History of the Buccaneers of America Part 15

They quitted this commodious Port on the 12th; the weather had become moderate, and they proceeded Westward for the River and City of _Mindanao_. The Southern part of the Island appeared better peopled than the Eastern part; they pa.s.sed many fishing boats, 'and now and then a small village.'

[Sidenote: River of Mindanao.] On the 18th, they anch.o.r.ed before the _River of Mindanao_, in 15 fathoms depth, the bottom hard sand, about two miles distant from the sh.o.r.e, and three or four miles from a small Island which was without them to the Southward. The river is small, and had not more than ten or eleven feet depth over the bar at spring tides. Dampier gives the lat.i.tude of the entrance 6 22' N.

[Sidenote: City of Mindanao.] The buccaneer ships on anchoring saluted with seven guns, under English colours, and the salute was returned with three guns from the sh.o.r.e. 'The City of _Mindanao_ is about two miles from the sea. It is a mile long, of no great breadth, winding with the banks of the river, on the right hand going up, yet it has many houses on the opposite side of the river.' The houses were built upon posts, and at this time, as also during a great part of the succeeding month, the weather was rainy, and 'the city seemed to stand as in a pond, so that there was no pa.s.sing from one house to another but in canoes.'

The Island _Mindanao_ was divided into a number of small states. The port at which the Cygnet and her tender now anch.o.r.ed, with a large district of country adjacent, was under the dominion of a Sultan or Prince, who appears to have been one of the most powerful in the Island. The Spaniards had not established their dominion over all the _Philippine Islands_, and the inhabitants of this place were more apprehensive of the Hollanders than of any other Europeans; and on that account expressed some discontent when they understood the Cygnet was not come for the purpose of making a settlement. On the afternoon of their arrival, Swan sent an officer with a present to the Sultan, consisting of scarlet cloth, gold lace, a scymitar, and a pair of pistols; and likewise a present to another great man who was called the General, of scarlet cloth and three yards of silver lace. The next day, Captain Swan went on sh.o.r.e and was admitted to an audience in form. The Sultan shewed him two letters from English merchants, expressing their wishes to establish a factory at _Mindanao_, to do which he said the English should be welcome. A few days after this audience, the Cygnet and tender went into the river, the former being lightened first to get her over the bar. Here, similar to the custom in the ports of _China_, an officer belonging to the Sultan went on board and measured the ships.

Voyagers or travellers who visit strange countries, generally find, or think, it necessary to be wary and circ.u.mspect: mercantile voyagers are on the watch for occasions of profit, and the inquisitiveness of men of observation will be regarded with suspicion; all which, however familiarity of manners may be a.s.sumed, keeps cordiality at a distance, and causes them to continue strangers. The present visitors were differently circ.u.mstanced and of different character: their pursuits at _Mindanao_ were neither to profit by trade nor to make observation. Long confined with pockets full of money which they were impatient to exchange for enjoyment, with minds little troubled by considerations of economy, they at once entered into familiar intercourse with the natives, who were gained almost as much by the freedom of their manners as by their presents, and with whom they immediately became intimates and inmates. The same happened to Drake and his companions, when, returning enriched with spoil from the _South Sea_, they stopped at the Island _Java_; and we read no instance of Europeans arriving at such sociable and friendly intercourse with any of the natives of _India_, as they became with the people of _Java_ during the short time they remained there, except in the similarly circ.u.mstanced, instance of the crew of the Cygnet among the Mindanayans.

By the length of their stay at _Mindanao_, Dampier was enabled to enter largely into descriptions of the natives, and of the country, and he has related many entertaining particulars concerning them. Those only in which the Buccaneers were interested will be noticed here.

The Buccaneers were at first prodigal in their gifts. When any of them went on sh.o.r.e, they were welcomed and invited to the houses, and were courted to form particular attachments. Among many nations of the East a custom has been found to prevail, according to which, a stranger is expected to choose some individual native to be his friend or comrade; and a connexion so formed, and confirmed with presents, is regarded, if not as sacred, with such high respect, that it is held most dishonourable to break it. The visitor is at all times afterwards welcome to his comrade's house. The _tayoship_, with the ceremony of exchanging names, among the South Sea islanders, is a bond of fellowship of the same nature. The people of _Mindanao_ enlarged and refined upon this custom, and allowed to the stranger a _pagally_, or platonic friend of the other s.e.x. The wives of the richest men may be chosen, and she is permitted to converse with her pagally in public. 'In a short time,' says Dampier, 'several of our men, such as had good clothes and store of gold, had a comrade or two, and as many pagallies.' Some of the crew hired, and some purchased, houses, in which they lived with their comrades and pagallies, and with a train of servants, as long as their means held out. 'Many of our Squires,'

continues Dampier, 'were in no long time eased of the trouble of counting their money. This created a division of the crew into two parties, that is to say, of those who had money, and those who had none. As the latter party increased, they became dissatisfied and unruly for want of action, and continually urged the Captain to go to sea; which not being speedily complied with, they sold the ship's stores and the merchants' goods to procure arrack.' Those whose money held out, were not without their troubles. The Mindanayans were a people deadly in their resentments.

