by Daniel Defoe
his due, proposed our building a little City here, establishing our selves on
Shore, with a good Fortification, and Works proper to defend our selves; and
that, as we had Wealth enough, and could encrease it to what Degree we pleased,
we should content our selves to retire here, and bid Defiance to the World. But
I soon convinc'd him that this Place would be no Security to us, if we pretended
to carry on our cruising Trade: For that then all the Nations of Europe, and
indeed of that Part of the World, would be engaged to root us out. But if we
resolved to live there, as in a Retirement, and plant in the Country, as private
Men, and give over our Trade of Pyrating, then indeed we might Plant, and settle
our selves where we pleased; but then I told him, the best Way would be to treat
with the Natives, and buy a Tract of Land of them, farther up the Country,
seated upon some navigable River, where Boats might go up and down for Pleasure,
but not Ships to endanger us: That thus Planting the high Ground with Cattle,
such as Cows and Goats, of which the Country also was full, to be sure we might
live here as well as any Men in the World; and I owned to him, I thought it was
a good Retreat for those that were willing to leave off, and lay down, and yet
did not care to venture home and be hanged; that is to say, to run the Risque of
it.
Captain Avery, however he made no positive Discovery of his Intentions, seemed
to me to decline my Notion of going up into the Country to Plant; on the
contrary, it was apparent he was of Captain Wilmot's Opinion, that they might
maintain themselves on Shore, and yet carry on their cruising Trade too; and
upon this they resolved: But as I afterwards understood, about fifty of their
Men went up the Country, and settled themselves in an Inland Place, as a Colony;
whether they are there still or not, I cannot tell, or how many of them are left
alive; but it's my Opinion, they are there still, and that they are considerably
encreased, for as I hear, they have got some Women among them, tho' not many;
for it seems five Dutch Women, and three or four little Girls were taken by them
in a Dutch Ship which they afterwards took going to Mocha, and three of those
Women marrying some of these Men, went with them to live in their new
Plantation; but of this I only speak by Hear-say.
As we lay here some time, I found our People mightily divided in their Notions;
some were for going this Way, and some that, till at last I began to foresee
they would part Company, and perhaps we should not have Men enough to keep
together, to Man the great Ship, so I took Captain Wilmot aside, and began to
talk to him about it; but soon perceived that he enclined himself to stay at
Madagascar, and having got a vast Wealth for his own Share, had secret Designs
of getting Home some Way or other.
I argued the Impossibility of it, and the Hazard he would run, either of falling
into the Hands of Thieves and Murtherers in the Red Sea, who would never let
such a Treasure as his was pass their Hands, or of his falling into the Hands of
the English, Dutch, or French, who would certainly hang him for a Pyrate. I gave
him an Account of the Voyage I had made from this very Place to the Continent of
Africk, and what a Journey it was to travel on Foot.
In short, nothing could perswade him, but he would go into the Red Sea with the
Sloop, and where the Children of Israel past through the Sea dry-shod, and
landing there, would travel to Grand Cairo by Land, which is not above eighty
Miles, and from thence he said he could Ship himself by the Way of Alexandria,
to any Part of the World.
I represented the Hazard, and indeed the Impossibility of his passing by Mocha,
and Judda, without being attack'd, if he offered it by Force; or plundered, if
he went to get Leave, and explained the Reasons of it so much, and so
effectually, that tho' at last he would not hearken to it himself, none of his
Men would go with him. They told him, they would go any where with him, to serve
him, but that this was running himself and them into certain Destruction,
without any Possibility of avoiding it, or Probability of answering his End. The
Captain took what I said to him quite wrong, and pretended to resent it, and
gave me some Buccanier Words upon it; but I gave him no Return to it, but this,
that I advised him for his Advantage, that if he did not understand it so, it
was his Fault, not mine; that I did not forbid him to go, nor had I offered to
perswade any of the Men not to go with him, tho' it was to their apparent
Destruction.
