as much of it as I could: and then I thought I might say I had
seen all the world that was worth seeing.
But my fellow-traveller and I had different notions: I acknowledge
his were the more suited to the end of a merchant’s life: who,
when he is abroad upon adventures, is wise to stick to that, as the
best thing for him, which he is likely to get the most money by.
On the other hand, mine was the notion of a mad, rambling boy, that
never cares to see a thing twice over. But this was not all: I
had a kind of impatience upon me to be nearer home, and yet an
unsettled resolution which way to go. In the interval of these
consultations, my friend, who was always upon the search for
business, proposed another voyage among the Spice Islands, to bring
home a loading of cloves from the Manillas, or thereabouts.
We were not long in preparing for this voyage; the chief difficulty
was in bringing me to come into it. However, at last, nothing else
offering, and as sitting still, to me especially, was the
unhappiest part of life, I resolved on this voyage too, which we
made very successfully, touching at Borneo and several other
islands, and came home in about five months, when we sold our
spices, with very great profit, to the Persian merchants, who
carried them away to the Gulf. My friend, when we made up this
account, smiled at me: “Well, now,” said he, with a sort of
friendly rebuke on my indolent temper, “is not this better than
walking about here, like a man with nothing to do, and spending our
time in staring at the nonsense and ignorance of the Pagans?” –
“Why, truly,” said I, “my friend, I think it is, and I begin to be
a convert to the principles of merchandising; but I must tell you,
by the way, you do not know what I am doing; for if I once conquer
my backwardness, and embark heartily, old as I am, I shall harass
you up and down the world till I tire you; for I shall pursue it so
eagerly, I shall never let you lie still.”
CHAPTER XI – WARNED OF DANGER BY A COUNTRYMAN
A LITTLE while after this there came in a Dutch ship from Batavia;
she was a coaster, not an European trader, of about two hundred
tons burden; the men, as they pretended, having been so sickly that
the captain had not hands enough to go to sea with, so he lay by at
Bengal; and having, it seems, got money enough, or being willing,
for other reasons, to go for Europe, he gave public notice he would
sell his ship. This came to my ears before my new partner heard of
it, and I had a great mind to buy it; so I went to him and told him
of it. He considered a while, for he was no rash man neither; and
at last replied, “She is a little too big – however, we will have
her.” Accordingly, we bought the ship, and agreeing with the
master, we paid for her, and took possession. When we had done so
we resolved to engage the men, if we could, to join with those we
had, for the pursuing our business; but, on a sudden, they having
received not their wages, but their share of the money, as we
afterwards learned, not one of them was to be found; we inquired
much about them, and at length were told that they were all gone
together by land to Agra, the great city of the Mogul’s residence,
to proceed from thence to Surat, and then go by sea to the Gulf of
Persia.
Nothing had so much troubled me a good while as that I should miss
the opportunity of going with them; for such a ramble, I thought,
and in such company as would both have guarded and diverted me,
would have suited mightily with my great design; and I should have
both seen the world and gone homeward too. But I was much better
satisfied a few days after, when I came to know what sort of