18 The Fortunes and Misfortunes
excuſe for not comming ſooner, he told
me his time had been employed on
my account, and in ſhort, he had got
my ſentence changed for tranſporta-
tion; at hearing of which, I was ſo
overſet with joy that I ſwooned away,
and it was with ſome difficulty that I
came to myſelf again.
I having now liberty to go through
among the reſt of the priſoners, and
who ſhould I diſcover, but my Lan-
caſhire huſband? Upon the firſt diſ-
covery we were both thunder ſtruct,
the one being quite ignorant of the
other's adventures.
After we had recovered our ſurpriſe
a little, I gave my hiſtory, and he in
his turn, gave his, which indeed was
a very ſtrange one; by which I un-
derſtood he had taken to the high-
way about 12 years before he mar-
ried me, and that he had now car-
ried on that deſperate trade about 25
years, with tolerable ſucceſs, and had
never been taken up before, and even
now, the evidence was but very ſlen-
der, and he believed, if he petitioned
for tranſportation before his trial came
on, he could obtain it; which accordingly
