a proper place for it.

The inhabitants, who had never been acquainted with such a sight, came
wondering down to the shore to look at us; and seeing the ship lie down
on one side in such a manner, and heeling towards the shore, and not
seeing our men, who were at work on her bottom with stages, and with
their boats, on the off side, they presently concluded that the ship was
cast away, and lay so very fast on the ground.

On this supposition they came all about us in two or three hours time,
with ten or twelve large boats, having some of them eight, some ten men
in a boat, intending, no doubt, to have come on board and plunder the
ship; and if they had found us there, to have carried us away for
slaves to their king, or whatever they call him, for we knew not who was
their governor.

When they came up to the ship, and began to row round her, they
discovered us all hard at work, on the outside of the ship's bottom and
side, washing, and graving, and stopping, as every seafaring man
knows how.

They stood for awhile gazing at us, and we, who were a little surprised,
could not imagine what their design was; but being willing to be sure,
we took this opportunity to get some of us into the ship, and others to
hand down arms and ammunition to those that were at work to defend
themselves with, if there should be occasion; and it was no more than
need; for in less than a quarter of an hour's consultation, they agreed,
it seems, that the ship was really a wreck; that we were all at work
endeavouring to save her, or to save our lives by the help of our boats;
and when we handed our arms into the boats, they concluded by that
motion that we were endeavouring to save some of our goods. Upon this
they took it for granted they all belonged to them, and away they came
directly upon our men, as if it had been in a line of battle.

Our men seeing so many of them began to be frighted, for we lay but in
an ill posture to fight, and cried out to us to know what they should
do? I immediately called to the men who worked upon the stages, to slip
them down and get up the side into the ship, and bade those in the boat
to row round and come on board; and those few of us who were on board
worked with all the strength and hands we had to bring the ship to
rights; but, however, neither the men upon the stage, nor those in the
boats, could do as they were ordered, before the Cochinchinese were upon
them, and with two of their boats boarded ou