large house, built with canes, and a small kind of hut of the
same near it. It had a high fence of canes round it to keep out
thieves, of whom, it seems, there are not a few in that land. The
name of the town was Ching, and we found that the fair or mart
which was kept there would not be held for three or four months.
So we sent our ship back to the Cape, as we meant to stay in this
part of the world for some time, and go from place to place to
see what sort of a land it was, and then come back to the fair at
Ching.

We first went to a town which it was well worth our while to see,
and which must have been, as near as I can guess, quite in the
heart of this land. It was built with straight streets which ran
in cross lines.

But I must own, when I came home to the place of my birth, I was
much struck to hear my friends say such fine things of the wealth
and trade of these parts of the world, for I saw and knew that
the men were a mere herd or crowd of mean slaves. What is their
trade to ours, or to that of France and Spain? What are their
ports, with a few junks and barks, to our grand fleets? One of
our large ships of war would sink all their ships, one line of
French troops would beat all their horse, and the same may be
said of their ports, which would not stand for one month such a
siege as we could bring to bear on them.

In three weeks more we came to their chief town. When we had laid
in a large stock of tea, shawls, fans, raw silks, and such like
goods, we set out for the north. As we knew we should run all
kinds of risks on our way, we took with us a strong force to act