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next morning there came into the bay two Dutch ships; and a third without any colours spread out, but which we believed to be a Dutchman, passed by at about two leagues' distance, steering for the coast of China; and in the afternoon went by two English ships steering the same course; and thus we thought we saw ourselves beset with enemies both one way and the other. The place we were in was wild and barbarous,—the people thieves by occupation; and though, it is true, we had not much to seek of them, and, except getting a few provisions, cared not how little we had to do with them, yet it was with much difficulty that we kept ourselves from being insulted by them several ways We were in a small river of this country, within a few leagues of its utmost limits northward; and by our boat we coasted north-east, to the point of land which opens the great bay of Tonquin; and it was in this beating up along the shore that we discovered we were surrounded with enemies. The people we were among were the most barbarous of all the inhabitants of the coast, and among other customs, they have this one: that if any vessel has the misfortune to be shipwrecked upon their coast, they make the men all prisoners or slaves; and it was not long before we found a spice of their kindness this way, on the occasion following.

I have observed above, that our ship sprung a leak at sea, and that we could not find it out; and it happened that, as I have said, it was stopped unexpectedly, on the eve of our being pursued by the Dutch and English ships in the Bay of Siam; yet, as we did not find the ship so perfectly tight and sound as we desired, we resolved while we were at this place to lay her on shore, and clean her bottom, and, if possible, to find out where the leaks were. Accordingly, having lightened the ship, and brought all our guns and other movables to one side, we tried to bring her down, that we might come at her bottom; but, on second thoughts, we did not care to lay her on dry ground, neither could we find out a proper place for it.

The inhabitants came wondering down the shore to look at us; and seeing the ship lie down on one side in such a manner, and heeling in towards the shore, and not seeing our men, who were at work on her bottom with stages, and with their boats on the off-side, they presently concluded that the ship was cast away, and lay fast on the ground. On this supposition, they came about us in two or three hours' time with ten or twelve large boats, having some of them eight, some ten men in a boat, intending, no doubt, to have come on board and plundered the ship, and if they found us there, to have carried us away for slaves.

When they came up to the ship, and began to row round her, they discovered us all hard at work on the outside of the ship's bottom and side, washing, and graving, and stopping, as every seafaring man knows how. They stood for a while gazing at us, and we, who were a little surprised, could not imagine what their design was; but being willing to be sure, we took this opportunity to get some of us into the ship, and others to hand down arms and ammunition to those that were at work, to defend themselves with, if there should be occasion. And it was no more than need: for in less than a quarter of an hour's consultation, they agreed, it seems, that the ship was really a wreck, and that we were all at work endeavouring to save her, or to save our lives by the help of our boats; and when we handed our arms into the boat, they concluded, by that act, that we were endeavouring to save some of our goods; upon this, they took it for granted we all belonged to them, and away they came directly upon our men, as if it had been in a line-of-battle.

Our men, seeing so many of them, began to be frightened, for we lay but in an ill posture to fight, and cried out to us to know what they should do. I immediately called to the men that worked upon the stages, to slip them down, and get up the side into the ship, and bade those in the boat to row round and come on board. The few who were on board worked with all the strength and hands we had to bring the ship to rights; however, neither the men upon the stages nor those in the boats could do as they were ordered, before the Cochin Chinese were upon them, when two of their boats boarded our long-boat, and began to lay hold of the men as their prisoners.

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the ship, as well as to pay the seams where he had caulked her to stop the leaks, had got two kettles just let down into the boat, one filled with boiling pitch, and the other with rosin, tallow, and oil, and such stuff as the shipwrights use for that work; and the man that attended the carpenter had a great iron ladle in his hand, with which he supplied the men that were at work with the hot stuff. Two of the enemy's men entered the boat just where this fellow stood in the fore-sheets; he immediately saluted them with a ladlefull of the stuff, boiling hot, which so burned and scalded them, being half-naked, that they roared out like bulls, and, enraged with the fire, leaped both into the sea. The carpenter saw it, and cried out, "Well done, Jack! give them some more of it: " and stepping forward himself, takes one of the mops, and dipping it in the pitch-pot, he and his man threw it among them so plentifully, that, in short, | of all the men in the three boats, there was not one that escaped being scalded in a most frightful manner, and made such a howling and crying, that I never heard a worse noise.

I was never better pleased with a victory in my life; not only as it was a perfect surprise to me, and that our danger was imminent before, but as we got this victory without any bloodshed, except of that man the seaman killed with his naked hands, and which I was very much concerned at. Although it may be a just thing, because necessary (for there is no necessary wickedness in nature), yet I thought it was a sad sort of life, when we must be always obliged to be killing our fellow-creatures to preserve ourselves-and, indeed, I think so still; and I would even now suffer a great deal, rather than I would take away the life even of the worst person injuring me; and I believe all considering people, who know the value of life, would be of my opinion, if they entered seriously into the consideration of it. All the while this was doing, my partner and I, who managed the rest of the men on board, had with great dexterity brought the ship almost to rights, and having got the guns into their places again, the gunner called to me to bid our boat get out of the way, for he would let fly among them. I called back again to him, and bid him not offer to fire, for the carpenter would do the work without him; but bid him heat another pitchkettle, which our cook, who was on board, took care of. However, the enemy was so terrified with what they had met with in their first attack, that they would not come on again; and some of them who were farthest off, seeing the ship swim, as it were, upright, began, as we suppose to see their mistake, and gave over the enterprise, finding it was not as they expected. Thus we got clear of this merry fight; and having got some rice, and some roots and bread, with about sixteen hogs, on board, two days before, we resolved to stay here no longer, but go forward, whatever came of it; for we made no doubt but we should be surrounded the next day with rogues enough, perhaps more than our pitch-kettle would dispose of for us. We therefore got all our things on board the same evening, and the next morning were ready to sail: in the mean time, lying at anchor at some distance from the shore, we were not so much concerned, being now in a fighting posture, as well as in a sailing posture, if any enemy had presented. The next day, having finished our work within board, and finding our ship was perfectly healed of all her leaks, we set sail. We would have gone into the Bay of Tonquin, for we wanted to inform ourselves of what was to be known concerning the Dutch ships that had been there; but we durst not stand in there, because we had seen several ships go in, as we supposed, but a little before; so we kept on N.E. towards the island of Formosa, as much afraid of being seen by a Dutch or English merchant ship, as a Dutch or English merchant ship in the Mediterranean is of an Algerine man-of-war.

When we were thus got to sea, we kept on N.E. as if we would go to the Manillas or the Philippine Islands; and this we did that we might not fall into the way of any of the European ships; and then we steered north, till we came to the latitude of 22 30 by which means we made the island of Formosa directly, where we came to an anchor, in order to get water and fresh provisions, which the people there, who are very courteous in their manners, supplied us with willingly, and dealt very fairly and punctually with us in all their agreements and bargains. This is what we did not find among other people, and may be owing to the remains of Christianity which was once planted here by a Dutch missionary of Protestants, and is a testimony of what I have often observed, viz. that the Christian religion always civilizes the people, and reforms their manners, where it is received, whether it works saving effects upon them or no.

