1767. enced before. I had no white flag on board, and therefore,
NovcmiKr., as the belt expedient in my power, I ordered the Lieutenant,
Tuefday 3. whom i fent on fhore in the cutter, to difplay one o f my
table-cloths: as foon as the oflicer landed, the ftandard-
bearer and another came down to him unarmed, and received
him with great appearance of friendfliip. One o f
them addreffed him in Dutch, which none of our people-
underftood ; he then fpoke a few words in Spanifh, in which
one of the perfons o f the cutter was a confiderable proficient:
the Indian however fpoke it fo very imperfectly^,
that it was with great difficulty, and by the help o f many
figns, he made himfelf underftood ; poflibly i f any o f our
people had fpoken Dutch, he m ight hâve been found equally
deficient in that language. He afked for the Captain however
by the name o f the Ikipper, and enquired whether we
were Hollanders ; whether our ffiip was intended for merchandize
or for war ; how many guns and men ffie carried -,
and whether ihe had been, or was going to Batavia. When
we had fatisfied him in all thefe particulars, he faid that
we ffiould go to the town, and that he would introduce us
to the Governor, whom he diftinguiffied by the title o f
Raja. The Lieutenant then told him, that we intended to
go to the town, but that we were in immediate want of
water, and therefore defired permiffion to fill fome calks ;
he alfo requefted that the people who were armed with
bows and arrows might be ordered to a greater diftance.
With both thefe requifitions the Indian, who feemed to be
invefted with confiderable authority, complied; and as he
feemed to take particular notice of a filk handkerchief
which the Lieutenant had tied round his neck, it was immediately
prefented to him ; in return for which he defired
him to accept a kind of cravat, made o f coarfe callico,
which was tied round his own, his drefs being fomewhat
after
after the Dutch falhion. After this interchange o f cravats, 1767.
Tie enquired o f the officer whether the ffiip was furniffied >
with any articles for trade ; to which he anfwered that ffie T ° efdayh
was fufficiently furniffied to trade for provifions, but nothing
more: the Chief replied, that whatever we wanted we ffiould
have. After this conference, which I confidered as an ear-
heft of every advantage which this place could afford us,
the boats returned on board laden with water, and we went
cheerfully on with our bufinefs on board the ffiip. In about
two hours, however, we faw with equal furprife and concern,
many hundreds of armed men, polling themfelves in
parties at different places among the trees, upon the beach,
a-breaft o f the fliip ; their weapons were mufquets, bows
and arrows, long pikes or fpears, broad fwords, a kind o f
hanger called a crefs, and targets: we obferved alfo, that
they hauled a canoe, which lay under a ffied upon the
beach, up into the woods. Thefe were not friendly appearances,
and they were fucceeded by others that were Hill
more hoftile; for thefe people fpent all the remainder o f the
day in entering and ruffiing out of the woods, as i f they
had been making fallies to attack an enemy-, fometimes
ffiooting their arrows, and throwing their lances into the
water towards the ffiip; and fometimes lifting their targets,
and brandiffiing their fwords at us in a menacing manner.
In the mean time we were not idle on board : we got up our
guns, repaired our rigging, and put every thing in order
before evening, and then, being ready to fail, I determined,
i f poffible, to get another conference with the people on
ffiore, and learn the reafon o f fo fudden and unaccountable
a change of behaviour. The Lieutenant therefore was
again difpatched, and as a te'ftimony that our difpofition was
fiill peaceable, the table-cloth was again difplayed as a flag
o f truce. I had the precaution, however, to order the boat
3 E 3 ro