One Of The Pulo-Way People Being There,
Plainly Told Me That The Governor Only Waited To Have Her Bilged, That
He Might Have The Planks To Build A Praw For Himself.
[Footnote 312:
This afterwards appears to have been the praw, formerly
mentioned, so named after being raised upon for carrying spice from
Pulo-way to Ceram; but this circumstance is left here unexplained,
possibly by the negligence of Purchas in abbreviating, by which he
leaves matters often obscure, sometimes unintelligible. - E.]
Finding no help could be had except from the ship, which was twelve
miles off by land, I hired guides to follow Mr Herniman, taking one of
my own men to bear me company. Half-way we came to a large river, which
it was necessary to swim across, and as my man could not swim, I sent
him back with my clothes, except a scarlet mandilion,[313] which one
of my guides engaged to carry over for me. He told me the river was full
of alligators, and if I saw any I must fight with him, or he would kill
me, and for that purpose my guide carried a knife in his mouth. Being
very weary, as I had not slept for two nights, I took the water before
the Indians, knowing they would be over before me. The river being very
broad, and the stream swift, occasioned by late great rains, the Indians
would have had me return when half way, to which I would not consent.
While swimming, the Indian who carried my mandilion touched my side with
a cane he carried in his hand; suspecting this had been an alligator, I
immediately dived, when the current got such hold of me that I was
carried out to sea, which threw me on the beach, and bruised me so on
the back and shoulder that I could not get a-land, till the Indian came
and gave me hold of one end of his cane, and pulled me out almost
drowned, as every surf drove me against the beach and washed me out
again. I praised God, and got on board, where my company was amazed to
see me. So that night I sent all that were able to crawl to save the
bark, which they did with much toil and small help of the natives; the
country not permitting any one to assist in saving her,[314] expecting
us to forsake her, that they might enjoy the spoil.
[Footnote 313: This word is explained by lexicographers as a loose
garment, a sleeveless jacket, or a soldiers coat. - E.]
[Footnote 314: It will be seen in other voyages, that the Malays, who
are widely diffused over the Indian archipelago, often live under a kind
of aristocratical republican government; even where they are subjected
to kings, partaking much of the feudal semblance. This observation
seemed necessary as an attempt to explain the meaning in the text of
the country not permitting, &c. - E.]
The Hopewell arrived next morning laden with spice, having been
a-missing, as mentioned before.
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