craft when deeply laden, which was effected.

[Footnote 315: This paragraph is utterly inexplicable, at least with any
certainty, the abbreviation by Purchas having reduced it almost to
absolute nonsense. Conjectural amendment being inadmissible, the subject
is of so little moment as not to warrant any commentary.--E.]

[Footnote 316: Even to the present times, the boasted empire of China is
unable to make a head to a nail. All their smiths can do for a
substitute, is to bend the head of a small piece of iron like the letter
_z_, which flattened, but not welded, serves as a substitute for the
nail-head. Every chest of tea affords numerous examples of this clumsy
_qui pro quo_.--E.]

In my long stay from Pulo-way and Banda on this occasion, the islanders
had intelligence that our ship had weighed; and they were persuaded I
had gone away for fear of the Hollanders. Upon this the islanders would
not deal with my people whom I had left among them, neither even would
they sell them provisions. They even began to rail at them and abuse
them, saying that I had gone away with the ship, as the Hollanders did
formerly, and would come back with a fleet, as they had done, and take
their country from them. In this disposition of mind towards us, they
had come to a determination to seize our house, and to send all our
people prisoners to the top of a high rock, the consent only of the
sabandar being a-wanting for taking possession of our goods, though some
even began to take our goods forcibly. On the arrival of the sabandar,
Mr Spalding waited upon him, and remonstrated upon the unjust conduct of
the islanders in taking away our goods, craving his protection. The
sabandar then said, that the islanders were resolved we should not do as
the Hollanders had done, and were therefore resolved to make all the
English prisoners; for the ship was gone, and our intentions seemed bad
towards them. All that Mr Spalding could say, they would not be
persuaded but that I was gone away in the ship, and that my people were
left behind at Pulo-way for a sinister purpose.

Next day, the islanders met in council in their church, [_mosque_;] and
while deliberating upon the seizure of our goods, and the imprisonment
of Mr Spalding and our men, news were brought them that I was in sight
in the Hopewell, on which they broke up their council. At my landing, Mr
Spalding told me of the hard usage he had received, and the fear he was
in. When I got to our