The first man they laid hold of was an English seaman, a stout, strong fellow, who having a musket in his hand, never offered to fire it, but laid it down in the boat, like a fool, as I thought; but he understood his business better than I could teach him, for he grappled the Pagan, and dragged him by main force out of their boat into ours, where, taking him by the ears, he beat his head so against the boat's gunnel, that the fellow died in his hands. In the mean time, a Dutchman, who From thence we sailed still north, keeping the coast stood next, took up the musket, and with the butt-end of China at an equal distance, till we knew we were of it so laid about him, that he knocked down five of beyond all the ports of China where our European them who attempted to enter the boat. But this was ships usually come; being resolved, if possible, not to doing little towards resisting thirty or forty men, who, fall into any of their hands, especially in this country, fearless because ignorant of their danger, began to throw where, as our circumstances were, we could not fail of themselves into the long-boat, where we had but five men being entirely ruined. Being now come to the latitude in all to defend it; but the following accident, which of 30 degrees, we resolved to put into the first trading deserved our laughter, gave our men a complete victory. port we should come at; and standing in for the shore, Our carpenter being prepared to grave the outside of a boat came off two leagues to us with an old Portuguese

pilot on board, who, knowing us to be an European ship came to offer his services, which, indeed, we were glad of and took him on board; upon which, without asking us whither we would go, he dismissed the boat he came in, and sent it back. I thought it was now so much in our choice to make the old man carry us whither we would, that I began to talk to him about carrying us to the Gulf of Nankin, which is the most northern part of the coast of China. The old man said he knew the Gulf of Nankin very well; but smiling, asked us what we would do there? I told him we would sell our cargo and purchase China wares, calicoes, raw silks, tea, wrought silks, &c.; and so would return by the same course we came. He told us our best port would have been to put in at Macao, where we could not have failed of a market for our opium to our satisfaction, and might for our money have purchased all sorts of China goods as cheap as we could at Nankin.

Not being able to put the old man out of his talk, of which he was very opinionated or conceited, I told him we were gentlemen as well as merchants, and that we had a mind to go and see the great city of Pekin, and the famous court of the monarch of China. “Why, then," says the old man, "you should go to Ningpo, where, by the river which runs into the sea there, you may go up within five leagues of the great canal. This canal is a navigable stream, which goes through the heart of that vast empire of China, crosses all the rivers, passes some considerable hills by the help of sluices and gates, and goes up to the city of Pekin, being in length near two hundred and seventy leagues." "Well," said I, "Seignior Portuguese, but that is not our business now; the great question is, if you can carry us up to the city of Nankin, from whence we can travel to Pekin afterwards?" He said he could do so very well, and that there was a great Dutch ship gone up that way just before. This gave me a little shock, for a Dutch ship was now our terror, and we had much rather have met the devil, at least if he had not come in too frightful a figure; and we depended upon it that a Dutch ship would be our destruction, for we were in no condition to fight them; all the ships they trade with into those parts being of great burden, and of much greater force than we were.

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The old man found me a little confused, and under some concern when he named a Dutch ship, and said to me, "Sir, you need be under no apprehensions of the Dutch: I suppose they are not now at war with your nation?" No," said I, "that's true; but I know not what liberties men may take when they are out of the reach of the laws of their own country." "Why," says he, "you are no pirates; what need you fear? They will not meddle with peaceable merchants, sure." These words put me into the greatest disorder and confusion imaginable; nor was it possible for me to conceal it so, but the old man easily perceived it.

"Sir," says he, "I find you are in some disorder in your thoughts at my talk; pray be pleased to go which way you think fit, and depend upon it, I'll do you all the service I can." Upon this we fell into further discourse, in which, to my alarm and amazement, he spoke of the villanous doings of a certain pirate ship that had long been the talk of mariners in those seas; no other, in a word, than the very ship he was now on board of, and which we had so unluckily purchased. I presently saw there was no help for it but to tell him the plain truth, and explain all the danger and trouble we had suffered through this misadventure, and, in particular, our earnest wish to be speedily quit of the ship altogether: for which reason we had resolved to carry her up to Nankin.

The old man was amazed at this relation, and told us we were in the right to go away to the north; and that, if he might advise us, it should be to sell the ship in China, which we might well do, and buy or build another in the country; adding, that I should meet with customers enough for the ship at Nankin, that a Chinese junk would serve me very well to go back again; and that he would procure me people both to buy one and sell the other. Well, but, seiguior," said I," as you say they know the ship so well, I may, perhaps, if I follow your measures, be instrumental to bring some honest, innocent men into a terrible broil; for wherever they find the ship they will prove the guilt upon the men, by proving this was the ship."

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Why," says the old man, "I'll find out a way to prevent that; for as I know all those commanders you speak of very well, and shall see them all as they pass by, I will be sure to set them to rights in the thing, and let them know that they had been so much in the wrong; that though the people who were on board at first might run away with the ship, yet it was not true that they had turned pirates; and that, in particular, these were not the men that first went off with the ship, but innocently bought her for their trade; and I am persuaded they will so far believe me, as at least to act more cautiously for the time to come."

In about thirteen days' sail we came to an anchor, at the south-west point of the great Gulf of Nankin; where I learned by accident that two Dutch ships were gone the length before me, and that I should certainly fall into their hands. I consulted my partner again in this

exigency, and he was as much at a loss as I was. I then of my sleep. Another apprehension I had was, the cruel asked the old pilot if there was no creek or harbour usage we might meet with from them if we fell into which I might put into and pursue my business with their hands: then the story of Amboyna came into my the Chinese privately, and be in no danger of the head, and how the Dutch might perhaps torture us, as enemy. He told me if I would sail to the southward they did our countrymen there, and make some of our about forty-two leagues, there was a little port called men, by extremity of torture, confess to crimes they Quinchang, where the fathers of the mission usually never were guilty of, or own themselves and all of us landed from Macao, on their progress to teach the to be pirates, and so they would put us to death with a Christian religion to the Chinese, and where no Euro- formal appearance of justice, and that they might be pean ships ever put in; and if I thought to put in there, tempted to do this for the gain of our ship and cargo, I might consider what further course to take when I worth altogether four or five thousand pounds. We was on shore. He confessed, he said, it was not a did not consider that the captains of ships have no place for merchants, except that at some certain times authority to act thus; and if we had surrendered they had a kind of a fair there, when the merchants prisoners to them, they could not answer the destroying from Japan came over thither to buy Chinese merchan- us, or torturing us, but would be accountable for it dises. The name of the port I may perhaps spell when they came to their country. However, if they wrong, having lost this, together with the names of were to act thus with us, what advantage would it be to many other places set down in a little pocket-book, us that they should be called to an account for it?-or which was spoiled by the water by an accident; but if we were first to be murdered, what satisfaction would this I remember, that the Chinese merchants we cor- it be to us to have them punished when they came home? responded with called it by a different name from that which our Portuguese pilot gave it, who pronounced it Quinchang. As we were unanimous in our resolution to go to this place, we weighed the next day, having only gone twice on shore where we were, to get fresh water; on both which occasions the people of the country were very civil, and brought abundance of provisions to sell to us: but nothing without money.

