126
the rebels, and of the caufe, which I hinted at before, of their riling ; how that he hadheaded the Sultan ’s forces twice againfl: them, and having routed them each time, hadbrought down feveral of their chief prifoners to His Majelly, who thinking to win theiraffections by clemency, pardoned them, and having loaded them with feveral prefentsand marks of his tender indulgence, he fent them back, exhorting them to continueftedfaft in their duty and loyalty towards him for the future. However, that this hadno effedl upon their ftubborn ungrateful minds, but that they rebelled a fecond time.That he was now defired again by the Sultan to march againft them ; “ but (adds he)if I do, I {hall take care not to bring them hither to be punifhed.”
The day proved very rainy, which prevented the defxgn he had of giving us thediverfion of ftag-hunting, for which purpofe he had ordered horfes to be got ready forus. He told us their method of hunting, viz. feveral men well mounted, with fpearsabout fix feet long in their hands, take out one or two of their mongrel dogs, whofoon rouze the game, which is in a very little time run down (the deer in that countrybeing very fat, and confequently eafy to be overtaken) by the dogs and horfes, andthen they flick them with their fpears. We diverted ourfelves in the afternoon with{hooting at a mark with his cannon, over which he had caufed a fhed to be built whilewe were at dinner, to fhelter us from the rain, which was very violent. I have greatreafon to believe that they get a great part of their gold at the head of this river, whichcannot be much farther up the country, by reafon of the prodigious high hills that arenot far from hence. One Cay Deponatee informed me, that this river fprings fromthe top of one of the higheft of thefe mountains, from which it falls in a moft wonder-ful cataract. Having taken our leave of the Prince, we returned that night to Cayton-gee, and lay at Cay Demon’s houfe, which we preferred to Cay Arrea’s, by reafon wehad there much better lodgings and entertainment. The next day we returned to ourfactory. At this time the rainy feafon was begun, but the land was not yet overflownabout the city of Caytongee.
Whilfl: we continued here buying our cargo, the gunner of the Borneo , and mine,went up with the Indians on the 3d of September, according to the promife we madeto the Sultan , to aflift againft the rebels. Thefe wars retarded very much our loading,and the rains being now come, we were very much afraid that the enemy could notbe fubdued this year ; if fo, it was impoflible for us to load both our Ihips : but on the14th we were fomewhat encouraged by the coming of the Prince of Negaree with fixpraws of war, and a great number of men, it being in his way ; for he mull have comedown this fmaller ftream to go up the main river againfl the rebels. He caufed his(hips to anchor before our houfe, and did us the honour to come to fee us. He madeus the compliment of telling us, that it was chiefly for our fakes that he was prevailedupon to go againfl them any more, and that if he had fuccefs he would immediatelydifpatch our loading. However the rains continued fo violently, that we were verydubious of the poflibility of his attacking them, or of the pepper’s being cured thatfeafon. This made us confider, whether it was proper to keep both our Ihips there inexpectation, or to difpatch one to Bencouli in the ifland of Sumatra , before the wefterlymonfoons were fet in ; for if not, fhe mull have lain fix months longer on demurragein this port: and {hould we not find pepper enough for us both, it would have beena great and needlefs trouble to us, and expence to our mailers. After having con-sidered thereon, we refolved to fend away our confort the Borneo . Our gunners werenow returned from Negarree, and gave us an account that the rebels had been forcedto retire, by reafon of the rains that had already overflown a great part of the countryabout that place; that they had attacked the caftle, but were repulfed.
We