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_ The inhabitants came wondering down the shore to look at us; and
seeing the ship lie down on one side in such a manner, and heeling
in 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 fast on
the ground. On this supposition they came 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 plundered the ship, and if they found us there, to have
carried us away for slaves.
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 a while 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, and 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 boat, they concluded, by that act,
that we were endeavouring to save some of our goods. Upon this,
they took it for granted we 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 frightened, 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 that 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. The few
who were on board worked with all the strength and hands we had to
bring the ship to rights; however, neither the men upon the stages
nor those in the boats could do as they were ordered before the
Cochin Chinese were upon them, when two of their boats boarded our
longboat, and began to lay hold of the men as their prisoners.
The first man they laid hold of was an English seaman, a stout,
strong fellow, who having a musket in his hand, never offered to
fire it, but laid it down in the boat, like a fool, as I thought;
but he understood his business better than I could teach him, for
he grappled the Pagan, and dragged him by main force out of their
boat into ours, where, taking him by the ears, he beat his head so
against the boat's gunnel that the fellow died in his hands. In
the meantime, a Dutchman, who stood next, took up the musket, and
with the butt-end of it so laid about him, that he knocked down
five of them who attempted to enter the boat. But this was doing
little towards resisting thirty or forty men, who, fearless because
ignorant of their danger, began to throw themselves into the
longboat, where we had but five men in all to defend it; but the
following accident, which deserved our laughter, gave our men a
complete victory.
Our carpenter being prepared to grave the outside of the ship, as
well as to pay the seams where he had caulked her to stop the
leaks, had got two kettles just let down into the boat, one filled
with boiling pitch, and the other with rosin, tallow, and oil, and
such stuff as the shipwrights use for that work; and the man that
attended the carpenter had a great iron ladle in his hand, with
which he supplied the men that were at work with the hot stuff.
Two of the enemy's men entered the boat just where this fellow
stood in the foresheets; he immediately saluted them with a ladle
full of the stuff, boiling hot which so burned and scalded them,
being half-naked that they roared out like bulls, and, enraged with
the fire, leaped both into the sea. The carpenter saw it, and
cried out, "Well done, Jack! give them some more of it!" and
stepping forward himself, takes one of the mops, and dipping it in
the pitch-pot, he and his man threw it among them so plentifully
that, in short, of all the men in the three boats, there was not
one that escaped being scalded in a most frightful manner, and made
such a howling and crying that I never heard a worse noise.
I was never better pleased with a victory in my life; not only as
it was a perfect surprise to me, and that our danger was imminent
before, but as we got this victory without any bloodshed, except of
that man the seaman killed with his naked hands, and which I was
very much concerned at. Although it maybe a just thing, because
necessary (for there is no necessary wickedness in nature), yet I
thought it was a sad sort of life, when we must be always obliged
to be killing our fellow-creatures to preserve ourselves; and,
indeed, I think so still; and I would even now suffer a great deal
rather than I would take away the life even of the worst person
injuring me; and I believe all considering people, who know the
value of life, would be of my opinion, if they entered seriously
into the consideration of it.
All the while this was doing, my partner and I, who managed the
rest of the men on board, had with great dexterity brought the ship
almost to rights, and having got the guns into their places again,
the gunner called to me to bid our boat get out of the way, for he
would let fly among them. I called back again to him, and bid him
not offer to fire, for the carpenter would do the work without him;
but bid him heat another pitch-kettle, which our cook, who was on
broad, took care of. However, the enemy was so terrified with what
they had met with in their first attack, that they would not come
on again; and some of them who were farthest off, seeing the ship
swim, as it were, upright, began, as we suppose, to see their
mistake, and gave over the enterprise, finding it was not as they
expected. Thus we got clear of this merry fight; and having got
some rice and some roots and bread, with about sixteen hogs, on
board two days before, we resolved to stay here no longer, but go
forward, whatever came of it; for we made no doubt but we should be
surrounded the next day with rogues enough, perhaps more than our
pitch-kettle would dispose of for us. We therefore got all our
things on board the same evening, and the next morning were ready
to sail: in the meantime, lying at anchor at some distance from
the shore, we were not so much concerned, being now in a fighting
posture, as well as in a sailing posture, if any enemy had
presented. The next day, having finished our work within board,
and finding our ship was perfectly healed of all her leaks, we set
sail. We would have gone into the bay of Tonquin, for we wanted to
inform ourselves of what was to be known concerning the Dutch ships
that had been there; but we durst not stand in there, because we
had seen several ships go in, as we supposed, but a little before;
so we kept on NE. towards the island of Formosa, as much afraid of
being seen by a Dutch or English merchant ship as a Dutch or
English merchant ship in the Mediterranean is of an Algerine man-
of-war.
