I Arrived
At The Ship On The 10th, Which I Now Found Was Not Fully Laden, As Seven
Tons Of Nutmegs That Had Come Last From Pulo-Way Were Spoiled And Had To
Be Thrown Away.
I laded her therefore from the Hopewell and the junk;
and now turned off the Hopewell, which had done good service.
She was
only of half-inch plank, which we had never had leisure to sheath, and
was so worm-eaten, that the pump had to be in constant use.
Sec. 3. Departure for Bantam, Escape from the Hollanders, and Voyage
Home.
When the ship was fully laden, we set sail from Keeling bay for Bantam,
having never a top-sail overhead, as the top-sails had been blown from
the yards while Mr Davis was removing the ship from her original station
to another bay, seven leagues more to the westward. As the junk went
better than we, I wrote a letter by her to Bantam, desiring her crew to
make all speed there, yet I hoped to overtake her when I could get up
new top-sails, on which we were busy at work. Having completed our
top-sails, I overtook the junk on the 16th September, when we found it
could not now keep us company, unless we took in our top-sails. I
directed them therefore to carry such sail in the junk as she was able
to bear, and to follow me to Bantam, as my remaining with them could
serve no good purpose, and I had much to do at Bantam to trim the ship
for her voyage home. So we took leave of them and bore away for Bantam.
I arrived there on the 9th October, where I found Mr Hensworth and
Edward Neetles had both died shortly after my sailing for the spice
islands; so that all the goods I had left were still there, not a yard
of cloth being sold to the Chinese.
Having dispatched my affairs at Bantam, I appointed Richard Wooddies as
chief of our factory, with whom I left directions for Mr Spalding, when
God should send him to Bantam, to consider of a voyage to Succadania in
Borneo for diamonds. I set sail on the 16th November, and having a good
passage to Saldanha bay, I got there on the 21st January, 1611. I found
that my brother Sir Henry Middleton had been there, arriving the 24th
July, and departing the 10th August, 1610. I there found a copy of a
letter my brother had sent home by a Hollander the day after he came to
the road; which, if your worships have not received, you may see that
they will detain all your worships letters. I took in water at Saldanha
bay, and made all the dispatch I could for England.
Thus have I certified your worships of all matters in an ample manner,
as seemed my duty. I have on board 100 tons, six cathayes, one
quartern, and two pounds of nutmegs; and 622 suckets of mace, which are
thirty-six tons, fifteen cathayes, one quartern, and twenty-one pounds.
I left in the junk with Mr Herniman twenty-four tons, seven cathayes,
two quarterns, eight pounds.
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