ther goods we had on board, would make it appear the ship
had been at Bengal; the Dutchmen, who, it was said, had the names of all
the men that were in the ship, might easily see that we were a mixture
of English, Portuguese, and Indians, and but two Dutchmen on board.
These, and many other particular circumstances, might have made it
evident to the understanding of any commander, whose hands we might
fall into, that we were no pirates.

But fear, that blind useless passion, worked another way, and threw us
into the vapours; it bewildered our understandings, and set the
imagination at work, to form a thousand terrible things, that, perhaps,
might never happen. We first supposed, as indeed every body had related
to us, that the seamen on board the English and Dutch ships, but
especially the Dutch, were so enraged at the name of a pirate, and
especially at our beating off their boats, and escaping, that they would
not give themselves leave to inquire whether we were pirates or no; but
would execute us off-hand, as we call it, without giving us any room for
a defence. We reflected that there was really so much apparent evidence
before them, that they would scarce inquire after any more: as, first,
that the ship was certainly the same, and that some of the seamen among
them knew her, and had been on board her; and, secondly, that when we
had intelligence at the river Cambodia, that they were coming down to
examine us, we fought their boats, and fled: so that we made no doubt
but they were as fully satisfied of our being pirates as we were
satisfied of the contrary; and I often said, I knew not but I should
have been apt to have taken the like circumstances for evidence, if the
tables were turned, and my case was theirs; and have made no scruple of
cutting all the crew to pieces, without believing, or perhaps
considering, what they might have to offer in their defence.

But let that be how it will, those were our apprehensions; and both my
partner and I too scarce slept a night without dreaming of halters and
yard-arms; that is to say, gibbets; of fighting, and being taken; of
killing, and being killed; and one night I was in such a fury in my
dream, fancying the Dutchmen had boarded us, and I was knocking one of
their seamen down, that I struck my double fist against the side of the
cabin I lay in, with such a force as wounded my hand most gievously,
broke my knuckles, and cut and bruised the flesh, so that it not only
wak