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12 - The Further Adventures of Robinson Crusoe - Daniel Defoe · Adventure Books Library

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  Chapter eleven, warned of danger by a countryman. A little while after this
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  there came in a Dutch ship from Batavia. She was a coaster, not
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  a European trader, of about two hundred tons burden the men as they pretended,
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  having been so sickly that the captain had not hands enough to go to
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  sea with, so he lay by at Bengal, and, having it seems,
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  got money enough, or being willing for other reasons to go for Europe,
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  he gave public notice he would sell his ship. This came to my
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  ears before my new partner heard of it, and I had a great mind
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  to buy it. So I went to him and told him of it.
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  He considered a while, for he was no rash man neither, and at
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  last replied, she is a little too big, however we will have her.
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  Accordingly we bought the ship, and, agreeing with the master, we
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  paid for her and took possession. When we had done so, we resolved
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  to engage the men, if we could, to join with those we had
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  for the pursuing our business. But on a sudden they having received not their
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  wages but their share of the money. As we afterwards learned, not one
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  of them was to be found. We inquired much about them, and at
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  length were told they were all gone together by land to Agra, the great
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  city of the Mogul's residents, to proceed from thence to Sarat, and then
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  to go by sea to the Gulf of Persia. Nothing had so much troubled
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  me a good while as that I should miss the opportunity of going with them.
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  For such a ramble, I thought, and in such company as would
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  both have guarded and diverted me would have suited mightily with my great design,
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  and I should have both seen the world and gone homeward too. But I
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  was much better satisfied a few days after, when I came to know what
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  sort of fellows they were. For. In short, their history was that
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  this man they called captain was the gunner, only not the commander, that
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  they had been a trading voyage in which they had been attacked on shore by
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  some of the Malays, who had killed the captain and three of his men,
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  And that after the captain was killed, these men, eleven in number,
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  having resolved to run away with the ship, brought her to Bengal,
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  leaving the mate and five men more on shore. Well let them get the
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  ship, how they would. We came honestly by her as we thought,
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  though we did not I confess examine into things so exactly as we ought,
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  For we never inquired anything of the seamen, who would certainly have faltered in
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  their account and contradicted one another somehow or other. We should have had reason
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  to have suspected them. But the man showed us a bill of sail for
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  the ship to one Immanuel Clustershoven or some such name, for I suppose it
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  was all a forgery, and called himself by that name, and we could
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  not contradict him. And withal, having no suspicion of the thing, we
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  went through with our bargain. We picked up some more English sailors here after
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  this, and some Dutch, And now we resolved on the second voyage to
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  the southeast, for cloves et cetera, that is to say, among the
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  Philippine and Malacca isles. In short, not to fill up this part of
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  my story with trifles, when what is to come is so remarkable. I
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  spent from first to last six years in this country trading from port to port,
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  backward and forward, and with very good success, and was now the
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  last year with my new partner going in the ship above mentioned on a voyage
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  to China, but designing first to go to Siam to buy rice. In
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  this voyage, being by contrary winds obliged to beat up and down a great
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  while in the Straits of Malacca and among the islands, we were no sooner
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  got clear of those difficult seas than we found our ship had sprung a leak,
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  but could not discover where it was. This forced us to make some
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  port, and my partner, who knew the country better than I did,
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  directed the captain to put into the River of Cambodia, for I had made
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  the English mate one mister Thompson, captain, not being willing to take the
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  charge of the ship upon myself. This river lies on the north side of
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  the Great Bay or Gulf, which goes up to Siam. While we were
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  here and going often on shore for refreshment, there comes to me one day
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  an Englishman, a gunner's mate, on board an English East India ship,
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  then riding in the same river. Sir says he addressing me, You are
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  a stranger to me and I to you, But I have something to tell
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  you that very nearly concerns you. I am moved by the imminent danger you
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  are in and for aught. I see you have no knowledge of it.
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  I know no danger I am in, said I, but that my ship
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  is leaky and I cannot find it out. But I intend to lay her
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  aground tomorrow to see if I can find it. But Sir says he leaky
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  or not leaky, you will be wiser than to lay your ship on shore
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  tomorrow when you hear what I have to say to you. Do you know,
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  sir said he. The town of Cambodia lies about fifteen leagues up the
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  river, and there are two long, large English ships about five leagues on
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  this side, and three Dutch. Well, said I, And what is
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  that to me, why, sir said he? Is it for a man
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  that is upon such adventures as you are, to come into a port and
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  not examine first what ships there are there, and whether he is able to
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  deal with them. I suppose you do not think you are a match for
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  them. I could not conceive what he meant, and I turned short upon
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  him and said, I wish you would explain yourself. I cannot imagine what
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  reason I have to be afraid of any of the company's ships or Dutch ships.
