THE OLD MAN’S ADVICE. 661

no harm, so that I turned short upon him. ‘“ Well now, seignior,”
said I, “and this is the very reason why I would have you carry us
up to Nankin, and not to put back to Macao, or to any other
part of the country where the English or Dutch ships come. For
be it known to you, seignior, those captains of the English and
Dutch ships are a parcel of rash, proud, insolent fellows, that
neither know what belongs to justice, nor how to behave them-
selves as the laws of God and nature direct. But being proud of
their offices, and not understanding their power, they would act
the murderers to punish robbers; would take upon them to insult
men falsely accused, and determine them guilty without due in-
quiry. And perhaps I may live to call some of them to an account
for it, where they may be taught how justice is to be executed,
and that no man ought to be treated as a criminal until some
evidence may be had of the crime, and that he is the man.”

With this I told him that this was the very ship they attacked;
and gave him a full account of the skirmish we had with their
boats, and how foolishly and coward-like they behaved. I told
him all the story of our buying the ship, and how the Dutchmen
served us. I told him the reasons I had to believe that this story
of killing the master by the Malayans was not true; as also the
running away with the ship: but that it was all a fiction of their
own, to suggest that the men were turned pirates; and they
ought to have been sure it was so before they had ventured to
attack us by surprise, and oblige us to resist them; adding, that
they would have the blood of those men whom we killed there in
our just defence to answer for. ;

The old man was amazed at this relation, and told us we were
very much 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
mightvery well do,and buy or build another in the country. “ And,”
said he, “though you will not get so good a ship, yet you may
get one able enough to carry you and all your goods back again to
Bengal, or anywhere else.”

I told him I would take his advice when I came to any port
where I could find a ship for my turn, or get any customer to buy
this. He replied I should meet with customers enough for the