Our Long-Boat Was Then Sent For Water, Conducted
By The Indian Who Came In The Praw, From Whom Our People Procured Some
Fresh Fish At A Cheap Rate In Exchange For China Dishes.
In the morning
of the 24th we went for another boat-load of water; and this morning by
daybreak the natives came off to us in above 100 praws, carrying men,
women, and children, and brought us great quantities of fish, both dried
and fresh, which they sold very cheap.
They brought us also hogs, both
great and small, with plenty of poultry, which they sold very reasonably
for coarse white cloth and china dishes; likewise plantains, cassathoe
roots, and various kinds of fruit. The natives remained on board the
whole day in such numbers, that we could sometimes hardly get from one
part of the deck to another for them. In the afternoon the King of
Bottone, or Booton, sent some plantains to our captain, and a kind of
liquor for drinking called Irea-pote, in return for which the captain
sent back a rich painted calico. About ten at night we weighed anchor,
in doing which we broke the flukes of both our starboard anchors, for
which reason we had to man our long-boat, and tow the ship all night
against the current, which otherwise would have carried us farther to
leewards than we could have made up again in three days, unless we had
got a fresh gale of wind, so strong is the current at this place.
[Footnote 267: From circumstances in the sequel, these Straits of
Bangaya appear to have been between the island of Booton, in about lat.
5 deg. S. and long. 123 deg. 20' E., and the south-east leg or peninsula of the
island of Celebes. - E.]
The 19th April the King of Booton sent one of his brothers again on
board,[268] to know if he might come to see the ship, of which he was
very desirous, having often heard of Englishmen, but had never seen any;
on which our captain sent him word that he should think himself much
honoured by a visit. The king came immediately off in his caracol,
rowed by at least an hundred oars or paddles, having in her besides
about 400 armed men, and six pieces of brass cannon; being attended by
five other caracols, which had at the least 1000 armed men in them. On
coming up, our captain sent our surgeon, Francis Kelly, as an hostage
for the king's safety; when he came on board, and was kindly welcomed
by our captain, who invited him to partake of a banquet of sweetmeats,
which he readily accepted. Captain Middleton then made enquiry as to
what commodities the king had for sale in his dominions. He made answer,
that they had pearls, tortoise-shell, and some cloth of their own
manufacture, which we supposed might be of striped cotton. The king said
farther, as we were unacquainted with the place, he would send a pilot
to conduct us.
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