When we were thus got to sea, we kept on NE., as if we would go to
the Manillas or the Philippine Islands; and this we did that we
might not fall into the way of any of the European ships; and then
we steered north, till we came to the latitude of 22 degrees 30
seconds, by which means we made the island of Formosa directly,
where we came to an anchor, in order to get water and fresh
provisions, which the people there, who are very courteous in their
manners, supplied us with willingly, and dealt very fairly and
punctually with us in all their agreements and bargains. This is
what we did not find among other people, and may be owing to the
remains of Christianity which was once planted here by a Dutch
missionary of Protestants, and it is a testimony of what I have
often observed, viz. that the Christian religion always civilises
the people, and reforms their manners, where it is received,
whether it works saving effects upon them or no.
From thence we sailed still north, keeping the coast of China at an
equal distance, till we knew we were beyond all the ports of China
where our European ships usually come; being resolved, if possible,
not to fall into any of their hands, especially in this country,
where, as our circumstances were, we could not fail of being
entirely ruined. Being now come to the latitude of 30 degrees, we
resolved to put into the first trading port we should come at; and
standing in for the shore, a boat came of two leagues to us with an
old Portuguese pilot on board, who, knowing us to be an European
ship, came to offer his service, which, indeed, we were glad of and
took him on board; upon which, without asking us whither we would
go, he dismissed the boat he came in, and sent it back. I thought
it was now so much in our choice to make the old man carry us
whither we would, that I began to talk to him about carrying us to
the Gulf of Nankin, which is the most northern part of the coast of
China. The old man said he knew the Gulf of Nankin very well; but
smiling, asked us what we would do there? I told him we would sell
our cargo and purchase China wares, calicoes, raw silks, tea,
wrought silks, &c.; and so we would return by the same course we
came. He told us our best port would have been to put in at Macao,
where we could not have failed of a market for our opium to our
satisfaction, and might for our money have purchased all sorts of
China goods as cheap as we could at Nankin.
Not being able to put the old man out of his talk, of which he was
very opinionated or conceited, I told him we were gentlemen as well
as merchants, and that we had a mind to go and see the great city
of Pekin, and the famous court of the monarch of China. "Why,
then," says the old man, "you should go to Ningpo, where, by the
river which runs into the sea there, you may go up within five
leagues of the great canal. This canal is a navigable stream,
which goes through the heart of that vast empire of China, crosses
all the rivers, passes some considerable hills by the help of
sluices and gates, and goes up to the city of Pekin, being in
length near two hundred and seventy leagues."--"Well," said I,
"Seignior Portuguese, but that is not our business now; the great
question is, if you can carry us up to the city of Nankin, from
whence we can travel to Pekin afterwards?" He said he could do so
very well, and that there was a great Dutch ship gone up that way
just before. This gave me a little shock, for a Dutch ship was now
our terror, and we had much rather have met the devil, at least if
he had not come in too frightful a figure; and we depended upon it
that a Dutch ship would be our destruction, for we were in no
condition to fight them; all the ships they trade with into those
parts being of great burden, and of much greater force than we
were.
