About This Time, We Got Notice From The Admiral And Other Friends To Be
Much On Our Guard, As Some
Of the principal natives in respect to birth,
though not in wealth or office, had conspired to murder us for
The sake
of our goods, and then to give out that it had been done by the
Lampons. These devils came several times in the intention to execute
their horrid purpose, but seeing always lights about our house, which we
had set up that we might see them, and hearing our drum at the end of
every watch, their hearts failed them for fear of our small arms, both
which and our murderers [blunderbusses] we had always ready for their
reception. At length they fell out among themselves and dispersed.
By our continual alarms, and the grievous outcries of men, women, and
children, who were nightly murdered around us, our men were so wrought
upon, that even in their sleep they would dream of pursuing the Javans,
and would suddenly start out of bed, catch at their weapons, and even
wound each other before those who had the watch could part them; but yet
we durst not remove their weapons, lest they should be instantly wanted,
of which we were in constant dread. Being but few of us, I had to take
my regular turn of watch with the rest, and have often been more in fear
of our own men than of the Javans, so that I had often to snatch up a
target when I heard them making any noise in their sleep, lest they
might treat me as they did each other.
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