The Javans Are Very Unwilling To
Fight If That Can Be Avoided, As Their Wealth Consists Chiefly In
Slaves, So That They Are Beggared If These Be Slain; Wherefore They Had
Always Rather Come To A Set Feast Than A Pitched Battle.
In November and the beginning of December, we were constantly busy in
completing our buildings, and getting in and cleaning pepper.
A Dutch
pinnace came into the roads on the 14th December, by which we were
informed of the death of Queen Elizabeth, and the great plague and
sickness that had prevailed over all Christendom. This occasioned more
distress to us than all our late troubles; but they told us that the
King of Scots was crowned, that our land was in peace, and that peace
was likely to be concluded between England and Spain; which news was
very comfortable to us. They could give us no intelligence of our ships,
having no letters for us: But the Dutch fleet soon followed, on which I
went immediately on board their admiral to welcome him, and enquire for
letters, which were found in the vice-admiral.
Uniete, the chief of those who undermined and set fire to our house,
having long lurked in the mountains, was now forced by want of food to
repair to certain houses near Bantam, whence he was brought to the house
of the rich Chinese merchant. As soon as I heard of this, I sent Mr
Towerson to inform the protector, and that we meant shortly to execute
him. Since the time of the mischief this man occasioned, I had never
gone out of our house, but once when the protector crossed us about the
pepper, as before mentioned, being in constant fear that our house would
be fired before my return; and three times a week I used to search all
the Chinese houses in our neighbourhood, for fear of more undermining.
Sec. 5. Arrival of General Middleton, and other Occurrences.
In the evening of the 22d December, 1604, we joyfully descried our ships
coming into the roads; but when we went on board the admiral, and saw
their weakness, and also heard of the weakly state of the other three
ships, we were greatly grieved; well knowing that Bantam is not a place
for the recovery of sick men, but rather to kill men who come there in
health. At my first going on board, I found the general, Captain Henry
Middleton, very weak and sickly, to whom I made a brief relation of the
many troubles we had endured. I also told him we had lading ready for
two ships, which was some comfort to his mind, being much grieved for
the weakness of his men; as they had scarcely fifty sound men in the
four ships, and had lost many of their sick men. Even of those who came
here in health, many never went out of Bantam roads.
The 24th we executed the arch-villain Uniete, who was the fourth of
these rascals we had put to death, besides a fifth who was slain for
stealing a woman.
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