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in his limbs, with ringlets of fair hair loosely flowing on his shoulders. It happened, in the courfe of the voyage, that the Achilles, in fome diftrefs, put into a Creek on the main of America, in fearch of provisions. The youth, who is the hero of my ftory, among others went ahore on this occafion. From their first landing they were obferved by a party of indians, who hid themselves in the woods for that purpofe. The English unadvifedly marched a great diftance from the shore into the country, and were intercepted by the natives, who flew the greateft number of them. Our adventurer efcaped among others, by flying into a foreft. Upon his coming into a remote and pathlefs part of the wood, he threw himself, tired, and breathlefs, on a little hillock, when an Indian maid rufhed from a thicket behind him. After the first surprize, they appeared mutually agreeable to each other. If the European was highly charmed with the limbs, features, and wild graces of the naked American, the American was no lefs taken with the drefs, complexion, and shape of an European, covered. from head to foot. The Indian grew immediately enamoured of him, and confequently folicitous for his prefervation. She therefore conveyed him to a cave, where he gave him a delicious repaft of fruits, and led him to a stream to flake his thirst. In the midst of thofe good offices, fhe would fometimes play with his hair, and delight in the oppofition of its colour to that of her fingers: Then open his bosom, then laugh at him for covering it. She was, it seems, a perfon of diftinction, for fhe every day came to him in a different drefs, of the most beautiful fhells, bugles, and beads. She likewife brought him a great many fpoils, which her other lovers, had prefented to. her, fo that his cave was richly adorned with all the fpotted skins of beafts, and moft party-coloured-feathers of fowls, which that world afforded. To make his confinement more tolerable, fhe would carry him in the dusk of the evening, or by the favour of moonlight, to unfrequented groves and folitudes, and fhew him where to lie down in fafety, and fleep amid the falls of water, and melody of nightingales. Her part

was to watch and hold him awake in her arms, for fear of her countrymen, and awake him on occafions to confult his fafety. In this manner did the lovers pafs away their time, till they had learned a language of their own, in which the voyager communicated to his mistress, how happy he fhould be to have her in his country, where the thould be cloathed in fuch filks as his waistcoat was made of, and carried in houses drawn by horfes, without being expofed to wind or weather. All this he promised her the enjoyment of without fuch fears and alarms as they were there tormented with. In this tender correfpondence these lovers lived for feveral months, when Tarico, inftru&ed by her lover, difcovered a veffel on the coaft, to which the made fignals: and in the night, with the utmoft joy and fatisfaction, accompanied him to a hip's crew of his countrymen, bound for Barbadoes. When a veffel from the main arrives in that Ifland, it feems the planters come to the fhore, where there is an immediate market of the Indians and other flaves, as with us of horfes and oxen.

To be fhort, Mr. Thomas Inkle, now coming into English territories, began feriously to reflect upon his lofs of time, and to weigh with himfelf how many days interest of his money he had loft during his ftay with Farico. This thought made the young man very penfive and careful what account he should be able to give his friends of his voyage. Upon this confideration, the prudent and frugal young man fold Yarico to a Barbadian merchant; notwithstanding that the poor girl, to incline him to commiferate her condition, told him that he was with child by him. But he only made ufe of that information, to rife in his demands. upon the purchaser.

I was to touched with this ftory (which I think fhould be always a counterpart to the Ephefion matron) that I left the room with tears in my eyes; which a woman of Arietta's good fenfe, did, I am fure, take for greater applaufe, than any compliments I could SPECTATOR, Vol. I. No. XI.

make her.

FINIS.

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