582 THE PORTUGAL PILOT.

Having resolved upon this, we agreed that, if our Portugal
pilot would go with us, we would bear his charges to Moscow, or
to England if he pleased. Nor, indeed, were we to be esteemed
over-generous in that part neither, if we had not rewarded him
further, for the service he had done us was really worth all that,
and more: for he had not only been a pilot to us at sea, but he
had been like a broker for us on shore; and his procuring for us
the Japan merchant was some hundred of pounds in our pocket.
So we consulted together about it, and being willing to gratify
him, which was indeed 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 compute it, came to about £175 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 among ourselves, we called him to let him
know what we had resolved. I told him he had complained of our
being to let him go back alone, and I was now to tell him we
were resolved he should not go back at all; that as we had re-
solved to go to Europe with the caravan, we resolved also he
should go with us; and that we called him to know his mind.
He shook his head, and said it was a long journey, and 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 re-
solved 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 with us, we
would set him safe ashore, life and casualties excepted, either in
Muscovy or England, which he would, at our own charge, except
only the carriage of his goods.

He received the proposal like a man transported, and told
us he would go with us over the whole world; and so, in
short, we all prepared ourselves for the journey. However,
as it was with us, so it was with the other merchants: they ‘had -
many things to do, and instead of being ready in five weeks,