I Understood That The Portuguese Had Taken Eighteen Of Our
Men, Several Of Whom Were Factors, And Goods To The Value Of 9000
Dollars.
The 14th we came back to Bantam roads, forced either to
lengthen our voyage, or to go home with lost reputation.
The 16th there
came a small vessel from Amsterdam, giving notice of peace between
France, Spain, and the Dutch. I appointed Messrs Molineux and Pockham
for England in the Dragon, taking the rest with me in the Hector for the
Moluccas, into which other ship I removed on the 17th, the masters
shifting ships. The 21st I forwarded Mr Towerson in all diligence,
wishing him to depart in all speed; and on the 23d the Dragon made sail
from Bantam, God prosper her voyage.[174]
[Footnote 174: Mr Tewerson seems from this time to have commanded the
Dragon on the voyage home; but this whole narrative is so ill expressed
and incoherent, that its meaning has often to be guessed at. - ASTL. I.
321.a.]
Sec. 4. Voyage of the Hector to Banda, with Occurrences there.
About one in the morning of the 1st January, 1609, we weighed anchor,
and with an off-shore wind got round the east point, three leagues
E.N.E. from our former anchorage. Thence easterly to another point other
three leagues, a very long shoal with very little water extending
between the two, to avoid which it is good to steer halfway between Java
and the isles of Tonda, which are five leagues distant. East from the
second point is the isle of Tanara, so close to the shore that it
cannot be distinguished from any distance. From the second to the third
point, are four leagues E.S.E. and one and a half mile off that point N.
by W. is the isle of Lackee, between which and the point is only one and
a half fathoms water, according to report. We rode all night in six
fathoms, having the isle east of us a league. Weighing on the 4th, we
steered within half a league of Lackee in seven or eight fathoms; from
the isle to the west point of Jackatra being E.S.E. four leagues.
There is a dangerous sand off the west point of Jackatra, wherefore it
is good to keep nearer the island opposite that point.
The 8th I went to Jackatra,[175] and anchored far out. The king sent
his sabander to desire powder and match, and I sent him 30 pounds of
powder and a roll of match. I bought of them a Portuguese boy, given by
the Hollanders to their king, but who refused to apostatize from
Christianity, and paid for him 45 dollars. We have seen thirty or forty
islands since leaving Bantam. The 10th we made sail from Jackatra. There
is a sunken island even with the water, about two leagues W. by N. from
the east point of Jackatra, which we left to larboard, going between it
and the easter island.
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