As the ship lay almost two leagues from the shore, we had a full view of them as they came, and a plain sight even of their faces; because the tide having set them a little to the east of the other boat, they rowed up under shore, to come to the same place where the other had landed, and where the boat lay; by this means, I say, we had a full view of them, and the captain knew the persons and characters of all the men in the boat, of whom, he said, there were three very honest fellows, who, he was sure, were led into this conspiracy by the rest, being over-powered and frightened; but that as for the boatswain, who it seems was the chief officer among them, and all the rest, they were as outrageous as any of the ship’s crew, and were no doubt made desperate in their new enterprise; and terribly apprehensive he was that they would be too powerful for us.
Poichè il vascello non era più lontano di circa due leghe dalla spiaggia, li vedemmo perfettamente dal primo momento in cui si avviarono, e se ne poterono fin discernere i volti, perchè la marea avendoli spinti un po’ più del dovere al levante della volta che avea presa lo scappavia, remarono rasente la spiaggia per isbarcare nello stesso sito ove gli altri. Il capitano intanto potè darmi esatto conto delle persone che s’avanzavano e delle loro nature; tre de’ quali, secondo lui piuttosto buoni diavolacci, s’erano lasciati trascinare nella congiura dalla prepotenza degli altri.