and this was signed by the master and all his men.

"Thou hast dealt friendly by me," says he, when we had brought him
aboard, "and I will be plain with thee, whether I came willingly to thee
or not. But thou knowest it is not my business to meddle when thou art
to fight."

"No, no," says the captain, "but you may meddle a little when we share
the money."

"Those things are useful to furnish a surgeon's chest," says William,
and smiled, "but I shall be moderate."

In short, William was a most agreeable companion; but he had the better
of us in this part, that if we were taken we were sure to be hanged, and
he was sure to escape. But he was a sprightly fellow, and fitter to be
captain than any of us.

_IV.--A Respectable Merchant_

We cruised the seas for many years, and after a time William and I had a
ship to ourselves with 400 men in authority under us. As for Captain
Wilmot, we left him with a large company at Madagascar, while we went on
to the East Indies.

At last we had gotten so rich, for we traded in cloves and spices to the
merchants, that William one day proposed to me that we should give up
the kind of life we had been leading. We were then off the coast of
Persia.

"Most people," said William, "leave off trading when they are satisfied
of getting, and are rich enough; for nobody trades for the sake of
trading; much less do men rob for the sake of thieving. It is natural
for men that are abroad to desire to come home again at last, especially
when they are grown rich, and so rich as they would know not what to do
with more if they had it."

"Well, William," said I, "but you have not explained what you mean by
home. Why, man, I am at home; here is my habitation; I never had any
other in my lifetime; I was a kind of charity school-boy; so that I can
have no desire of going anywhere for being rich or poor; for I have
nowhere to go."

"Why," says William, looking a little confused, "hast thou no relatives
or friends in England? No acquaintance; none that thou hast any kindness
or any remains of respect for?"

"Not I, William," said I, "no more than I have in the court of the Great
Mogul. Yet I do not say I like this roving, cruising life so well as
never to give it over. Say anything to me, I will take it kindly." For I
could see he was troubled, and I began to be moved by his gravity.

"There is something to be thought of beyond this way of life," says
William.

"Why, what is that," said