for in fhort, their History was, that this Man they call'd Captain was the Gunner only, not the Commander, that they had been a trading Voyage, in which, they were attack'd on Shore, by fome of the Mallayans, who had kill'd the Captain, and three of his Men; and that after the Captain was kill'd, thefe Men Eleven in Number, had refolv'd to run away with the ship, which they did; and brought her in at the Bay of Bengale, leaving the Mate and five Men more on Shore, of whom, we fhall hear farther.

Well, let them come by the Ship how they would, we came honeftly by her, as we thought, tho' we did not I confefs, examine into Things fo exactly as we ought, for we never enquir'd any Thing of the Seamen; who, if we had examin'd, would certainly have falter'd in their Account, contradicted one another, and perhaps contradicted themfelves, or one how or other, we fhould have feen Reafon to have fufpected them; but the Man fhew'd us a Bill of Sale for the Ship, to one Emanuel Cloftershoven, or fome fuch Name; for I fuppofe it was all a Forgery, and call'd himself by that Name, and we could not contradict him; and being withal, a little too unwary, or at least, having no Sufpicion of the Thing, we went thro' with our Bargain.

We pick'd up fome more English Seamen here after this, and fome Dutch; and now we refol ved for a fecond Voyage, to the South Eaft for Cloves, &c. that is to fay, among the Phillippine and Mollucco lfles; and in short, not to fill thisPart of my Story with Trifles, when what is yet to come, is fo remarkable; I spent from first to laft fix Years in this Country, trading from Port to

Port,

Port, backward and forward, and with very good Succefs; and was now the laft Year with my new Partner, going in the Ship above-mention'd, on a Voyage to China; but defigning first to Siam, to buy Rice.

In this Voyage, being by contrary Winds oblig'd to beat up and down a great while in the Straits of Mallacca, and among the Iflands; we were no fooner got clear of thofe difficult Seas, but we found our Ship had fprung a Leak, and we were not able by all our Industry to find it out where it was: This forc'd us to make for fome Port, and my Partner who knew the Country better than I did, directed the Captain to put into the River of Cambodia, for I had made the English Mate, one Mr. Thomson, Captain, not being willing to take the Charge of the Ship upon my felf: This River lies on the North Side of the great Bay or Gulph, which goes up to Siam.

While we were here, and going often on Shore for Refreshment, there comes to me one Day an English Man, and he was it feems a Gunner's Mate, on board an English Eaft-India Ship, which rode in the fame River, up at, or near the City of Cambodia; what brought him hither we know not; but he comes up to me, and speaking English: Sir, fays he, you are a Stranger to me, and I to you, but I have fomething to tell you, that very nearly concerns you.

I look'd fteadily at him a good while, and thought at first I had known him, but I did not; if it very nearly concerns me, faid 1, and not your felf, what moves you to tell it me? I am moved fays he, by the eminent Danger you are

in, and for ought I fee, you have no Knowledge of it; I know no Danger I am in, faid I, but that my Ship is leaky, and I cannot find it out; but Í purpose to lay her a-Ground to Morrow, to see if I can find it ; but Sir, fays he, leaky,or not leaky, find it,or not find it, you will be wiser than to lay your Ship on Shore to Morrow, when you hear what I have to fay to you; do you know Sir, faid. he, the Town of Cambodia, lyes about fifteen Leagues up this River? and there are two large English Ships about five Leagues on this Side, and three Dutch, well faid I, and what is that to me? Why Sir, faid he, is it for a Man that is upon fuch Adventures as you are upon, to come into a Port, and not examine first what ships there are there, and whether he is able to deal with them? I fuppofe you don't think you are a Match for them: I was amufed very much at his Difcourfe, but not amaz'd at it, for I could not conceive what he meant; and I turn'd fhort upon him and faid, Sir, I wish you would explain your felf; I cannot imagine what Reason I have to be afraid of any Company Ships, or Dutch Ships; I am no Interloperr, what can they have to fay to me?

He look'd like a Man half angry, half pleas'd, and pausing a while, but fimiling; well Sir, Says he, if you think your felf fecure, you must take your Chance; I am forry your Fate fhould blind you against good Advice; but affure your felf, if you do not put to Sea immediately, you will the very next Tide be attack'd by five LongBoats full of Men, and perhaps if you are taken, you'll be hang'd for a Pirate, and the Particulars be examin❜d afterwards: I thought Sir, added he, I should have met with a better Reception than

this, for doing you a Piece of Service of fuch Importance: I can never be ungrateful, faid 1, for any Service, or to any Man that offers me any Kindness, but it is past my Comprehenfion faid 1, what they should have fuch a Defign upon me for; however, fince you fay, there is no Time to be loft, and that there is fome villainous Design in Hand against me; I'll go on board this Minute, and put to Sea immediately, if my Men can stop the leak, or if we can fwim without stopping it? But, Sir, faid I, fhall I go away ignorant of the Reafon of all this? Can you give me no farther Light into it?

I can tell you but Part of the Story, Sir, fays he, but I have a Dutch Seaman here with me, and I believe I could perfuade him to tell you the reft; but there is fcarce time for it. But the fhort of the Story is this, the first Part of which, I fuppofe, you know well enough, (viz.) that you was with this Ship at Sumatra, that there your Captain was murther'd by the Malluyans, with three of his Men, and that you or fome of those who were on board with you, ran away with the Ship, and are fince turn'd PIRATES; this is the Sum of the Story, and you will be all feiz'd as Pirates I can affure you, and executed, with very little Ceremony; for you know, Merchants Ships fhew but little Law to Pirates, if they get them into their Power.

Now you speak plain English, said I, and I thank you, and tho' I know nothing, that we have done, like what you talkof, but am fure we came honestly and fairly by the Ship, yet feeing fuch Work is a doing as you fay,and that you feem to mean honest ly, I'll be upon my guard; nay,Sir, fays he, do not

talk

talk of being upon your guard; the beft Defence, is to be out of the Danger; if you have any Regard to your Life, and the Life of all your Men; put Out to Sea without fail at High Water; and as you have a whole Tide before you, you will be gone too far out before they can come down, for they came away at High Water; and as they have twenty Miles to come, you get near two Hours of them, by the Difference of the Tide, not reckoning the length of the Way; befides, as they are only Boats, and not Ships, they will not venture to follow you far out to Sea, efpecially if it blows.

Well, fays I, you have been very kind in this, what fhall Ido for you, to make you amends? Sir, fays he, you may not be fo willing to make me any amends, because you may not be convinc'd of the Truth of it: I'll make an offer to you; I have nineteen Months Pay due to me, on board the Shipwhich I came out of England in, and the Dutch Man that is with me, has feven Months Pay due to him; if you will make good our Pay to us, we will go along with you; if you find nothing more in it, we will defire no more; but if we do convince you, that we have fav'd your Lives, and the Ship, and the Lives of all the Men in her, we will leave the rest to you.

I confented to this readily, and went immediately on board, and the two Men with me; as foon as I came to the Ship Sidé, my Partner who was on board, came out on the QuarterDeck, and call'd to me with a great deal of Joy O ho! O ho! we have ftop'd the leak! we have ftop'd the leak! Say you fo, faid I, thank God; but weigh the Anchor then immediately; weigh! Says he:

What