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