1687: The General

The General’S Foul Dealing And Exactions

Captain Swan was much vexed at the general’s actions for he promised to supply us with as much beef as we want. But now he would not make good his promise.

He failed to perform his promise in a bargain of rice for the iron which we sold him.

Before his son was circumcised, he pretended a great strait for money to defray the charges of that day. So he wanted Captain Swan to lend him 20 ounces of gold.

He knew that Captain Swan had gold which the general thought was his own.

He lent it the general. But when he came to an account with Captain Swan, he told him that it was usual at such solemn times to make presents, and that he received it as a gift.

He also demanded payment for the victuals that our captain and his men did eat at his house.

Captain Swan’S Uneasiness And Indiscreet Management

These things startled Captain Swan, yet how to help himself he knew not.

All this lay hard on our captain’s spirits. His own company were pressing him every day to be gone, because now was the height of the easterly monsoon, the only wind to carry us farther into the Indies.

Some of our men were weary and tired with wandering. They ran away into the country and absconded, assisted by Raja Laut.

There were others also who, fearing we should not go to an English port, bought a canoe and designed to go in her to Borneo: for not long before the Mindanao vessel came from thence and brought a letter directed to the chief of the English factory at Mindanao.

This letter the general would have Captain Swan have opened, but he thought it might come from some of the East India merchants whose affairs he would not intermeddle with, and therefore did not open it.

I since met with Captain Bowry at Achin and told him this story. He said that he sent that letter, supposing that the English were settled there at Mindanao.

By this letter we also thought that there was an English factory at Borneo: so here was a mistake on both sides.

But this canoe, wherewith some of them thought to go to Borneo, Captain Swan took from them, and threatened the undertakers very hardly.

However this did not so far discourage them, for they secretly bought another; but their designs taking air they were again frustrated by Captain Swan.

The whole crew were at this time disaffected and full of very different projects because of lack of action.

The main division was between those that had money and those that had none.

• Those who had money lived ashore and did not want to leave Mindanao
• The poor lived aboard and urged Captain Swan to go to sea.

The poor began to be unruly and dissatisfied. They sent ashore the merchants’ iron to sell for rack and honey to make punch, wherewith they grew drunk and quarrelsome.

These disorders might have been crushed if Captain Swan had suppressed them. But he with his merchants living always ashore there was no command.

Therefore every man did what he pleased and encouraged each other in his villainies.

Mr. Harthop was one of Captain Swan’s merchants. He declared his mind to his men. He ordered all his men to come aboard on January 13, 1687.

Two days before this meeting, Captain Swan sent aboard his gunner to fetch something out of his cabin.

The gunner saw the captain’s journal from America to Guam.

• It was read by John Read, a ingenious young man from Bristol.

He read how Captain Swan had inveighed bitterly against most of his men, especially against another John Reed a Jamaica man.

Then John Reed showed it to that John Reed and the rest that were aboard who prone to mischief.

Captain Teat took what was written as basis for their mutiny.

The seamen were easily persuaded to anything for:

• they were tired with this long and tedious voyage
• most of them despaired of ever getting home and so and they did not care what they did

All that were aboard bound themselves by oath to turn Captain Swan out and to conceal this design from those that were ashore until the ship was under sail. But they needed the surgeon to go with them.

The next morning they sent ashore John Cookworthy to hasten off either the surgeon or his mate by pretending that one of the men in the night broke his leg by falling into the hold.

The surgeon sent his mate, Herman Coppinger whom I went with.

Then we found it was only a trick to get the surgeon off; for now, having obtained their desires, the canoe was sent ashore again immediately to desire as many as they could meet to come aboard; but not to tell the reason lest Captain Swan should come to hear of it.

On the morning of January 13, they weighed and fired a gun.

Captain Swan immediately sent aboard Mr. Nelly, who was now his chief mate, to see what the matter was: to him they told all their grievances and showed him the journal.

He persuaded them to stay till the next day for an answer from Captain Swan and the merchants.

So they came to an anchor again and the next morning Mr. Harthop came aboard: he persuaded them to be reconciled again, or at least to stay and get more rice: but they were deaf to it and weighed again while he was aboard.

Yet at Mr. Harthop’s persuasion they promised to stay till two o’clock in the afternoon for Captain Swan and the rest of the men, if they would come aboard..

But they suffered no man to go ashore except one William Williams that had a wooden leg and another that was a sawyer.

The Main Part Of The Crew Go Away With The Ship

If Captain Swan had come aboard he might have dashed all their designs.

But he did not.

So we left Captain Swan and about 36 men ashore in the city, and 6-8 that ran away; and about 16 we had buried there, the most of which died by poison.

The natives are very expert at poisoning and do it on small occasions: nor did our men want for giving offence through their general rogueries, and sometimes by dallying too familiarly with their women, even before their faces.

Some of their poisons are slow and lingering; for we had some now aboard who were poisoned there but died not till some months after.