Not long after my friend and I had made up our accounts, to our entire satisfaction, there came in a Dutch coaster from Batavia of about two hundred tons.  The crew of this vessel pretended themselves so sickly, that there were not hands sufficient to undertake a voyage; and the Captain having given out that he intended to go to Europe, public notice was given that the ship was to be sold.  No sooner did this come to our ears, but we bought the ship, paid the master, and took possession.  We would also have very willingly entertained some of the men; but they having received their share of booty, were not to be found, being altogether fled to Agra, the great city of the Mogul’s residence; and from thence went to travel to Surat, and so by the sea to the Persian Gulph.  And indeed they had reason to fly in this manner; for the truth of it was the pretended Captain was the gunner only, and not the commander; that having been on a trading voyage, they were attacked on shore by the Malayans, who killed three men and the Captain; after whose death the other eleven men ran away with the ship to the Bay of Bengal, and left the mate and five men more on shore:  but of this affair we shall have occasion to speak more at length hereafter.

However they came by the ship, we thought we bought it honestly; neither did we suspect any thing of the matter, when the man showed us a bill of sale for the ship (undoubtedly forged) to one Emanuel Clostershoven, which name he went by.  And so without any more to do, we picked up some Dutch and English seamen, resolving for another voyage for cloves among the Phillippine and Molucca Islands:  in short, we continued thus five or six years, trading from port to port with extraordinary success.  In the seventh year, we undertook a voyage to China, designing to touch at Siam, and buy some rice by the way.  In this voyage, contrary winds beat us up and down for a considerable time among the islands in the Straits of Molucca.  No sooner were we clear of those rugged seas, but we perceived our ship had sprung a leak, which obliged us to put into the river Cambodia, which lies northward of the Gulph, and goes up to Siam.

One day, as I was on shore refreshing myself, there comes to me an Englishman, who was gunner’s mate on board an English East India ship, riding up the river near the city of Cambodia. Sir, said he, you may wonder at my business, having never seen me in your life; but tho’ I am a stranger, I have something to tell you that very nearly concerns you:  & indeed it is the imminent danger you are in has moved me to give you this timely notice.  “Danger!” said I, “what danger?  I know of none, except my ship being leaky, for which I design to have her run aground to-morrow morning” I hope you will be better employed when you shall hear what I have to say to you.  You know the town of Cambodia is about fifteen leagues up this river; about three leagues on this side of it, there lie