I Received A Message On The 12th From The Prince Of Tidore, Apologising
For Not Having Yet Visited Me, And Saying That He Had A Quantity Of
Cloves Which I Might Have, For Which I Thanked Him, And Requested They
Might Be Sent Soon.
They promised to send the cloves before next
morning; wherefore, to guard against treachery, I kept double watch,
with match in cock, and every thing in readiness:
For this prince of
Tidore was a most resolute and valiant soldier, and had performed many
desperate exploits against the Dutch, having shortly before surprised
one of their ships of war when at anchor not far from where we then lay.
Before day, a galley, which the Spaniards told us they expected, came
over from Batta China, and were very near us in the dark before we
were aware. On hailing, they answered us that they were Spaniards and
our friends, and then made towards the shore in all haste. She was but
small, having only fourteen oars of a side. We this day found our
latitude to be 0 deg. 50' N.
We weighed on the 13th with the wind at N. and a current setting to the
S. In passing the fort we saluted with five guns, which they returned.
Several Spaniards came off with complimentary messages, and among these
a messenger from the prince, saying we should have had plenty of cloves
if we had waited twenty-four hours longer. But we rather suspected that
some treachery was intended, by means of their gallies, frigates, and
curracurras, which we thus avoided by our sudden departure.
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