The old man found me a little confused, and under some concern when
he named a Dutch ship, and said to me, "Sir, you need be under no
apprehensions of the Dutch; I suppose they are not now at war with
your nation?"--"No," said I, "that's true; but I know not what
liberties men may take when they are out of the reach of the laws
of their own country."--"Why," says he, "you are no pirates; what
need you fear? They will not meddle with peaceable merchants,
sure." These words put me into the greatest disorder and confusion
imaginable; nor was it possible for me to conceal it so, but the
old man easily perceived it.
"Sir," says he, "I find you are in some disorder in your thoughts
at my talk: pray be pleased to go which way you think fit, and
depend upon it, I'll do you all the service I can." Upon this we
fell into further discourse, in which, to my alarm and amazement,
he spoke of the villainous doings of a certain pirate ship that had
long been the talk of mariners in those seas; no other, in a word,
than the very ship he was now on board of, and which we had so
unluckily purchased. I presently saw there was no help for it but
to tell him the plain truth, and explain all the danger and trouble
we had suffered through this misadventure, and, in particular, our
earnest wish to be speedily quit of the ship altogether; for which
reason we had resolved to carry her up to Nankin.
The old man was amazed at this relation, and told us we were in the
right to go away to the north; and that, if he might advise us, it
should be to sell the ship in China, which we might well do, and
buy, or build another in the country; adding that I should meet
with customers enough for the ship at Nankin, that a Chinese junk
would serve me very well to go back again, and that he would
procure me people both to buy one and sell the other. "Well, but,
seignior," said I, "as you say they know the ship so well, I may,
perhaps, if I follow your measures, be instrumental to bring some
honest, innocent men into a terrible broil; for wherever they find
the ship they will prove the guilt upon the men, by proving this
was the ship."--"Why," says the old man, "I'll find out a way to
prevent that; for as I know all those commanders you speak of very
well, and shall see them all as they pass by, I will be sure to set
them to rights in the thing, and let them know that they had been
so much in the wrong; that though the people who were on board at
first might run away with the ship, yet it was not true that they
had turned pirates; and that, in particular, these were not the men
that first went off with the ship, but innocently bought her for
their trade; and I am persuaded they will so far believe me as at
least to act more cautiously for the time to come."
In about thirteen days' sail we came to an anchor, at the south-
west point of the great Gulf of Nankin; where I learned by accident
that two Dutch ships were gone the length before me, and that I
should certainly fall into their hands. I consulted my partner
again in this exigency, and he was as much at a loss as I was. I
then asked the old pilot if there was no creek or harbour which I
might put into and pursue my business with the Chinese privately,
and be in no danger of the enemy. He told me if I would sail to
the southward about forty-two leagues, there was a little port
called Quinchang, where the fathers of the mission usually landed
from Macao, on their progress to teach the Christian religion to
the Chinese, and where no European ships ever put in; and if I
thought to put in there, I might consider what further course to
take when I was on shore. He confessed, he said, it was not a
place for merchants, except that at some certain times they had a
kind of a fair there, when the merchants from Japan came over
thither to buy Chinese merchandises. The name of the port I may
perhaps spell wrong, having lost this, together with the names of
many other places set down in a little pocket-book, which was
spoiled by the water by an accident; but this I remember, that the
Chinese merchants we corresponded with called it by a different
name from that which our Portuguese pilot gave it, who pronounced
it Quinchang. As we were unanimous in our resolution to go to this
place, we weighed the next day, having only gone twice on shore
where we were, to get fresh water; on both which occasions the
people of the country were very civil, and brought abundance of
provisions to sell to us; but nothing without money.
We did not come to the other port (the wind being contrary) for
five days; but it was very much to our satisfaction, and I was
thankful when I set my foot on shore, resolving, and my partner
too, that if it was possible to dispose of ourselves and effects
any other way, though not profitably, we would never more set foot
on board that unhappy vessel. Indeed, I must acknowledge, that of
all the circumstances of life that ever I had any experience of,
nothing makes mankind so completely miserable as that of being in
constant fear. Well does the Scripture say, "The fear of man
brings a snare"; it is a life of death, and the mind is so entirely
oppressed by it, that it is capable of no relief.
