524 BENT UPON REVENGE,

Had they sent to ask my leave to go, T knew well enough what
answer to have given them; for I would have commanded them
instantly on board, knowing it was not a hazard fit for us to rnn,
who had a ship and ship-loading in our charge, and a voyage to
make, which depended very much upon the lives of the men; but
as they sent me word they were resolved to go, and only asked me
and my company to go along with them, I positively refused it,
and rose up, for I was sitting on the ground, in order to go to the
boat. One or two of the men began to importune me to go, ani
when I refused positively, began to grumble, and say they were
not under my command, and they would go. “ Come, Jack,”
says one of the men, ‘will you go with me? I'll go for one.”
Jaek said he would, and another followed, and then another ; and in
a word, they all left me but one, whom T persuaded to stay, and a
boy left in the boat. So the supereargo and I, with the third man,
went back to the boat, where we told them we would stay for
them, and take care to take in as many of them as should be left ;
for I told them it was a mad thing they were going about, and
supposed most of them would run the fate of Thomas Jeffery.

They told me, like seamen, they'd warrant it they would come off
again, and they would take care, &c. So away they went. I
entreated them to consider the ship and voyage; that their lives
were not their own, and that they were intrusted with the voyage
in some measure; that if they miscarried, the ship might be lost
for want of their help, and that they could not answer it to God
or man. I said a great deal more to them on that head, but I
might as well have talked to the mainmast of the ship; they were
mad upon their journey, only they gave me good words, and
begged I would not be angry; that they would be very cautious,
and they did not doubt but they would be back again in about an
hour at furthest; for the Indian town, they said, was not above
half a mile off, though they found it above two miles before they
got to it.

Well, they all went away as above; and though the attempt
was desperate, and such as none but mad men would have gone
about, yet, to give them their due, they went about it as warily
as boldly. They were gallantly armed, that’s true; for they bad