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
This was just what he wanted; and we found he chose all the chief rogues
of the conspiracy; such as the boatswain, the gunner, the midshipmen we
spoke of, and such of the foremast men as he had secured in his design;
and of the rest, we judged they were in the plot, because he took them
with him; and thus having the long-boat and the shallop, with about
six-and-thirty men with them, away they went to fill water.
When they came on shore, they had presently three Dutchmen, set by the
Dutch captain, unperceived by them, to be spies upon them, and to mark
exactly what they did; and at the same time found three boats of
Dutchmen at the watering-place, (for the captain had procured two boats
to go on shore from two other ships,) full of men also, having
acquainted them with the design. As soon as our boats came on shore, the
men appeared to be all very much engaged in something more than
ordinary, and, instead of separating, as it was expected they should,
they went all into one boat, and there they were mighty busily engaged
in discourse one with another.
The Dutch captain had given the charge of these things to a brisk bold
fellow, his mate, and he took the hints the captain gave him so well,
that nothing could have been better; for, finding the men thus in a kind
of a cabal, he takes four of his men with muskets on their shoulders,
like the governor's men, and goes with them to the Englishmen's boat,
and asks for their officer, the second mate, who, upon this, appears. He
tells them he comes from the governor, to know if they were Englishmen,
and what their business was on shore there: the mate answered, they came
from on board the English ship, that they were driven there by stress of
weather, and hoped they might have leave to fill water and buy
necessaries for their money.
He told them he supposed the governor would not refuse them when he knew
who they were, but that it was but good manners to ask leave: the
Englishman told him, that he had not yet filled any water or bought any
provisions, and that he had a letter to the governor from the captain,
which he supposed was to pay the usual civilities to him, and to give
him the civility of taking leave, as was expected.
The Dutchman answered, that was hael weel; that he might go and carry
it, if he pleased, then, and, if the governor gave them leave, all was
right and as it should be; but that the men could not be admitted to
come on shore till his return.
Upon this, away goes the second mate of our ship and three of the men
with him, whereof the gunner was one; for he had asked the Dutchman how
many he might carry with him, and he told him three or four: and those
he took you may be sure, were of the particular men whom he had a
confidence in, because of their conversing together by the way.
When they came to the governor, the mate sent in a message first, viz.,
that he was come from on board the English ship in the road, and that
he had a letter from the captain to his excellence.
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