560 HANG FIRST, AND JUDGE AFTERWARDS,

was she a ship of any great force, or fit for the work. She was not
built for a privateer, but was run away with by a reprobate crew
that were on board, after the captain and some of his men had
been murdered by the Malayans at or near the Island of Sumatra.”

“ What!” said I, seeming to know nothing of the matter, “did
they murder the captain?” “No,” said he; ‘I do not understand
that they murdered him; but as they afterwards ran away with
the ship, it is generally believed they betrayed him into the hands
of the Malayans, who did murder him, and perhaps they procured
them to do it.” ‘ Why then,” said I, “they deserve death as
much as if they had done it themselves.” “ Yea,” says the old
man, ‘‘ they do deserve it, and they will certainly have it, if they
light upon any English or Dutch ship; for they have all agreed
together that if they meet that rogue they will give him no
quarter.”

“ But,” said I to him, “‘ you say the pirate is gone out of those
seas. How can they meet with him?” ‘ Why, that is true,”
says he. ‘They do say so; but he was, as I tell you, in the Bay
of Siam, in the river Cambodia, and was discovered there by some
Dutchmen who belonged to the ship, and who were left on shore
when they ran away with her; and some English and Dutch
traders being in the river, they were within a little of taking him.
Nay,” said he, “if the foremost boats had been well seconded
by tho rest, they had certainly taken him; but he finding only
two boats within reach of him, tacked about, and fired at these
two, and disabled them before the others came up; and then stand-
ing off to sea, the others were not able to follow him, and so he
got away. But they have all so exact a description of the ship
that they will be sure to know him; and wherever they find him
they have vowed to give no quarter, to either the captain or the
seamen, but to hang them all up at the yard-arm.”

“What!” says I; “will they execute them right or wrong;
hang them first, and judge them afterwards?” “O sirl” says
the old pilot, “ there’s no need to make a formal business of it with
such rogues as those; let them tie them back to back and set
them a diving. It is no more than they richly deserve.”

T knew I had my old man fast aboard, and that he could do me