The 5th Of August I Went Aboard To Visit The General, Captain Nicholas
Downton, Who Was Then Very Ill, And
We got word of his death next
day.[133] Mr Evans the preacher, and Mr Hambdon, followed him, on the
8th, as we supposed by taking laudanum, as they were both well a little
before. On the 11th the Advice was sent to Japan, having a complement of
twenty-two Englishmen, together with five blacks, and Fernando the
Spaniard. The Concord returned on the 14th from Succadanea in Borneo and
Macasser. That night we had a prodigious tempest of rain, with thunder
and lightning, and the mosque of Bantam was split in two by a
thunderbolt, on which occasion the chief priest was nearly slain, which
the king and people took for a bad omen, and therefore determined to
make peace with Jacatra. The 16th the boat belonging to the Thomasine
came to Bantam, with twenty-two English and five blacks, bringing
intelligence of that ship having been lost on certain flats the night
before, twenty-two leagues from Macasser, owing to the carelessness of
Wilson the master, while all the people were asleep, he only being at
the helm. They saved all the money, which they brought along with them;
and as Mr Bailey told us that his wrecked crew had compelled him to pay
them their wages, we caused them to restore the money.
[Footnote 133: By order in the box, Mr Elkington succeeded in the
command. - Purch.]
On the 19th, the Hollanders clapped three blacks into the bilboes, whom
Mr Bailey had brought with him from Celoar, pretending they were caught,
climbing over the rails of their house, and also, as they were brought
from a place under their protection, they refused to give us them back.
We are in various ways most vilely abused by these Hollanders, neither
do I see any means to right ourselves, unless we go to war with them;
for we believe this matter to have been done on purpose, and these
blacks enticed by them to it, as if taken by force. I was much offended
with Mr Bailey for his conduct in taking away these blacks, as the
means of making us hated as man-stealers, in, places where we used to be
well received, which the Hollanders will take care to blaze abroad to
our disgrace.
In the night of the 13th September, the watch discovered a fire in the
thatch over the house in which Mr Jordan lodged, which was soon
extinguished; but we could plainly perceive it had been done apurpose,
as we found the cane by which it had been kindled sticking in the
thatch, for which we suspected a Spaniard named Francisco, who had
appostatized and turned Javan. The 2d October, Sophonee Cossock, a
merchant, came in a small pinnace from Puloway, accompanied by an
Orancay, to confer on trade with that place. The 22d, I went ashore,
accompanied by Mr Pring and Mr Bailey, to confer with the Dutch general,
concerning certain idle complaints made by them against our mariners.
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