652 IN THE BAY OF TONQUIN,

and the danger if we had not escaped, we resolved to put into a
small river, which, however, had a depth enough of water for us,
and to see if we could, either over land or by the ship’s pinnace,
come to know what ships were in any port thereabouts. This
happy step was indeed our deliverance ; for though we did not im-
mediately see any European ships in the Bay of Tonquin, yet the
next morning there came into the bay two Dutch ships, and a third
without any colours spread out, but which we believed to be a Dutch-
man, passed by at about two leagues’ distance, steering for the coast
of China; and in the afternoon went by two English ships steering
the same course; and thus we thought we saw ourselves beset with
enemies both one way or other. The place we were in was wild
and barbarous, the people thieves, even by occupation or profession ;
and though it is true we had not much to seek of them, and, except
getting a few provisions, cared not how little we had to do with
them, yet it was with much difficulty that we kept ourselves from
being insulted by them several ways.

We were in a small river of this country, within a few leagues
of its utmost limits northward, and by our boat we coasted north-
east to the point of land which opens the great Bay of Tonquin ;
and it was in this beating up along the shore that we discovered,
as above, that, in a word, we were surrounded with enemies. The
people we were among were the most barbarous of all the inhabi-
tants of the coast; having no correspondence with any other
nation, and dealing only in fish, and oil, and such gross eommo-
dities. And it may be particularly seen that they are, as T said, the
most barbarous of any of the inhabitants, namely, that, among
other customs, they have this as one, namely, that if any vessel
have the misfortune to be shipwrecked upon the coast, they pre-
sently make the men all prisoners or slaves; and it was not long
before we found a spice of their kindness this way, on the occasion
following.

Thave observed above that our ship sprung a leak at sea, and
that we could not find it out: and, however it happened, that, as I
have said, it was stopped unexpectedly in the happy minute of our
being to be seized by the Dutch and English ships in the Bay of
Siam; yet as we did uot find the ship so perfectly fit and sound as