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  I am no interloper. What can they have to say to me?
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  Well, sir, says he, with a smile. If you think yourself
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  secure, you must take your chance. But take my advice. If you
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  do not put to sea immediately, you will the very next tide be attacked
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  by five longboats full of men. And perhaps if you are taken, you
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  will be hanged for a pirate, and the particulars be examined afterwards, I
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  thought, sir, added he, I should have met with a better reception
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  than disfordoing you a piece of service of such importance. I can never be
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  ungrateful, said I, for any service or to any man that offers me
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  any kindness. But it is past my comprehension what they should have such a
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  design upon me. For, However, since you say there is no time
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  to be lost, and that there is some villainous design on hand against me,
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  I will go on board this minute and put to sea immediately if my
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  men can stop the leak, But sir said I shall I go away ignorant
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  of the cause of all this? Can you give me no further light into
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  it? I can tell you what part of the story, sir says he.
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  But I have a Dutch seaman here with me, and I believe I
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  could persuade him to tell you the rest, but there is scarce time for
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  it. But the short of the story is this, the first part of
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  which I suppose you know well enough that you were with this ship at Sumatra,
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  that there your captain was murdered by the Malays with three of his men,
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  and that you or some of those that were on board with you ran
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  away with the ship and are since turned pirates. This is the sum of
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  the story, and you will all be seized as pirates, I can assure
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  you, and executed with very little ceremony. For you know, merchant ships
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  show but little law to pirates if they get them into their power. Now
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  you speak plain English, said I, and I thank you. And though
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  I know nothing that we have done like what you talk of, for I
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  am sure we came honestly and fairly by the ship. Yet seeing such a
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  work is doing as you say, and that you seem to mean honestly.
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  I will be upon my guard. Nay, sir says he do not talk
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  of being upon your guard. The best defense is to be out of danger.
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  If you have any regard for your life, and the lives of all
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  your men put to sea without fail at high water, and as you have
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  a whole tide before you, you will be gone too far out before they
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  can come down, for they will come away at high water, And as
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  they have twenty miles to come, you will get near two hours of them
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  by the day, Prince of the tide, not reckoning the length of the
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  way. Besides, as they are only boats and not ships, they will
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  not venture to follow you far out to sea, especially if it blows.
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  Well, said I, you have been very kind in this. What shall
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  I do to make you amends? Sir says he. You may not be
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  willing to make me any amends, because you may not be convinced of the
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  truth of it. I will make an offer to you. I have nineteen
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  months paid due to me on board the ship which I came out of England
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  in, and the Dutchman that is with me has seven months paid due to
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  him. If you will make good our pay to us, we will go
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  along with you. If you find nothing more in it, we will desire
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  no more. But if we do convince you that we have saved your lives
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  and the ship, and the lives of all the men in her. We
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  will leave the rest to you. I consented to this readily and went immediately
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  on board, and the two men with me. As soon as I came
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  to the ship's side, my partner, who was on board, came out
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  on the quarter and called to me with a great deal of joy, we
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  have stopped the leak. We have stopped the leak, say you, so,
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  said I, Thank God. But weigh anchor. Then immediately way,
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  says he, what do you mean by that? What is the matter?
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  Ask no questions, said I, but set all hands to work and weigh
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  without losing a minute. He was surprised, however, He called the captain
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  and he immediately ordered the anchor to be got up. And though the tide
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  was not quite down yet, a little land breeze blowing, we stood out
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  to sea. Then I called him into the cabin and told him the story.
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  And we called in the men, and they told us the rest of
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  it. But as it took up a great deal of time before we had
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  done, a seaman comes to the cabin door and called out to us that
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  the captain bade him tell us we were chased by five sloops or boats full
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  of men. Very well, said I. Then it is apparent there is
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  something in it. I then ordered all our men to be called up,
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  and told then there was a design to seize the ship and take us for
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  pirates, and asked them if they would stand by us, and one by
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  another, the men answered cheerfully, one and all that they would live and
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  die with us. Then I asked the captain what way he thought was best
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  for us to manage a fight with them, for resist them. I was
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  resolved we would, and that to the last drop. He said readily that
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  the way was to keep them off with our great shot as long as we
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  could, and then to use our small arms to keep them from boarding us.
