the supply we had asked, and he had
promised, that he, as commander of the Company's ship, would
represent his conduct to the governor and council at Batavia, who
would certainly take notice of it; I thought a threat of that
sort might answer our purpose better than the means he proposed:
for we were in no respect prepared for a quarrel with those
people, the meanest of whom wore a cress or dagger constantly by
his side, and the decks were at that time almost full of them;
many of our people were also upon deck, but wholly unarmed and
off their guard.

The master of the ship returned, and entered again into
conversation with the Raja, who was on the after part of the
quarter deck, but what was said I did not understand: however, I
joined them, and again recommended prudence and moderation to the
master of the ship, and desired he would recollect, that we were
not prepared for such violent measures as he seemed
inconsiderately disposed to; that as there were a few stand of
arms in the ship, and a few pairs of pistols among the officers,
they should have been upon deck, and people stationed with
ammunition for them; instead of which, we had not one armed man
upon deck, nor a single necessary for using the carriage guns;
all which rested with him, such articles being in his care and
custody as master, for his owners: notwithstanding this, the
violence and perverseness of his temper was such as to dispose
him (probably because he was advised against it) to create a
disagreement between those people who were all armed, and our
people who were defenceless.

Some of these islanders paid much attention to the nature and
extent of our force, and some of them shrewdly observed, that the
great guns were very good at a distance, but of no use when boats
got alongside of the ship; if they had any fear of us, it
proceeded from our numbers, which amounted now to one hundred and
twenty, and when all upon deck in this small vessel, they
appeared still more numerous.

During the conversation between the Raja and master of the
ship, our people were employed in hoisting the long boat in, at
which the Raja seemed very much agitated, and at this very
juncture, the master having ordered some cutlasses upon deck, of
which he had but very few in the ship, they were imprudently laid
down on the quarter deck, in the presence of the Raja and his
attendants; this conduct confirmed me in the opinion I already
entertained, that he had made us