eizing the brig, and making slaves of us all; but that
while we remained in Alarache, we should be safe under his protection.

When Captain Gale explained to him the real object of the voyage, he
brightened up considerably, as he saw that he might have an opportunity
of making even more out of the ship than he at first expected. I do not
say that Mynheer Von Donk was destitute of human sympathies; but he had
gone out to that far from agreeable place to make money, and money he
was resolved to make by every means in his power. He was ready enough
even to promise to assist in finding poor Captain Stenning, provided he
could be paid for it--he preferred labouring in a laudable object with
pay, to labouring in an object which was not laudable, if no more money
was to be made in one way than in another; but he had no desire to
labour in anything without pay.

We saw very little of the shore in this place, for he asked that we
should not be allowed to land, except in company with one of our
officers and his interpreter. We had, however, a pretty brisk traffic
for the goods we had brought, we taking chiefly hard dollars in return;
however, the captain did not refuse some articles, such as bees-wax,
hides, copper; dates, and almonds, and other fruits not likely to spoil
by keeping. It was, at the same time, important that we should not fill
up entirely with merchandise, that we might have an excuse for visiting
other ports. As far as we could judge, the dangers we had heard of had
been very much exaggerated, and arose chiefly from the careless and
often violent conduct of those who visited the country. Captain Gale,
aided by Mr Carr, kept the strictest discipline on board; and we must
have gained the character of being very quiet well-disposed traders,
without a thought beyond disposing of our merchandise. Our guns merely
showed that we were able to defend what had been placed under our care.

Meantime Mynheer Von Donk was making every inquiry in his power for
Captain Stenning, or any of the survivors from the massacre on board the
_Dolphin_. He ascertained that no such vessel as we described had come
into Alarache, but that one exactly answering her description belonged
to the port of Salee, some leagues to the southward, and that she had
been on a long cruise, and had returned about the time the captain
calculated she might, with some booty and some captives on board. What
had become of them he could not learn, but