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第3章 借刀杀人

suchconfusion; nor had we had any conversation with the ship's companyfor twelve days, they having told us that they had not a mouthfulof anything to eat in the ship; and this they told us afterwards -they thought we had been dead. It was this dreadful condition wewere in when you were sent to save our lives; and how you found us,sir, you know as well as I, and better too."

l have anything todo with her." All this appeared so just, that every one agreed toit without any difficulty.

y twowomen slaves. He had two more, one of whom fed the squire with aspoon, and the other held the dish with one hand, and scraped offwhat he let fall upon his worship's beard and taffety vest.

ese stakesalso being of a wood very forward to grow, they took care to havethem generally much larger and taller than those which I hadplanted. As they grew apace, they planted them so very thick andclose together, that when they had been three or four years grownthere was no piercing with the eye any considerable way into theplantation. As for that part which I had planted, the trees weregrown as thick as a man's thigh, and among them they had placed somany other short ones, and so thick, that it stood like a palisadoa quarter of a mile thick, and it was next to impossible topenetrate it, for a little dog could hardly get between the trees,they stood so close.

　　Our Chinese guards in the front, who had talked so big the daybefore, began to stagger; and the soldiers frequently looked behindthem, a certain sign in a soldier that he is just ready to runaway. My old pilot was of my mind; and being near me, called out,"Seignior Inglese, these fellows must be encouraged, or they willruin us all; for if the Tartars come on they will never stand it."- "If am of your mind," said I; "but what must be done?" - "Done?"says he, "let fifty of our men advance, and flank them on eachwing, and encourage them. They will fight like brave fellows inbrave company; but without this they will every man turn his back."Immediately I rode up to our leader and told him, who was exactlyof our mind; accordingly, fifty of us marched to the right wing,and fifty to the left, and the rest made a line of rescue; and sowe marched, leaving the last two hundred men to make a body ofthemselves, and to guard the camels; only that, if need were, theyshould send a hundred men to assist the last fifty.

　　My very soul shrunk within me, and my blood ran chill in my veins,when I saw this; and, I believe, had the three English sailors thatpursued them come on, I had made our men kill them all; however, wetook some means to let the poor flying creatures know that we wouldnot hurt them; and immediately they came up to us, and kneelingdown, with their hands lifted up, made piteous lamentation to us tosave them, which we let them know we would: whereupon they creptall together in a huddle close behind us, as for protection. Ileft my men drawn up together, and, charging them to hurt nobody,but, if possible, to get at some of our people, and see what devilit was possessed them, and what they intended to do, and to commandthem off; assuring them that if they stayed till daylight theywould have a hundred thousand men about their ears: I say I leftthem, and went among those flying people, taking only two of ourmen with me; and there was, indeed, a piteous spectacle among them.Some of them had their feet terribly burn

he sooner comeup with them; and at last, to their inexpressible joy, they foundwe saw them.

　　Not being able to put the old man out of his talk, of which he wasvery opinionated or conceited, I told him we were gentlemen as wellas merchants, and that we had a mind to go and see the great cityof Pekin, and the famous court of the monarch of China. "Why,then," says the old man, "you should go to Ningpo, where, by theriver which runs into the sea there, you may go up within fiveleagues of the great canal. This canal is a navigable stream,which goes through the heart of that vast empire of China, crossesall the rivers, passes some considerable hills by the help ofsluices and gates, and goes up to the city of Pekin, being inlength near two hundred and seventy leagues." - "Well," said I,"Seignior Portuguese, but that is not our business now; the greatquestion is, if you can carry us up to the city of Nankin, fromwhence we can travel to Pekin afterwards?" He said he could do sovery well, and that there was a great Dutch ship gone up that wayjust before. This gave me a little shock, for a Dutch ship was

　　WIFE. - Then you God no God; me no think, believe He be such one,great much power, strong: no makee kill you, though you make Himmuch angry.