bows and arrows; but I resolved from that moment to
visit them again. Our caravan rested three nights at the town, which was
about four miles off, in order to provide some horses which they wanted,
several of the horses having been lamed and jaded with the long march
over the last desert; so we had some leisure here to put my design in
execution. I communicated it to the Scots merchant, of whose courage I
had sufficient testimony; I told him what I had seen, and with what
indignation I had since thought that human nature could be so degenerate;
I told him if I could get but four or five men well armed to go with me,
I was resolved to go and destroy that vile, abominable idol, and let them
see that it had no power to help itself, and consequently could not be an
object of worship, or to be prayed to, much less help them that offered
sacrifices to it.

He at first objected to my plan as useless, seeing that, owing to the
gross ignorance of the people, they could not be brought to profit by the
lesson I meant to teach them; and added that, from his knowledge of the
country and its customs, he feared we should fall into great peril by
giving offence to these brutal idol worshippers. This somewhat stayed my
purpose, but I was still uneasy all that day to put my project in
execution; and that evening, meeting the Scots merchant in our walk about
the town, I again called upon him to aid me in it. When he found me
resolute he said that, on further thoughts, he could not but applaud the
design, and told me I should not go alone, but he would go with me; but
he would go first and bring a stout fellow, one of his countrymen, to go
also with us; "and one," said he, "as famous for his zeal as you can
desire any one to be against such devilish things as these." So we
agreed to go, only we three and my man-servant, and resolved to put it in
execution the following night about midnight, with all possible secrecy.

We thought it better to delay it till the next night, because the caravan
being to set forward in the morning, we suppose the governor could not
pretend to give them any satisfaction upon us when we were out of his
power. The Scots merchant, as steady in his resolution for the
enterprise as bold in executing, brought me a Tartar's robe or gown of
sheepskins, and a bonnet, with a bow and arrows, and had provided the
same for himself and his countryman, that the people, if they saw us,
should not determine who we were.