A New Voyage Round the World by a Course Never Sailed Before — John Shaqi
A New Voyage Round the World by a Course Never Sailed BeforeDefoe, Daniel
General
A New Voyage Round the World by a Course Never Sailed Before
Defoe, Daniel
Adventure stories; Voyages around the world -- Fiction
Leave that to me, says he, I will give the governor notice this evening,
and as soon as they come on shore they shall be all seized; But, says
he, if you think they may incline to make any resistance, I will write a
line to the governor, and give it you now; then, when your men go on
shore, order two of the principal rogues to go and wait on the governor
with the letter from you, and when he receives it, he shall secure them
there; so they will be divided, and taken with the more ease.
In the mean time, added he, while this is doing on shore, I will come on
board your ship, with my long boat and pinnace, and as many men as you
please, to repay you the compliment of this visit, and assist you in
reducing the rest.
This was so kind, and so completely what I desired, that I could have
asked nothing more; and I accepted his visit in his barge, which I
thought would be enough, but was afraid that, if more came, our men
might be alarmed, and take arms before I was ready; so we agreed upon
that, and, if I desired more help, I should hang out a signal, viz., a
red ancient, on the mizen top.
All things being thus consulted, I returned on board, pretending to our
men that I had spent so much time on board the Dutch ship, that I could
not go on shore; and indeed some of my men were so drunk, that they
could scarce sit to their oars; and the coxswain was so very far gone,
that I took occasion to ask publicly, to leave him on board till the
next day, giving the Dutch captain also a hint that he was in the
conspiracy, and I should be glad to leave him on that account.
The next day, about nine o'clock, the second mate came to me, and told
me they wanted more water, and, if I pleased to order the boat on shore,
he would go if I thought fit, and see if he could get any fresh
provisions, the purser being indisposed.
I told him, yes, with all my heart; that the Dutch captain last night
had given me a letter to the governor, to desire we might be furnished
with whatever we had occasion for, and that I had thoughts of calling
for him to go on shore and deliver it, and that, perhaps, the governor
might make him some present in compliment to the English nation.
He seemed extremely pleased at this, and even elevated, and going out to
give orders about the boat, ordered the long-boat and the shallop, and
came in again, and asked me whom I pleased to have go along with him. I
answered, smilingly to him. Pick and choose then yourself, only leave
the pinnace's crew that went with me yesterday, because they must go on
board again to carry the Dutch captain a little present of English beer
that I am going to send him, and fetch aboard their drunken coxswain,
who was so intoxicated that we were fain to leave him behind us.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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