there is some villanous design in hand against me, I will go on
board this minute, and put to sea immediately, if my men can stop the
leak, or if we can swim without stopping it: but, Sir," said I, "shall I
go away ignorant of the reason of all this? Can you give me no farther
light into it?"

"I can tell you but part of the story, Sir," says he; "but I have a
Dutch seaman here with me, and, I believe, I could persuade him to tell
you the rest; but there is scarce time for it: but the short of the
story is this, the first part of which, I suppose, you know well enough,
viz. that you were with this ship at Sumatra; that there your captain
was murdered by the Malaccans, with three of his men; and that you, or
some of those that were on board with you, ran away with the ship, and
are since turned pirates. This is the sum of the story, and you will all
be seized as pirates, I can assure you, and executed with very little
ceremony; for you know merchant-ships shew but little law to pirates, if
they get them in their power."

"Now you speak plain English," said I, "and I thank you; and though I
know nothing that we have done, like what you talk of, but I am sure we
came honestly and fairly by the ship; yet seeing such work is a-doing,
as you say, and that you seem to mean honestly, I will be upon my
guard."--"Nay, Sir," says he, "do not talk of being upon your guard; the
best defence is to be out of the danger: if you have any regard to your
life, and the lives of all your men, put out to sea without fail at
high-water; and as you have a whole tide before you, you will be gone
too far out before they can come down; for they will come away at high
water; and as they have twenty miles to come, you'll get near two hours
of them by the difference of the tide, not reckoning the length of the
way: besides, as they are only boats, and not ships, they will not
venture to follow you far out to sea, especially if it blows."

"Well," said I, "you have been very kind in this: what shall I do for
you to make you amends?"--"Sir," says he, "you may not be so willing to
make me amends, because you may not be convinced of the truth of it: I
will make an offer to you; I have nineteen months pay due to me on board
the ship ----, which I came out of England in; and the Dutchman, that is
with me, has seven months pay due to him; if you will make good our pay
to us, we will go along with you: if you find nothing more in it, we
will desire no mo