正文预览

第7章 刘一

hand, stepped gravely up to him, and, with one blow of hisfist, knocked him down, as an ox is felled with a pole-axe; atwhich one of the rogues, as insolent as the first, fired his pistolat the Spaniard immediately; he missed his body, indeed, for thebullets went through his hair, but one of them touched the tip ofhis ear, and he bled pretty much. The blood made the Spaniardbelieve he was more hurt than he really was, and that put him intosome heat, for before he acted all in a perfect calm; but nowresolving to go through with his work, he stooped, and taking thefellow's musket whom he had knocked down, was just going to shootthe man who had fired at him, when the rest of the Spaniards, beingin the cave, came out, and calling to him not to shoot, theystepped in, secured the other two, and took their arms from them.

　　The project was not so preposterous, if they had gone no further.But they did nothing, and proposed nothing, but had either mischiefin the design, or mischief in the event. And if I may give myopinion, they seemed to be under a blast from Heaven: for if wewill not allow a visible curse to pursue visible crimes, how shallwe reconcile the events of things with the divine justice? It wascertainly an apparent vengeance on their crime of mutiny and piracythat brought them to the state they were in; and they showed notthe least remorse for the crime, but added new villanies to it,such as the piece of monstrous cruelty of wounding a poor slavebecause he did not, or perhaps could not, understand to do what hewas directed, and to wound him in such a manner as made him acripple all his life, and in a place where no surgeon or medicinecould be had for his cure; and, what was still worse, theintentional murder, for such to be sure it was, as was afterwardsthe formed design they all laid to murder the Spaniards in co

intelligence from the spirits unembodied,and inhabiting the invisible world; and this friendly notice isgiven for our advantage, if we knew how to make use of it. Come,let us go and look abroad; and if we find nothing at all in it tojustify the trouble, I'll tell you a story to the purpose, thatshall convince you of the justice of my proposing it."

　　I told them that no doubt they were married in the sight of God,and were bound in conscience to keep them as their wives; but thatthe laws of men being otherwise, they might desert the poor womenand children hereafter; and that their wives, being poor desolatewomen, friendless and moneyless, would have no way to helpthemselves. I therefore told them that unless I was assured oftheir honest intent, I could do nothing for them, but would takecare that what I did should be for the women and children withoutthem; and that, unless they would give me some assurances that theywould marry the women, I could not think it was convenient theyshould continue together as man and wife; for that it was bothscandalous to men and offensive to God, who they could not thinkwould bless them if they went on thus.

　　When we came to fit this man out, my old partner told me there wasa certain very honest fellow, a Brazil planter of his acquaintance,who had fallen into the displeasure of the Church. "I know notwhat the matter is with him," says he, "but, on my conscience, Ithink he is a heretic in his heart, and he has been obliged toconceal himself for fear of the Inquisition." He then told me thathe would be very glad of such an opportunity to make his escape,with his wife and two daughters; and if I would let them go to myisland, and allot them a plantation, he would give them a smallstock to begin with - for the officers of the Inquisition hadseized all his effects and estate, and he had nothing left but alittle household stuff and two slaves; "and," adds he, "though Ihate his principles, yet I would not have him fall into theirhands, for he will be assuredly burned alive if he does." Igranted this presently, and joined my Englishman with them: and weconcealed the man, and his wife and daughters, on board our ship,

ng their canoesat the east end of the island, came ranging along the shore,directly towards the place, to the number of two hundred and fifty,as near as our men could judge. Our army was but small indeed;but, that which was worse, they had not arms for all their number.The whole account, it seems, stood thus: first, as to men,seventeen Spaniards, five Englishmen, old Friday, the three slavestaken with the women, who proved very faithful, and three otherslaves, who lived with the Spaniards. To arm these, they hadeleven muskets, five pistols, three fowling-pieces, five muskets orfowling-pieces which were taken by me from the mutinous seamen whomI reduced, two swords, and three old halberds.

　　In this voyage, being by contrary winds obliged to beat up and downa great while in the Straits of Malacca and among the islands, wewere no sooner got clear of those difficult seas than we found ourship had sprung a leak, but could not discover where it was. Thisforced us to make some port; and my partner, who knew the countrybetter than I did, directed the captain to put into the river ofCambodia; for I had made the English mate, one Mr. Thompson,captain, not being willing to take the charge of the ship uponmyself. This river lies on the north side of the great bay or gulfwhich goes up to Siam. While we were here, and going often onshore for refreshment, there comes to me one day an Englishman, agunner's mate on board an English East India ship, then riding inthe same river. "Sir," says he, addressing me, "you are a strangerto me, and I to you; but I have something to tell you that verynearly concerns you. I am moved by the imminent danger you are in,and, for aught I see, you have no knowledge of it."

　　The five that were behind, more frightened with the noise thansensible of the danger, stood still at first; for the woods madethe sound a thousand times bigger than it really was, the echoesrattling from one side to another, and the fowls rising from allparts, screaming, and every sort making a different noise,according to their kind; just as it was when I fired the first gunthat perhaps was ever shot off in the island.

　　It was now March, the days grown considerably longer, and theweather at least tolerable; so the other travellers began toprepare sledges to carry them over the snow, and to get thingsready to be going; but my measures being fixed, as I have said, forArchangel, and not for Muscovy or the Baltic, I made no motion;knowing very well that the ships from the south do not set out forthat part of the world till May or June, and that if I was there bythe beginning of August, it would be as soon as any ships would beready to sail. Therefore I made no haste to be gone, as othersdid: in a word, I saw a great many people, nay, all thetravellers, go away before me. It seems every year they go fromthence to Muscovy, for trade, to carry furs, and buy necessaries,which they bring back with them to furnish their shops: alsoothers went on the same errand to Archangel.