When the day dawned, now that the Portuguese fort was no longer
surrounded by the other buildings, they perceived that it was more
formidable than they had at first supposed. The ramparts were filled
with men, and they were bringing cannon to bear on the Ternate forces.
Philip had a consultation with Krantz, and both acknowledged, that
with the present panic nothing more could be done. The chiefs were
of the same opinion, and orders were given for the return of the
expedition: indeed, the Ternate chiefs were fully satisfied with their
success; they had destroyed the large fort, the factory, and all the
Portuguese buildings; a small fortification only was uninjured: that
was built of stone, and inaccessible, and they knew that the report of
what had been done, would be taken and acknowledged by the king as a
great victory. The order was therefore given for embarkation, and in
two hours the whole fleet, after a loss of about seven hundred men,
was again on its way to Ternate. Krantz and Philip this time embarked
in the same peroqua, that they might have the pleasure of each other's
conversation. They had not, however, sailed above three hours, when it
fell calm, and, towards the evening, there was every prospect of bad
weather. When the breeze again sprung up, it was from an adverse
quarter, but these vessels steer so close to the wind, that this was
disregarded: by midnight, however, the wind had increased to a gale,
and before they were clear of the N.E. headland of Tidore, it blew a
hurricane, and many were washed off into the sea from the different
craft, and those who could not swim, sank, and were drowned. The sails
were lowered, and the vessels lay at the mercy of the wind and waves,
every sea washing over them. The fleet was drifting fast on the shore,
and before morning dawned, the vessel in which were Philip and Krantz
was among the rollers on the beach off the northern end of the island.
In a short time she was dashed to pieces, and every one had to look
out for himself. Philip and Krantz laid hold of one fragment, and were
supported by it till they gained the shore; here they found about
thirty more companions who had suffered the same fate as themselves.
When the day dawned, they perceived that the major part of the fleet
had weathered the point, and that those who had not, would in all
probability escape, as the wind had moderated.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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