I now found myself under a worse capt than [Thomas] Symonds; for Montague² was loaded with prejudices against every body, and every thing that was not stamped with royalty; and, being by nature underwitted, his wrath was heavier than the others, or at least his mind was in no instance liable to be diverted by good sense, humor or bravery, of which Symonds was by turns susceptible. A capt. Francis Proctor was added to our number of prisoners when we were first put on board this ship.³ This gentleman had formerly belonged to the English service. The capt. and, in fine, all the gentlemen of the ship, were very much incensed against him, and put him in irons without the least provocation, and he was continued in this miserable situation about three months. In this passage the prisoners were infected with the scurvy, some more and some less, but most of them severely. The ship's crew was to a great degree troubled with it, and I concluded that it was catching. Several of the crew died with it on their passage. I was weak and feeble in consequence of so long and cruel a captivity, yet had but little of the scurvy.

The purser was again expressly forbid by the capt. to let me have any thing out of his store; upon which I went on deck, and, in the handsomest manner requested the favor of purchasing a few necessaries of the purser, which was denied me; he further told me, that I should be hanged as soon as I arrived at Halifax. I tried to reason the matter with him, but found him proof against reason: I also held up his honor to view, and his behavior to me and the prisoners in general, as being derogatory to it, but found his honor impenetrable. I then endeavored to touch his humanity, but found he had none; for his prepossession of bigotry to his own party, had confirmed him in an opinion, that no humanity was due to unroyalists, but seemed to think that heaven and earth were made merely to gratify the king and his creatures; he uttered considerable unintelligible and grovelling ideas, a little tinctured with Monarchy, but stood well to his text of hanging me. He afterwards forbade his surgeon to administer any help to the sick prisoners. I was every night shut down in the cable tier, with the rest of the prisoners, and we all lived miserably while under his power: But I received some generosity from several of the midshipmen, who in a degree alleviated my misery; One of their names was Putrass, the names of the others I do not recollect: but they were obliged to be private in the bestowment of their favor, which was sometimes good wine bitters, and at others a generous drink of grog.

Some time in the first week of June, we came to anchor at the Hook off New-York, where we remained but three days;⁴ in which time gov. Tryon, Mr. [John Tabor] Kemp, the old attorney gen. of New-York, and several other perfidious and over-grown tories and land-jobbers, came on board. Tryon viewed me with a stern countenance, as I was walking on the leeward side of the deck, with the midshipmen; and he and his companions were walking with the capt. and lieut on the windward side of the same, but never spoke to me, though it is altogether probable that he thought of the old quarrel between him, the old government of New-York and the Green Mountain Boys: Then they went with the capt. into the cabin, and the same afternoon returned on board a vessel which lay near the Hook, where at that time they took sanctuary from the resentment of their injured country. What passed between the officers of the ship and these visitors I know not; but this I know, that my treatment from the principal officers was more severe afterwards.

We arrived at Halifax not far from the middle of June, where the ship's crew, which was infested with the scurvy, were taken on shore, and shallow trenches dug, into which they were put, and partly covered with earth. Indeed every proper measure was taken for their relief:⁵ The prisoners were not permitted any sort of medicine, but were put on board a sloop which lay in the harbor, near the town of Halifax, surrounded with several men of war and their tenders, and a guard constantly set over them, night and day. The sloop we had wholly to ourselves, except the guard, who occupied the forecastle; here we were cruelly pinched with hunger; it seemed to me that we had not more than one third of the common allowance: We were all seized with violent hunger and faintness; we divided our scanty allowance as exact as possible. I shared the same fate with th[e] rest, and, though they offered me more than an even share, I refused to accept it, as it was a time of substantial distress, which in my opinion I ought to partake equally with the rest, and set an example of virtue and fortitude to our little commonwealth.