chap, xxv DUTCH CAPTIVES IN JAVA 289
of
their servants, and the passengers refused to accept quarter. The
combat was bloody, and seven or eight Dutchmen were killed. When the
English vessel was taken to Batavia, the Gteneral treated the crew with
much civility, and sent them back with their vessel, and afterwards
gave notice to the King of Japara that if he consented to make an
exchange of the Dutch prisoners, he would give him all satisfaction.
But the King would not listen to it, and replied that if the General
had taken three times as many of his subjects he would not give up the
Dutch prisoners whom he had in his power. Thus the poor Dutch remained
in slavery, and the Javanese died of poverty at Batavia, although,
through policy, they were sometimes stealthily assisted, so that the
King of Japara coming to know of it, through his spies, it might cause
him to treat the Dutch prisoners less harshly.
The
Javanese are very good soldiers. While Batavia was besieged by the King
of Bantam in the year 1659, a Dutch soldier was in ambuscade in a
march, and a Javanese advanced to see what the enemy were doing, not
thinking any of them were so close. The Dutchman thrust a pike into
him, and the Javanese feeling himself wounded, instead of withdrawing
the pike, pushed it into his body up to the hilt, where the Dutchman
held it, so as to be able to get near him, and give him two stabs with
his dagger in the stomach, of which the Dutchman died.
CHAPTER XXVI
The
Author renders the last duties to his brother, who died at Batavia, and
has fresh difficulties with the General and his Council.
Finding myself
without hope of being able to visit the King of Japara, I resolved to
embark in a small vessel which belonged to one of the citizens of
Batavia, and traded along the whole length of the western coast of
Sumatra. Here the principal part of the trade of this island, which
consists of very poor gold and pepper, is carried on. What induced me
to go was the opportunity it afforded of disposing of
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