We did not come to the other port (the wind being contrary) for five days; but it was very much to our satisfaction, and I was thankful, when I set my foot on shore, resolving, and my partner too, that if it was possible to dispose of ourselves and effects any other way, though not profitably, we would never more set foot on board that unhappy vessel. Indeed, I must acknowledge, that of all the circumstances of life that ever I had any experience of, nothing makes mankind so completely miserable as that of being in constant fear. Well does the Scripture say, "The fear of man brings a snare": it is a life of death, and the mind is so entirely oppressed by it, that it is capable of no relief.

Nor did it fail of its usual operations upon the fancy, by heightening every danger; representing the English and Dutch captains to be men incapable of hearing reason, or of distinguishing between honest men and rogues or between a story calculated for our own turn, made out of nothing, on purpose to deceive, and a true genuine account of our whole voyage, progress, and design; for we might many ways have convinced any reasonable creatures that we were no pirates; the goods we had on board, the course we steered, our frankly showing ourselves, and entering into such and such ports; and even our very manner, the force we had, the number of men, the few arms, the little ammunition, short provisions; all these would have served to convince men that we were no pirates. The opium and other goods we had on board would make it appear the ship had been at Bengal. The Dutchmen, who, it was said, had the names of all the men that were in the ship, might easily see that we were a mixture of English, Portuguese, and Indians, and but two Dutchmen on board. These, and many other particular circumstances, might have made it evident to the understanding of any commander, whose hands we might fall into, that we were no pirates.

But fear, that blind, useless passion, worked another way, and threw us into the vapours; it bewildered our understandings, and set the imagination at work to form a thousand terrible things that perhaps might never happen. We first supposed, as indeed everybody had related to us, that the seamen on board the English and Dutch ships, but especially the Dutch, were so enraged I cannot refrain taking notice here what reflections I at the name of a pirate, and especially at our beating off now had upon the vast variety of my particular cirtheir boats and escaping, that they would not give them-circumstances; how hard I thought it that I, who had selves leave to inquire whether we were pirates or no, spent forty years in a life of continual difficulties, and but would execute us off hand, without giving us any was at last come, as it were, to the port or haven which room for a defence. We reflected that there really was all men drive at, viz. to have rest and plenty, should be so much apparent evidence before them, that they a volunteer in new sorrows by my own unhappy would scarce inquire after any more, as, first, that the choice; and that I, who had escaped so many dangers ship was certainly the same, and that some of the seamen in my youth, should now come to be hanged in my old among them knew her, and had been on board her; and, age, and in so remote a place, for a crime which I secondly, that when we had intelligence at the river of was not in the least inclined to, much less guilty of. Cambodia that they were coming down to examine us, After these thoughts, something of religion would come we fought their boats and fled. Therefore we made no in; and I would be considering that this seemed to me doubt but they were as fully satisfied of our being to be a disposition of immediate Providence, and I pirates, as we were satisfied of the contrary; and, as I ought to look upon it and submit to it as such. For, often said, I know not but I should have been apt to although I was innocent as to men, I was far from being have taken those circumstances for evidence, if the innocent as to my Maker; and I ought to look in and tables were turned, and my case was theirs; and have examine what other crimes in my life were most obvious made no scruple of cutting all the crew to pieces, with- to me, and for which Providence might justly inflict out believing, or perhaps considering what they might this punishment as a retribution; and thus I ought to have to offer in their defence. submit to this, just as I would to a shipwreck, if it had But let that be how it will, these were our apprehen- pleased God to have brought such a disaster upon me. sions; and both my partner and I scarce slept a night In its turn, natural courage would sometimes take its without dreaming of halters and yard-arms; of fighting, place, and then I would be talking myself up to vigorous and being taken; of killing, and being killed: and one resolutions; that I would not be taken to be barbarously night I was in such a fury in my dream, fancying the used by a parcel of merciless wretches in cold blood; Dutchmen had boarded us, and I was knocking one of that it were much better to have fallen into the hands their seamen down, that I struck my double fist against of the savages, though I was sure they would feast upon the side of the cabin I lay in with such a force as me when they had taken me, than those who would wonded my hand grievously, broke my knuckles, and perhaps glut their rage upon me by inhuman tortures cut and bruised the flesh, so that it awakened me out and barbarities; that in the case of the savages I

always resolved to die fighting to the last gasp, and why should I not do so now? Whenever these thoughts prevailed, I was sure to put myself into a kind of fever with the agitation of a supposed fight; my blood would boil, and my eyes sparkle, as if I was engaged, and I always resolved to take no quarter at their hands; but even, at last, if I could resist no longer, I would blow up the ship and all that was in her, and leave them but little booty to boast of.

The greater weight the anxieties and perplexities of these things were to our thoughts while we were at sea, the greater was our satisfaction when we saw ourselves on shore; and my partner told me he dreamed that he had a very heavy load upon his back, which he was to carry up a hill, and found that he was not able to stand longer under it; but that the Portuguese pilot came and took it off his back, and the hill disappeared, the ground before him appearing all smooth and plain: and truly it was so; they were all like men who had a load taken off their backs. For my part, I had a weight taken off from my heart that it was not able any longer to bear: and as I said above, we resolved to go no more to sea in that ship. When we came on shore, the old pilot, who was now our friend, got us a lodging, together with a warehouse for our goods; it was a little hut, with a larger house adjoining to it, built and also palisadoed round with canes, to keep out pilferers, of which there were not a few in that country: however, the magistrates allowed us a little guard, and we had a soldier with a kind of half-pike, who stood sentinel at our door; to whom we allowed a pint of rice, and a piece of money, about the value of three-pence, per day, so that our goods were kept very safe.

The fair, or mart, usually kept at this place, had been over some time: however, we found that there were three or four junks in the river, and two ships from Japan, with goods which they had bought in China, and were not gone away, having some Japanese merchants on shore. The first thing our old Portuguese pilot did for us was to get us acquainted with three missionary Romish priests who were in the town, and who had been there some time converting the people to Christianity; but we thought they made but poor work of it, and made them but sorry Christians when they had done. One of these was a Frenchman, whom they called Father Simon; another was a Portuguese; and the third a Genoese. Father Simon was courteous, and very agreeable company; but the other two were more reserved, seemed rigid and austere, and applied seriously to the work they came about, viz. to talk with, and insinuate themselves among the inhabitants, wherever they had opportunity. We often ate and drank with those men; and though, I must confess, the conversion, as they call it, of the Chinese to Christianity, is so far from the true conversion required to bring heathen people to the faith of Christ, that it seems to amount to little more than letting them know the name of Christ, and say some prayers to the Virgin Mary and her Son, in a tongue which they understood not, and to cross themselves, and the like; yet it must be confessed that the religionists, whom we call missionaries, have a firm belief that these people will be saved, and that they are the instruments of it; and on this account they undergo not only the fatigue of the voyage, and the hazards of living in such places, but oftentimes death itself, and the most violent tortures, for the sake of this work. Father Simon was appointed, it seems, by order of the chief of the mission, to go up to Pekin, and waited only for another priest, who was ordered to come to him from Macao, to go along with him. We scarce ever met together but he was inviting me to go that journey; telling me how he would show me all the glorious things of that mighty empire, and, among the rest, Pekin, the greatest city in the world; "a city," said he, "that your London and our Paris put together cannot be equal to." But as I looked on those things with different eyes from other men, so I shall give my opinion of them in a few words, when I come in the course of my travels to speak more particularly of them.

