288 AN ENGLISH SHIP CAPTURED book iii
than
half the custom dues which they had hitherto paid, and that this
privilege should be perpetual. This treaty being made, the English
equipped a very fine vessel and placed a larger crew and more guns on
her than usual. The King of Japara's Envoy and two English merchants
embarked on the vessel to ratify the treaty with the King, who at once
signed it, being very well satisfied at seeing so fine a vessel, and he
concluded that the voyage both ways would be accomÂplished in safety.
Nine of the principal persons of his court, and the majority of his
relatives, with eighty or a hundred servants, and some other private
persons, delighted to find so good an opportunity of accomplishing
their pilgrimage, embarked with much joy on this large vessel. All this
was not done without the Dutch being aware of it, as, like the English,
they had their spies everywhere. As it was necessary to pass Bantam in
order to get out of the Straits, this being the only route, the General
of Batavia, who had notice of the time of departure, kept three large
war-vessels ready, of which M. Chevres,1 a Councillor of
India, and the Major were placed in command. They met the English
vessel off Bantam, and as it was about to enter the Straits sent a
cannon-shot as a signal to her to bring to ; this the English were
unwilling to do, seeing which the Dutch commenced to fire from all
three vessels. The English, who well knew that if this continued they
would be sent to the bottom, lowered sails and prepared to yield ; but
all the Javanese nobles, and those who accompanied them, cried out to
the English that they were traitors, and that the agreement which had
been made was intended to sell them and deliver them over to the mercy
of the Dutch. The Javanese at length seeing that no hope of safety was
left, and that the Dutch began to board the vessel, seized their
creases, or poisoned daggers, and began to run a muck 2
among the English, of whom they killed a large number before the latter
had time to place themselves on their defence. It is possible that not
one would have escaped if the Dutch had not speedily come on board,
when some of the Javanese nobles, twenty or thirty
1 Cheveres in ed. of 1678.
2 A Mocca in the original. The French edition of 1713 has it ' to cry Mocca' (cf, p. 280 n, above).