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  But when neither of these would do any longer, we would retire to
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  our close quarters, for perhaps they had not materials to break open our bulkheads
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  or get in upon us. The gunner had in the meantime orders to bring
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  two guns to bear fore and aft out of the steerage, to clear the
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  deck and load them with musket bullets and small pieces of old iron and what
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  came next to hand. Thus we made ready for fight. But all this
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  while we kept out to sea with wind enough, and could see the boats
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  at a distance, being five large longboats following us with all the sail they
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  could. Two of those boats, which by our glasses we could see were
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  English outsailed. The rest were near two leagues ahead of them, and gained
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  upon us considerably, so that we found they would come up with us,
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  upon which we fired a gun without ball to intimate that they should bring two,
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  and we put out a flag of truce as a signal for parley.
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  But they came crowding after us till within shot. When we took in our
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  white flag, they having made no answer to it, and hung out a
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  red flag, and fired at them with a shot. Notwithstanding this, they
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  came on till they were near enough to call them with a speaking trumpet,
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  bidding them keep off. At their peril. It was all one. They
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  crowded after us and endeavored to come under our stern so as to board us
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  on our quarter, upon which, seeing they were resolute for mischief and depended
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  upon the strength that followed them, I ordered to bring the ship to so
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  that they lay upon our broadside, when immediately we fired five guns at them,
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  one of which had been leveled so true as to carry away the stern
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  of the hindermost boat, and we then forced them to take down their sail
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  and to run all to the head of the boat to keep her from sinking.
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  So she lay by and had enough of it, But seeing the foremost
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  boat crowd on after us, we made ready to fire at her. In
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  particular, while this was doing, one of the three boats that followed made
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  up to the boat which we had disabled to relieve her, and we could
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  see her take out the men. We then called again to the foremost boat
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  and offered a truce to parley again and to know what her business was with
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  us, but had no answer. Only she crowded close under our stern.
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  Upon this our gunner, who was a very dexterous fellow, ran out his
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  two case guns and fired again at her, but the shot missing. The
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  men in the boat shouted, waved their caps, and came on. The
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  gunner, getting quickly ready, again fired among them a second time, one
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  shot of which, though it missed the boat itself, yet fell in among
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  the men, and we could eat easily sea did a great deal of mischief
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  among them. We now wore the ship again and brought our quarter to bear
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  upon them, and firing three guns more, we found the boat was almost
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  split to pieces. In particular, her rudder and a piece of her stern
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  were shot quite away, so they handed her sail immediately and were in great
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  disorder. To complete their misfortune, our gunner let fly two guns at them
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  again. Where he hit them we could not tell, but we found that
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  the boat was sinking, and some of the men already in the water.
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  Upon this I immediately manned out our pinnace with orders to pick up some of
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  the men if they could, and save them from drowning, and immediately come
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  on board ship with them. Because we saw the rest of the boats began
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  to come up, our men in the pinnace followed their orders and took up
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  three men, one of whom was just drowning, and it was a good
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  while before we could recover him. As soon as they were on board,
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  we crowded all the sail we could make and stood farther out to the sea,
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  And we found that when the other boats came up to the first,
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  they gave over their chase, being thus delivered from a danger, which,
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  though I knew not the reason of it, yet seemed to be much greater
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  than I apprehended. I resolved that we should change our course and not let
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  anyone know whither we were going. So we stood out to sea eastward,
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  quite out of the course of all European ships, whether they were bound to
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  China or anywhere else within the commerce of the European nations. When we were
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  at sea, we began to consult with the two seamen and inquire what the
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  meaning of all this should be. And the Dutchmen confirmed the gunner's story about
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  the false sail of the ship and of the murder of the captain, and
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  also how that he this Dutchman and four more got into the woods, where
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  they wandered about a great while, till at length he made his escape and
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  swam off to a Dutch ship which was sailing near the shore in its way
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  from China. He then told us that he went to Batavia, where two
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  of the seamen belonging to the ship arrived, having deserted the rest in their
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  travels, and gave an account that the fellow who had run away with the
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  ship sold her at Bengal to a set of pirates who were gone accruising in
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  her, and that they had already taken an English ship and two Dutch ships
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  very richly laden this latter part we found to concern us directly, though we
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  knew it to be false. Yet, as my partner said, very justly,
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  if we had fallen into their hands, and they had had such a
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  prepossession against us beforehand, it had been in vain for us to have defended
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  ourselves or to hope for any good quarter at their hands, especially considering that
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  our accusers had been our judges, and that we could have expected nothing from
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  them, but what rage would have dictated and an ungoverned passion have executed.
