in good rough Words, Madam, be easy, we are rude rough-hewn Fellows, but none of our Men should hurt you, or touch you; I will be your Guard and Protection; we are for Money, indeed and we shall take what you have, but we will do you no other Harm. But as I could not talk thus to her, I scarce knew what to say; but I sate down, and made Signs to have her sit down and eat, which she did, but with so much Ceremony, that I did not know well what to do with it.
After we had eaten, she rose up again, and drinking some Water out of a China Cup, sate her down on the Side of the Couch, as before: When she saw I had done eating, she went then to another Cabinet, and pulling out a Drawer, she brought it to me; it was full of small Pieces of Gold Coin of Pegu, about as big as an English Half Guinea, and I think there were three thousand of them. She open’d several other Drawers, and shew’d me the Wealth that was in them and then gave me the Key of the Whole.
We had revell’d thus all Day, and Part of the next Day, in a bottomless Sea of Riches, when my Lieutenant began to tell me, we must consider what to do with our Prisoners, and the Ships, for that there was no subsisting in that Manner; besides, he hinted privately, that the Men would be ruin’d, by lying with the Women in the other Ship, where all Sorts of Liberty was both given and taken: Upon this we call’d a short Council, and concluded to carry the great Ship away with us, but to put all the Prisoners, Queen, Ladies, and all the rest, into the lesser Vessels, and let them go: And so far was I from ravishing this Lady, as I hear is reported of me, that tho’ I
might rifle her of every Thing else, yet I assure you I let her go untouch’d for me, or, as I am satisfy’d, for any one, of my Men; nay, when we dismiss’d them, we gave her Leave to take a great many Things of Value with her, which she would have been plunder’d of, if I had not been so careful of her.
We had now Wealth enough, not only to make us rich, but almost to have made a Nation rich; and to tell you the Truth, considering the costly Things we took here, which we did not know the Value of, and besides Gold, and Silver, and Jewels, I say, we never knew how rich we were; besides which, we had a great Quantity of Bales of Goods, as well Calicoes as wrought Silks; which being for Sale, were, perhaps, as a Cargo of Goods to answer the Bills which might be drawn upon them for the Account of the Bride’s Portion; all which fell into our Hands, with a great Sum in Silver Coin, too big to talk of among Englishmen, especially while I am living, for Reasons which I may give you hereafter.
I had nothing to do now but to think of coming back to Madagascar, so we made the best of our Way; only that, to make us quite distracted without other Joy, we took in our Way a small Bark loaden with Arack and Rice, which was good Sawce to our other Purchace; for if the Women made our Men drunk before, this Arack made them quite mad; and they had so little Government of themselves with it, that I think it might be said, the whole Ship’s Crew was drunk for above a Fortnight together, till six or seven of them kill’d themselves; two fell overboard and were drown’d, and several more fell into raging Fevers,
and it was a Wonder, in the whole, they were not all kill’d with it.
But, to make short of the Story as we did of the Voyage, we had a very pleasant Voyage, except those Disasters, and we came safe back to our Comrades at Madagascar, having been absent in all about seven Months.
We found them in very good Health, and longing to hear from us; and we were, you may be assur’d, welcome to them; for now we had amass’d such a Treasure as no Society of Men ever possess’d in this World before us, neither could we ever bring it to an Estimation, for we could not bring particular Things to a just Valuation.
We liv’d now and enjoy’d ourselves in full Security; for tho’ some of the European Nations, and perhaps all of them had heard of us; yet they heard such formidable Things of us, such terrible Stories of our great Strength, as well as of our great Wealth, that they had no Thought of undertaking any Thing against us; for, as I have understood, they were told at London, that we were no less than 5000 Men; that we had built a regular Fortress for our Defence by Land, and that we had 20 Sail of Ships; and I have been told that in France they have heard the same Thing: But nothing of all this was ever true, any more than it was true, that we offer’d ten Millions to the Government of England for our Pardon.