I Pray God It May Not Be Done Purposely By Some Villainous
People, On Purpose To Rob And Steal What They Can Lay Hold Of During The
Trouble And Confusion.
The 20th I went to visit Captain Brower at the Dutch house, to return
thanks for his friendly assistance the night before.
Towards night,
Hernando the Spaniard and Edward Markes returned from Nangasaki, where
they could not procure sight of any of our fugitives, though they were
still at that place. A Portuguese or Spaniard at Nangasaki, in high
authority about sea affairs, told Markes we should never have our men
back; but that if all the rest of our people would come, leaving the
ship empty, they would be well received, and would be still more welcome
if they brought the ship with them. The Japanese, who had been sent by
king Foyne along with our people to look for our runaways, would not
allow Markes to stir out of doors for a night and half a day after their
arrival at Nangasaki, he going abroad himself, and Hernando lodging at a
different place, whence I suspect there was some fraudulent
understanding between the Japanese and Hernando, and have now lost hope
of ever getting our men back. I blamed the jesuits, and the old king
agreed with me, and told me he would take care that no more of our
people should be carried to Nangasaki, except they stole the ship's
boats, as the others had done, of which I gave notice to Mr James
Foster, our master. Foyne at this time issued an edict, strictly
forbidding any of the Japanese from carrying away any of our people,
without previously making it known to him and me.
The 23d I was informed of a great pagan festival to be celebrated this
day, both kings and all the nobles being to meet at a summer-house
erected before the great pagoda, to see a horse-race. I think there must
have been above 3000 people assembled together on this occasion. All the
nobles went on horseback, each being accompanied by a retinue of slaves,
some armed with pikes, some with fire-arms, and others with bows and
arrows. The pikemen drew up on one side of the street, and the shot and
archers on the other, the middle being left open for the race. Right
before the summer-house, where the king and nobles were seated, was a
large round target of straw, hung against the wall, at which the
archers running at full career on horseback discharged their arrows.
The street was so crowded, that neither the present we sent, nor we
ourselves, could get admission, so we passed along the street and
returned by another way to our house. Late at night, the brother of
Zanzibar's wife came to our house, bringing me a present of a haunch of
venison and a basket of oranges, being accompanied by Zanzibar himself.
About ten at night, the Chinese captain, our landlord, came to inform us
that the king had ordered a tub of water to be kept ready on the top of
every house, as the devil had given out that the town was to be burnt
down that night:
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