A New Voyage Round the World by a Course Never Sailed BeforeDefoe, Daniel
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A New Voyage Round the World by a Course Never Sailed Before
Defoe, Daniel
Adventure stories; Voyages around the world -- Fiction
He told me, that they had not fully concluded on all their measures, nor
gained so many of the men as they intended; that they were to sound some
more of the men the next morning, and, as soon as they had made their
number up fifty, they were resolved to make the attempt, which they did
not question would be by Thursday, and this was Monday morning; and
that, if they were then ready, they would make the onset at changing the
watch the same evening. He added, that, as they were to go on shore the
next morning for fresh water, I should know the truth of it by this;
that the second mate would come to me, and tell me that they wanted more
water, and to know if I pleased the boats should go on shore, and that,
if I chose it, he would go with them, or any else whom I pleased to
appoint; and that, upon supposition that I would leave it to him, to
take those he thought fit to go with him, he would then take occasion to
choose the principal conspirators, that they might, when they were on
shore, conclude upon the measures they intended to pursue.
I had all that day (Monday) to order my preparations, and upon this
plain intelligence, I determined to lose no time, nor was it long before
I resolved what to do; for as their design was desperate, so I had
nothing but desperate remedies to provide. Having therefore settled my
measures, I called for the cockswain, and bade him man the pinnace, for
that I was to go on shore, and I appointed only the supercargo, and the
surgeon, and the French captain, to go with me.
There were no English ships in the road, but there were about five Dutch
vessels homeward-bound, waiting for more, and three outward-bound. As I
passed by one of the outward-bound East India ships, the French captain,
as we had agreed before, pretended to know the ship, and that the
commander was his old acquaintance, and asked me to give him leave to
visit him, and told me he was sure he would make us all welcome. I
seemed unwilling at first, telling him I intended to go on shore and
pay my respects to the governor, and, as was usual, to ask him leave to
buy some provisions, and that the governor would take it very ill if I
did not go. However, upon his alleging that we would not stay, and that
the Dutch captain, upon his going on board, would, he was sure, give us
a letter of recommendation to the governor, by which we should have
everything granted that we could desire, I consented to his importunity,
and we went on board.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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