However, warm Heads are not easily cooled; the Captain was so eager, that he
quitted our Company, and with most Part of his Crew, went over to Captain Avery,
and sorted with his People, taking all the Treasure with him, which, by the Way,
was not very fair in him, we having agreed to share all our Gains, whether more
or less, whether absent or present.
Our Men mutter'd a little at it, but I pacified them as well as I could, and
told them, it was easy for us to get as much, if we minded our Hits; and Captain
Wilmot had set us a very good Example: For by the same Rule, the Agreement of
any farther Sharing of Profits with them, was at an End. I took this Occasion to
put into their Heads, some Part of my farther Designs, which were, to range over
the Eastern Sea, and see if we could not make our selves as rich as Mr. Avery,
who, it was true, had gotten a prodigious deal of Money, tho' not one Half of
what was said of it in Europe.
Our Men were so pleased with my forward, enterprizing Temper, that they assured
me that they would go with me, one and all, over the whole Globe, wherever I
would carry them; and as for Captain Wilmot, they would have nothing more to do
with him. This came to his Ears, and put him into a great Rage; so that he
threaten'd, if I came on Shore, he would cut my Throat.
I had Information of it privately, but took no Notice of it at all, only I took
Care not to go unprovided for him, and seldom walked about but in very good
Company. However, at last Captain Wilmot and I met, and talked over the Matter
very seriously, and I offered him the Sloop to go where he pleased: Or, if he
was not satisfied with that, I offered to take the Sloop, and leave him the
great Ship. But he declined both, and only desired that I would leave him six
Carpenters, which I had in our Ship, more than I had need of, to help his Men to
finish the Sloop that was begun before we came thither, by the Men that lost his
Ship. This I consented readily to, and lent him several other Hands that were
useful to them, and in a little time they built a stout Brigantine able to carry
fourteen Guns, and two Hundred Men.
What Measures they took, and how Captain Avery managed afterwards, is too long a
Story to meddle with here; nor is it any of my Business, having my own Story
still upon my Hands.
We lay here about these several simple Disputes almost five Months, when about
the latter End of March I set Sail with the great Ship, having in her forty four
Guns, and four hundred Men, and th
e Sloop, carrying eighty Men. We did not steer
to the Malabar Coast, and so to the Gulph of Persia, as was at first intended,
the East Monsoons blowing yet too strong, but we kept more under the African
Coast, where we had the Wind variable till we pass'd the Line, and made the Cape
Bassa in the Latitude of four Degrees 10 Minutes; from thence, the Monsoons
beginning to change to the N. E. and N. N. E. we led it away, with the Wind
large, to the Maldivies, a famous Ledge of Islands, well known by all the
Sailors who have gone into those Parts of the World; and, leaving these Islands
a little to the South, we made Cape Comerin, the Southermost Land of the Coast
of Malabar, and went round the Isle of Ceylon. Here we lay by a while, to wait
for Purchase; and here we saw three large English East-India Ships going from
Bengal, or from Fort St. George, home ward for England, or rather for Bombay and
Surat, till the Trade set in.
We brought to, and hoisting an English Ancient and Pendant, lay by for them, as
if we intended to attack them. They could not tell what to make of us a good
while, though they saw our Colours; and, I believe, at first they thought us to
be French; but as they came nearer to us, we let them soon see what we were, for
we hoisted a black Flag with two cross Daggers in it, on our Main Top-mast Head,
which let them see what they were to expect.
We soon found the Effect of this; for, at first they spread their Antients, and
made up to us in a Line as if they would fight us, having the Wind off Shore
fair enough, to have brought them on board us; but when they saw what Force we
were of, and found we were Cruisers of another kind, they stood away from us
again, with all the Sail they could make. If they had come up, we should have
given them an unexpect Welcome, but as it was, we had no Mind to follow them, so
we let them go for the same Reasons which I mentioned before.