Whilst the Cygnet lay at _Mindanao_, sixteen Buccaneers were buried, most of whom, Dampier says, died by poison. 'The people of _Mindanao_ are expert at poisoning, and will do it upon small occasions. Nor did our men want for giving offence either by rogueries, or by familiarities with their women, even before their husbands' faces. They have poisons which are slow and lingering; for some who were poisoned at _Mindanao_, did not die till many months after.'

Towards the end of the year they began to make preparation for sailing. It was then discovered that the bottom of the tender was eaten through by worms in such a manner that she would scarcely swim longer in port, and could not possibly be made fit for sea. The Cygnet was protected by a sheathing which covered her bottom, the worms not being able to penetrate farther than to the hair which was between the sheathing and the main plank.

[Sidenote: January, 1687.] In the beginning of January (1687), the Cygnet was removed to without the bar of the river. Whilst she lay there, and when Captain Swan was on sh.o.r.e, his Journal was accidentally left out, and thereby liable to the inspection of the crew, some of whom had the curiosity to look in it, and found there the misconduct of several individuals on board, noted down in a manner that seemed to threaten an after-reckoning. This discovery increased the discontents against Swan to such a degree, that when he heard of it he did not dare to trust himself on board, and the discontented party took advantage of his absence and got the ship under sail. Captain Swan sent on board Mr. Harthope, one of the Supercargoes, to see if he could effect a reconciliation. The princ.i.p.al mutineers shewed to Mr. Harthope the Captain's Journal, 'and repeated to him all his ill actions, and they desired that he would take the command of the ship; but he refused, and desired them to tarry a little longer whilst he went on sh.o.r.e and communed with the Captain, and he did not question but all differences would be reconciled. They said they would wait till two o'clock; but at four o'clock, Mr. Harthope not having returned, and no boat being seen coming from the sh.o.r.e, they made sail and put to sea with the ship, leaving their Commander and 36 of the crew at _Mindanao_.' Dampier was among those who went in the ship; but he disclaims having had any share in the mutiny.

CHAP. XXI.

_The =Cygnet= departs from =Mindanao=. At the =Ponghou Isles=.

At the =Five Islands=. =Dampier's= Account of the =Five Islands=. They are named the =Bashee Islands=._

[Sidenote: 1687. January. South Coast of Mindanao.] It was on the 14th of January the Cygnet sailed from before the _River Mindanao_. The crew chose one John Reed, a Jamaica man, for their Captain. They steered Westward along the coast of the South side of the Island, 'which here tends WbS, the land of a good height, with high hills in the country.' The 15th, they were abreast a town named _Chambongo_ [in the charts _Samboangan_] which Dampier reckoned to be 30 leagues distant from the _River of Mindanao_.

The Spaniards had formerly a fort there, and it is said to be a good harbour. 'At the distance of two or three leagues from the coast, are many small low Islands or Keys; and two or three leagues to the Southward of these Keys is a long Island stretching NE and SW about twelve leagues[81].'

[Sidenote: Among the Philippine Islands.] When they were past the SW part of _Mindanao_, they sailed Northward towards _Manila_, plundering the country vessels that came in their way. What was seen here of the coasts is noticed slightly and with uncertainty. They met two Mindanao vessels laden with silks and calicoes; and near _Manila_ they took some Spanish vessels, one of which had a cargo of rice.

[Sidenote: March. Pulo Condore.] From the _Philippine Islands_ they went to the Island _Pulo Condore_, where two of the men who had been poisoned at _Mindanao_, died. 'They were opened by the surgeon, in compliance with their dying request, and their livers were found black, light, and dry, like pieces of cork.'

[Sidenote: In the China Seas.] From _Pulo Condore_ they went cruising to the _Gulf of Siam_, and to different parts of the _China Seas_. What their success was, Dampier did not think proper to tell, for it would not admit of being palliated under the term Buccaneering. Among their better projects and contrivances, one, which could only have been undertaken by men confident in their own seamanship and dexterity, was to search at the _Prata Island and Shoal_, for treasure which had been wrecked there, the recovery of which no one had ever before ventured to attempt. In pursuit of this scheme, they unluckily fell too far to leeward, and were unable to beat up against the wind.

