, that, on the 23d, it was agreed the Dragon and
Ascension were to be sent to the Moluccas, and the Hector and Susan to
be loaded with pepper, and sent home. We busied ourselves to procure
fresh victuals, vegetables, and fruits, for the recovery of our men, who
were in a most pitiable case with the scurvy.

The 31st December, our general came on shore, and being accompanied by
all the merchants who were in sufficient health, and by several others,
he went to court with the king's letter, which he delivered along with
the following present: A fair basin and ewer, with two handsome standing
cups, and a spoon, all of silver parell gilt, and six muskets with their
furniture. The general employed two or three days following in visiting
our chiefest friends, as the sabander, the admiral, and the rich Chinese
merchant, making them presents, which they thankfully received. We then
fell to work to pack up goods for the Moluccas; but as our men recovered
from the scurvy they fell ill of the flux, so that it seemed quite
impossible for us to accomplish our business.

The 7th January, 1605, the Dutch fleet, being nine tall ships,[126]
besides pinnaces and sloops, set sail for Amboyna and the Moluccas, so
that we were long in doubt of getting any loading in those parts this
year for our ships, so many having gone before us; nor was it possible
for ours to go earlier, owing to their weakness. The 10th January, our
two ships that were to go home began taking in pepper, but were so
oppressed with sickness that they could make no dispatch. The other two
having taken in all the goods we thought meet for those parts, set sail
on the 18th of January for the islands of Banda, their men being still
weak and sickly; but how they spent their time till their return to
Bantam, I must refer to their own reports. Immediately after the
departure of these ships under the general, the protector sent to us for
the custom, which we thought had been quite well understood, by what was
paid when the ships were here before; but he demanded many duties of
which we had never heard formerly, and because I refused payment, he
ordered the porters not to carry any more pepper for us. To prevent,
therefore, this hindrance in loading our ships, I was forced to pay him
in hand, as had been done on the former occasion, and to let the full
agreement remain open till the return of our general.

[Footnote 126: This expression, _tall ships_, so often used in these
ear