ng the General, and drubbing the Noble-Man: For he was so
much incensed against John Thacker, that he could never indure him
afterwards; tho' the poor Fellow knew nothing of the Matter.

About the middle of November we began to work on our Ship's bottom,
which we found very much eaten with the Worm: For this is a horrid
place for Worms. We did not know this till after we had been in
the River a Month; and then we found our Canoas bottoms eaten like
Honey-combs; our Bark, which was a single bottom, was eaten thro';
so that she could not swim. But our Ship was sheathed, and the Worm
came no farther than the Hair between the sheathing Plank, and the
main Plank. We did not mistrust the General's Knavery till now: for
when he came down to our Ship, and found us ripping off the sheathing
Plank, and saw the firm bottom underneath, he shook his Head, and
seemed to be discontented; saying he did never see a Ship with two
bottoms before. We were told that in this place, where we now lay,
a Dutch Ship was eaten up in two months time, and the General had all
her Guns; and it is probable he did expect to have had Ours: Which I
do believe was the main Reason that made him so forward in assisting
us to get our Ship into the River, for when we went out again we had
no Assistance from him. We had no Worms till we came to this place:
For when we Careen'd at the Marias, the Worm had not touch'd us; nor at
Guam, for there we scrubb'd; nor after we came to the Island Mindanao;
for at the S.E. end of the Island we heel'd and scrubb'd also. The
Mindanaians are so sensible of their destructive Insects, that whenever
they come from Sea, they immediately hale their Ship into a dry Dock,
and burn her bottom, and there let her lye dry till they are ready
to get to Sea again. The Canoas or Proes they hale up dry, and never
suffer them to be long in the Water. It is reported that those Worms
which get into a Ships bottom in the salt Water, will die in the
fresh Water; and that the fresh Water Worms will die in Salt Water:
but in brackish Water both sorts will increase prodigiously. Now this
place where we lay was sometimes brackish Water, yet commonly fresh;
but what sort of Worm this was I know not. Some Men are of Opinion,
that these Worms breed in the Plank; but I am perswaded they breed
in the Sea: For I have seen Millions of them swimming in the Water,
particularly in the Bay of Panama; for there Captain Davis, Captain
Swan and my self, and mos