[Sidenote: July. Ponghou Isles. The Five Islands.] In July they went to the _Ponghou Islands_, expecting to find there a port which would be a safe retreat. On the 20th of that month, they anch.o.r.ed at one of the Islands, where they found a large town, and a Tartar garrison. This was not a place where they could rest with ease and security. Having the wind at SW, they again got under sail, and directed their course to look for some Islands which in the charts were laid down between _Formosa_ and _Luconia_, without any name, but marked with the figure 5 to denote their number. These Buccaneers, or rather pirates, had no other information concerning the _Five Islands_ than seeing them on the charts, and hoped to find them without inhabitants.

Dampier's account of the _Five Islands_ would lose in many respects if given in any other than his own words, which therefore are here transcribed.

[Sidenote: Dampier's Description of the Five Islands.] 'August the 6th, We made the _Islands_; the wind was at South, and we fetched in with the Westernmost, which is the largest, on which we saw goats, but could not get anchor-ground, therefore we stood over to others about three leagues from this, and the next forenoon anch.o.r.ed in a small Bay on the East side of the Easternmost Island in fifteen fathoms, a cable's length from the sh.o.r.e; and before our sails were furled we had a hundred small boats aboard, with three, four, and some with six men in them. [Sidenote: August 7th.] There were three large towns on the sh.o.r.e within the distance of a league. Most of our people being aloft (for we had been forced to turn in close with all sail abroad, and when we anch.o.r.ed, furled all at once) and our deck being soon full of Indian natives, we were at first alarmed, and began to get our small-arms ready; but they were very quiet, only they picked up such old iron as they found upon our deck. At last, one of our men perceived one of them taking an iron pin out of a gun-carriage, and laid hold of him, upon which he bawled out, and the rest leaped into their boats or overboard, and they all made away for the sh.o.r.e. But when we perceived their fright, we made much of him we had in hold, and gave him a small piece of iron, with which we let him go, and he immediately leaped overboard and swam to his consorts, who hovered near the ship to see the issue. Some of the boats came presently aboard again, and they were always afterward very honest and civil. We presently after this, sent our canoe on sh.o.r.e, and they made the crew welcome with a drink they call Bashee, and they sold us some hogs. We bought a fat goat for an old iron hoop, a hog of 70 or 80 _lbs._ weight for two or three pounds of iron, and their bashee drink and roots for old nails or bullets. Their hogs were very sweet, but many were meazled. We filled fresh water here at a curious brook close by the ship.

'We lay here till the 12th, when we weighed to seek for a better anchoring place. We plied to windward, and pa.s.sed between the South end of this Island and the North end of another Island South of this. These Islands were both full of inhabitants, but there was no good riding. We stopped a tide under the Southern Island. The tide runs there very strong, the flood to the North, and it rises and falls eight feet. It was the 15th day of the month before we found a place we might anchor at and careen, which was at another Island not so big as either of the former.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Map of the BASHEE Islands.]

'We anch.o.r.ed near the North East part of this smaller Island, against a small sandy bay, in seven fathoms clean hard sand, a quarter of a mile from the sh.o.r.e. We presently set up a tent on sh.o.r.e, and every day some of us went to the towns of the natives, and were kindly entertained by them.

Their boats also came on board to traffic with us every day; so that besides provision for present use, we bought and salted 70 or 80 good fat hogs, and laid up a good stock of potatoes and yams.

[Sidenote: Names given to the Islands. Orange Island.] 'These Islands lie in 20 20' N.[82] As they are laid down in the charts marked only with a figure of 5, we gave them what names we pleased. The Dutchmen who were among us named the Westernmost, which is the largest, the _Prince of Orange's Island_. It is seven or eight leagues long, about two leagues wide, and lies almost North and South. _Orange Island_ was not inhabited.

It is high land, flat and even at the top, with steep cliffs against the sea; for which reason we could not go ash.o.r.e there, as we did on all the rest.

[Sidenote: Grafton Island.] 'The Island where we first anch.o.r.ed, we called the _Duke of Grafton's Isle_, having married my wife out of his Dutchess's family, and leaving her at Arlington House at my going abroad. _Grafton Isle_ is about four leagues long, stretching North and South, and one and a half wide.

[Sidenote: Monmouth Island.] 'The other great Island our seamen called the _Duke of Monmouth's Island_. It is about three leagues long, and a league wide.

