A VOYAGE TO CHINA. 643

seen reason to have suspected them. But the man showed us a
bill of sale for the ship, to one Emanuel Clostershoven, or some
such name (for I suppose it was all a jorgery), and called himself
by that name, and we could not contradict him; and being withal
a little too unwary, or, at least, having no suspicion of the thing,
we went through with our bargain.

We picked up some more English seamen here after this, and
some Dutch ; and now we resolved for a second voyage to the south-
east, tor cloves, &c.; that is to say, among the Philippine and
Molucea Isles. And, in short, not to fill this part of my story with
trifles, when what is yet to come is so remarkable, I spent from
first to last six years in this country, trading from port to port,
backward and forward, and with very good success, and was now
the last year with my new partner, going in the ship above-
mentioned on a voyage to China, but designing first to Siam to
buy rice.

In this voyage, being by contrary winds obliged to beat up and
down a great while in the Straits of Malacca and among the
islands, we were no sooner got clear of those difficult seas but we
found our ship had sprung a leak, and we were not able by all our
industry to find it out where it was. This forced us to make for
some port, and my partner, who knew the country better than 1
did, directed the captain to put into the river of Cambodia; for 1
had made the English mate, one Mr. Thompson, captain, not being
willing to take the charge of two ships upon myself. This river
lies on the north side of the great bay or gulf which goes up to
Siam.

While we were here, and going often on shore for refreshment,
there comes to me one day an Englishman, and he was, it seems, a
gunner’s mate on board an English Hast India ship which rode
in the same river, up at, or near the city of Cambodia. What
brought him hither we know not, but he comes up to me, and
speaking in English, “ Sir,” says he, “you are a stranger to me,
and I to you, bug I have something to tell you that very bee
concerns you.”

I looked steadily at him a good while, and thought at first I had

known him, but I did not, “If it very nearly concerns me,’ said
vuod) 35