Few Of Us Who Were Now Here But Expected The Same Fate; And
Some Of The Inhabitants Did Not Scruple
To say that our only protection
was our journal, which had been sent to Batavia by the Dutch ship we
Met
when going into the harbour; as by this it would soon be known all over
India that a part of Captain Dampier's crew had arrived at Aniboina,
which would cause us to be enquired after.
A little to the eastward of Amboina there are several other small
islands, the most noted of which are Boangbessay and Hinomsa, only a
small distance east from Amboina. These two islands are moderately high,
and not above a third part so large as Amboina. They are both well
fortified, and produce store of cloves. The chief place for nutmegs is
the island of Banda, which also belongs to the Dutch, being in lat. 4 deg.
20' S. 28 leagues S.S.E. from Amboina. This island is said to have the
form of a man's leg and foot, and is well fortified. The governor of
Amboina is supreme over all the spice islands, even to Ternate and
Tidore, which are also spice islands belonging to the Dutch, and are
about forty miles to the north of the equator. We were so troubled at
Amboina by musquitoes, a sort of gnats, that we had every night to put
ourselves into a bag before we could go to sleep, as otherwise these
insects bit us so intolerably that we could get no rest. Wherever they
bit, there commonly rose a red blister, almost as broad as a silver
penny, which itched so violently that many cannot forbear from
scratching, so as to cause inflammations that sometimes aid in the loss
of a limb. During our stay, we were allowed to walk in a paved yard
about sixty yards square; but were not permitted to go into the town,
that we might not learn their strength, or make any discoveries
prejudicial to them.
We remained at Amboina from the 31st of May to the 14th of September,
1705, when three of their sloops were ready to sail with cloves to
Batavia, in which twenty-five of our men were sent away to Batavia, ten
of us being left behind, who they said were to be sent in another
vessel, almost ready to sail. On the 27th September, a Malay man was
brought to the Stadt-house to be tried for his life, being accused by
his own wife of having murdered his slave. The slave had been dead six
months, when the wife falling out with her husband, she went to the
fiscal in the heat of her rage and revealed the murder, on which the
husband was thrown into prison, but it was generally believed that he
was wrongfully accused by his wife. During his trial the earthquake took
place, formerly mentioned, which made the court break up, fearful the
house might fall on their heads.
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