Very Happily For
Them, They Were No Sooner On Shore Than They Discovered A Fine
Rivulet At A Small Distance, Where, Having Comfortably Quenched
Their Thirst, And Filled All Their Casks With Water, They About Noon
Continued Their Course For Batavia.
On the 29th, about midnight, in the second watch, they discovered an
island, which they left on their starboard.
About noon they found
themselves in the height of 6 degrees 48 minutes. About three in
the afternoon they passed between two islands, the westernmost of
which appeared full of cocoa trees. In the evening they were about
a mile from the south point of Java, and in the second watch exactly
between Java and the Isle of Princes. The 30th, in the morning,
they found themselves on the coast of the last-mentioned island, not
being able to make above two miles that day. On July 1st the
weather was calm, and about noon they were three leagues from
Dwaersindenwegh, that is, Thwart-the-way Island; but towards the
evening they had a pretty brisk wind at north-west, which enabled
them to gain that coast. On the 2nd, in the morning, they were
right against the island of Topershoetien, and were obliged to lie
at anchor till eleven o'clock, waiting for the sea-breeze, which,
however, blew so faintly that they were not able to make above two
miles that day. About sunset they perceived a vessel between them
and Thwart-the-way Island, upon which they resolved to anchor as
near the shore as they could that night, and there wait the arrival
of the ship. In the morning they went on board her, in hopes of
procuring arms for their defence, in case the inhabitants of Java
were at war with the Dutch. They found two other ships in company,
on board one of which was Mr. Ramburg, counsellor of the Indies.
Captain Pelsart went immediately on board his ship, where he
acquainted him with the nature of his misfortune, and went with him
afterwards to Batavia.
We will now leave the captain soliciting succours from the Governor-
General, in order to return to the crew who were left upon the
islands, among whom there happened such transactions as, in their
condition, the reader would little expect, and perhaps will hardly
credit! In order to their being thoroughly understood, it is
necessary to observe that they had for supercargo one Jerom
Cornelis, who had been formerly an apothecary at Harlem. This man,
when they were on the coast of Africa, had plotted with the pilot
and some others to run away with the vessel, and either to carry her
into Dunkirk, or to turn pirates in her on their own account. This
supercargo had remained ten days on board the wreck, not being able
in all that time to get on shore. Two whole days he spent on the
mainmast, floating to and fro, till at last, by the help of one of
the yards, he got to land. When he was once on shore, the command,
in the absence of Captain Pelsart, devolved of course upon him,
which immediately revived in his mind his old design, insomuch that
he resolved to lay hold of this opportunity to make himself master
of all that could be saved out of the wreck, conceiving that it
would be easy to surprise the captain on his return, and determining
to go on the account--that is to say, to turn pirate in the
captain's vessel. In order to carry this design into execution, he
thought necessary to rid themselves of such of the crew as were not
like to come into their scheme; but before he proceeded to dip his
hands in blood, he obliged all the conspirators to sign an
instrument, by which they engaged to stand by each other.
The whole ship's company were on shore in three islands, the
greatest part of them in that where Cornelis was, which island they
thought fit to call the burying-place of Batavia. One Mr. Weybhays
was sent with another body into an adjacent island to look for
water, which, after twenty days' search, he found, and made the
appointed signal by lighting three fires, which, however, were not
seen nor taken notice of by those under the command of Cornelis,
because they were busy in butchering their companions, of whom they
had murdered between thirty and forty; but some few, however, got
off upon a raft of planks tied together, and went to the island
where Mr. Weybhays was, in order to acquaint him with the dreadful
accident that had happened. Mr. Weybhays having with him forty-five
men, they all resolved to stand upon their guard, and to defend
themselves to the last man, in case these villains should attack
them. This indeed was their design, for they were apprehensive both
of this body, and of those who were on the third island, giving
notice to the captain on his return, and thereby preventing their
intention of running away with his vessel. But as this third
company was by much the weakest, they began with them first, and cut
them all off, except five women and seven children, not in the least
doubting that they should be able to do as much by Weybhays and his
company. In the meantime, having broke open the merchant's chests,
which had been saved out of the wreck, they converted them to their
own use without ceremony.
The traitor, Jerom Cornelis, was so much elevated with the success
that had hitherto attended his villainy, that he immediately began
to fancy all difficulties were over, and gave a loose to his vicious
inclinations in every respect. He ordered clothes to be made of
rich stuffs that had been saved, for himself and his troop, and
having chosen out of them a company of guards, he ordered them to
have scarlet coats, with a double lace of gold or silver. There
were two minister's daughters among the women, one of whom he took
for his own mistress, gave the second to a favourite of his, and
ordered that the other three women should be common to the whole
troop.
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