As for myself, as this is to be my own story, not my husband's, I
return to that part which related to myself. We went on with our
plantation, and managed it with the help and diversion of such friends
as we got there by our obliging behaviour, and especially the honest
Quaker, who proved a faithful, generous, and steady friend to us; and
we had very good success, for having a flourishing stock to begin with,
as I have said, and this being now increased by the addition of #150
sterling in money, we enlarged our number of servants, built us a very
good house, and cured every year a great deal of land. The second year
I wrote to my old governess, giving her part with us of the joy of our
success, and order her how to lay out the money I had left with her,
which was #250 as above, and to send it to us in goods, which she
performed with her usual kindness and fidelity, and this arrived safe
to us.
Here we had a supply of all sorts of clothes, as well for my husband as
for myself; and I took especial care to buy for him all those things
that I knew he delighted to have; as two good long wigs, two
silver-hilted swords, three or four fine fowling-pieces, a find saddle
with holsters and pistols very handsome, with a scarlet cloak; and, in
a word, everything I could think of to oblige him, and to make him
appear, as he really was, a very fine gentleman. I ordered a good
quantity of such household stuff as we yet wanted, with linen of all
sorts for us both. As for myself, I wanted very little of clothes or
linen, being very well furnished before. The rest of my cargo
consisted in iron-work of all sorts, harness for horses, tools, clothes
for servants, and woollen cloth, stuffs, serges, stockings, shoes,
hats, and the like, such as servants wear; and whole pieces also to
make up for servants, all by direction of the Quaker; and all this
cargo arrived safe, and in good condition, with three woman-servants,
lusty wenches, which my old governess had picked for me, suitable
enough to the place, and to the work we had for them to do; one of
which happened to come double, having been got with child by one of the
seamen in the ship, as she owned afterwards, before the ship got so far
as Gravesend; so she brought us a stout boy, about seven months after
her landing.
My husband, you may suppose, was a little surprised at the arriving of
all this cargo from England; and talking with me after he saw the
account of this particular, 'My dear,' says he, 'what is the meaning of
all this? I fear you will run us too deep in debt: when shall we be
able to make return for it all?' I smiled, and told him that is was all
paid for; and then I told him, that what our circumstances might expose
us to, I had not taken my whole stock with me, that I had reserved so
much in my friend's hands, which now we were come over safe, and was
settled in a way to live, I had sent for, as he might see.