fellows they were; for, in short, their history was, that this man
they called captain was the gunner only, not the commander; that
they had been a trading voyage, in which they had been attacked on
shore by some of the Malays, who had killed the captain and three
of his men; and that after the captain was killed, these men,
eleven in number, having resolved to run away with the ship,
brought her to Bengal, leaving the mate and five men more on shore.
Well, let them get the ship how they would, we came honestly by
her, as we thought, though we did not, I confess, examine into
things so exactly as we ought; for we never inquired anything of
the seamen, who would certainly have faltered in their account, and
contradicted one another. Somehow or other we should have had
reason to have suspected, them; but the man showed us a bill of
sale for the ship, to one Emanuel Clostershoven, or some such name,
for I suppose it was all a forgery, and called himself by that
name, and we could not contradict him: and withal, having no
suspicion of the thing, we went through with our bargain. We
picked up some more English sailors here after this, and some
Dutch, and now we resolved on a second voyage to the south-east for
cloves, &c. – that is to say, among the Philippine and Malacca
isles. In short, not to fill up this part of my story with trifles
when what is to come is so remarkable, I spent, from first to last,
six years in this country, trading from port to port, backward and
forward, and with very good success, and was now the last year with
my new partner, going in the ship above mentioned, on a voyage to
China, but designing first to go to Siam to buy rice.
In this voyage, being by contrary winds obliged to beat up and down
a great while in the Straits of Malacca and among the islands, we
were no sooner got clear of those difficult seas than we found our
ship had sprung a leak, but could not discover where it was. This
forced us to make some 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. Thompson,
captain, not being willing to take the charge of the ship upon
myself. This river lies on the north side of the great bay or gulf
which goes up to Siam. While we were here, and going often on
shore for refreshment, there comes to me one day an Englishman, a
gunner’s mate on board an English East India ship, then riding in
the same river. “Sir,” says he, addressing me, “you are a stranger
to me, and I to you; but I have something to tell you that very
nearly concerns you. I am moved by the imminent danger you are in,
and, for aught I see, you have no knowledge of it.” – “I know no
danger I am in,” said I, “but that my ship is leaky, and I cannot
find it out; but I intend to lay her aground to-morrow, to see if I
can find it.” – “But, sir,” says he, “leaky or not leaky, you will
be wiser than to lay your ship on shore to-morrow when you hear
what I have to say to you. Do you know, sir,” said he, “the town
of Cambodia lies about fifteen leagues up the river; and there are
two large English ships about five leagues on this side, and three
Dutch?” – “Well,” said I, “and what is that to me?” – “Why, sir,”
said be, “is it for a man that is upon such adventures as you are
to come into a port, and not examine first what ships there are
there, and whether he is able to deal with them? I suppose you do
not think you are a match for them?” I could not conceive what he
meant; and I turned short upon him, and said: “I wish you would