A New Voyage Round the World by a Course Never Sailed Before — John Shaqi
A New Voyage Round the World by a Course Never Sailed BeforeDefoe, Daniel
General
A New Voyage Round the World by a Course Never Sailed Before
Defoe, Daniel
Adventure stories; Voyages around the world -- Fiction
The governor, who had notice given him of the business, sends out word,
that the gentlemen should send in the letter, and the governor would
give them an answer: in the mean time, there appeared a guard of
soldiers at the governor's house, and the four Englishmen were let into
the outer room, where the door was shut after them, and the soldiers
stood without the door, and more soldiers in another room between them
and the parlour which the governor sat in.
After some time, the mate was called in, and the governor told him that
he had read the letter which he brought, and asked him if he knew the
contents of it; he answered, No: the governor replied, he supposed not,
for, if he had, he would scarce have brought it; at the same time told
him, he was obliged to make him and all his men prisoners, at the
request of their own captain, for a conspiracy to raise a mutiny and run
away with the ship. Upon which, two great fat Dutchmen came up to him,
and bid him deliver his sword, which he did with some reluctance; for he
was a stout strong fellow; but he saw it all to no purpose to dispute or
resist.
At the same time, the three men without were made prisoners also by the
soldiers. When the governor had thus secured these men, he called them
in, and inquired the particulars of the case, and expostulated with them
very pathetically upon such a horrid, villanous design, and inquired of
them what the occasion could be; and, hearing all they had to say in
their defence, told them he could do nothing more in it till their
captain came on shore, which would be in a day or two, and that, in the
mean time, they must be content to remain in custody, which they did,
separated from one another. They were very civilly treated, but strictly
kept from speaking or sending any messages to one another, or to the
boats.
When this was accomplished, the governor sent six files of musketeers
down to the watering-place, with an order to secure all the Englishmen
in the two boats, which was done. They seemed inclined to make some
resistance at first, being all very well armed; but the seamen of the
three Dutch long-boats, joining themselves to the soldiers, and notice
being given the English seamen, that if they fired one gun, they should
have no quarter; and especially their two principal men, the chief mate
and the gunner, being absent, they submitted, and were all made
prisoners also.
When this was done, of which the Dutch captain had notice by a signal
from the shore, he came off in his shallop, with about sixteen seamen,
and five or six gentlemen and officers, to pay his visit to me. I
received him with all the appearance of ceremony imaginable, ordered an
elegant dinner to be prepared for him, and caused his men to be all
treated upon the deck, and made mighty preparations for the feast.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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