We Were Told Likewise, That They Had Endeavoured To Prevail
On Their Black Slaves, By Promise Of Freedom And Great Rewards, To Come
Over Secretly To Puloroon And Set Fire To The Defence.
The Hollanders
also, threatened that we should carry no spices from Puloroon or any
other of the Banda islands.
Thereupon, considering our engagements with
the people of Puloroon, Wayre, and Rosinging, to all of whom we had
trusted our goods, and that we had ready at Puloroon a good quantity of
nutmegs and mace, and the threats of the Hollanders, we resolved to
maintain the honour of our king and country, and to defend the interest
of our employers, the honourable Company, to the utmost of our power.
For this purpose, we determined to land all the guns, provisions, and
stores, from the Defence, and to fortify the small island of Nylacka
adjoining to Puloroon; which the Hollanders proposed to have fortified
formerly; which, if they had done, would have commanded the road, and
done us much injury, as the people of Puloroon would have been prevented
from fishing, and English ships could not have come into the roads.
Having therefore landed all the ordnance of the Defence, except four
pieces of cannon, and being busied in erecting a fortification with the
assistance of the Bandanese, Mr Hinshley also, the master of the
Defence, being ashore, and every one hard at work landing the things,
except a few left on board to keep the ship, a conspiracy was entered
into by some of the men on the 20th March, 1617; and that same night
they cut the cables and so drove out to sea. Perceiving this from the
small island, we immediately sent a boat after them, advising them to
return with the ship: But the mutineers would neither listen to them,
nor suffer the boat to come near the ship, pointing their pieces at
them, and even fired one musket-shot to keep off the boat; which was
therefore compelled to return to the small island. There went away in
the Defence nine of our men, including John Christmas, the boatswain's
mate, and we could distinctly see them next day going into Nero roads
under sail, and come to anchor under the guns of the castle. As we
afterwards learnt, some of the runaways went immediately on shore to
inform the Dutch of their exploit, contending among themselves which of
them had piloted the ship. They even brought a can of wine ashore with
them, and drank to the Hollanders on landing.
The Dutch took immediate possession of the Defence, and brought all our
rascally deserters into their castle, where they examined them as to our
proceedings at Puloroon and Nylacka, in regard to our fortifications
and means of defence. By this scandalous affair, we were in great danger
of being all put to death by the Bandanese of Puloroon, as they
suspected the desertion of our ships to have been a concerted matter
between us and the Hollanders, on purpose to betray them.
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