"Sir,' said I, 'I thank you for your kind information; and though I am sure no man could come more honestly by the ship than I have done, yet knowing their enterprize, and being satisfied of your honest intention, I'll be upon my defence. _Pr'ythee, Sir,_ said the man, _don't talk of being upon your defence, the best that you can make is to be out of danger; and therefore, if you have any regard for your life, & the lives of your men, take the advantage, without fail, of putting out to sea at high-water: by which means, as you have a whole tide before you, you will be gone too far out of their reach before they can come down._
"I am mighty well satisfied," said I, "in this particular, and for your kindness, which merits my great esteem; pray, Sir, what amends shall I make you?" He replied, "I know not what amends you are willing to make, because you may have some doubts of its certainty: but, to convince you of the truth of what I say, I have one offer to make to you. On board one of the English ships, I have nineteen months pay due to me, and this Dutchman that is with me has seven months pay due to him, which if you will make good to us, we will go along with you. If you shall find that there is nothing in what we have said, then we shall desire nothing; but when you are convinced that we have saved the ship, your life, and the lives of the men, we will leave the whole to your generosity."
So reasonable did this every way appear, that I immediately consented, and we went directly on board. As soon as we came on board, my partner calls joyfully out, _That they had stopped the leak?_ "Well, thank God," said I, "but pray let us weigh anchor forthwith."--_Weigh,_ said he, _what is the meaning of this hurry_? "Pray ask no questions," said I, "but all hands to work, without losing a moment's time." Upon which, in great surprise, the Captain was called, who immediately ordered the anchor to be got up; and though the tide was not quite down, yet being assisted with a little land breeze, we stood to sea. I then called my partner into the cabin, and related the story at large, which was confirmed and more amplified by the two men I had brought on board. Scarce had we finished our discourse upon this head, but a sailor came to the cabin door, with a message from the Captain, that we were chased by five sloops full of armed men. "Very well," said I, "it is plain now there is something in it." And so, going upon deck, I told all the men there was a design for seizing the ship, and of executing us for pirates; and asked them whether they would faithfully stand by us, and by one another? To which they unanimously replied, "That they would fight to their last drop of blood." I then asked the Captain, which way he thought best for us to manage the battle? _Sir_, said he, _the only method is to keep them off with our great shot as long as we are able, and then have recourse to our small arms: and when both these fail us, then retire to close quarters, when perhaps the enemy wanting materials, can neither break open our bulk heads, nor get in upon us_. Meantime, the gunner was ordered to bring two guns to bear fore and aft out of the steerage, and so load them with musket-bullets and small pieces of old iron; and the deck being cleared, we prepared for the engagement, still, however, keeping out at sea. The boats followed us, with all the sail they could make, and we could perceive the two foremost were English, which out-sailed the rest by two leagues, and which we found would come up with us: hereupon, we fired a gun without a ball, intimating that they should bring to, and we put out a flag of truce, as a signal for parley; but finding them crowding after us, till they came within shot, we took in our white, and hanging out the red flap, immediately fired at them with ball: we then called to them with a speaking trumpet, bidding them at their peril keep off.