can never be ungrateful,” said I, “for any service, or to any man that offers me any kindness; but it is past my comprehension what they should have such a design upon me for:  however, since you say there is no time to be lost, and that there is some villainous design on hand against me, I will go on board this minute, and put to sea immediately, if my men can stop the leak; but, sir,” said I, “shall I go away ignorant of the cause of all this?  Can you give me no further light into it?”

“I can tell you but part of the story, sir,” says he; “but I have a Dutch seaman here with me, and I believe I could persuade him to tell you the rest; but there is scarce time for it.  But the short of the story is this—­the first part of which I suppose you know well enough—­that you were with this ship at Sumatra; that there your captain was murdered by the Malays, with three of his men; and that you, or some of those that were on board with you, ran away with the ship, and are since turned pirates.  This is the sum of the story, and you will all be seized as pirates, I can assure you, and executed with very little ceremony; for you know merchant ships show but little law to pirates if they get them into their power."- -"Now you speak plain English,” said I, “and I thank you; and though I know nothing that we have done like what you talk of, for I am sure we came honestly and fairly by the ship; yet seeing such a work is doing, as you say, and that you seem to mean honestly, I will be upon my guard.”—­“Nay, sir,” says he, “do not talk of being upon your guard; the best defence is to be out of danger.  If you have any regard for your life and the lives of all your men, put to sea without fail at high-water; and as you have a whole tide before you, you will be gone too far out before they can come down; for they will come away at high-water, and as they have twenty miles to come, you will get near two hours of them by the difference of the tide, not reckoning the length of the way:  besides, as they are only boats, and not ships, they will not venture to follow you far out to sea, especially if it blows.”—­“Well,” said I, “you have been very kind in this:  what shall I do to make you amends?”—­ “Sir,” says he, “you may not be willing to make me any amends, because you may not be convinced of the truth of it.  I will make an offer to you:  I have nineteen months’ pay due to me on board the ship -, which I came out of England in; and the Dutchman that is with me has seven months’ pay due to him.  If you will make good our pay to us we will go along with you; if you find nothing more in it we will desire no more; but if we do convince you that we have saved your lives, and the ship, and the lives of all the men in her, we will leave the rest to you.”