"Waterman was the first to leave the ship through the broken-open
gun-port, and suspended to the rope by his hands, and at the end
behind him (it was held) by several of our fellow prisoners whom we
were leaving behind us, and with whom we affectionately parted with
reciprocal good wishes. He succeeded in gaining the water and in
leaving the ship without discovery from the British. It had been
agreed, if detection was about to take place, that he should be
received again into the ship. I had agreed to follow him in one minute
in the same manner. I left and followed in half that time, and
succeeded in leaving the ship without giving the least alarm to those
who had held us in captivity.
"I kept along close to the side of the ship until I gained the stern,
and then left the ship. This was all done very slowly, sinking my body
as deep in the water as possible, without stopping my course, until I
was at such a distance from her that my motions in the water would not
create attention from those on board. After gaining a suitable
distance from the ship, I hailed Waterman three times. He did not
answer me. * * * I have never seen him since he left the Old Jersey to
this day. His fate and success I have since learned from James
Waterman, one of his brothers.
"In the meantime I kept on my course without thinking that any
accident would befall him, as I knew him to be an excellent swimmer,
and no fainthearted or timid fellow.
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