just need this

The woman was surprised, and was like to have run into a mistake thatnone of us were aware of; for she firmly believed God had sent the bookupon her husband's petition. It is true that providentially it was so, and might be taken so in a consequent sense; but I believe it would havebeen no difficult matter at that time to have persuaded the poor woman tohave believed that an express messenger came from heaven on purpose tobring that individual book. But it was too serious a matter to sufferany delusion to take place, so I turned to the young woman, and told herwe did not desire to impose upon the new convert in her first and moreignorant understanding of things, and begged her to explain to her thatGod may be very properly said to answer our petitions, when, in thecourse of His providence, such things are in a particular manner broughtto pass as we petitioned for; but we did not expect returns from heavenin a miraculous and particular manner, and it is a mercy that it is notso. This the young woman did afterwards effectually, so that there was nopriestcraft used here; and I should have thought it one of the mostunjustifiable frauds in the world to have had it so. But the effect uponWill Atkins is really not to be expressed; and there, we may be sure, wasno delusion. Sure no man was ever more thankful in the world foranything of its kind than he was for the Bible, nor, I believe, never anyman was glad of a Bible from a better principle; and though he had been amost profligate creature, headstrong, furious, and desperately wicked, yet this man is a standing rule to us all for the well instructing, viz. That parents should never give over to teach and instruct, nor ever despair of the success of their endeavours, let the beever so refractory, or to appearance insensible to instruction; for ifever God in His providence touches the conscience of such, the force oftheir education turns upon them, and the early instruction of parents isnot lost, though it may have been many years laid asleep, but some timeor other they may find the benefit of it. Thus it was with this poorman: however ignorant he was of religion and Christian knowledge, hefound he had some to do with now more ignorant than himself, and that theleast part of the instruction of his good father that now came to hismind was of use to him. Among the rest, it occurred to him, he said, how his father used toinsist so much on the inexpressible value of the Bible, and the privilegeand blessing of it to nations, families, and persons; but he neverentertained the least notion of the worth of it till now, when, being totalk to heathens, savages, and barbarians, he wanted the help of thewritten oracle for his assistance. The young woman was glad of it alsofor the present occasion, though she had one, and so had the youth, onboard our ship among their goods, which were not yet brought on shore. And now, having said so many things of this young woman, I cannot omittelling one story more of her and myself, which has something in it veryinstructive and remarkable. I have related to what extremity the poor young woman was reduced; howher mistress was starved to death, and died on board that unhappy ship wemet at sea, and how the whole ship's company was reduced to the lastextremity. The gentlewoman, and her son, and this maid, were firsthardly used as to provisions, and at last totally neglected andstarvedthat is to say, brought to the last extremity of hunger. Oneday, being discoursing with her on the extremities they suffered, I askedher if she could describe, by what she had felt, what it was to starve, and how it appeared She said she believed she could, and told her talevery distinctly First, we had for some days fared exceedingly hard, and suffered verygreat hunger; but at last we were wholly without food of any kind exceptsugar, and a little wine and water. The first day after I had receivedno food at all, I found myself towards evening, empty and sick at thestomach, and nearer night much inclined to yawning and sleep. I lay downon the couch in the great cabin to sleep, and slept about three hours, and awaked a little refreshed, having taken a glass of wine when I laydown; after being about three hours awake, it being about five o'clock inthe morning, I found myself empty, and my stomach sickish, and lay downagain, but could not sleep at all, being very faint and ill; and thus Icontinued all the second day with a strange varietyfirst hungry, thensick again, with retchings to vomit. The second night, being obliged togo to bed again without any food more than a draught of fresh water, andbeing asleep, I dreamed I was at Barbadoes, and that the market wasmightily stocked with provisions; that I bought some for my mistress, andwent and dined very heartily. I thought my stomach was full after this, as it would have been after a good dinner; but when I awaked I waceedingly sunk in my spirits to find myself in the extremity of family. The last glass of wine we had I drank, and put sugar in it, because ofits having some spirit to supply nourishment; but there being nosubstance in the stomach for the digesting office to work upon, I foundthe only effect of the wine was to raise disagreeable fumes from thestomach into the head; and I lay, as they told me, stupid and senseless, as one drunk, for some time. The third day, in the morning, after anight of strange, confused, and inconsistent dreams, and rather dozingthan sleeping, I awaked ravenous and furious with hunger; and I question, had not my understanding returned and conquered it, whether if I had beena mother, and had had a little child with me, its life would have beensafe or not. This lasted about three hours, during which time I wastwice raging mad as any creature in Bedlam, as my young master told me, and as he can now inform you. In one of these fits of lunacy or distraction I fell down and struck myface against the corner of a palletbed, in which my mistress lay, andwith the blow the blood gushed out of my nose; and the cabin bringingme a little basin, I sat down and bled into it a great deal; and as theblood came from me I came to myself, and the violence of the flame orfever I was in abated, and so did the ravenous part of the hunger. ThenI grew sick, and retched to vomit, but could not, for I had nothing in mystomach to bring up. After I had bled some time I swooned, and they allbelieved I was dead; but I came to myself soon after, and then had a mostdreadful pain in my stomach not to be describednot like the colic, buta gnawing, eager pain for food; and towards night it went off with a kindof earnest wishing or longing for food. I took another draught of waterwith sugar in it; but my stomach loathed the sugar and brought it all upagain; then I took a draught of water without sugar, and that stayed withme; and I laid me down upon the bed, praying most heartily that it wouldplease God to take me away; and composing my mind in hopes of it, Islumbered a while, and then waking, thought myself dying, being lightwith vapours from an empty stomach. I recommended my soul then to God, and then earnestly wished that somebody would throw me into the into thesea. thus: