James Scurry 
Captivity, Sufferings, and Escape, of James Scurry, Who Was Detained a Prisoner During Ten Years, in the Dominions of Hyder Ali and Tippoo Saib [PDF ebook] 

Whilst the greatest effort has been made to ensure the quality of this text, due to the historical nature of this content, in some rare cases there may be minor issues with legibility. It appears that at a very early period james scurry went to sea. His widow and son think he could not have been much above seven years old, when he entered on his first voyage. He was a considerable time on the coast of America, and in the West Indies; was employed to carry powder during the time of action; and he amused the sailors with playing the fife when they were disen gaged. How, or in what manner, he obtained a knowledge of reading and writing, they do not know, nor are they particularly acquainted with the trans actions of his early days. Having given this brief introductory statement, the Editor now proceeds to the author’s own affecting narrative.