he had caulked her, to ftop the leaks, had got two kettles just let down into the boat; one filled with boiling pitch, and the other with rofin, tallow, and oil, and fuch ftuff as the fhipwrights used for that work; and the man that tended the carpenter had a great iron ladle in his hand, with which he fupplied the men that were at work with that hot stuff: two of the enemy's men entered the boat just where this fellow ftood, being in the fore-sheets; he immediately faluted them with a ladleful of the stuff, boil. ing hot, which fo burnt and scalded them, being half naked, that they roared out like two bulls, and enraged with the fire, leaped both into the sea. The carpenter saw it, and cried out, Well done, Jack, give them some more of it; when stepping forward himself, he takes one of their mops, and dipping it in the pitch pot, he and his man threw it among them fo plentifully, that, in fhort, of all the men in three boats, there was not one that was not fcalded and burnt with it in a most frightful pitiful manner, and made fuch an howling and crying, that I never heard a worse noise, and, indeed, nothing like it for it was worth obferving, that tho' pain naturally makes all people cry out, yet every nation have a particular way of exclamation, and make noises as different from one another as their fpeech. I cannot give the noise these creatures made a better name than howling, nor a name more proper to the tone of it; for I never heard any thing more like the noife of the wolves, which, as I have faid, I heard howl in the foreft on the frontiers of Languedoc.

I was never pleased with a victory better in my life; not only as it was a perfect furprise to me, and that our danger was imminent before; but as we got this victory without any bloodfhed, except of that man the fellow killed with his naked hands, and which I was very much concerned at ; for I was fick of killing fuch poor favage wretches, even though it was in my own defence, knowing they came on errands which they thought juft, and knew no better and that though it may be a just thing, becaufe neceffary, for there is no neceffary wickedness in nature; yet I thought it was a fad life, when we must be always obliged to be killing our fellow-creatures to preferve ourselves; and, indeed, I think fo ftill; and I would, even now, fuffer a great deal, rather than I would take away the life even of the worst person injuring me. I believe also, all confidering people, who know the value of life, would be of my opinion, if they entered seriously into the confideration of it.

But to return to my story: All the while this was doing, my partner and I, who managed the rest of the men on board, had, with great dexterity, brought the ship almost to rights; and, having gotten the guns into their places again, the gunner called to me, to bid our boat get out of the way, for he would let fly among them. them. I called back again to him, and bid him not offer to fire, for the carpenter would do the work without him; but bade him heat another pitch kettle; which our cook, who was on board, took care of. But the enemy was fo terrified with what they met with in their firft attack, that they would not come on again; and fome of them, that were fartheft off, feeing the fhip fwim, as it were, upright,

began

began, as we fuppofed, to fee their mistake, and gave over the enterprise, finding it was not as they expected. Thus we got clear of this merry fight; and, having gotten fome rice, and fome roots and bread, with about fixteen good big hogs, on board, two days before, we refolved to stay here no longer, but go forward, whatever came of it; for we made no doubt but we should be furrounded the next day with rogues enough, perhaps more than our pitchkettle would difpofe of for us.

We, therefore, got all our things on board the fame evening, and the next morning were ready to fail. In the mean time, lying at an anchor fome distance from the fhore, we were not fo much concerned, being now in a fighting posture, as well as in a failing posture, if any enemy had presented. The next day, having finished our work within board, and finding our fhip was perfectly healed of all her leaks, we fet fail: we would have gone into the bay of Tonquin, for we wanted to inform ourselves of what was to be known concerning the Dutch fhips that had been there; but we durft not stand in there, because we had seen several ships go in, as we fuppofed, but a little before; so we kept on N. E. towards the ifle of Formofa, as much afraid of being seen by a Dutch or English merchant fhip, as a Dutch or English merchant fhip in the Mediterranean is of an Algerine man of war.

When we were thus got to fea, we kept on N. E. as if we would go to the Manillas or the Philippine iflands, and this we did, that we might not fall into the way of any of the European fhips; and then we fteered north again, till we came to the latitude

of

of 22 deg. 20 min. by which means we made the island of Formofa directly, where we came to an anchor, in order to get water and fresh provifions, which the people there, who are very courteous and civil in their manners, fupplied us with willingly, and dealt very fairly and punctually with us in all their agreements and bargains; which is what we did not find among other people; and may be owing to the remains of Christianity, which was once planted here by a Dutch missionary of proteftants, and is a teftimony of what I have often obferved, viz. That the Christian religion always civilizes the people, and reforms their manners, where it is received, whether it works faving effects upon them or not.

From hence we failed still north, keeping the coast of China at an equal distance, till we knew we were beyond all the ports of China, where our European fhips ufually come; but being refolved, if poffible, not to fall into any of their hands, especially in this country, where, as our circumstances were, we could not fail of being entirely ruined; nay, fo great was my fear in particular, as to my being taken by them, that I believe firmly I would much rather have chofen to fall into the hands of the Spanish inquifition.

Being now come to the latitude of 30 degrees, we refolved to put into the first trading port we fhould come at; and standing in for the shore, a boat came off two leagues to us, with an old Portuguese pilot on board, who, knowing us to be an European fhip, came to offer his fervice, which, indeed, we were very glad of, and took him on board; upon which, without asking us whither we would go, he difmiffed the boat he came in, and fent it back.

I thought

I thought it was now fo much in our choice to make the old man carry us whither we would, that I began to talk with him about carrying us to the Gulph of Nanquin, which is the most northern part of the coaft of China. The old man faid he knew the Gulph of Nanquin very well; but fmiling, afked us what we would do there?

I told him we would fell our cargo, and purchase China wares, callicoes, raw filks, tea, wrought filks, &c. and fo would return by the fame courfe we came. He told us our best port had been to have put in at Macao, where we could not fail of a market for our opium, to our fatisfaction, and might, for our money, have purchased all forts of China goods, as cheap as we could at Nanquin.

Not being able to put the old man out of his talk, of which he was very opiniated, or conceited, I told him, we were gentlemen as well as merchants; and that we had a mind to go and see the great city of Pekin, and the famous court of the monarch of China. Why then, fays the old man, you should go to Ningpo, where, by the river that runs into the fea there, you may go up within five leagues of the great canal. This canal is a navigable made stream, which goes through the heart of all that vaft empire of China, croffes all the rivers, paffes fome confiderable hills by the help of fluices and gates, and goes up to the city of Pekin, being in length near 270 leagues.

Well, faid I, Seignior Portuguese, but that is not our business now: the great question is, If you can carry us up to the city of Nanquin, from whence we can travel to Pekin afterwards? Yes, he faid, he

could