814 BEFORE THE STRUGGLE.

a gun, and saw her make a waft with her ancient, as a signal for
the boat to come on board; but no boat stirred; and they fired
several times, making other signals for the boat.

At last, when all their signals and firings proved fruitless, and
they found the boat did not stir, we saw them, by the help of my
glasses, hoist another boat out, and row towards the shore; and
we found as they approached that there was no less than ten men
in her, and that they had firearms with them.

As the ship lay almost two leagues from the shore, we had a
full view of them as they came, and a plain sight of the men, even
of their faces; because the tide having set them a little to the east
of the other boat, they rowed up under shore to come to the same
place where the other had landed, and where the boat lay.

By this means, I say, we had a full view of them, and the
captain knew the persons and characters of all the men in the
boat, of whom he said that there were three very honest fellows,
who, he was sure, were led into this conspiracy by the rest, being
overpowered and frighted.

But that as for the boatswain, who it seems was the chief
officer among them, and all the rest, they were as outrageous as any
of the ship’s crew, and were no doubt made desperate in their new
enterprise; and terribly apprehensive he was that they would be
too powerful for us.

[smiled at him, and told him that men in our circumstances
were past the operation of fear: that seeing almost every condi-
tion that could be was better than that which we were supposed
to be in, we ought to expect that the consequence, whether death
or life, would be sure to be a deliverance. J asked him what he
thought of the circumstances of my life, and whether a deliverance
were not worth venturing for? ‘“ And where, sir,” said I, “is your
belief of my being preserved here on purpose to save your life,
which elevated you a little while ago? For my part,” said T, ‘“ there
seems to be but one thing amiss in all the prospect of it.” ‘“ What's
that?” says he. ‘ Why,” said I, “’tis that, as you say, there are
three or four honest fellows among them, which should be spared.
Had they been all of the wicked part of the crew, I should have
thought God’s providence had singled them out to deliver them