SPEAKING PLAIN ENGLISH. 545

sir,” said I, “shall I go away ignorant of the reason of all this ?
Can you give me no further light into it?”

“T can tell you but part of the story, sir,” says he, “ but I have
a Dutch seaman here with me, and I believe I could persuade him
to tell you the rest; but there is scarce time for it. But the short
of the story is this, the first part of which, I suppose, you know
well enough; namely, that you was with this ship at Sumatra,
that there your captain was murdered by the Malayans with three
of his men, and that you, or some of those who were on board with
you, ran away with the ship, and are since turned pirates. This
is the sum of the story; and you will be all seized as pirates, I can
assure you, and executed with very little ceremony ; for you know,
merchant ships show but little law to pirates if they get them into
their power.”

“Now you speak plain English,” said I, “and I thank you;
and though I know nothing that we have done like what you talk
of, but am sure we came honestly and fairly by the ship, yet, see-
ing such work is a-doing as you say, and that you seem to mean
honestly, Pll be upon my guard.” ‘Nay, sir,” says he, “do not
talk of being upon your guard; the best defence is to be out of
the danger. If you have any regard to your life, and the lives of
all your men, put out to sea without fail at high-water; and as
you have a whole tide before you, you will be gone too far out be-
fore they can come down; for they come away at high-water, and
as they have twenty miles to come, you get near two hours of
them by the difference of the tide, not reckoning the length of the
way. Besides, as they are only boats, and not ships, they will not
venture to follow you far out to sea, especially if it blows.”

““ Well,” says I, ‘‘ you have been very kind in this; what shall I
do for you to make you amends?” “Sir,” says he, “ you may
not be so willing to make me any amends, because you may not be
convinced of the truth of it. Dll make an offer to you. I have
nineteen months’ pay due to me on board the ship , which I
came out of England in, and the Dutchman that is with me has
seven months’ pay due to him; if you will make good our pay to us,
we will go along with you. and if you find no more in it, we will
desire no more; but if we do convince you that we have saved your