A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels — Volume 09: Arranged in Systematic Order: Forming a Complete History of the Origin and Progress of Navigation, Discovery, and Commerce, by Sea and Land, from the Earliest Ages to the Present TimeKerr, Robert
History
A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels — Volume 09: Arranged in Systematic Order: Forming a Complete History of the Origin and Progress of Navigation, Discovery, and Commerce, by Sea and Land, from the Earliest Ages to the Present Time
Kerr, Robert
Voyages and travels
I went next day to visit the old king, giving him to understand, by
means of his governor, that I was extremely sorry for the misfortune
that had befallen him, and would have come in person to give all the
assistance in my power, but was doubtful if my presence would have been
acceptable, being a stranger; and begged leave to assure him, that he
should find me ready at all times, even with the hazard of my life, to
do him every service in my power. He gave me many thanks for my good
will, saying, that the loss he had sustained was as nothing in his
estimation. On my return to our house, I was met by the young king going
to visit his grandfather. Before noon, we had word that our runaways
were upon a desert island about two leagues from Firando, of which I
gave notice to both kings, requesting their aid and council how we might
best bring them back. They answered, that they would fetch them back
dead or alive, yet would be loth to kill them, lest we might want hands
to navigate the ship back to England. I returned many thanks for the
care they had of us, yet sent them word we still had a sufficiency of
honest men to carry our ship to England, even although we should lose
these knaves. In fine, the king fitted out two boats full of soldiers to
go after them, with positive orders to bring them back dead or alive,
which I made known to our master, who wished much to go along with them,
and did so accordingly.
9. _Continuation of Occurrences at Firando, during the Absence of the
General_.
On the 4th of October, a report was current in Firando that the _Devil_
had revealed to the _bose_, [bonzes] or conjurers, that the town was to
be burned to ashes that night, on which criers went about the streets
the whole night, making so much noise that I could hardly get any rest,
giving warning to all the inhabitants to extinguish their fires. But the
devil turned out a liar, for no such thing happened. The 5th, old king
_Foyne-same_ came to our house, and was entertained to the best of our
ability, when he told me our runaway seamen could not escape being
taken, as he had sent two other armed boats after them, besides the two
formerly mentioned. While I was talking with him, there came a gentleman
from the emperor's court with a letter, and told me that our general
would be back to Firando in eight or ten days, as he had received his
dispatches from the emperor before this gentleman left the court. At
this time king Foyne told me that _Bon-diu_, the king or governor of
Nangasaki, who is brother to the empress, was to be at Firando next day,
and that it would be proper for our ship to fire off three or four
pieces of cannon as he passed. He told me likewise, that the king or
governor of a town called _Seam_, was then in Firando.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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