bay of Tonquin, yet
the next morning there came into the bay two Dutch ships; and a third
without any colours; spread out, but which we believed to be a Dutchman,
passed by at about two leagues distance, steering for the coast of
China; and in the afternoon went by two English ships, steering the same
course; and thus we thought we saw ourselves beset with enemies, both
one way and the other. The place we were in was wild and barbarous, the
people thieves, even by occupation or profession; and though, it is
true, we had not much to seek of them, and except getting a few
provisions, cared not how little we had to do with them; yet it was with
much difficulty that we kept ourselves from being insulted by them
several ways.

We were in a small river of this country, within a few leagues of its
utmost limits northward, and by our boat we coasted north-east to the
point of land which opens to the great bay of Tonquin: and it was in
this beating up along the shore that we discovered as above, that, in a
word, we were surrounded with enemies. The people we were among were the
most barbarous of all the inhabitants of the coast; having no
correspondence with any other nation, and dealing only in fish and oil,
and such gross commodities; and it may be particularly seen that they
are, as I said, the most barbarous of any of the inhabitants, viz. that
among other customs they have this one, that if any vessel had the
misfortune to be shipwrecked upon their coast, they presently make the
men all prisoners; that is to say, slaves; and it was not long before we
found a spice of their kindness this way, on the occasion following:

I have observed above that our ship sprung a leak at sea, and that we
could not find it out: and however it happened, that, as I have said, it
was stopped unexpectedly, in the happy minute of our being to be seized
by the Dutch and English ships, near the bay of Siam; yet, as we did not
find the ship so perfectly tight and sound as we desired, we resolved,
while we were in this place, to lay her on shore, take out what heavy
things we had on hoard, which were not many, and to wash and clean her
bottom, and if possible to find out where the leaks were.

Accordingly, having lightened the ship, and brought all our guns, and
other moveable things, to one side, we tried to bring her down, that we
might come at her bottom; for, on second thoughts, we did not care to
lay her dry aground, neither could we find out