up with us upon which we fired a gun without a fhot, to intimate that they fhould bring to; and we put out a flag of truce, as a fignal for parley; but they kept crowding after us, till they came within fhot upon this we took in our white flag, they having made no anfwer to it, hung out the red flag, and fired at them with fhot: Notwithstanding this, they came on till they were near enough to call to them with a fpeaking trumpet, which we had on board; fo we called to them, and bade them keep off at their peril.

It was all one, they crowded after us, and endeavoured to come under our ftern, so to board us on our quarter: Upon which, feeing they were refolute for mischief, and depended upon the strength that followed them, I ordered to bring the fhip to, fo that they lay upon our broadfide, when immediately we fired five guns at them; one of them had been levelled fo true, as to carry away the ftern of the hindermoft boat, and bring them to the neceffity of taking down their fail, and running all to the head of the boat to keep her from finking; fo fhe lay by, and had enough of it; but feeing the foremoft boat ftill crowd on after us, we made ready to fire at her in particular.

While this was doing, one of the three boats that was behind, being forwarder than the other two, made up to the boat which we had disabled, to relieve her, and we could afterwards fee her take out the men: we called again to the foremost boat, and offered a truce to parley again, and to know what was her business with us; but had no answer: only fhe crowded clofe under our ftern. Upon this our

gunner

gunner, who was a very dexterous fellow, run out his two chace guns, and fired at her; but the fhot miffing, the men in the boat fhouted, waved their caps, and came on; but the gunner, getting quickly ready again, fired among them a fecond time; one fhot of which, though it miffed the boat itself, yet fell in among the men, and we could easily see had done a great deal of mischief among them; but we, taking no notice of that, weared the ship again, and brought our quarter to bear upon them; and, firing three guns more, we found the boat was split almost to pieces; in particular, her rudder, and a piece of her ftern, were fhot quite away; fo they handed their fail immediately, and were in great disorder: but, to compleat their misfortune, our gunner let fly two guns at them again; where he hit them we could not tell, but we found the boat was finking, and fome of the men already in the water :Upon this I immediately manned out our pinnace, which we had kept close by our fide, with orders to pick up fome of the men, if they could, and fave them from drowning, and imediately to come on board with them; because we faw the reft of the boats began to come up. Our men in the pinnace followed their orders, and took up three men; one of which was just drowning, and it was a good while before we could recover him. As foon as they were on board, we crowded all the fail we could make, and stood farther out to fea; and we found, that when the other three boats came up to the first two, they gave over their chace.

Being thus delivered from a danger, which tho' I knew not the reason of it, yet seemed to be much greater than I apprehended, I took care that we fhould change our courfe, and not let any one imagine whither we were going; fo we stood out to fea eastward, quite out of the courfe of all European ships, whether they were bound to China, or any where else, within the commerce of the European nations.

When we were now at fea, we began to confult with the two feamen, and enquire firft, what the meaning of all this fhould be? The Dutchman let us into the fecret of it at once; telling us, that the fellow that fold us the fhip, as we faid, was no more than a thief that had run away with her. Then he told us how the captain, whofe name too he mentioned, though I do not remember it now, was treacherously murdered by the natives on the coaft of Malacca, with three of his men; and that he, this Dutchman, and four more, got into the woods, where they wandered about a great while; till at length, he, in particular, in a miraculous manner, made his escape, and swam off to a Dutch fhip, which failing near the shore, in its way from China, had fent their boat on fhore for fresh water; that he durft not come to that part of the fhore where the boat was, but made shift in the night to take in the water farther off, and fwimming a great while, at laft the fhip's boat took him up.

He then told us, that he went to Batavia, where two of the feamen belonging to the fhip had arrived, having deferted the reft in their travels; and gave an account, that the fellow who had run away with the ship, fold her at Bengal to a fet of pirates, which VOL. II.

S

were

were gone a cruifing in her; and that they had already taken an English ship, and two Dutch fhips, very richly laden.

This latter part we found to concern us directly; and though we knew it to be falfe, yet, as my partner faid very well, if we had fallen into their hands, and they had fuch a prepoffeffion against us beforehand, it had been in vain for us to have defended ourfelves, or to hope for any good quarters at their hands; especially confidering that our accufers had been our judges, and that we could have expected nothing from them but what rage would have dictated, and ungoverned paffion have executed; and therefore it was his opinion, we fhould go directly back to Bengal, from whence we came, without putting in at any port whatever; because there we could give an account of ourselves, and could prove where we were when the fhip put in, whom we bought her of, and the like; and, which was more than all the reft, if we were put to the neceffity of bringing it before the proper judges, we should be fure to have some justice; and not be hanged first, and judged afterwards.

I was fome time of my partner's opinion; but after a little more ferious thinking, I told him, I thought it was a very great hazard for us to attempt returning to Bengal, for that we were on the wrong fide of the ftraits of Malacca; and that if the alarm was given, we fhould be fure to be way-laid on every fide, as well by the Dutch of Batavia, as the English elfewhere; that if we fhould be taken, as it were, running away, we fhould even condemn ourfelves, and there would want no more evidence to

destroy

destroy us. I also asked the English failor's opinion, who faid, he was of my mind, and that we should certainly be taken.

This danger a little startled my partner, and all the ship's company; and we immediately refolved to go away to the coast of Tonquin, and fo on to China; and from thence pursuing the first defign, as to trade, find fome way or other to dispose of the fhip, and come back in fome of the veffels of the country, fuch as we could get. This was approved of as the best method for our fecurity; and accordingly we steered away N. N. E. keeping above fifty leagues off from the ufual course to the eastward.

This, however, put us to fome inconveniencies ; for first the winds, when we came to that distance from the fhore, feemed to be more fteadily against us, blowing almost trade, as we call it, from the east and E. N. E. fo that we were a long while upon our voyage; and we were but ill provided with victuals for fo long a run; and, which was still worse, there was fome danger, that those English and Dutch fhips, whose boats purfued us, whereof some were bound that way, might be got in before us; and if not, fome other ship, bound to China, might have information of us from them, and purfue us with the fame vigour.

I must confefs, I was now very uneafy, and thought myself, including the late escape from the long-boats, to have been in the most dangerous condition that ever I was in through all my past life; for, whatever ill circumstances I had been in, I was never pursued for a thief before; nor had I ever done any thing S 2

that