Nor did it fail of its usual operations upon the fancy, by
heightening every danger; representing the English and Dutch
captains to be men incapable of hearing reason, or of
distinguishing between honest men and rogues; or between a story
calculated for our own turn, made out of nothing, on purpose to
deceive, and a true, genuine account of our whole voyage, progress,
and design; for we might many ways have convinced any reasonable
creatures that we were not pirates; the goods we had on board, the
course we steered, our frankly showing ourselves, and entering into
such and such ports; and even our very manner, the force we had,
the number of men, the few arms, the little ammunition, short
provisions; all these would have served to convince any men that we
were no pirates. The opium and other 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 everybody
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, without giving
us any room for a defence. We reflected that there really was 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 of Cambodia that they were coming down to examine us, we
fought their boats and fled. Therefore we made no doubt but they
were as fully satisfied of our being pirates as we were satisfied
of the contrary; and, as I often said, I know not but I should have
been apt to have taken those 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, these were our apprehensions; and both
my partner and I scarce slept a night without dreaming of halters
and yard-arms; 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 doubled fist against the side of the cabin I
lay in with such a force as wounded my hand grievously, broke my
knuckles, and cut and bruised the flesh, so that it awaked me out
of my sleep. Another apprehension I had was, the cruel usage we
might meet with from them if we fell into their hands; then the
story of Amboyna came into my head, and how the Dutch might perhaps
torture us, as they did our countrymen there, and make some of our
men, by extremity of torture, confess to crimes they never were
guilty of, or own themselves and all of us to be pirates, and so
they would put us to death with a formal appearance of justice; and
that they might be tempted to do this for the gain of our ship and
cargo, worth altogether four or five thousand pounds. We did not
consider that the captains of ships have no authority to act thus;
and if we had surrendered prisoners to them, they could not answer
the destroying us, or torturing us, but would be accountable for it
when they came to their country. However, if they were to act thus
with us, what advantage would it be to us that they should be
called to an account for it?--or if we were first to be murdered,
what satisfaction would it be to us to have them punished when they
came home?
I cannot refrain taking notice here what reflections I now had upon
the vast variety of my particular circumstances; how hard I thought
it that I, who had spent forty years in a life of continual
difficulties, and was at last come, as it were, to the port or
haven which all men drive at, viz. to have rest and plenty, should
be a volunteer in new sorrows by my own unhappy choice, and that I,
who had escaped so many dangers in my youth, should now come to be
hanged in my old age, and in so remote a place, for a crime which I
was not in the least inclined to, much less guilty of. After these
thoughts something of religion would come in; and I would be
considering that this seemed to me to be a disposition of immediate
Providence, and I ought to look upon it and submit to it as such.
For, although I was innocent as to men, I was far from being
innocent as to my Maker; and I ought to look in and examine what
other crimes in my life were most obvious to me, and for which
Providence might justly inflict this punishment as a retribution;
and thus I ought to submit to this, just as I would to a shipwreck,
if it had pleased God to have brought such a disaster upon me.
In its turn natural courage would sometimes take its place, and
then I would be talking myself up to vigorous resolutions; that I
would not be taken to be barbarously used by a parcel of merciless
wretches in cold blood; that it were much better to have fallen
into the hands of the savages, though I were sure they would feast
upon me when they had taken me, than those who would perhaps glut
their rage upon me by inhuman tortures and barbarities; that in the
case of the savages, I always resolved to die fighting to the last
gasp, and why should I not do so now? Whenever these thoughts
prevailed, I was sure to put myself into a kind of fever with the
agitation of a supposed fight; my blood would boil, and my eyes
sparkle, as if I was engaged, and I always resolved to take no
quarter at their hands; but even at last, if I could resist no
longer, I would blow up the ship and all that was in her, and leave
them but little booty to boast of. _
Read next: CHAPTER XIII - ARRIVAL IN CHINA
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