They Answered, That They Were Governed By Their Own Laws When
On Ship Board, And By Those Of The Country When On Shore.
Then said the
regent, "I will tell you what are the laws of this country in regard to
murder.
If one kill a slave, he must pay 20 ryals of eight, if a freeman
50, and if a gentleman 100." This was all the redress they had for the
slaughter of their man.
About the 5th September there came a junk full of men from the island of
Lampon in the straits of Sunda, who are great enemies to the Javans,
and yet so very like them as not to be distinguishable. These men,
having their junk in a creek near Bantam, and being in all points like
the Javans, used to come boldly into the town and into the houses, even
at noonday, and cut off the people's heads, so that for near a month we
had little rest for the grievous lamentations of the towns people. After
a time, many of them becoming known, were taken and put to death. They
were men of comely stature, and the reason of their strange procedure
was, that their king rewarded them with a female slave for every head
they brought him, so that they would often dig up newly-buried persons
at Bantam and cut off their heads, to impose upon their savage king.
About this time, we got notice from the admiral and other friends to be
much on our guard, as some of the principal natives in respect to birth,
though not in wealth or office, had conspired to murder us for the sake
of our goods, and then to give out that it had been done by the
Lampons. These devils came several times in the intention to execute
their horrid purpose, but seeing always lights about our house, which we
had set up that we might see them, and hearing our drum at the end of
every watch, their hearts failed them for fear of our small arms, both
which and our murderers [blunderbusses] we had always ready for their
reception. At length they fell out among themselves and dispersed.
By our continual alarms, and the grievous outcries of men, women, and
children, who were nightly murdered around us, our men were so wrought
upon, that even in their sleep they would dream of pursuing the Javans,
and would suddenly start out of bed, catch at their weapons, and even
wound each other before those who had the watch could part them; but yet
we durst not remove their weapons, lest they should be instantly wanted,
of which we were in constant dread. Being but few of us, I had to take
my regular turn of watch with the rest, and have often been more in fear
of our own men than of the Javans, so that I had often to snatch up a
target when I heard them making any noise in their sleep, lest they
might treat me as they did each other.
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