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  Therefore, it was his opinion we should go directly back to Bengal from whence
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  we came, without putting in at any port whatever, because where we could
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  give a good account of ourselves, could prove where we were when the ship
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  put in, of whom we bought her, and the like, and what
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  was more than all the rest, if we were put upon the necessity of
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  bringing it before the proper judges, we should be sure to have some justice,
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  and not to be hanged first and judged afterwards. I was some time
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  of my partner's opinion, but after a little more serious thinking, I told
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  him I thought it was a very great hazard for us to attempt returning to
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  Bengal, for that we were on the wrong side of the Straits of Malacca,
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  and that if the alarm was given, we should be sure to be
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  waylaid on every side. That if we should be taken as it were running
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  away, we should even condemn ourselves, and there would want no more evidence
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  to destroy us. I also asked the English sailor's opinion, who said he
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  was of my mind, and that we certainly should be taken. This danger
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  A little startled my partner and all the ship's company, and we immediately resolved
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  to go away to the coast of Tonquin, and so on to the coast
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  of China, and pursuing the first design as to trade, find some way
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  or or other to dispose of the ship, and come back in some of
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  the vessels of the country, such as we could get. This was approved
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  of as the best method for our security, and accordingly we steered away north
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  northeast, keeping above fifty leagues off from the usual course to the eastward.
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  This, however, put us to some inconvenience. For first, the winds,
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  when we came that distance from the shore, seemed to be more steadily
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  against us, blowing almost trade, as we call it, from the east
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  and east northeast, so that we were a long while upon our voyage,
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  and we were but ill provided with victuals for so long a run. And
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  what was still worse, there was some danger that those English and Dutch ships
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  whose boats pursued us, whereof some were bound that way, might have got
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  in before us, and if not, some other ship bound to China might
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  have information of us from them and pursue us with the same vigor. I
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  must confess I was now very uneasy, and thought myself, including the late
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  escape from the longboats, to have been in the most dangerous condition that ever
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  I was in through my past life. For whatever ill circumstances I had been
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  in, I was never pursued for a thief before, nor had I ever
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  done anything that merited the name of dishonest or fraudulent, much less thievish.
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  I had chiefly been my own enemy, or as I may rightly say,
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  I had been nobody's enemy but my own. But now I was woefully embarrassed,
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  for though I was perfectly innocent, I was in no condition to make
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  that innocence appear. And if I had been taken, it had been under
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  a supposed guilt of the worst kind. This made me very anxious to make
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  an escape, though which way to do it I knew not, or what
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  port or place we could go to. My partner endeavored to encourage me by
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  describing the several ports of that coast, and told me he would put in
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  on the coast of Cochin, China, or the Bay of Tonquin, intending
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  afterwards to go to Macau, where a great many European families resided, and
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  particularly the missionary priests, who usually went thither in order to their going forward
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  to China. Hither then we resolved to go, and accordingly, though after
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  a tedious course and very much straightened for provisions, we came within sight of
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  the coast very early in the morning, and upon reflection on the past circumstances
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  of danger we were in, we resolved to put into a small river,
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  which however had depth enough of water for us, and to see if we
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  could, either overland or by the ship's pennace, come to know what ships
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  were in any port thereabouts. This happy step was indeed our deliverance, for
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  though we did not immediately see any European ships in the Bay of Tonquin,
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  yet the next morning there came into the bay two Dutch ships, and a
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  third without any colors spread out, but which we believed to be a Dutchman,
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  passed by at about two leagues distance, steering for the coast of China,
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  and in the afternoon went by two English ships steering the same course.
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  And thus we thought we saw ourselves beset with enemies, both one way and
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  the other. The place we were in was wild and barbarous. The people
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  thieves by occupation, And though it is true we had not much to seek
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  of them, and except getting a few provisions, cared not how little we
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  had to do with them. Yet it was with much difficulty that we kept
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  ourselves from being insulted by them. Several ways. We were in a small
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  river of this country, within a few leagues of its utmost limits northward,
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  and by our boat we coasted northeast to the point of land which opens the
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  great Bay of Tonquin. And it was in this beating up along the shore
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  that we discovered we were surrounded with enemies. The people we were among were
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  the most barbarous of all the inhabitants of the coast. And among other customs
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  they have this one that if any vessel has the misfortune to be shipwrecked upon
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  their coast, they make them in all prisoners or slaves. And it was
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  not long before we found a spice of their kindness this way. On the
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  occasion following I have observed above that our ship sprung a leak at sea,
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  and that we could not find it out. And it happened that, as
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  I have said, it was stopped unexpectedly on the eve of our being pursued
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  by the Dutch and English ships in the Bay of Siam. Yet, as
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  we did not find the ship so perfectly tight and sound as we desired,
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  we resolved while we were at this place to lay her on shore and clean
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  her bottom, and if possible, to find out where the leaks were.
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  Accordingly, having lightened the ship and brought all our guns and other movables to
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  one side, we tried to bring her down that we might come at her
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  bottom, But on second thoughts, we did not care to lay her on
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  dry ground, neither could we find out a proper place for it. End
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  of Chapter eleven.