He spoke this very affectionately, with an appearance of concern for me.

"My proposal," William went on, "is for thy good as well as my own. We
may put an end to this kind of life, and repent."

"Look you, William," says I, "let me have your proposal for putting an
end to our present way of living first, and you and I will talk of the
other afterwards."

"Nay," says William, "thou art in the right there; we must never talk of
repenting while we continue pirates."

"Well," says I, "William, that's what I meant; for if we must not
reform, as well as be sorry for what is done, I have no notion what
repentance means: the nature of the thing seems to tell me that the
first step we have to take is to break off this wretched course. Dost
thou think it practicable for us to put an end to our unhappy way of
living, and get off?"

"Yes," says he, "I think it very practicable."

We were then anchored off the city of Bassorah, and one night William
and I went ashore, and sent a note to the boatswain telling him we were
betrayed and bidding him make off with the ship.

By this means we frighted the rogues our comrades; and we had nothing to
do then but to consider how to convert our treasure into things proper
to make us look like merchants, as we were now to be, and not like
freebooters, as we really had been.