[Sidenote: Goat Island. Bashee Island. The Drink called Bashee.] 'The two smaller Islands, which lie between _Monmouth_, and the South end of _Orange Island_; the Westernmost, which is the smallest, we called _Goat Island_, from the number of goats we saw there. The Easternmost, at which we careened, our men unanimously called _Bashee Island_, because of the plentiful quant.i.ty of that liquor which we drank there every day. This drink called Bashee, the natives make with the juice of the sugar-cane, to which they put some small black berries. It is well boiled, and then put into great jars, in which it stands three or four days to ferment. Then it settles clear, and is presently fit to drink. This is an excellent liquor, strong, and I believe wholesome, and much like our English beer both in colour and taste. Our men drank briskly of it during several weeks, and were frequently drunk with it, and never sick in consequence. [Sidenote: The whole group named the Bashee Islands.] The natives sold it to us very cheap, and from the plentiful use of it, our men called all these Islands the _Bashee Islands_.

[Sidenote: Rocks or small Islands North of the Five Islands.] 'To the Northward of the Five Islands are two high rocks.' [These rocks are not inserted in Dampier's ma.n.u.script Chart, and only one of them in the published Chart; whence is to be inferred, that the other was beyond the limit of the Chart.]

[Sidenote: Natives described.] 'These Islanders are short, squat, people, generally round visaged with thick eyebrows; their eyes of a hazel colour, small, yet bigger than those of the Chinese; they have short low noses, their teeth white; their hair black, thick, and lank, which they wear short: their skins are of a dark copper colour. They wear neither hat, cap, nor turban to keep off the sun. The men had a cloth about their waist, and the women wore short cotton petticoats which reached below the knee. These people had iron; but whence it came we knew not. The boats they build are much after the fashion of our Deal yawls, but smaller, and every man has a boat, which he builds himself. They have also large boats, which will carry 40 or 50 men each.

'They are neat and cleanly in their persons, and are withal the quietest and civilest people I ever met with. I could never perceive them to be angry one with another. I have admired to see 20 or 30 boats aboard our ship at a time, all quiet and endeavouring to help each other on occasion; and if cross accidents happened, they caused no noise nor appearance of distaste. When any of us came to their houses, they would entertain us with such things as their houses or plantations would afford; and if they had no bashee at home, would buy of their neighbours, and sit down and drink freely with us; yet neither then nor sober could I ever perceive them to be out of humour.

'I never observed them to worship any thing; they had no idols; neither did I perceive that one man was of greater power than another: they seemed to be all equal, only every man ruling in his own house, and children respecting and honouring their parents. Yet it is probable they have some law or custom by which they are governed; for whilst we lay here, we saw a young man buried alive in the earth, and it was for theft, as far as we could understand from them. There was a great deep hole dug, and abundance of people came to the place to take their last farewell of him. One woman particularly made great lamentations, and took off the condemned person's ear-rings. We supposed her to be his mother. After he had taken leave of her, and some others, he was put into the pit, and covered over with earth. He did not struggle, but yielded very quietly to his punishment, and they crammed the earth close upon him, and stifled him.

[Sidenote: Situations of their Towns.] _Monmouth_ and _Grafton Isles_ are very hilly with steep precipices; and whether from fear of pirates, of foreign enemies, or factions among their own clans, their towns and villages are built on the most steep and inaccessible of these precipices, and on the sides of rocky hills; so that in some of their towns, three or four rows of houses stand one above another, in places so steep that they go up to the first row with a ladder, and in the same manner ascend to every street upwards. _Grafton_ and _Monmouth Islands_ are very thick set with these hills and towns. [Sidenote: Bashee Islands.] The two small Islands are flat and even, except that on _Bashee Island_ there is one steep craggy hill. The reason why _Orange Island_ has no inhabitants, though the largest and as fertile as any of these Islands, I take to be, because it is level and exposed to attack; and for the same reason, _Goat Island_, being low and even, hath no inhabitants. We saw no houses built on any open plain ground. Their houses are but small and low, the roofs about eight feet high.

The vallies are well watered with brooks of fresh water. The fruits of these Islands are plantains, bananas, pine-apples, pumpkins, yams and other roots, and sugar-canes, which last they use mostly for their bashee drink. Here are plenty of goats, and hogs; and but a few fowls. They had no grain of any kind.

[Sidenote: September. 26th.] 'On the 26th of September, our ship was driven to sea, by a strong gale at NbW, which made her drag her anchors.

Six of the crew were on sh.o.r.e, who could not get on board. The weather continued stormy till the 29th. [Sidenote: October.] The 1st of October, we recovered the anchorage from which we had been driven, and immediately the natives brought on board our six seamen, who related that after the ship was out of sight, the natives were more kind to them than they had been before, and tried to persuade them to cut their hair short, as was the custom among themselves, offering to each of them if they would, a young woman to wife, a piece of land, and utensils fit for a planter.