But though we let them pass, we did not design to let others go, at so easy a
Price: It was but the next Morning that we saw a Sail, standing round Cape
Comeriw, and steering, as we thought, the same Course with us. We knew not at
first what to do with her, because she had the Shore on her Larboard Quarter,
and if we offered to chase her, she might put into any Port or Creek, and escape
us; but to prevent this, we sent the Sloop, to get in between her and the Land;
as soon as she saw that, she haled in to keep the Land aboard, and when the
Sloop stood towards her, she made right ashore with all the Canvas she could
spread.
The Sloop however came up with her, and engaged her, and found she was a Vessel
of ten Guns, Portuguese built, but in the Dutch Traders Hands, and manned by
Dutchmen, who were bound from the Gulph of Persia, to Batavia, to fetch Spices
and other Goods from thence. The Sloop's Men took her, and had the Rummaging of
her before we came up: She had in her some European Goods, and a good round Sum
of Money, and some Pearl; so that tho' we did not go to the Gulph for the Pearl,
the Pearl came to us out of the Gulph, and we had our Share of it. This was a
rich Ship, and the Goods were of very considerable Value, besides the Money and
the Pearl.
We had a long Consultation here, what we should do with the Men; for, to give
them the Ship, and let them pursue their Voyage to Java, would be to alarm the
Dutch Factory there, who are by far the strongest in the Indies, and to make our
Passage that Way impracticable; whereas we resolved to visit that Part of the
World, in our Way, but were not willing to pass the great Bay of Bengal, where
we hoped for a great deal of Purchase; and therefore it behoved us not to be
Way-laid before we came there, because they knew we must pass by the Streights
of Malacca, or those of Sundy, and either Way it was very easy to prevent us.
While we were consulting this in the great Cabin, the Men had had the same
Debate before the Mast, and it seems the Majority there were for pickling up the
poor Dutchmen among the Herrings; in a Word, they were for throwing them all
into the Sea. Poor William the Quaker was in great Concern about this, and comes
directly to me, to talk about it. Hark thee, says William, what wilt thou do
with these Dutchmen thou hast on board, thou wilt not let them go I suppose,
says He? Why says I, William, would you advise me to let them go? No, says
William, I cannot say it is fit for thee to let them go; that is to say, to go
on with their Voyage to Batavia, because it is not for thy Turn, that the Dutch
at Batavia should have any Knowledge of thy being in these Seas. Well then, says
I, to him, I know no Remedy but to throw them Overboard. You know William, says
I, a Dutchman swims like a Fish, and all our People here are of the same Opinion
as well as I; at the same time I resolved it should not be done, but wanted to
hear what William would say: But he gravely replyed, if all the Men in the Ship
were of that Mind, I will never believe that thou wilt be of that Mind thy self;
for I have heard thee protest against Cruelty in all other Cases. Well William
says I, that is true, but what then shall we do with them? Why, says William, is
there no way but to murther them? I am perswaded thou canst not be in earnest;
no indeed William, says I, I am not in earnest, but they shall not go Iava, no
nor to Ceylon, that is certain. But, says William, the Men have done thee no
Injury at all, thou hast taken a great Treasure from them, what canst thou
pretend to hurt them for? Nay, William, says I, do not talk of that, I have
Pretence enough if that be all: My Pretence is to prevent doing me hurt, and
that is as necessary a Piece of the Law of Self-Preservation as any you can
name; but the main Thing is, I know not what to do with them to prevent their
prating.
While William and I was talking, the poor Dutchmen were openly condemned to die
as it maybe called, by the whole Ship's Company; and so warm were the Men upon
it, that they grew very clamorous; and when they heard that William was against
it, some of them swore they should die, and if William opposed it, he should
drown along with them.