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Dining with Father Simon one day, and being very merry together, I showed some little inclination to go with him; and he pressed me and my partner very hard to consent. "Why, father," says my partner, "should you desire our company so much? you know we are heretics, and you do not love us, nor cannot keep us company with any pleasure."--"Oh," says he, "you may perhaps be good Catholics in time; my business here is to convert heathens, and who knows but I may convert you too?"-"Very well, father," said I," so you will preach to us all the way?"-"I will not be troublesome to you," says he; "our religion does not divest us of good manners; besides, we are here like countrymen; nd so we are, compared to the place we are in; and it you are Huguenots, and I a Catholic, we may all be Christians at last; at least, we are all gentlemen, and we may converse so, without being uneasy to one another." I liked this part of his discourse very well, and it began to put me in mind of my priest that I had left in the Brazils; but Father Simon did not come up to his character by a great deal; for though this friar had no appearance of a criminal levity in him, yet he had not that fund of Christian zeal, strict piety,

Here, having made a good acquaintance at Manilla, he
got his ship made a free ship, and the Governor of
Manilla hired him to go to Acapulco, on the coast of
America, and gave him a licence to land there, and to
travel to Mexico, and to pass in any Spanish ship to
Europe with all his men. He made the voyage to
Acapulco very happily, and there he sold his ship; and
having there also obtained allowance to travel by land
to Porto Bello, he found means to get to Jamaica, with
all his treasure; and about eight years after came to
England, exceeding rich.

fess, it seemed strange to me, when I came home, and heard our people say such fine things of the power, glory, magnificence, and trade of the Chinese; because, as far as I saw, they appeared to be a contemptible herd or crowd of ignorant, sordid slaves, subjected to a government qualified only to rule such a people; and were not its distance inconceivably great from Muscovy, and that empire in a manner as rude, impotent, and ill governed as they, the Czar of Muscovy might with ease drive them all out of their country, and conquer them in one campaign; and had the Czar (who is now a growing prince) fallen this way, instead of attacking the warlike Swedes, and equally improved himself in the art of war, as they say he has done; and if none of the powers of Europe had envied or interrupted him, he might by this time have been Emperor of China, instead of being beaten by the King of Sweden at Narva, when the latter was not one to six in number. As their strength and their grandeur, so their navigation, commerce, and husbandry, are very imperfect, compared to the same things in Europe; also, in their knowledge, their learning, and in their skill in the sciences, they are either very awkward or defective, though they have globes or spheres, and a smattering of the mathematics, and think they know more than all the world besides. But they know little of the motions of the heavenly bodies; and so grossly and absurdly ignorant are their common people, that when the sun is eclipsed, they think a great dragon has assaulted it, and is going to run away with it; and they fall a clattering with all the drums and kettles in the country, to fright the monster away, just as we do to hive a swarm of bees!

As this is the only excursion of the kind which I have made in all the accounts I have given of my travels, so I shall make no more such. It is none of my businesss, nor any part of my design; but to give an account of my own adventures through a life of inimitable wanderings, and a long variety of changes, which, perhaps, few that come after me will have heard the like of: I shall therefore say very little of all the mighty places, desert countries, and numerous people, I have yet to pass through, more than relates to my own story, and which my concern among them make necessary.

