DAMPIER'S SOJOURN IN GREAT NICOBAR 261 



leave, if possible, to stay here : for it seemed not very feasible 

 to do it by stealth, and I had no reason to despair of getting 

 leave, this being a place where my stay could, probably, do the 

 crew no harm, should I design it. Indeed, one reason that put 

 me on the thoughts of staying at this particular place, besides 

 the present opportunity of leaving Captain Read, which I did 

 always intend to do as soon as I could, was that I had here 

 also a prospect of advancing a profitable trade for ambergris with 

 these people, and of gaining a considerable fortune to myself. 

 For in a short time I might have learned their language, and by 

 accustoming myself to row with them in their praus or canoes — 

 especially by conforming myself to their customs and manners 

 of living — should have seen how they got their ambergris, and 

 have known what quantities they got, and the time of the year 

 when it most is found. And then afterwards I thought it would 

 be easy for me to have transported myself from thence, either 

 in some ship that passed that way, whether English, Dutch or 

 Portuguese, or else to have gotten one of the young men of the 

 island to have gone with me in one of their canoes to Achin, 

 and there to have furnished myself with such commodities as I 

 found most coveted by them, and therewith, at my return, to 

 have bought their ambergris. 



" I had, till this time, made no open show of going ashore 

 here ; but now, the water being filled and the ship in readiness 

 to sail, I desired Captain Read to set me ashore on this island. 

 He, supposing that I could not go ashore in a place less frequented 

 by ships than this, gave me leave ; which possibly he would 

 have refused to have done if he thought I should have gotten 

 from hence in any short time, for fear of my giving an account 

 of him to the English or Dutch, I soon got up my chest and 

 bedding, and immediately got some to row me ashore, for fear 

 lest his mind should change again. 



" The canoe that brought me ashore landed me on a small 

 sandy bay, where there were two houses, but no person in them. 

 For the inhabitants were removed to some other house, probably 

 for fear of us ; because the ship was close by : and yet both 



