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. At this time I observed that it is an
error to suppose that it is always calm during an earthquake; for we had
a fine fresh gale at S.S.W. both days on which the earthquake happened.
Next day the court sat about eleven o'clock, continuing the trial; and
while the wife was in her greatest violence in the accusation of her
husband, the earth shook again with much violence, which obliged the
court again to break up.
That same day, the 28th September, I and four more of our men were sent
off for Batavia in a Chinese sloop, the other five men being promised to
be sent after us in a short time, but we never heard of them afterwards.
We sailed westwards till we came to the island of Lancas, in lat.
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