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第12节

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there; and at anchor yonder?' pointing above the town)。  'All those

ships have families on board; of their merchants and owners; and

such…like; who have locked themselves up and live on board; close

shut in; for fear of the infection; and I tend on them to fetch things for

them; carry letters; and do what is absolutely necessary; that they may

not be obliged to come on shore; and every night I fasten my boat on

board one of the ship's boats; and there I sleep by myself; and; blessed

be God; I am preserved hitherto。'



'Well;' said I; 'friend; but will they let you come on board after you

have been on shore here; when this is such a terrible place; and so

infected as it is?'



'Why; as to that;' said he; 'I very seldom go up the ship…side; but

deliver what I bring to their boat; or lie by the side; and they hoist it

on board。  If I did; I think they are in no danger from me; for I never

go into any house on shore; or touch anybody; no; not of my own

family; but I fetch provisions for them。'



'Nay;' says I; 'but that may be worse; for you must have those

provisions of somebody or other; and since all this part of the town is

so infected; it is dangerous so much as to speak with anybody; for the

village'; said I; 'is; as it were; the beginning of London; though it be at

some distance from it。'



'That is true;' added he; 'but you do not understand me right; I do not

buy provisions for them here。  I row up to Greenwich and buy fresh

meat there; and sometimes I row down the river to Woolwich and buy

there; then I go to single farm…houses on the Kentish side; where I am

known; and buy fowls and eggs and butter; and bring to the ships; as

they direct me; sometimes one; sometimes the other。  I seldom come

on shore here; and I came now only to call on my wife and hear how

my family do; and give them a little money; which I received last night。'



'Poor man!' said I; 'and how much hast thou gotten for them?'



'I have gotten four shillings;' said he; 'which is a great sum; as things

go now with poor men; but they have given me a bag of bread too; and

a salt fish and some flesh; so all helps out。' 'Well;' said I; 'and have you

given it them yet?'



'No;' said he; 'but I have called; and my wife has answered that she

cannot come out yet; but in half…an…hour she hopes to come; and I am

waiting for her。  Poor woman!' says he; 'she is brought sadly down。

She has a swelling; and it is broke; and I hope she will recover; but I

fear the child will die; but it is the Lord … '



Here he stopped; and wept very much。



'Well; honest friend;' said I; 'thou hast a sure Comforter; if thou hast

brought thyself to be resigned to the will of God; He is dealing with us

all in judgement。'



'Oh; sir!' says he; 'it is infinite mercy if any of us are spared; and

who am I to repine!'



'Sayest thou so?' said I; 'and how much less is my faith than thine?'

And here my heart smote me; suggesting how much better this poor

man's foundation was on which he stayed in the danger than mine;

that he had nowhere to fly; that he had a family to bind him to

attendance; which I had not; and mine was mere presumption; his a

true dependence and a courage resting on God; and yet that he used all

possible caution for his safety。



I turned a little way from the man while these thoughts engaged me;

for; indeed; I could no more refrain from tears than he。



At length; after some further talk; the poor woman opened the door

and called; 'Robert; Robert'。  He answered; and bid her stay a few

moments and he would come; so he ran down the common stairs to

his boat and fetched up a sack; in which was the provisions he had

brought from the ships; and when he returned he hallooed again。

Then he went to the great stone which he showed me and emptied the

sack; and laid all out; everything by themselves; and then retired; and

his wife came with a little boy to fetch them away; and called and said

such a captain had sent such a thing; and such a captain such a thing;

and at the end adds; 'God has sent it all; give thanks to Him。' When the

poor woman had taken up all; she was so weak she could not carry it

at once in; though the weight was not much neither; so she left the

biscuit; which was in a little bag; and left a little boy to watch it till

she came again。



'Well; but'; says I to him; 'did you leave her the four shillings too;

which you said was your week's pay?'



'Yes; yes;' says he; 'you shall hear her own it。' So he calls again;

'Rachel; Rachel;' which it seems was her name; 'did you take up the

money?' 'Yes;' said she。  'How much was it?' said he。  'Four shillings

and a groat;' said she。  'Well; well;' says he; 'the Lord keep you all'; and

so he turned to go away。





End of Part 3

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