows；　and　that　this　was　the　general　notion　of　all　the　

gentlemen　who　were　driven　by　the　exigence　of　their　fortunes　

to　take　the　road；　that　at　the　place　of　execution　there　was　at　

least　an　end　of　all　the　miseries　of　the　present　state；　and　as　for　

what　was　to　follow；　a　man　was；　in　his　opinion；　as　likely　to　

repent　sincerely　in　the　last　fortnight　of　his　life；　under　the　

pressures　and　agonies　of　a　jail　and　the　condemned　hole；　as　he　

would　ever　be　in　the　woods　and　wilderness　of　America；　that　

servitude　and　hard　labour　were　things　gentlemen　could　never　

stoop　to；　that　it　was　but　the　way　to　force　them　to　be　their　own　

executioners　afterwards；　which　was　much　worse；　and　that　

therefore　he　could　not　have　any　patience　when　he　did　but　

think　of　being　transported。



I　used　the　utmost　of　my　endeavour