Before Our Arrival, The Natives Had Offered Their Pepper To Captain
Christen At Twelve And Thirteen Dollars The Bahar, Taking Payment In
Surat Commodities; But They Now Demanded Twenty-Two Dollars In Ready
Money, Refusing To Barter With Them Any Longer For Goods.
They also
demanded at this place as many presents as had been required at Priaman;
beside which, they insisted upon having seventy-two dollars for
anchorage duty.
Being now in a worse situation than before, and having
no time to waste in delays, we determined to come to short terms with
them; wherefore we told them roundly, that we would on no account submit
to their unreasonable demands, even though we might not get a single
cattee of pepper. For this purpose I drew out a letter from our
captain, which he signed and sealed, addressed to the head governor,
stating that he had not used our nation so well as we had reason to
expect, both in unreasonable demands of presents, which were not usually
given upon compulsion, but rather from good-will, or in reward of good
behaviour, and likewise by their improper delay in implementing their
promises, so very unlike mercantile dealings; since our ships have at
various times remained at their port for three, four, and even five
months, depending on their promises of having full lading, which might
as well have been accomplished in one month, in so far as respected the
small quantity of pepper they had to dispose of. This letter was
translated by the interpreter in the Hosiander, an Indian, named Johen,
who perfectly understood their language.
The governor, in consequence of this remonstrance, gave orders that we
might purchase pepper from any one who was inclined to sell; but sent us
a message, wishing that one of us might come on shore, that the pepper
might be there weighed. But still doubting that they meant to teaze us
with delay, we sent back word that we could not remain so long as it
would require for weighing the pepper ashore, and therefore if they
would bring it to us on board, we would pay them eighteen dollars a
bahar for their pepper, together with two dollars as custom to the
governor, making exactly twenty dollars. As they still put off time, we
set sail, as if meaning to have gone away, on which the governor sent
another messenger, who spoke Portuguese tolerably, entreating us to come
again to anchor, and we should have as much pepper as we could take in.
We did so accordingly, and they brought pepper off to us in proas as
fast as we could conveniently weigh it, and continued to do so till we
had got about 200 bahars. They then began to grow slack in their
proceedings, on which, fearing to lose the monsoon by spending too much
time at this place, we weighed and proceeded for Bantam.
We left Tecoo on the 8th December, three of our men remaining in the
Hosiander, which needed their assistance, and proceeded towards Bantam,
mostly keeping in sight of Sumatra.
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