At

and sincere affection to religion, that my other good ecclesiastic had. But to leave him a little, though he never left us, nor solicited us to go with him; we had something else before us at first, for we had all this while our ship and our merchandise to dispose of, and we began to be very doubtful what we should do, for we were now in a place of very little business. Once I was about to venture to sail for the river of Kilam, and the city of Nankin; but Providence seemed now more visibly, as I thought, than ever to concern itself in our affairs; and I was encouraged, from this very time, to think I should, one But, to return to our particular affairs: being now to way or other, get out of this entangled circumstance, part with the ship and ship's company, it came before and be brought home to my own country again, though us, of course, to consider what recompense we should I had not the least view of the manner. Providence, I give to the two men that gave us such timely notice of say, began here to clear up our way a little; and the the design against us in the river Cambodia. The first thing that offered was, that our old Portuguese truth was, they had done us a very considerable service, pilot brought a Japan merchant to us, who inquired and deserved well at our hands; though, by the way, what goods we had; and, in the first place, he bought they were a couple of rogues too; for, as they believed all our opium, and gave us a very good price for it, the story of our being pirates, and that we had really paying us in gold by weight, some in small pieces of run away with the ship, they came down to us, not only their own coin, and some in small wedges, of about ten to betray the design that was formed against us, but to or twelve ounces each. While we were dealing with go to sea with us as pirates. One of them confessed him for our opium, it came into my head that he might afterwards that nothing else but the hopes of going a perhaps deal for the ship too, and I ordered the inter-roguing brought him to do it: however, the service, preter to propose it to him. He shrunk up his shoulders they did us was not the less, and, therefore, as I at it, when it was first proposed to him; but in a few had promised to be grateful to them, I first ordered the days after he came to me, with one of the missionary money to be paid them which they said was due to them priests for his interpreter, and told me he had a proposal on board their respective ships: over and above that, I to make to me, which was this: he had bought a great gave each of them a small sum of money in gold, which quantity of our goods, when he had no thoughts of contented them very well. I then made the Englishman proposals made to him of buying the ship; and that gunner in the ship, the gunner being now made second therefore he had not money to pay for the ship: but if I mate and purser; the Dutchman I made boatswain; so would let the same men who were in the ship navigate they were both very well pleased, and proved very serher, he would hire the ship to go to Japan; and would viceable, being both able seamen, and very stout fellows. send them from thence to the Philippine Islands with We were now on shore in China; if I thought myself another loading, which he would pay the freight of banished, and remote from my own country at before they went from Japan: and that at their return Bengal, where I had many ways to get home for my he would buy the ship. I began to listen to his proposal, money, what could I think of myself now, when I was and so eager did my head still run upon rambling, that about a thousand leagues further off from home, and I could not but begin to entertain a notion of going destitute of all manner of prospect of return? All we myself with him, and so to set sail from the Philippine had for it was this, that in about four months' time Islands away to the South Seas; accordingly, I asked there was to be another fair at the place where we the Japanese merchant if he would not hire us to the were, and then we might be able to purchase various I was now, as near as I can compute, in the heart of Philippine Islands and discharge us there. He said no, manufactures of the country, and withal might possibly China, about thirty degrees north of the line, for we he could not do that, for then he could not have the find some Chinese junks from Tonquin for sale, that were returned from Nankin. I had, indeed, a mind to return of his cargo; but he would discharge us in Japan, would carry us and our goods whither we pleased. This see the city of Pekin, which I had heard so much of, at the ship's return. Well, still I was for taking him I liked very well, and resolved to wait; besides, as our and Father Simon importuned me daily to do it. at that proposal, and going myself; but my partner, particular persons were not obnoxious, so, if any English length, his time of going away being set, and the other wiser than myself, persuaded me from it, representing or Dutch ships came thither, perhaps we might have an missionary who was to go with him being arrived from the dangers, as well of the seas as of the Japanese, who opportunity to load our goods, and get passage to some Macao, it was necessary that we should resolve either to are a false, cruel, and treacherous people; likewise those other place in India nearer home. Upon these hopes, go, or not; so I referred it to my partner, and left it of the Spaniards at the Philippines, more false, cruel, we resolved to continue here: but, to divert ourselves, wholly to his choice, who at length resolved it in the and treacherous than they. we took two or three journeys into the country. affirmative, and we prepared for our journey. We set First, we went ten days' journey to Nankin, a city out with very good advantage, as to finding the way; well worth seeing; they say it has a million of people for we get leave to travel in the retinue of one of their in it: it is regularly built, and the streets are all straight, mandarins, a kind of viceroy or principal magistrate in and cross one another in direct lines. But when I come the province, where they reside, and who take great to compare the miserable people of these countries with state upon them, travelling with great attendance, and ours, their fabrics, their manner of living, their govern- great homage from the people, who are sometimes ment, their religion, their wealth, and their glory, as greatly impoverished by them, being obliged to furnish some call it, I must confess that I scarcely think it provisions for them and all their attendants in their worth my while to mention them here. We wonder at journeys. I particularly observed in our travelling with the grandeur, the riches, the pomp, the ceremonies, the his baggage, and though we received sufficient provisions government, the manufactures, the commerce, and con- both for ourselves and our horses from the country, duct of these people; not that there is really any as belonging to the mandarin, yet we were obliged to matter for wonder, but because, having a true notion pay for everything we had, after the market price of the of the barbarity of those countries, the rudeness and country, and the mandarin's steward collected it duly the ignorance that prevail there, we do not expect to from us. Thus our travelling in the retinue of the manfind any such thing so far off. Otherwise, what are their darin, though it was a great act of kindness, was not such buildings to the palaces and royal buildings of Europe? a mighty favour to us, but was a great advantage to him, What their trade to the universal commerce of England considering there were above thirty other people travelled Holland, France, and Spain? What are their cities to in the same manner besides us, under the protection of ours, for wealth, strength, gaiety of apparel, rich fur- his retinue; for the country furnished all the provisions niture, and infinite variety? What are their ports, for nothing to him, and yet he took our money for them. supplied with a few junks and barks, to our navigation, We were twenty-five days travelling to Pekin, through our merchant fleets, our large and powerful navies? a country exceeding populous, but I think badly cultiOur city of London has more trade than half their vated; the husbandry, the economy, and the way of mighty empire: one English, Dutch, or French man-of-living miserable, though they boast so much of the war of eighty guns, would be able to fight almost all industry of the people: I say miserable, if cornpared the shipping belonging to China: but the greatness of with our own, but not so to these poor wretches, who their wealth, their trade, the power of their government, know no other. The pride of the poor people is inIf my partner, who was no way concerned with my and the strength of their armies, may be a little surpris- finitely great, and exceeded by nothing but their poverty, young man, made him such an offer, I could not do lessing to us, because, as I have said, considering them as a in some parts, which adds to that which I call their than offer him the same; and all the ship's company barbarous nation of Pagans, little better than savages, misery; and I must needs think the savages of America being willing to go with him, we made over half the we did not expect such things among them. But all live much more happy than the poorer sort of these, ship to him in property, and took a writing from him, the forces of their empire, though they were to bring obliging him to account for the other, and away he went two millions of men into the field together, would be to Japan. The Japan merchant proved a very punctual able to do nothing but ruin the country, and starve honest man to him; protected him at Japan and got themselves; a million of their foot could not stand him a licence to come on shore, which the Europeans in before one embattled body of our infantry, posted so as general have not lately obtained. He paid him his not to be surrounded, though they were not to be one to freight very punctually; sent him to the Philippines, twenty in number; nay, I do not boast if I say that loaded with Japan and China wares, and a supercargo thirty thousand German or English foot, and ten I must confess I travelled more pleasantly afterwards of their own, who, trafficking with the Spaniards, thousand horse, well managed, could defeat all the in the deserts and vast wildernesses of Grand Tartary brought back European goods again, and a great quantity forces of China. Nor is there a fortified town in China than here, and yet the roads here are well paved and of spices; and there he was not only paid his freight that could hold out one month against the batteries and well kept, and very convenient for travellers; but very well, and at a very good price, but not being willing attacks of an European army. They have fire-arms, it nothing was more awkward to me than to see such a to sell the ship then, the merchant furnished him goods is true, but they are awkward and uncertain in their haughty, imperious, insolent people, in the midst of on his own account; and with some money, and some going off; and their powder has but little strength. the grossest simplicity and ignorance; and my friend spices of his own which he brought with him, he went Their armies are badly disciplined, and want skill to Father Simon and I used to be very merry upon these back to the Manillas, where he sold his cargo very well. attack, or temper to retreat; and therefore, I must con-occasions, to see their beggarly pride. For example,

But to bring this long turn of our affairs to a conclusion; the first thing we had to do was to consult with the captain of the ship, and with his men, and know if they were willing to go to Japan. While I was doing this, the young man whom my nephew had left with me as my companion came up, and told me that he thought that voyage promised very fair, and that there was a great prospect of advantage, and he would be very glad if I undertook it; but that if I would not, and would give him leave, he would go as a merchant, or as I pleased to order him; that if ever he came to England, and I was there and alive, he would render me a faithful account of his success, which should be as much mine as I pleased. I was loth to part with him; but considering the prospect of advantage, which really was considerable, and that he was a young fellow likely to do well in it, I inclined to let him go; but I told him I would consult my partner, and give him an answer the next day. I discoursed about it with my partner, who thereupon made a most generous offer: "You know it has been an unlucky ship," said he, "and we both resolve not to go to sea in it again; if your steward (so he called my man) will venture the voyage, I will leave my share of the vessel to him, and let him make the best of it; and if we live to meet in England, and he meets with success abroad, he shall account for one half of the profits of the ship's freight to us; the other shall be his own.

because as they have nothing, so they desire nothing; whereas these are proud and insolent, and in the main are in many parts mere beggars and drudges. Their ostentation is inexpressible; and, if they can, they love to keep multitudes of servants or slaves, which is to the last degree ridiculous, as well as their contempt of all the world but themselves.

1

LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.

