would, and make them travel with us, and carry our baggage. As soon as I
proposed it, our men were all of my mind; and accordingly we secured about
sixty lusty young fellows, and let them know they must go with us; which
they seemed very willing to do. But the next question we had among
ourselves, was, how we should do to trust them, for we found the people not
like those of Madagascar, but fierce, revengeful, and treacherous; for
which reason we were sure that we should have no service from them but that
of mere slaves; no subjection that would continue any longer than the fear
of us was upon them, nor any labour but by violence.

Before I go any farther, I must hint to the reader, that from this time
forward I began to enter a little more seriously into the circumstance I
was in, and concerned myself more in the conduct of our affairs; for though
my comrades were all older men, yet I began to find them void of counsel,
or, as I now call it, presence of mind, when they came to the execution of
a thing. The first occasion I took to observe this, was in their late
engagement with the natives, when, though they had taken a good resolution
to attack them and fire upon them, yet, when they had fired the first time,
and found that the negroes did not run as they expected, their hearts began
to fail, and I am persuaded, if their bark had been near hand, they would
every man have run away.

Upon this occasion I began to take upon me a little to hearten them up, and
to call upon them to load again, and give them another volley, telling them
that I would engage, if they would be ruled by me, I'd make the negroes run
fast enough. I found this heartened them, and therefore, when they fired a
second time, I desired them to reserve some of their shot for an attempt by
itself, as I mentioned above.

Having fired a second time, I was indeed forced to command, as I may call