Upon This The Islanders Would
Not Deal With My People Whom I Had Left Among Them, Neither Even Would
They Sell Them Provisions.
They even began to rail at them and abuse
them, saying that I had gone away with the ship, as the Hollanders did
formerly, and would come back with a fleet, as they had done, and take
their country from them.
In this disposition of mind towards us, they
had come to a determination to seize our house, and to send all our
people prisoners to the top of a high rock, the consent only of the
sabandar being a-wanting for taking possession of our goods, though some
even began to take our goods forcibly. On the arrival of the sabandar,
Mr Spalding waited upon him, and remonstrated upon the unjust conduct of
the islanders in taking away our goods, craving his protection. The
sabandar then said, that the islanders were resolved we should not do as
the Hollanders had done, and were therefore resolved to make all the
English prisoners; for the ship was gone, and our intentions seemed bad
towards them. All that Mr Spalding could say, they would not be
persuaded but that I was gone away in the ship, and that my people were
left behind at Pulo-way for a sinister purpose.
Next day, the islanders met in council in their church, [mosque;] and
while deliberating upon the seizure of our goods, and the imprisonment
of Mr Spalding and our men, news were brought them that I was in sight
in the Hopewell, on which they broke up their council. At my landing, Mr
Spalding told me of the hard usage he had received, and the fear he was
in. When I got to our house, the chief man of all the islands sat before
the door, waiting my arrival, and told me plainly, if I had not then
come myself, they would have taken our goods and made our people
prisoners. I then explained to them the reason of removing the ship;
adding, that it was no wonder the Hollanders had built a castle to
defend themselves, when I received such hard and unjust usage from them,
who was in friendship with them, had left my men among them with such
commodities as the country required, had made the Hollanders my enemies
because they were their enemies, and had done every thing in my power to
serve them. They answered, that I must not blame them for being jealous
of all Christians, as the Portuguese and Hollanders had done exactly
like me for many years, but were now obviously determined to enslave
their country.
Friendship and confidence being completely restored, I bought spice from
them, and had soon enough to load my ship, which I dispatched in the
Hopewell to where the Expedition now rode. Having still a considerable
overplus of stock, I thought I could not do better service to your
worships, than by laying out your money in farther purchases. I
therefore loaded thirty tons more in a junk, and bought another junk of
forty tons and spice to load her. But as she was not yet launched, I
left Mr Spalding in charge of her loading, leaving Mr Chapman, a very
honest and sufficient man, as master of this junk, with twelve persons
to navigate her. I then took my leave of all the chiefs in a friendly
manner, giving them various presents as farewell tokens, entreating them
to give Mr Spalding such assistance as he might require, as after my
departure he would have to rely on them.
Leaving Mr Chapman as master of the new junk, I was obliged to take
charge of the Hopewell myself, and set sail the 7th September, 1610,
from Pulo-way, having the junk Middleton in company, having remained
longer in this country than any Englishman had done hitherto. I arrived
at the ship on the 10th, which I now found was not fully laden, as seven
tons of nutmegs that had come last from Pulo-way were spoiled and had to
be thrown away. I laded her therefore from the Hopewell and the junk;
and now turned off the Hopewell, which had done good service. She was
only of half-inch plank, which we had never had leisure to sheath, and
was so worm-eaten, that the pump had to be in constant use.
Sec. 3. Departure for Bantam, Escape from the Hollanders, and Voyage
Home.
When the ship was fully laden, we set sail from Keeling bay for Bantam,
having never a top-sail overhead, as the top-sails had been blown from
the yards while Mr Davis was removing the ship from her original station
to another bay, seven leagues more to the westward. As the junk went
better than we, I wrote a letter by her to Bantam, desiring her crew to
make all speed there, yet I hoped to overtake her when I could get up
new top-sails, on which we were busy at work. Having completed our
top-sails, I overtook the junk on the 16th September, when we found it
could not now keep us company, unless we took in our top-sails. I
directed them therefore to carry such sail in the junk as she was able
to bear, and to follow me to Bantam, as my remaining with them could
serve no good purpose, and I had much to do at Bantam to trim the ship
for her voyage home. So we took leave of them and bore away for Bantam.
I arrived there on the 9th October, where I found Mr Hensworth and
Edward Neetles had both died shortly after my sailing for the spice
islands; so that all the goods I had left were still there, not a yard
of cloth being sold to the Chinese.
Having dispatched my affairs at Bantam, I appointed Richard Wooddies as
chief of our factory, with whom I left directions for Mr Spalding, when
God should send him to Bantam, to consider of a voyage to Succadania in
Borneo for diamonds.
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