But, as I was resolved to put an End to their cruel Project, so I found it was
time to take upon me a little, or the bloody Humour might grow too strong; so I
called the Dutchmen up, and talked a little with them. First, I asked them if
they were willing to go with us; two of them offered it presently, but the rest,
which were fourteen, declined it. Well then, said I, where would you go? They
desired they should go to Ceylon. No, I told them, I could not allow them to go
to any Dutch Factory, and told them very plainly the Reasons of it, which they
could not deny to be just. I let them know also the cruel bloody Measures of our
Men, but that I had resolved to save them, if possible, and therefore I told
them, I would set them on Shore at some English factory in the Bay of Bengal, or
put them on board any English Ship I met, after I was past the Streights of
Sundy or of Malacca, but not before; for as to my coming back again, I told
them, I would run the ve
nture of their Dutch Power from Batavia, but I would not
have the News come there before me, because it would make all their Merchant
Ships lay up, and keep out of our Way.
It come next into our Consideration, what we should do with their Ship? but this
was not long resolving; for there were but two Ways, either to set her on Fire,
or to run her on Shore, and we chose the last; so we set her Fore-Sail with the
Tack at the Cat-head, and leasht her Helm a little to Starboard, to answer her
Head-Sail, and so set her a-going, with neither Cat or Dog in her, and it was
not above two Hours before we saw her run right ashore upon the Coast, a little
beyond the Cape Comerin, and away we went round about Ceylon, for the Coast of
Coromandel.
We sailed along there, not in Sight of the Shore, only, but so near, as to see
the Ships in the Road at Fort St. David, Fort St. George, and at the other
Factories along that Shore, as well as along the Coast of Galconda, carying our
English Antient, when we came near the Dutch Factories, and Dutch Colours when
we past by the English Factories. We met with little Purchase upon this Coast,
except two small Vessels of Golconda, bound cross the Bay with Bales of
Callicoes and Muslins, and wrought Silks, and fifteen Bales of Romalls, from the
Bottom of the Bay, which were going, on whose Account we knew not, to Achin, and
to other Ports on the Coast of Malacca; we did not enquire to what Place in
particular, but we let the Vessels go, having none but Indians on board.
In the Bottom of the Bay, we met with a great Jonk belonging to the Mogul's
Court, with a great many People, Passengers as we supposed them to be; it seems
they were bound for the River Hugely, or Ganges and came from Sumatra; this was
a Prize worth taking indeed, and we got so much Gold in her, besides other Goods
which we did not meddle with, Peper in particular, that it had like to have put
an End to our Cruise; for almost all my Men said we were rich enough, and
desired to go back again to Madagascar; but I had other things in my Head still,
and when I came to talk to them, and set Friend William to talk with them, we
put such further Golden Hopes into their Heads, that we soon prevailed with them
to let us go on.
My next Design was, to leave all the dangerous Streights of Malacca, Sincapore,
and Sundy, where we could expect no great Booty, but what we might light on in
European Ships, which we must fight for; and tho' we were able to fight, and
wanted no Courage, even to Desperation; yet we were rich too, and resolved to be
richer, and took this for our Maxim: That while we were sure the Wealth we
sought was to be had without fighting, we had no Occasion to put our selves to
the Necessity of fighting for that which would come upon easy Terms.
We left therefore the Bay of Bengal, and coming to the Coast of Sumatra, we put
in at a small Port, where there was a Town, inhabited only by Mallayans, and
here we took in fresh Water, and a large Quantity of good Pork pickled up, and
well salted, notwithstanding the Heat of the Climate, being in the very Middle
of the Torrid Zone, viz. In three Degrees, fifteen Minutes North Latitude. We
also took on board both our Vessels, forty Hogs alive, which served us for fresh
Provisions, having Abundance of Food for them such as the Country produced; such
as Guams, Potatoes, and a sort of coarse Rice good for nothing else, but to feed
the Swine. We killed one of these Hogs every Day, and found them to be excellent
Meat. We took in also a monstrous Quantity of Ducks, and Cocks and Hens, the
same kind as we have in England, which we kept for Change of Provisions, and if
I remember right, we had no less than two Thousand of them; so that at first we
were pestered with them very much, but we soon lessened them by boiling,
roasting, stewing, &c. for we never wanted while we had them.