These offers were declined, but the natives were not the less kind; on which account we made them a present of three whole bars of iron.'

Two days after this reciprocation of kindness, the Buccaneers bid farewell to these friendly Islanders.

CHAP. XXII.

_The =Cygnet=. At the =Philippines=, =Celebes=, and =Timor=. On the Coast of =New Holland=. End of the =Cygnet=._

[Sidenote: 1687. October.] From the _Bashee Islands_, the Cygnet steered at first SSW, with the wind at West, and on that course pa.s.sed 'close to the Eastward of certain small Islands that lie just by the North end of the Island _Luconia_.'

[Sidenote: Island near the SE end of Mindanao. Candigar.] They went on Southward by the East of the _Philippine Islands_. On the 14th, they were near a small low woody Island, which Dampier reckoned to lie East 20 leagues from the SE end of _Mindanao_. The 16th, they anch.o.r.ed between the small Islands _Candigar_ and _Sarangan_; but afterwards found at the NW end of the Eastern of the two Islands, a good and convenient small cove, into which they went, and careened the ship. They heard here that Captain Swan and those of the crew left with him, were still at the _City of Mindanao_.

[Sidenote: December. 27th. Near the SW end of Timor.] The Cygnet and her restless crew continued wandering about the Eastern Seas, among the _Philippine Islands_, to _Celebes_, and to _Timor_. December the 27th, steering a Southerly course, they pa.s.sed by the West side of _Rotte_, and by another small Island, near the SW end of _Timor_. Dampier says, 'Being now clear of all the Islands, and having the wind at West and WbN, we steered away SSW,[83] intending to touch at _New Holland_, to see what that country would afford us.'

The wind blew fresh, and kept them under low sail; sometimes with only their courses set, and sometimes with reefed topsails. [Sidenote: 31st.]

The 31st at noon, their lat.i.tude was 13 20' S. About ten o'clock at night, they tacked and stood to the Northward for fear of a shoal, which their charts laid down in the track they were sailing, and in lat.i.tude 13 50' S. [Sidenote: 1688. January. Low Island and Shoal, SbW from the West end of Timor.] At three in the morning, they tacked again and stood SbW and SSW. As soon as it was light, they perceived a low Island and shoal right ahead. This shoal, by their reckoning, is in lat.i.tude 13 50', and lies SbW from the West end of _Timor_.[84] 'It is a small spit of sand appearing just above the water's edge, with several rocks about it eight or ten feet high above water. It lies in a triangular form, each side in extent about a league and a half. We could not weather it, so bore away round the East end, and stood again to the Southward, pa.s.sing close by it and sounding, but found no ground. [Sidenote: NW Coast of New Holland.]

This shoal is laid down in our drafts not above 16 or 20 leagues from _New Holland_; but we ran afterwards 60 leagues making a course due South, before we fell in with the coast of _New Holland_, which we did on January the 4th, in lat.i.tude 16 50' S.' Dampier remarks here, that unless they were set Westward by a current, the coast of _New Holland_ must have been laid down too far Westward in the charts; but he thought it not probable that they were deceived by currents, because the tides on that part of the coast were found very regular; the flood setting towards the NE.

[Sidenote: In a Bay on the NW Coast of New Holland.] The coast here was low and level, with sand-banks. The Cygnet sailed along the sh.o.r.e NEbE 12 leagues, when she came to a point of land, with an Island so near it that she could not pa.s.s between. A league before coming to this point, that is to say, Westward of the point, was a shoal which ran out from the main-land a league. Beyond the point, the coast ran East, and East Southerly, making a deep bay with many Islands in it. On the 5th, they anch.o.r.ed in this bay, about two miles from the sh.o.r.e, in 29 fathoms. The 6th, they ran nearer in and anch.o.r.ed about four miles Eastward of the point before mentioned, and a mile distant from the nearest sh.o.r.e, in 18 fathoms depth, the bottom clean sand.

People were seen on the land, and a boat was sent to endeavour to make acquaintance with them; but the natives did not wait. Their habitations were sought for, but none were found. The soil here was dry and sandy, yet fresh water was found by digging for it. They warped the ship into a small sandy cove, at a spring tide, as far as she would float, and at low water she was high aground, the sand being dry without her half a mile; for the sea rose and fell here about five fathoms perpendicularly. During the neap tides, the ship lay wholly aground, the sea not approaching nearer than within a hundred yards of her. Turtle and manatee were struck here, as much every day as served the whole crew.