The Fortunes and Misfortunes of the Famous Moll Flanders

The people of the inn were in a great hurry, the packet-boat from

Holland being just come in, and two coaches just come also with

passengers from London, for another packet-boat that was going off for

Holland, which coaches were to go back next day with the passengers

that were just landed. In this hurry it was not much minded that I

came to the bar and paid my reckoning, telling my landlady I had gotten

my passage by sea in a wherry.

These wherries are large vessels, with good accommodation for carrying

passengers from Harwich to London; and though they are called wherries,

which is a word used in the Thames for a small boat rowed with one or

two men, yet these are vessels able to carry twenty passengers, and ten

or fifteen tons of goods, and fitted to bear the sea. All this I had

found out by inquiring the night before into the several ways of going

to London.

My landlady was very courteous, took my money for my reckoning, but was

called away, all the house being in a hurry. So I left her, took the

fellow up to my chamber, gave him the trunk, or portmanteau, for it was

like a trunk, and wrapped it about with an old apron, and he went

directly to his boat with it, and I after him, nobody asking us the

least question about it; as for the drunken Dutch footman he was still

asleep, and his master with other foreign gentlemen at supper, and very

merry below, so I went clean off with it to Ipswich; and going in the

night, the people of the house knew nothing but that I was gone to

London by the Harwich wherry, as I had told my landlady.

I was plagued at Ipswich with the custom-house officers, who stopped my

trunk, as I called it, and would open and search it. I was willing, I

told them, they should search it, but husband had the key, and he was

not yet come from Harwich; this I said, that if upon searching it they

should find all the things be such as properly belonged to a man rather

than a woman, it should not seem strange to them. However, they being

positive to open the trunk I consented to have it be broken open, that

is to say, to have the lock taken off, which was not difficult.

They found nothing for their turn, for the trunk had been searched

before, but they discovered several things very much to my

satisfaction, as particularly a parcel of money in French pistols, and

some Dutch ducatoons or rix-dollars, and the rest was chiefly two

periwigs, wearing-linen, and razors, wash-balls, perfumes, and other

useful things necessary for a gentleman, which all passed for my

husband's, and so I was quit to them.