We Immediately Began To Bargain
For Pepper, The Price Of Which We Beat Down From Twenty-Two Dollars, As
First Asked, To Seventeen Dollars The Bahar, At Which Price We Got Two
Bahars, Which Were Brought To Us On Board:
But the governor would not
allow us, although we made him a present of a musket, to hire a house,
or to buy pepper ashore, unless we would consent to bestow presents on
some twenty of the officers and merchants of the place.
On the 22d, we
received a letter from Captain Christen, of the Hosiander, then at
Tecoo, earnestly advising us to come there immediately, as we could not
fail to get as much pepper as we wished at that place, and in a short
time; and, as we were not acquainted with the place, Captain Chrisen
sent Richard Hall, one of his master's mates, to pilot us through among
the dangerous shoals that lay about the roads of Tecoo. Accordingly we
went to that place, and anchored in four fathoms, Richard Hall returning
on board the Hosiander, where he died that same night, being ill of the
flux.
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.
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