I Offered As Much For Each As Would Have Bought A Slave
In Their Stead; But They Were Fit Instruments
For their purpose, being
practised in all manner of villainy, so that they would not part with
them, except for
Large sums; for all the Javans and Chinese, from the
highest to the lowest, are thorough-paced villains, without one spark of
grace. Were it not for the sabander and admiral, and one or two more,
who are natives of Clyn, there would be no living for Christians among
them, without a fort, or a strong house all of brick or stone. We did
not torture Boyhoy, because he had confessed, but crissed him.
Among the other instruments of the devil on earth in Bantam, there was a
kinsman of the king, named Pangram Mandelicko, who kept one of the
incendiaries of our house under his protection. He came one day to our
house to buy cloth, when I desired him to deliver up this fellow into
our hands, telling him how good it would be for the country to root out
all such villains. "Tell them so," said he, "who have the government in
their hands, or care for the good of the country, for I do not." On
another time, wanting me to give him credit for cloth to the value of
six or seven hundred pieces of eight, because I refused to trust him, he
went away very angry, saying at the gate, it was a pity our house was
not again set on fire.
The regent or protector gave us all the houses and ground that joined
our inclosure, and had belonged to the incendiaries that undermined our
house, but made us pay enormously dear for the property. We bought also
from a Pangram, or gentleman, a house which came so near the door of
our pepper warehouse as to be very troublesome to us, so that now we had
a spacious yard.
The 9th September, the regent made proclamation, that no Chinese should
weigh pepper to the English and Hollanders; which proclamation was
procured by the Hollanders, for they told us themselves that day at
dinner, that the protector owed them 10,000 sacks of pepper; but I said
to them that it was not so, as they would not be such fools as to trust
them so largely. I went next morning to an old woman, who was called
queen of the land by the sabander and others, and commands the
protector, though not even of the royal blood, but is held in such
estimation among them for her wisdom, that she rules as though she were
queen of the country. Having made known our griefs, she sent for the
protector that I might talk with him in her presence. I asked the reason
why he had prohibited our trade, on which he said that he must buy
10,000 sacks of pepper for the king; but I then said that I was informed
by the Hollanders he owed them 10,000 sacks, and that he was working
underhand for them against us. He used many shifts; but the old queen,
who was our fast friend, said he should not hurt us. Finding they could
have no trade with the people for pepper, the Hollanders had bribed the
protector into this plan. But if we had possessed 10,000 pieces of eight
more than we had, the Hollanders would have got little pepper that year
in Bantam, for they are much disliked, and what trade they have is
through fear of their ships, which they have in great numbers in those
seas.
In the end of September, the Pangran Mandelicko fell to robbing the
junks, and seized one from Johor laden with rice, and having a number of
men and women on board, all of whom he carried off as prisoners, and
converted the rice to his own use. This was a ready way to keep all
other junks from the place, and to starve the inhabitants, as the land
is not able to feed a quarter of its people. The king and protector sent
to command him to deliver up the people and goods, but he refused, and
fortified his house, being supported by all the other pangrans of the
royal blood, who were all, like him, traitors to the king, so that the
king's officers durst not meddle with him. The protector, sabander, and
admiral, sent to us to take heed to ourselves, as the rebels grew
stronger every day. I borrowed some small pieces of cannon of the
Chinese merchants, who were our friends, causing our men to make
chain-shot, lang-ridge, and bar-shot, and fortified our quarters the
best way I could with bushes and chains. So much were the inhabitants in
fear of the rebels, that all trade was at an end. Every day some spies
of the rebels used to come into our yard, very inquisitive about what we
were doing, so that we looked nightly to be attacked, and made every
preparation to give them a warm reception.
About the 20th October, the King of Jackatra came to Bantam with 1500
fighting men, besides stragglers, and was to be followed by 1000 more.
He challenged the rebels and pangrans to fight him, having a great
quarrel against them all, as they had endeavoured to have him deposed
from his kingdom. But the rebels kept within their fortifications. The
King of Jackatra and the Admiral of Bantam sent for us on the 26th
October, to know if there were any means to fire their fortifications
from a reasonable distance, beyond reach of their bases, of which they
had a great number. We told them, if we had a ship in the roads it might
have been easily done, but we hardly expected to find materials for the
purpose, such as camphor, salt-petre, and sulphur, having already some
other things, for the purpose of making fire-arrows.
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