Page 510
An. 1689
The Cygnet goes to Madagafcar.
Captain Read having thus loft the beft half of his Men, failed away with the reft of them, after ha- ving filled his Water, and got Rice, ftill intending for the Red Sea. When they were near Ceylon, they met with a Portuguefe Ship richly laden : out of which they took what they pleas'd, and then turn'd her away again. From thence they purfued their Voyage ; but the Wefterly Winds bearing hard a- gainft them, and making it hardly feizable for them to reach the Red Sea, they ftood away for Madagafcar. There they entered into the fervice of one of the Petty Princes of that Ifland, to affift him againft his Neighbours, with whom he was at Wars. During this Interval, a fmall Veffel from New York came hither to purchafe Slaves: which Trade is driven here, as it is upon the Coaft of Guinea; one Nation or Clan felling others that are their Enemies. Captain Read, with about 5 or 6 more, ftole away from their Crew, and went aboard this New York Ship ; and Captain Teat was made Com- mander of the Refidue. Soon after which, a Bri- gantine from the Weft Indies, Captain Knight Com- mander, coming thither with defign to go to the Red Sea alfo, thefe of the Cygnet conforted with them, and they went together to the Ifland Johan- na. Thence going together towards the Red Sea, the Cygnet proving leaky, and failing heavily, as being much out of Repair, Captain Knight grew weary of her Company, and giving her the flip in the night, went away for Achin ; for having heard that there was plenty of Gold there, he went thi- ther with a defign to cruize : and 'twas from one Mr. Humes, belonging to the Ann of London, Captain Freke Commander, who had gone aboard Captain Knight, and whom I faw afterwards at Achin, that I had this Relation. Some of Captain Freke's Men, their own Ship being loft, had gone aboard the Cygnet at Johanna: and after Captain Knight had left her,