The King Of Ava Is Said To Have Taken Siriaugh, Or Sirian, And To
Have Caused The Xenga, Philip De
Brito de Nicote, to be put to death.
The king of Siam is in fear of an attack from the
King of Ava in great
force, for which reason he has good watch kept on his frontiers. At this
time I repaid my debt to the queen in gold.
[Footnote 389: This must have been of the preceding year, though not so
expressed. - E.]
On the 4th of October, being the first day of the Mahometan Lent or fast
of Ramedan, a terrible fire occurred in the town, or fort rather, and
court of Patane, occasioned by the following event. Datoo Besar and
Datoo Lachmanna, who dwelt near each other, were the richest in Javan
slaves at this place, except Rajah Shey. The Javan slaves had threatened
to kill Datoo Besar, Lachmanna, Rajah Sitterbangh, and others, which
came to their knowledge; on which Besar called his slaves before him to
examine into the matter, which they utterly denied. Yet he ordered two
who were most suspected to be bound, which the pongonla of the slaves
would not suffer, wherefore Besar immediately dispatched him with his
criss or dagger. The Javan slaves were so enraged at this, that they
would have wreaked their vengeance on their master had he not been
protected by his other slaves: But in their fury, they slew all that
came in their way, and set fire to the houses, being joined by the
slaves of Lachmanna; and being now above a hundred persons, they ran to
the great gate called Punta Gorbangh, setting fire to all the houses on
both sides as they went, so that the whole town was burnt except a few
houses, which were the queen's court or palace, those of the Orancayo
Sirnora and of Batoo Bandara, and the masjed or mosque. While running
along the street, the Javans carried all the best of the female slaves
along with them, and remained masters of the place till one in the
afternoon, no one daring to oppose them.
We and the Hollanders were not without fear during this tumult, as the
slaves threatened to destroy both our factories, for which reason we
kept strong watch, and sent aboard for as many armed men as could be
spared from the Globe. On their being landed and set in order, we
resolved to march out and oppose the insurgents, who were now actually
coming down to assail us; but learning from their spies of our strength
and coming against them, they retired into the country, and fled by
Quale-bouca to Bordolonch, and Sangora, and so forwards. Thus, without
any harm by us received, we got the honourable name of the Defenders of
Strangers. The Javans were afterwards pursued to little purpose, three
or four sick men only being taken; and what became of the rest was not
known while we remained in the country. This is the third time that
Patane has been burnt down within a short space, having been twice
before fired by the Japanese.
On the 21st October we took our leave of the queen, who presented
Captain Essington and me with golden-handled crisses. We left in the
factory William Ebert, Robert Littleword, and Ralph Cooper, with letters
also for Mr Lucas at Siam. The same day, the Hope[390] arrived quite
unexpectedly. They had been at Johor, where they had gone ashore; and
before they could return to the ship, the fleet of Acheen came before
the town to besiege it. Whereupon, the Dutch factors sent a letter on
board, desiring them to send thirty armed men by land, and to bring the
ship as high up the river as possible to fight against the Acheeneers.
But, on account of shoals, the ship could not be got far enough up the
river to be of service, and after twenty-nine days siege the town was
surrendered upon composition. By this surrender twenty-three Hollanders
remained prisoners, and twelve got aboard the Hope, in which there
remained no one to command, except the master's mate and one assistant.
They resolved to proceed for Patane, but were driven by a storm on the
coral ground of Borneo, and by a change of wind were driven upon Pulo
Condor. Being unable to shape their course for Patane, they sought for
refreshments at Warellas, where they found a good bay; but the people
being inimical, they could not procure any provisions. They came at
length to Patane with only eighteen men, most of whom lay in a pitiful
condition in their births. This ship brought 70,000 rials of eight, or
Spanish dollars, and twenty-nine packs of India cloth.
[Footnote 390: From the sequel, and likewise as mentioned by Purchas in
a sidenote, the Hope appears to have been a Dutch ship. - E.]
Sec. 3. Voyage to Masulipatam, and Incidents during a long Stay at that
Place.
We set sail from Patane on the 22d October, 1613, and on the 25th we
were in with the most southerly of the islands of Ridang, in lat. 6 deg. N.
of which there are about eighteen or twenty. In the evening of that day
we came to the Capas, three small isles, about thirteen leagues from
the Ridang islands, and two leagues from the continent. The 26th, we saw
Pulo Tyaman, twenty-eight leagues S.S.E. from the Capas. The 29th, being
calm, we came to Pulo Tingi, where, if you keep in eighteen fathoms,
there is nothing to be feared but what maybe seen. The 1st November we
saw the point of Jantana, or Johor, and the mount on the island of
Bintam, and came next morning in sight of Piedra-branca; about ten
o'clock a.m. we came to the dangerous reef that projects four leagues
out to sea from the point of Johor. John Huigens van Linschoten
describes this shoal well, which we passed not without danger, having
the point and three little islands W.S.W. from us.
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