66

It was the beginning of February, New Style, when My partner and the old pilot coming by the house of a country gentleman, as Father interpreter, for he understood the language of the four months and some days before all things were got Simon called him, about ten leagues off the city of country, and spoke good French and a little English. together. Nankin, we had first of all the honour to ride with Indeed, this old man was most useful to us everywhere; the master of the house about two miles; the state he for we had not been above a week at Pekin, when he we set out from Pekin. rode in was a perfect Don Quixotism, being a mixture came laughing. "Ah, Seignior Inglese," says he, "I had gone express back to the port where we had first My heart glad," says I; "what can that be? I don't and I, with a Chinese merchant whom I had some knowof pomp and poverty. His habit was very proper for a have something to tell will make your heart glad."- put in, to dispose of some goods which we had left there; merry-andrew, being a dirty calico, with hanging sleeves, of fine damasks, with about two hundred pieces of other tassels, and cuts and slashes almost on every side: it know anything in this country can either give me joy ledge of at Nankin, and who came to Pekin on his own "Because," very fine silks of several sorts, some mixed with gold, covered a taffety vest, so greasy as to testify that his or grief to any great degree." "Yes, yes," said the old affairs, went to Nankin, where I bought ninety pieces honour must be a most exquisite sloven. His horse was man in broken English, "make you glad, me sorry."a poor, starved, hobbling creature, and two slaves fol-"Why," said I, "will it make you sorry?" lowed him on foot to drive the poor creature along; said he, "you have brought me here twenty-five days' and had all these brought to Pekin against my partner's he had a whip in his hand, and he belaboured the beast journey, and will leave me to go back alone; and which return. Besides this, we bought a large quantity of raw as fast about the head as his slaves did about the tail; way shall I get to my port afterwards, without a ship, silk, and some other goods, our cargo amounting, in these and thus he rode by us, with about ten or twelve ser- without a horse, without pecune?"-so he called money, goods only, to about three thousand five hundred pounds vants, going from the city to his country seat, about being his broken Latin, of which he had abundance to sterling; which, together with tea and some fine calicoes, We travelled on gently, but make us merry with. In short, he told us there was a and three camels' loads of nutmegs and cloves, loaded half a league before us. this figure of a gentleman rode away before us, and as great caravan of Muscovite and Polish merchants in the in all eighteen camels for our share, besides those we we stopped at a village about an hour to refresh us, city, preparing to set out on their journey by land to rode upon; these, with two or three spare horses, and when we came by the country seat of this great man, Muscovy, within four or five weeks; and he was sure, two horses loaded with provisions, made together we saw him in a little place before his door, eating a we would take the opportunity to go with them, and twenty-six camels and horses in our retinue. repast. It was a kind of garden, but he was easy to be leave him behind, to go back alone. seen; and we were given to understand that the more we looked at him the better he would be pleased. He sat under a tree, something like the palmetto, which effectually shaded him over the head, and on the south side; but under the tree was placed a large umbrella, which made that part look well enough. He sat lolling back in a great elbow-chair, being a heavy corpulent man, and had his meat brought him by two women slaves. He had two more, one of whom fed the squire with a spoon, and the other held the dish with one hand, and scraped off what he let fall upon his worship's beard and taffety vest.

Leaving the poor wretch to please himself with our

CRUSOE SEES A CHINESE GENTLEMAN ON THE ROAD.

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The company was very great, and, as near as I can I confess I was greatly surprised with this good news, remember, made between three and four hundred horse, and had scarce power to speak to him for some time, and upwards of one hundred and twenty men, very well but at last I said to him, "How do you know this? are armed, and provided for all events; for as the eastern you sure it is true?"-"Yes," says he; "I met this caravans are subject to be attacked by the Arabs, so are morning in the street an old acquaintance of mine, an these by the Tartars. The company consisted of people Armenian, who is among them. He came last from of several nations; but there were about sixty of them Astracan, and was designing to go to Tonquin, where I merchants or inhabitants of Moscow, though of them formerly knew him, but has altered his mind, and is some were Livonians; and to our particular satisfaction, When we had travelled one day's journey, the guides, now resolved to go with the caravan to Moscow, and so five of them were Scots, who appeared also to be men of down the river Wolga to Astracan."-" Well, Seignior," great experience in business, and of very good substance. alone; if this be a method for my return to England, who were five in number, called all the passengers, says I, "do not be uneasy about being left to go back We then went to con- At this council, every one deposited a certain quantity it shall be your fault if you go back to Macao at all." except the servants, to a great council as they called it. sult together what was of money to a common stock, for the necessary expense to be done; and I of buying forage on the way, where it was not otherwise asked my partner what to be had, and for satisfying the guides, getting horses, he thought of the and the like. Here, too, they constituted the journey, and as they call it; viz. they named captains and officers to pilot's news, whether it would suit draw us all up, and give the word of command, in case with his affairs? He of an attack, and give every one their turn of command; told me he would do nor was this forming us into order any more than what just as I would; for we afterwards found needful on the way. The road all on this side of the country is very he had settled all his affairs so well at Ben- populous, and is full of potters and earth-makers,-that gal, and left his effects is to say, people that temper the earth for the China in such good hands, ware. As I was coming along, our Portuguese pilot, that as we had made who had always something or other to say to make us a good voyage, if he merry, told me he would show me the greatest rarity in could invest it in all the country, and that I should have this to say of China silks, wrought China, after all the ill-humoured things that I had said and raw, he would be of it, that I had seen one thing which was not to be content to go to Eng-seen in all the world beside. I was very importunate "Well," says I, land, and then make to know what it was; at last he told me it was a gentlehis voyage back to man's house built with China ware. Bengal by the Com-"are not the materials of their buildings the product of their own country, and so it is all China ware, is it not?" pany's ships. resolved "No, no," says he, "I mean it is a house all made of Having upon this, we agreed that if our Portuguese pilot China ware, such as you call it in England, or as it is would go with us, we would bear his charges to called in our country, porcelain."-"Well," says I, Moscow, or to England, if he pleased; nor, indeed, "such a thing may be; how big is it? Can we carry it were we to be esteemed over generous in that either, in a box upon a camel? If we can we will buy it."if we had not rewarded him further, the service he "Upon a camel!" says the old pilot, holding up both had done us being really worth more than that; for his hands; "why, there is a family of thirty people he had not only been a pilot to us at sea, but he had lives in it." been like a broker for us on shore; and his procuring for us the Japan merchant was some hundreds of pounds in our pockets. So, being willing to gratify him, which was but doing him justice, and very willing also to have him with us besides, for he was a most necessary man on all occasions, we agreed to give him a quantity of coined gold, which, as I computed it, was worth one hundred and seventy-five pounds sterling, between us, and to bear all his charges, both for himself and horse, except only a horse to carry his goods. Having settled this between ourselves, we called him to let him know what we had resolved. I told him he had complained of our being willing to let him go back alone, and I was now about to tell him we designed he should not go back at all. caravan, we were very willing he should go with us; That as we had resolved to go to Europe with the and that we called him to know his mind. He shook his head and said it was a long journey, and that he had no pecune to carry him thither, or to subsist himself when he came there. We told him we believed it was so, and therefore we had resolved to do something for him that should let him see how sensible we were of the service he had done us, and also how agreeable he was to us: and then I told him what we had resolved to give him here, which he might lay out as we would do our own; and that as for his charges, if he would go casualties excepted), either in Muscovy or England, as with us we would set him safe on shore (life and At length we arrived at Pekin. I had nobody with he would choose, at our own charge, except only the me but the youth whom my nephew had given me to carriage of his goods. He received the proposal like a attend me as a servant, and who proved very trusty and man transported, and told us he would go with us diligent; and my partner had nobody with him but one over the whole world; and so we all prepared for servant, who was a kinsman. As for the Portuguese our journey. However, as it was with us, so it was pilot, he being desirous to see the court, we bore his with the other merchants: they had many things to charges for his company, and for our use of him as an do, and instead of being ready in five weeks, it was

