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only took him down from the tree where he was hanged by one hand.

However just our men thought this action to be, I was against them in it; and I always, after that time, told them God would blast the voyage; for I looked upon the blood they fhed that night to be murder in them for though it is true that they killed Thomas Jeffrys, yet it was as true that Jeffrys was the aggreffor, had broken the truce, and had violated or debauched a young woman of their's, who came to our camp innocently, and on the faith of their capitulation.

The boatfwain defended this quarrel when we were afterwards on board. He faid, it was true that we feemed to break the truce, but really had not; and that the war was begun the night before by the natives themselves, who had fhot at us, and killed one of our men without any just provocation; fo that, as we were in a capacity to fight them, we might also be in a capacity to do ourselves juftice upon them in an extraordinary manner; that though the poor man had taken liberty with a wench, he ought not to have been murdered, and that in fuch a villainous manner; and that they did nothing but what was juft, and that the laws of GOD allowed to be done to murderers.

One would think this fhould have been enough to have warned us against going on fhore among heathens and barbarians; but it is impoffible to make mankind wife, but at their own experience; and their experience feems to be always of most use to them, when it is deareft bought.

We were now bound to the gulph of Perfia, and from thence to the coaft of Coromandel, only to touch

at

at Surat; but the chief of the supercargo's defign lay at the bay of Bengal, where, if he miffed of the business outward-bound, he was to go up to China, and return to the coaft as he came home.

The first disaster that befel us was in the gulph of Perfia, where five of our men, venturing on fhore on the Arabian fide of the gulph, were furrounded by the Arabs, and either all killed, or carried away into flavery; the rest of the boat's crew were not able to rescue them, and had but just time to get off their boat I began to upbraid them with the just retribution of Heaven in this cafe; but the boatfwain very warmly told me, he thought I went farther in my cenfures than I could fhew any warrant for in fcripture, and referred to the thirteenth of St. Luke, ver. 4. where our Saviour intimates, that thofe men, on whom the Tower of Siloam fell, were not finners above all the Galileans; but that which, indeed, put me to filence in this cafe, was, that none of these five men, who were now loft, were of the number of those who went on fhore to the maffacre of Madagafcar (fo I always called it, though our men could not bear the word maffacre with any patience): and, indeed, this last circumftance, as I have faid, put me to filence for the prefent.

But my frequent preaching to them on this fubject had worse confequences than I expected; and the boatswain, who had been the head of the attempt, came up boldly to me one time, and told me, he found that I continually brought that affair upon the stage; that I made unjust reflections upon it, and had

ufed

used the men very ill on that account, and himself in particular; that as I was but a paffenger, and had no command in the fhip, or concern in the voyage, they were not obliged to bear it; that they did not know but I might have fome ill defign in my head, and, perhaps, call them to an account for it, when they came to England; and that therefore, unless I would refolve to have done with it, and alfo not to concern myself farther with him, or any of his affairs, he would leave the ship; for he did not think it was safe to fail with me among them.

I heard him patiently enough till he had done, and then told him, that I did confefs I had all along oppofed the maffacre of Madagascar, for fuch I would always call it; and that I had on all occafions spoken my mind freely about it, though not more upon him than any of the reft; that as to my having no command in the ship, that was true, nor did I exercise any authority, only took the liberty of speaking my mind in things which publickly concerned us all; as to what concern I had in the voyage, that was none of his business; I was a confiderable owner of the ship, and in that claim I conceived I had a right to speak, even farther than I had yet done, and would not be accountable to him, or any one elfe; and began to be a little warm with him: he made but little reply to me at that time, and I thought that affair had been over. We were at this time in the road to Bengal; and, being willing to fee the place, I went on fshore with the fupercargo, in the fhip's boat, to divert myself; and towards evening was preparing to go on board, when one of the men came to me, and

told

told me, he would not have me trouble myfelf to come down to the boat, for they had orders not to carry me on board. Any one may guess what a furprise I was in at so infolent a message; and I asked the man, who bade him deliver that errand to me? He told me the cockfwain. I faid no more to the fellow, but bid him let them know he had delivered his message, and that I had given him no anfwer to it.

I immediately went, and found out the fupercargo, and told him the ftory, adding, what I prefently forefaw, viz. that there would certainly be a mutiny in the ship; and intreated him to go immediately on board the fhip in an Indian boat, and acquaint the captain of it but I might have fpared this intelligence, for, before I had spoken to him on fhore, the matter was effected on board: the boatfwain, the gunner, the carpenter, and in a word, all the inferior officers, as foon as I was gone off in the boat, came up to the quarter-deck, and defired to fpeak with the captain; and there the boatfwain, making a long harangue (for the fellow talked very well), and repeating all he had faid to me, told the captain in a few words, that as I was now gone peaceably on fhore, they were loth to ufe any violence with me; which, if I had not gone on fhore, they would otherwife have done, to oblige me to have gone. They therefore thought fit to tell him, that as they shipped themselves to ferve in the fhip under his command, they would perform it faithfully: but if I would not quit the fhip, or the captain oblige me to quit it, they would all leave the ship, and fail no farther with him : and at that word ALL, he turned his face about towards

towards the main-maft, which was, it feems, the fig. nal agreed on between them; at which all the feamen being got together, they cried out, One and ALL, One and ALL!

My nephew, the captain, was a man of spirit, and of great prefence of mind, and though he was furprifed, you may be fure, at the thing, yet he told them calmly he would confider of the matter; but that he could do nothing in it till he had spoken to me about it: he used fome arguments with them, to fhew them the unreasonablenefs and injuftice of the thing; but it was all in vain; they fwore, and fhook hands round, before his face, that they would go all on fhore, unless he would engage to them not to fuffer me to come on board the ship.

This was an hard article upon him, who knew his obligation to me, and did not know how I might take it; so he began to talk cavalierly to them; told them that I was a very confiderable owner of the fhip, and that in juftice he could not put me out of my own house; that this was next door to ferving me as the famous pirate Kid had done, who made the mutiny in the fhip, fet the captain on shore in an uninhabited island, and ran away with the fhip; that let them go into what ship they would, if ever they came to England again, it would cost them dear; that the ship was mine, and that he would not put me out of it; and that he would rather lose the ship, and the voyage too, than disoblige me so much; fo they might do as they pleased. However, he would go on shore, and talk with me there; and invited the boat. fwain to go with him, and perhaps they might accommodate the matter with me.

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