taste it, which happened well for me; for in a little time after I perceived my companions had lost their senses, and that when they spoke to me, they knew not what they said.  The blacks filled us afterwards with rice, prepared with oil of cocoas; and my comrades, who had lost their reason, ate of it greedily.  I ate of it also, but very sparingly.  The blacks gave us that herb at first on purpose to deprive us of our senses, that we might not be aware of the sad destiny prepared for us; and they gave us rice on purpose to fatten us; for, being cannibals, their design was to eat us as soon as we grew fat.  They accordingly ate my comrades, who were not sensible of their condition; but my senses being entire, you may easily guess, gentlemen, that instead of growing fat, like the rest, I grew leaner every day.  The fear of death, under which I laboured, turned all my food into poison.  I fell into a languishing distemper, which proved my safety; for the blacks having killed and eaten my companions, seeing me to be withered, lean, and sick, deferred my death till another time.

Meanwhile I had a great deal of liberty, so that there was scarcely any notice taken of what I did; and this gave me an opportunity one day to get at a distance from the houses, and to make my escape.  An old man who saw me, and suspected my design, called to me as loud as he could to return; but, instead of obeying him, I redoubled my pace, and, quickly got out of sight.  At that time there was none but an old man about the houses, the rest being abroad, and not to come home till night, which was pretty usual with them.  Therefore, being sure that they could not come time enough to pursue me, I went on till night, when I stopped to rest a little, and to eat some of the provisions I had taken care of; but I speedily set forward again, and travelled seven days, avoiding those places which seemed to be inhabited, and lived for the most part upon cocoa nuts, which served me both for meat and drink.  On the eighth day I came near the sea, and saw all of a sudden white people like myself gathering pepper, of which there was great plenty in that place; this I took to be a good omen, and went to them without any scruple.  The people who gathered pepper came to meet me, and, as soon as they saw me, asked me in Arabic, who I was, and whence I came?  I was overjoyed to hear them speak in my own language, and willingly satisfied their curiosity by giving them an account of my shipwreck, and how I fell into the hands of the blacks.  Those blacks, replied they, eat men; but by what miracle did you escape their cruelty?  I told them the same story I now told you, at which they were wonderfully surprised.  I staid with them till they had gathered their quantity of pepper, and then sailed with them to the island from whence they came.  They presented me to their king, who was a good prince:  He had the patience to hear the relation of my adventures, which surprised him; and he afterwards gave me clothes,