Indian Antiquary Vol 48

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Devadatta Ramkrishna Bhandarkar
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 173

SEPT.,-1019 ]
EPISODES OF PIRACY IN THE EASTERN SEAS
169
yeare forced them to leeward, which was the cause of mine unluckie meeting them. After I had haled them and made them come to leewerd, sending my boet aboord them, I found. them, by their men and furniture, very unproportionable for such & shippe as they were in ; which was a juncke not above seventie tunnes in burthen, and they were ninetie men, and most of them in too gallant a habit for Saylers, and such an equalitie of behaviour among them, that they seemed all fellowes [i.e., equals); yet one among them there was that they called Capitaine, but gave him little respect. I caused them to come to an anchor and, upon further examination, I found their lading to be only rice: and for the most part spilt fi.e., spoiled) with wet : for their shippe was leakie both under and above water. Upon questioning them, I understood them to be men of warre, that hed pilleged on the coast of China and Camboia, and, as I said before, bad cast away their shippe on the sholds of Borneo. Here wee road at anchor two dayes, enterteyning them with good usege, not taking anything from them, thinking to have gathered by their knowledge, the place and passege of certaine shippes on the coast of China to have made my voyage.19 But these Rogues, 20 beiog desperate in winds and fortunes, being hopelesse in that paltrie juncke ever to returne to their countrey, resolved with themselves either to gaine my shippe or to lose their lives. And upon mutuall courtesies with gifts and feastings betweene us, sometimes five and twentie or sixe and twentie of their chiefest came aboord ; whereof I would not suffer above size to bave weapons. There was never the like number of our men aboord their juncke. I willed Captaine John Davis in the morning to possesse himselfe of their weapons, and to put the Japanese) Companie before mast and to leave some guerd on their weapons, while they i.e., the English), searched in the rice, doubting that they by searching and by finding that which would dislike them [i.e., the Japanese), they might suddenly set upon my men and put them to the sword, as the sequell proved. Captaine Davis being beguiled with their humble semblance, would not possesse himself of their weapons, though I sent twice of purpose from my shippe to will him to doe it. They passed all the day, my men searching in the rice and they looking on : at the Sonne-setting, after long search and nothing found save a little Storax and some Benjamin,they, seeing opportunitie and talking to the rost of their Companie which were in my shippe, being neere to their juncke, they revolved at a watch-word betweene them, to set upon us resolutely in both shippes. This being concluded, they suddenly killed and drove over-boord all my men that were in their shippe, and those which were ahoord my shippe sellied out of my Cabbin, where they were put, with such weapons as they had, finding certaine targets in my Cabbin and other things that they used as weapons. My selfe, being aloft on the decke, knowing what was likely to follow, leapt into the waste, where with the Boate Swaines, carpenter and some few more, wee kept them under the halfe-decke. At their first comming forth of the Cabbin, they met Captaine Davis comming out of the gun-roome, whom they pulled into the Cabbin, and giving him six or seven mortall wounds, they thrust him out of the Cabbin before them. His wounds were so mortall that he dyed as soon as he came into the waste. They pressed 80 fiercely to come to us, 48 wee, receiving them on our pikes, they would gether on our pikes (.e., drag themselves along the pikes) with their hands to reach us with their swords. It was neere halfe an houre before wee could stone [sic] them backe into the Cablin: in which time wee had killed three or foure of their leaders. After they were driven into
19 To make voyage" meant to make a successful and profitable voyage," just as "to make Do yoyage" oant to make an unsuccessful and un profitable Vuyage."
* As late Dofoe, Rogwe was equivalent to Pirate. 21 Styrax and Bentoin, balsamic resins.