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looking at him, as if we admired his idle pomp, we pursued our journey. Father Simon had the curiosity to stay to inform himself what dainties the country justice had to feed on in all his state, which he had the honour to taste of, and which was, I think, a mess of boiled rice, with a great piece of garlic in it, and a little bag filled with a green pepper, and another plant which they have there, something like our ginger, but smelling like musk, and tasting like mustard; all this was put together, and a small piece of lean mutton boiled in it, and this was his worship's repast. Four or five servants more attended at a distance, who we supposed were to eat of the same after their master. As for our mandarin with whom we travelled, he was respected as a king, surrounded always with his gentlemen, and attended in all his appearances with such pomp, that I saw little of him but at a distance. I observed, that there was not a horse in his retinue but that our carriers' packhorses in England seemed to me to look much better; though it was hard to judge rightly, for they were so covered with equipage, mantles, trappings, &c., that we could scarce see anything but their feet and their heads as they went along.

I was now light-hearted, and all my late trouble and perplexity being over, I had no anxious thoughts about me, which made this journey the pleasanter to me; in which no ill accident attended me, only in passing or fording a small river, my horse fell, and made me free of the country, as they call it,-that is to say, threw me The place was not deep, but it wetted me all over. I mention it because it spoiled my pocket-book, wherein I had set down the names of several people and places which I had occasion to remember, and which not taking due care of, the leaves rotted, and the words were never after to be read.

in.

I was then curious, indeed, to see it; and when I came to it, it was nothing but this: it was a timber house, or a house built, as we call it in England, with lath and plaster, but all this plastering was really China ware,that is to say, it was plastered with the earth that makes China ware. The outside, which the sun shone hot upon, was glazed, and looked very well, perfectly white, and painted with blue figures, as the large China ware in England is painted, and hard as if it had been burned. As to the inside, all the walls, instead of wainscot, were lined with hardened and painted tiles, like the little square tiles we call galley-tiles in England, all made of the finest China, and the figures exceeding fine indeed, with extraordinary variety of colours, mixed with gold, ficially, the mortar being made of the same earth, that man tiles making but one figure, but joined so artiit was very hard to see where the tiles met. The floors of the rooms were of the same composition, and as hard as the earthen floors we have in use in several parts of England; as hard as stone, and smooth, but not burned and painted, except some smaller rooms, like closets, which were all, as it were, paved with the same tile; the ceiling and all the plastering work in the whole house were of the same earth; and, after all, the roof was covered with tiles of the same, but of a deep shining black. This was a China warehouse indeed, truly and journey, I could have stayed some days to see and exliterally to be called so, and had I not been upon the amine the particulars of it. They told me there were fountains and fish-ponds in the garden, all paved on the bottom and sides with the same; and fine statues se up in rows on the walks, entirely formed of the porcelai earth, burned whole.

As this is one of the singularities of China, so the may be allowed to excel in it; but I am very sure the

excel in their accounts of it: for they told me such ixcredible things of their performance in crockery-ware, for such it is, that I care not to relate, as knowing it could not be true. They told me, in particular, of one workman that made a ship with all its tackle and masts and sails in earthenware, big enough to carry fifty men, If they had told me he launched it, and made a voyage to Japan in it, I might have said something to it indeed; but as it was, I knew the whole of the story, which was, in short, that the fellow lied; so I smiled, and said nothing to it. This odd sight kept me two hours behind the caravan, for which the leader of it for the day fined me about the value of three shillings; and told me if it had been three days' journey without the wall, as it was three days within, he must have fined me four times as much, and made me ask pardon the next council day. I promised to be more orderly; and, indeed, I found afterwards the orders made for keeping all together were absolutely necessary for our common safety.

In two days more we passed the great China Wall, made for a fortification against the Tartars: and a very great work it is, going over hills and mountains in an endless track, where the rocks are impassable, and the precipices such as no enemy could possibly enter, or indeed climb up, or where, if they did, no wall could hinder them. They tell us its length is near a thousand English miles, but that the country is five hundred in a straight measured line, which the wall bounds, without measuring the windings and turnings it takes; it is about four fathoms high, and as many thick in some places. I stood still an hour or thereabouts without trespassing on our orders (for so long the caravan was in passing the gate), to look at it on every side, near and far off; I mean what was within my view: and the

this we found the first day we saw them, which was marched off, but they saluted us with five arrows at
after we entered the wilder part of the country. Our their parting, which wounded a horse so that it dis-
leader for the day gave leave for about sixteen of us abled him, and we left him the next day, poor
to go a hunting as they call it; and what was this but creature, in great need of a good farrier. We saw no
a hunting of sheep!-however, it may be called hunting, more arrows or Tartars that time.
too, for these creatures are the wildest and swiftest of
foot that ever I saw of their kind: only they will not
run a great way, and you are sure of sport when you
begin the chase, for they appear generally thirty or
forty in a flock, and like true sheep, always keep
together when they fly.

In pursuit of this odd sort of game, it was our hap to meet with about forty Tartars: whether they were hunting mutton, as we were, or whether they looked for another kind of prey, we knew not; but as soon as they saw us, one of them blew a hideous blast on a kind of horn. This was to call their friends about them, and, in less than ten minutes, a troop of forty or fifty more appeared, at about a mile distance; but our work was over first, as it happened.

We travelled near a month after this, the ways not being so good as at first, though still in the dominions of the Emperor of China, but lay for the most part in the villages, some of which were fortified, because of the incursions of the Tartars. When we were come to one of these towns (about two days and a half's journey before we came to the city of Naum), I wanted to buy a camel, of which there are plenty to be sold all the way upon that road, and horses also, such as they are, because, so many caravans coming that way, they are often wanted. The person that I spoke to to ge me a camel, would have gone and fetched one for me; but I, like a fool, must be officious, and go myself along with him: the place was about two miles out of the village, where, it seems, they kept the camels and horses feeding under a guard.

I walked it on foot, with my old pilot and a Chinese, being very desirous of a little variety. When we came to the place, it was a low, marshy ground, walled round with stones, piled up dry, without mortar or earth among them, like a park, with a little guard of Chinese soldiers at the door. Having bought a camel, and agreed for the price, I came away, and the Chinese that went with me led the camel, when on a sudden came up five Tartars on horseback. Two of them seized the fellow and took the camel from him, while the other three stepped up to me and my old pilot, seeing us, as it were unarmed, for I had no weapon about me but my sword, which could but ill defend me against three horsemen. The first that came up stopped short upon my drawing my sword, for they are arrant cowards; but a second, coming upon my left, gave me a blow on the head, which I never felt till afterwards, and wondered, when I came to myself, what was the matter, and where I was, for he laid me flat on the ground; but my never-failing old pilot, the Portuguese, had a pistol in his pocket, which I knew nothing of, nor the Tartars either; if they had, I suppose they would not have attacked us, for cowards are always boldest when there is no danger. The old man seeing me down, with a bold heart stepped up to the fellow that had struck me, and laying hold of his arm with one hand, and pulling him down by main force a little towards him, with the other shot him in the head, and laid him dead upon the spot. He then immediately stepped up to him who had stopped us, as I said, and before he could come forward again, made a blow at him with a scimitar, which he always wore, but missing the man, struck his horse in the side of his head, cut one of the ears off by the root, and a great slice down by the side of his face. The poor beast, enraged with the wound, was no more to be governed by his rider, though the fellow sat well enough too, but away he flew, and carried him quite out of the pilot's reach; and at some distance, rising upon his hind legs, threw down the Tartar, and fell upon him.

