We Stood In,
However, And When A League From The Point, Sent Off The Skiff To Look
For Water, And To Sound For An Anchorage.
She returned on board, having
neither found water nor place to anchor in; wherefore we stood into the
bay, and presently got sight of a town and fort belonging to the
Hollanders, called Boa de Bachian.
The pinnace a-head found water in
several places, which were all very steep and in the bottom of the bay,
near to which is the Dutch fort very artificially built, and warlike,
with a town hard by. We came here to anchor, a sacker shot from the
fort, having very irregular soundings in going up, as seventy, sixty,
eight, and ten fathoms, the ground all ooze. The Dutch saluted us with
five pieces, which I returned with a like number. A messenger being on
board of my ship from the king of the island, I told him our salute was
in honour of his master; who indeed had sent me word by this person,
that he would have come aboard to visit me, but was hindered by the
Dutch. In this fort there were thirteen pieces of artillery, one being a
brass demi-culverine, the others sackers and minions. The Hollanders
here are more feared than loved by the natives, which yet is the cause
of their greater profit; for, as soon as we arrived, the natives told
us, they durst not for their lives bring us a catty of cloves.
At our anchorage here, the outermost point bore S.S.W. and the other
S.W. distant from us four leagues. The king sent his admiral and others
of his nobles aboard to bid me welcome, saying that they knew what
nation we were of by our flag. They used many ceremonious compliments,
wishing we were seated among them instead of the Dutch, that they might
get clear of them, as they had almost ruined their country by civil
wars. I entertained them in a friendly manner, saying we had come among
them for trade, and would leave a factory with them, if their king were
so inclined. They answered, that such a thing would please them much,
but could not now be granted; yet they would acquaint their king with
what I said. The captain of the Dutch fort made me a visit on board,
from whom I understood that his force consisted of thirty men, most of
whom were married, some to natives of the country, and some to Dutch
women; eleven of whom, as he told me, were able to do military duty even
against the Spaniards or any other nation, being large and strong
viragoes, with few other good qualities. No sooner was the captain on
board but he was followed by this Amazonian band, who complained that
they suffered great misery, and readily sat down along with our sailors
to partake of such as our ship afforded; after which they returned
ashore with the captain.
The 3d March we sent our skiff to sound the east side of the bay, and at
an opening or entrance near a little island, she found an anchorage in
twelve, sixteen, and twenty fathoms on coral ground, out from under the
command of the fort; but having a shoal to the southwards, the length of
three cables. This is in latitude 0 deg. 50'. The 4th, the king of Ternate
sent me a present by his priest. The 5th, at sun-rise, we observed the
variation to be 4 deg. 48' easterly. This day a Moor came aboard with a
sample of cloves, and offered to sell us some quantity if we would go
for them to Machian; being sent on this errand by his master, who was
now on this island of Bachian. For this reason we deemed it proper to
stay a day longer to have some conference with this person, whose name
was Key Malladaia, being brother to the old king of Ternate. The 6th he
came aboard, and promised to go with us to Machian, and to bring us to a
place there called Tahannee.[425] He accordingly left two of his chief
men with me as pilots, desiring us to go before and wait for him at an
island by the way, where he promised to be with us in two days, giving
great encouragement to hope for abundance of cloves. He told us that the
Dutch gave 50 dollars the bahar, but they would cost us 60, which I very
readily promised to give. The 7th we weighed from this anchorage or
road, called Amascan; and, by direction of our new pilots, steered W.
and W. by N. for Machian, leaving two islands to larboard, four or five
miles from Amascan; we had twenty-two, thirty, and even forty fathoms,
two cables length only off the island. The 10th we had sight of
Machian, being a high and capped island, bearing N.E. and the island
of Tidore opening like a sugar-loaf on its western side, but not such
high land as Machian. We anchored in twenty-three fathoms, a mile from a
little island in the mouth of a strait or passage among islands five
leagues from the straits of Namorat, and fourteen leagues from the
road of Amascan, where is the Dutch fort we had been near in Bachian.
The 11th in the morning, we weighed with the wind at S.S.E. and the
current setting to the northwards, enabled us to pass the straits. The
wind then veered to N.W. by N. on which we stood east till noon, when we
tackt to westwards, and had sight of Gilolo, a long land. Our depth
going out of the strait was from twenty-nine to thirty-four fathoms, and
we had many islands to the E. and E.S.E. The point of old Bachian was
three or four leagues north of the strait, leaving four islands to
starboard.
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