Nor were we so strong in Men or Ships, or any Thing like it. You have heard of the Number of Ships which we had now with us, which amounted to two Ships and a Sloop, and no
more, except the Prize in which we took the Mogul’s Daughter; (which Ship we call’d, The Great Mogul) but she was fit for nothing, for she would neither sail or steer worth a Farthing, and indeed was fit for no Use but a Hulk, or a Guard-Ship.
As to Numbers of Men, they bely’d us strangely, and particularly, they seem’d only to mistake Thousands for Hundreds: For whereas they told us, that you in England had a Report of our being six thousand Men, I must acknowledge that I think we were never, when we were at the most, above six hundred; and at the Time when I quitted the Country, I left about one hundered and eight Men there, and no more, and I am assur’d, all the Number that now remains there, is not above twenty two Men, no, not in the whole Island.
Well, we thought, however, that it was no Business of ours at that Time to undeceive them in their high Opinion of our great Strength, so we took Care to magnify ourselves, and the Strength of our General, (meaning myself) that they might carry the Story to England, depending upon it, That a Tale loses nothing in the carrying. When they told us of our Fort, and the Batteries at the Mouth of the River where our Ships lie, we insinuated, that it was a Place where we did not fear all the Fleets in the World attacking us; and when they told us of the Number of Men, we strove to make them believe that they were much many more.
At length, the poor Men began to be tir’d of us, and indeed we began to be tir’d of them; for we began to be afraid very much that they would prye a little Way into our Affairs, and that a little too narrowly that Way; so as they began to sollicit their Deliverance, we began to listen to their Importunities: In a Word, we agreed to dismiss
them; and accordingly we gave them Leave to go away to the Watering-place, as if they had made their Escape from us; which they did, carrying away their Heads full of all those unlikely projected Things which you have heard above.
In all this, however, I had not the good Luck to advance one Step towards my own Escape; and here is one Thing remarkable, viz. That the great Mass of Wealth I had gotten together, was so far from forwarding my Deliverance, that it really was the only Thing that hinder’d it most effectually; and I was so sensible of it, that I resolv’d once to be gone, and leave all my Wealth behind me, except some Jewels, as several of our Men had done already: For many of them were so impatient of staying here, that they found Means to get away, some and some, with no more Money than they could carry about them; particularly, thirteen of our Men made themselves a Kind of Shaloup with a Mast and Sail, and went for the Red Sea, having two Patareroes for her Defence, and every Man a thousand Pieces of Eight, and no more, except that one Macmow an Irishman, who was their Captain, had five Rubies and a Diamond, which he got among the Plunder of the Mogul’s Ship.
These Men, as I heard, gat safe to Mocca in the Arabian Gulph, where they fetch the Coffee, and their Captain manag’d for them all so well, that of Pirates he made them Merchants, laid out all the Stock in Coffee, and got a Vessel to carry it up the Red Sea to Sues, where they sold it to the Factors for the European Merchants, and came all safe to Alexandria, where they parted the Money again; and then every one separated as they thought fit, and went their own Way.
We heard of this by mere Accident afterwards, and I confess I envy’d their Success; and tho’ it was a great while after this that I took a like Run, yet you may be sure I form’d a Resolution from that Time to do the like; and most of the Time that I stay’d after this, was employ’d in picking out a suitable Gang that I might depend upon, as well to trust with the Secret of my going away, as to take with me; and on whom I might depend, and they on me, for keeping one another’s Council when we should come into Europe.
It was in Pursuit of this Resolution that I went this little Voyage to the South of the Island, and the Gang I took with me prov’d very trusty, but we found no Opportunity then for our Escape: Two of the Men that we took Prisoners would fain have gone with us, but we resolv’d to trust none of them with the real and true Discovery of our Circumstances; and as we had made them believe mighty Things of ourselves, and of the Posture of our Settlement, that we had 5000 Men, 12 Men of War, and the like, we were resolv’d they should carry the Delusion away with them, and that no Body should undeceive them; because, tho’ we had not such an immense Wealth as was reported, and so as to be able to offer ten Millions for our Pardon, yet we had a very great Treasure; and, being nothing near so strong as they had imagin’d, we might have been made a Prey, with all our Riches, to any Set of Adventurers who might undertake to attempt us, by Consent of the Government of England, and make the Expedition, No Purchase no Pay.