One of the Scots merchants of Moscow happened to be amongst us; and as soon as he heard the horn, he told us that we had nothing to do but to charge them without loss of time; and, drawing us up in a line, he asked if we were resolved. We told him we were ready to follow him; so he rode directly towards them. They stood gazing at us like a mere crowd, drawn up in no sort of order at all; but as soon as they saw us advance, they let fly their arrows, which missed us, very happily. Not that they mistook their aim, but their distance; for their arrows all fell a little short of us, but with so true an aim, that had we been about twenty yards nearer, we must have had several men wounded, if not killed. Immediately we halted, and though it was at a great distance, we fired, and sent them leaden bullets for wooden arrows, following our shot, full-gallop, to fall in among them sword in hand-for so our bold Scot that led us directed. He was, indeed, but a merchant, but he behaved with such vigour and bravery on this occasion, and yet with such cool courage too, that I never saw any man in action fitter for command. As soon as we came up to them, we fired our pistols in their faces, and then drew; but they fled in the greatest confusion imaginable. The only stand any of them made was on our right, where three of them stood, and, by signs, called the rest to In this interval, the poor Chinese came in who had come back to them, having a kind of scimitar in their lost the camel, but he had no weapon: however, seeing hands, and their bows hanging to their backs. Our the Tartar down, and his horse fallen upon him, away brave commander, without asking anybody to follow he runs to him, and seizing upon an ugly weapon he him, gallops up close to them, and with his fusee had by his side, something like a poleaxe, he wrenched knocks one of them off his horse, killed the second it from him, and made shift to knock his Tartarian with his pistol, and the third ran away. Thus ended our fight; but we had this misfortune attending it, that all our mutton we had in chase got away. We had not a man killed or hurt; as for the Tartars, there were about five of them killed-how many were wounded we knew not; but this we knew, that the other party were so frightened with the noise of our guns, that they fled, and never made any attempt upon us.

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THE SCOTSMAN HEADS A CHARGE ON THE TARTARS.

guide, who had been extolling it for the wonder of the world, was mighty eager to hear my opinion of it. I told him it was a most excellent thing to keep out the Tartars; which he happened not to understand as I meant it, and so took it for a compliment; but the old pilot laughed: "Oh, Seignior Inglese," says he, "you speak in colours."-"In colours!" said I, "what do you mean by that?"-"Why, you speak what looks white this way, and black that way,-gay one way and dull another. You tell him it is a good wall to keep out Tartars; you tell me by that it is good for nothing but to keep out Tartars. I understand you, Seignior Inglese, I understand you; but Seignior Chinese understood you his own way." "Well," says I," do you think it would stand out an army of our country people, with a good train of artillery; or our engineers, with two companies of miners? Would not they batter it down in ten days, that an army might enter in battalia; or blow it up in air, foundation and all, that there should be no sign of it left?"-"Ay, ay," says he, "I know that." The Chinese wanted mightily to know what I said to the pilot, and I gave him leave to tell him a few days after, for we were then almost out of their county, and he was to leave us a little time after this; but when he knew what I said, he was dumb all the rest of the way, and we heard no more of his fine story of the Chinese power and greatness while he stayed.

After we passed this mighty nothing, called a wall, something like the Picts' wall, so famous in Northumberland, built by the Romans, we began to find the country thinly inhabited, and the people rather confined to live in fortified towns, as being subject to the inroads and depredations of the Tartars, who rob in great armies, and therefore are not to be resisted by the naked inhabitants of an open country. And here I began to find the necessity of keeping together in a caravan as we travelled, for we saw several troops of Tartars roving about; but when I came to see them distinctly, I wondered more that the Chinese empire could be conquered by such contemptible fellows; for they are a mere horde of wild fellows, keeping no order, and undertaking no discipline or manner of fight. Their horses are poor lean creatures, taught nothing, and fit for nothing: and

We were all this while in the Chinese dominions, and therefore the Tartars were not so bold as afterwards; but in about five days we entered a vast wild desert, which held us three days and nights' march: and we were obliged to carry our water with us in great leathern bottles, and to encamp all night, just as I have heard they do in the desert of Arabia. I asked our guides whose dominion this was in: and they told me this was a kind of border, that might be called no man's land, being a part of Great Karakathy, or Grand Tartary: that, however, it was all reckoned as belonging to China, but that there was no care taken here to preserve it from the inroads of thieves, and therefore it was reckoned the worst desert in the whole march, though we were to go over some much larger.

In passing this frightful wilderness, we saw, two or three times, little parties of the Tartars, but they seemed to be upon their own affairs, and to have no design upon us; and so, like the man who met the devil, if they had nothing to say to us, we had nothing to say to them: we let them go. Once, however, a party of them came so near as to stand and gaze at us. Whether it was to consider if they should attack us or not, we knew not; but when we had passed at some distance by them, we made a rear-guard of forty men, and stood ready for them, letting the caravan pass half a mile or thereabouts before us. After a while they

brains out with it. But my old man had the third Tartar to deal with still; and seeing he did not fly, as he expected, nor come on to fight him, as he apprehended, but stood stock still, the old man stood still too, and fell to work with his tackle to charge his pistol again; but, as soon as the Tartar saw the pistol, away he scoured, and left my pilot, my champion I called bim afterwards, a complete victory.

By this time I was a little recovered. I thought when I first began to wake, that I had been in a sweet sleep; but, as I said above, I wondered where I was, how I came upon the ground, and what was the matter. A few moments after, as sense returned, I felt pain, though I did not know where; so I clapped my hand to my head, and took it away bloody, then I felt my head ache: and in a moment memory returned, and everything was present to me again. I jumped upon my feet instantly, and got hold of my sword, but no enemies were in view: I found a Tartar lying dead, and his horse standing very quietly by him; and, looking further, I saw my deliverer, who had been to see what the Chinese had done, coming back with his hanger in his hand. The old man, seeing me on my feet, came running to me, and joyfully embraced me, being afraid before that I had been killed. Seeing me bloody, he would see how I was hurt; but it was not much, only what we call a broken head; neither did I afterwards find any great inconvenience from the blow, for it was well again in two or three days.

We made no great gain, however, by this victory, for we lost a camel and gained a horse. I paid for the lost camel, and sent for another; but I did not go to fetch it myself: I had had enough of that.

The city of Naum, which we were approaching, is a frontier of the Chinese empire, and is fortified in their

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