ate of some hundreds during my
captivity. I was now summoned before the chief, who had been conversing
with the interpreter: he said I must write to my captain, and tell him,
if he did not send an hundred thousand dollars for our ransom, in ten
days he would put us all to death."

After vainly expostulating to lessen the ransom, Mr. Glasspoole wrote
the letter, and a small boat came alongside and took it to Macao.

Early in the night the fleet sailed, and anchored about one o'clock the
following day in a bay under the island of Lantow, where the head
admiral of Ladrones (our acquaintance Paou) was lying at anchor, with
about two hundred vessels and a Portuguese brig they had captured a few
days before, and the captain and part of the crew of which they had
murdered. Early the next morning, a fishing-boat came to inquire if they
had captured an European boat; they came to the vessel the English were
in.

"One of the boatmen spoke a few words of English, and told me he had a
Ladrone-pass, and was sent by our captain in search of us; I was rather
surprised to find he had no letter. He appeared to be well acquainted
with the chief, and remained in his cabin smoking opium, and playing
cards all the day. In the evening I was summoned with the interpreter
before the chief. He questioned us in a much milder tone, saying, he now
believed we were Englishmen, a people he wished to be friendly with; and
that if our captain would lend him seventy thousand dollars till he
returned from his cruise up the river, he would repay him, and send us
all to Macao. I assured him it was useless writing on these terms, and
unless our ransom was speedily settled, the English fleet would sail,
and render our enlargement altogether ineffectual. He remained
determined, and said if it were not sent, he would keep us, and make us
fight, or put us to death. I accordingly wrote, and gave my letter to
the man belonging to the boat before mentioned. He said he could not
return with an answer in less than five days. The chief now gave me the
letter I wrote when first taken. I have never been able to ascertain his
reasons for detaining it, but suppose he dared not negociate for our
ransom without orders from the head admiral, who I understood was sorry
at our being captured. He said the English ships would join the
Mandarins and attack them."

While the fleet lay here, one night the Portuguese who were left in the
captured brig murdered the Ladrones tha