Secret Interview with Narcissa
Roderick leaves Strap to return the horses and spends the night at Mrs. Sagely’s cottage. Early the next morning, armed with pistols and a hanger, he climbs over the garden wall and conceals himself in a thicket near an alcove where Narcissa often walks. He waits from five in the morning until six in the evening, when at last he sees Narcissa and Miss Williams approaching. He leaves his portrait in miniature on the stone table as an introduction. Narcissa discovers the picture, exclaims at the resemblance, and kisses it tenderly, placing it against her heart. Roderick reveals himself, causing Narcissa to faint, but he revives her with his kisses. During their brief interview lasting about an hour, Roderick convinces Narcissa of the necessity of his departure and they exchange vows of eternal constancy before parting with great sorrow.
Return to the Ship
Roderick returns through the darkness to Mrs. Sagely’s cottage, where she comforts him. He leaves her twenty guineas as a token of gratitude and walks to the inn where Strap awaits in great distress. The two ride to Deal, arriving to find the captain has received his dispatches and must sail with the first fair wind. The next day, a brisk easterly gale arises, and they set sail, clearing the Channel within forty-eight hours.
Destination Disclosed
Two hundred leagues west of Land’s End, the captain reveals the true nature of their voyage. The ship is bound for the coast of Guinea, where they will exchange part of their cargo for slaves and gold dust. From there, they will transport the Negroes to Buenos Ayres in New Spain and sell both the slaves and remaining goods for silver, using passports obtained from both the English and Spanish courts. Roderick borrows Spanish language materials from the supercargo and studies the language with such application that he can hold conversations before arriving in New Spain. He also has the ship’s company bled and purged as a preventive measure against fevers, which proves beneficial as only one sailor is lost during the passage.
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