Before Relating My Return To England, It May Be Proper To Give Some
Account Of Jeoly, The Painted Prince, Who
Afterwards died at Oxford.
He was purchased along with his mother at Mindanao by Mr Moody; and when
Mr Moody
And I went together to Bencoolen, he gave me at parting half
the property of this painted prince and his mother, leaving them to my
care. They were born in the island of Meangis, which abounds in gold,
cloves, and nutmegs, as he afterwards told me. He was curiously painted,
down the breast, behind, between the shoulders, and most of all on the
fore part of his thighs, in the nature of flower-work. By what I could
understand, this painting was done by pricking the skin, and rubbing in
the gum of a tree called damurer, used instead of pitch in some parts
of India. He told me, that the natives of his country wore gold
ear-rings, and golden bracelets about their arms and legs; their food
being potatoes, fowls, and fish. He told me also, that being one day in
a canoe with his father and mother, they were taken by some fishers
belonging to Mindanao, who sold them to the interpreter of Rajah Laut,
with whom he and his mother lived as slaves for five years, and were
then sold for fifty dollars to Mr Moody. Some time afterwards, Mr Moody
gave me the entire property of both, but the mother soon died, and I had
much ado to save the son. After my arrival in the Thames, being in want
of money, I first sold part of my property in Prince Jeoly, and by
degrees all the rest. He was afterwards carried about and shewn for
money, and at last died of the small-pox at Oxford.
During my stay at Bencoolen I served as gunner of the fort; but when my
time was expired, I embarked with my painted prince in the Defence,
Captain Heath, in order to return to England. We sailed on the 25th
January, 1691, in company with three other ships, and arrived at the
Cape of Good Hope in the beginning of April. After a stay of six weeks,
we set sail on the 13th May for St Helena, where we arrived on the 20th
June. We left this island on the 2d July, and came to anchor in the
Downs on the 16th September, 1691, after an absence of twelve years and
a half from my native country.
CHAPTER IX.
VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD, BY WILLIAM FUNNELL, IN 1703-1706.[202]
INTRODUCTION.
This voyage has usually passed under the name of Captain William
Dampier; but as he proceeded only to the South Seas, and the
circumnavigation was entirely completed by Mr William Funnell, who
sailed originally as his mate, it seemed proper to place his name in the
title of the voyage, instead of that of Captain Dampier, with whom, in
this voyage, we have much less to do.
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