fo they were to call us, and not fupercargoes, which would have created a jealoufythat we belonged to the Company;) to take care to keep the failors fober, and in goodorder ; with fome other inftructions Iefs material.
Having given them thefe general directions, we fent them away the 2d of July attwo o’clock in the morning. One of the Iinguifts was an Englilhman, the other aJavan, whom we hired at Batavia ; but we put moil confidence in the firft. They re-turned that very night, and told us, we fhould have an anfwer in feven days from theSultan of Caytangee, and in eleven from the Sultan of Negarree. They alfo broughtus a caution from the Banjareens to beware of fome large pirate praws manned withabout a hundred of the Byajo men, that lay fkulking thereabouts. But before thisadvice came, we were like to have felt fome of the cruel eifecis of their barbaritythrough our own inadvertency : for that day about noon we faw three large prawsunder the fhore, which had {hot up the river a little above our {hips: whereupon,imagining they were Banjareens, and hoping to get fome better information in relationto trade, I went into the long-boat in company with Mr. Bartholomew Swartz, chieffupercargo of the Borneo , Mr. John Beacher, chief fupercargo of my {hip, and Mr.John Gerard, our afliftant and purfer, with five men and a boy. We carried only twomulkets, and a fmall fowling-piece, with two cartouch-boxes ; but had we thought ofmeeting with fuch barbarians as we did, we fhould have been much better provided.We hoifted our fail, and flood towards them ; but they rowed with all their mightfrom Us and finding we were like to come up with them, they ran their three veffelsup a creek among the trees, which were exceeding thick, hanging over the water, andgave fo great a {helter that there was no wind for us to fail up the creek after them:however, we made in, thinking they were bound no further. But being come clofeto the mouth of the creek, we faw their praws a little way up, and no men in them :for they, being about a hundred in number, were got afliore among the trees, defign-ing to draw us in, and deftroy us all j which they might eafily have done, had theyall equalled the courage and refolution of their leader : for the creek was not aboveten yards over, and they exceeded us in number above ten to one, being armed withjavelins, fampits, and poifoned arrows. We called aloud, and afked them what theyhad to fell, with fome other queftions, but received no anfwer till we were got up intothe creek; when on a fudden we heard a horrible fhout, after the manner of thefebarbarians; and at the fame time their captain advanced boldly towards the boat,threw a javelin at us, and immediately after {hot an arrow. It was fortunate for usthat his men were not fo forward, and feemed difmayed, keeping back among thetrees, but let fly a fhower of their poifoned arrows among us, which however did usno damage. We immediately put ourfelves in a pofture of defence, and prefentedour fmall arms, but were at firft unwilling to fire, Ieaft fuch a proceeding {hould fruf-trate our defign of trading in the port. But feeing no other remedy, and perceivinghy their drefs and language that they were not Banjareens, we difcharged our piecesat them, which put them to flight, fcouring in among the trees; though even in theirretreatthey ceafed not to let fly their arrows atus, after the maner of the antientParthians. WhilflMr. Gerard was loading our guns again, we ufed our pocket-piftols, firing whereverwe faw a bufh wag. In the meantime the failors were in great confufion, but notI dle, haling the boat by the means of the boughs arid fhrubs, until they got her out;before which we had difcharged our pieces a fecond time. But we faw no more ofthefe villains, they being frightened at the noife, and danger of our fire-arms. Wewere not a little pleafed at our narrow elcape. What lofs the enemy had we knownot ; but our good fortune brought us off without fo much as one wound. Wev °l. xi. q brought