We Also Shewed Him The Instrument By Which Puloroon Was
Surrendered To Us, And Our Consequent Right To Keep Possession
For the
king of England, which we were determined upon doing to the utmost of
our power, wishing them to
Be well advised in their proceedings, as they
might expect to be shortly called to answer for their abusive words and
injurious conduct to the English. We also demanded the restoration of
Puloway, which had likewise been lawfully surrendered to the king of
England. After this, we enquired if they had received any previous
surrender at Puloroon, but they could not say they had any; and, when we
shewed the formal surrender made to our king, which their chaplain
perused, he acknowledged that it was a true surrender.
All this while the glass was running in the great cabin before their
eyes, putting them in mind to be gone. We also told them plainly, that
we believed their only purpose in coming here was to betray us, and to
drive us from the island by treachery or force, of which scandalous
conduct our nation had already had divers experience from theirs;
wherefore we neither could nor would trust them any more, and we must
insist upon their departure; as, when the glass was six times run out,
they must expect to be shot at from the shore; and, if they fired in
return against the islanders, or shewed any discourtesy or wrong to
them, we should consider it as hostility to us, and would defend them,
being now the subjects of our king. They desired to remain till next
day, which we would not agree to, doubting that more of their ships
might come to join them. They then desired to stay till midnight; which
we agreed to, on condition that we saw them preparing to weigh their
anchors, in which case we said that notice should be sent ashore to the
Bandanese, not to fire upon them.
I also demanded to know from Dedall, what was their purpose in thus
coming into the road of Puloroon, unless to molest us. He pretended that
it was their usual custom in passing that island. But I told them that
was not true, as the islanders had declared there never was any
christian ship in their roads till we came. So he remained silent. They
came to anchor in the roads this day about three in the afternoon, and
departed about eleven at night. We have been since certainly informed,
that their purpose was to have taken possession of our ships by
treachery, or to have driven us out of the roads, and only gave up their
intentions on seeing that we were fortified on shore. Had they then
assailed us, we had little doubt of being able to have defended
ourselves against them, as we had both forts in readiness, the cannon
charged, and the gunners prepared to give fire, on the first signal from
our ships.
A Dutch ship and pinnace came from Nero on the 10th January; the pinnace
edging near the small island or high sand, called Nylacka.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 372 of 474
Words from 193627 to 194146
of 247546
