and take him up which they did and in about two hours time brought him safe to us The 19th We had a very fair Wind and fine Weather Two of our Seamen quarrel'd and fell at last to their Knives and wounded each other As soon as the Master knew of it he had 'em both Duck'd from the Main-mast as wilful Transgressors of the Laws of the Ship The 20th about 6 in morning our Boatswain a very expert Seaman climb'd up the Main-top-gallant-Mast which is the highest part of the Ship no sooner had he look'd about him but he cry'd out aloud Land Land The Master ask'd him which way and he told him to the North-East streight we changed our Course from North West thither The Helmsman threw out the Plummet and found a sandy bottom at 80 Fathoms In the afternoon we got sight of the high steep Mountain call'd Adam's Pick and by that we knew that this was the place we wanted to be at viz. the Island Ceylon Towards night we changed our Course again to the East and sometimes to the E. and by N. for we had no mind to be near Land that night and we could not have reach'd the Road that day In the first Watch between 6 and 10 we could feel ground still but in the 2d and 3d we could not The 21th in the morning at break of day We chang'd our Course again and went directly towards Land lying South-East of us with the Wind at S. W. About 10 a Clock before Noon we saw the Ships that lay at Anchor upon the Road by the City of Columbo In the mean while the Wind veer'd four Points more to the W. and so much the fitter for us About Noon we felt a sandy ground at 40 Fathoms but we kept Sounding still till we were quite out of the deep and in full sight of the Land This day every one had plenty enough of boil'd Rice and the Water Vessels were free to any body We had suffer'd a great while Hunger and Thirst notwithstanding that we had Course Diet enough and above 40 Barrels of Dutch and Batavian Water The Soldiers now begun to Equip themselves to make a shew at their Landing and dress'd themselves very sine with great Joy and Satisfaction Their Arms which till then had been kept up in the Gunner's Room were delivered to 'em to go out Arm'd as is usual to Shore All our Flags were out till about three in the afternoon when we cast our Anchors and found still 12 Fathom Water The Gunner was ordered to fire one Gun and one Seaman was to strike our Admiral 's Main-mast Flag before the City of Columbo but immediately again to set it up After this we fired all our Guns to which the Fort of Columbo answer'd with seven of their Cannon The Governor of this City sent two great Sloops of Ceylon to fetch us ashore in which our Lieutenant and Men went up to the Governor's House who welcomed us all very heartily and gave all our Men three days liberty to refresh themselves after their hard Voyage The distance between Columbo and Batavia is about 500 Dutch miles which we had reach'd in 49 days from the 3d of October to the 21th of November The 22th I went to Board with an old Cingulaish Woman because she could speak a little Dutch and she got her living by keeping a House to entertain the Dutch of which she had generally 20 or 30 in her House I paid 15 s. a Month and 40 pound of black Rice We had every one his own Dish served up with Flesh Fish Figs and such like Diet twice every day at 8 a Clock in the morning and 4 in the afternoon Our House was only a Hut made up of Boughs of Trees And here I met with three of my old Acquaintance who On the 23th took me Abroad to a very large Orchard call'd Tang Salgato where we drank some Sury fresh from the Coco-Trees This was in the morning and about noon we bespoke a hot sort of Liquor called Massack which is made in the following manner They put into a Vessel 8 Quarts of Suri and to that one Quart of Arack or Brandy All this boil'd together and about 20 or 25 Eggs are broke into 't which gives it substance and a good colour Then they add to all this some Kings Sugar which they get from some certain Trees there and some Nutmeg and Mace All this came to half a Rixdollar We had some Women to wait upon us which they call Bulliatoses who diverted us with various Leaping and Dancing Their Ears are about a Span long with Golden Pendants in them They saw by my Dress that I was newly come from Europe and I found they had a great mind to Converse with me but I not understanding them made them understand by shaking my Head that I did not Care for their Company The 24th We took a walk about two or three miles out of Columbo to see some tame Elephants that were kept in Orchards there And having seen them we went into the House which belong'd to a Portuguese who treated us very nobly and at night had us home upon an Elephant of his This day an Ambassador named Myn Heer Bucquoi was sent from Ceylon with a Lion for a Present to the King of Candy From the 25th to the 30th Our Men were daily Exercised and at night our turn began to be upon the Guard where my Post obliged me to be till The 25th of April 1677. which was five months in which time I learned the Cingulaish and Portuguese Languages finding them not only useful but necessary to those that are to stay there The 22th I was sent with 30 Soldiers to the Fort of Galture 8 Leagues from Columbo to have some new Ramparts added to it Of this Fort I intend to speak by and by designing now to give an Account of the Cities Inhabitants Cattle and Fruits of the Island Ceylon as far as I could observe of them while I staid there CHAP. IV. A Description of the Isle of Ceylon its Cities Forts and Inhabitants which are chiefly of two sorts An Account of the King of Candi's Court Officers Counsellors and his other Subjects Their Customs Manners Religion c. Their Houses over-run with Fleas and Pismires Their manner of Eating and Trading The King of Candi's a Cruel Tyrant The Cingulayans Customs in War Their Arms and Exploits The other Inhabitants of Ceylon are Malabarians who are Subjects of the Dutch They Worship the Devil Crocodiles Serpents c. Their Burials The Dutch took Columbo and other Cities of Ceylon from the Portugueses and the King of Candi tho' he had help'd them against the Portugueses The King of Candi's Resentment of it to this very day Vnhealthy Climate of this Country THE Island Ceylon is about 200 Dutch miles in compass It lies in the Indian Sea not far from the Maldivian Islands and the Wild Coasts of Cormandel and Malabar It was found out
with variety I sent for some Gomgomers the Musicians of that Country and some Javian Baliar Dancers who made us a great deal of Pastime The Baliar Dancers which come from Babylon I have spoken of before but these were Javians which are a sort far inferiour to them and differ from them much in the same manner as there is between a Dance performed by a Dancing-Master and one danced by a Rustick But what was most Diverting to us especially to my Friend was some Tumblers and Jugglers that were amongst 'em who shew'd us several Tricks which do usually so much surprize even those that see them that I know a Man runs some risk in relating of them However some of their most considerable Tricks of Activity I cannot wholly pass pass by They were five in number One of 'em laid himself flat down upon his Belly upon a Mat they had spread on the Ground and in the twinkling of an Eye raised himself upon his Legs then laying himself down again as before he rais'd himself after the same manner and stood upon his Head only After this he laid himself upon his Back and gave several Leaps in the Air like a Fish The other four did the same Tricks over one after the other and still better and better After this they took a Ladder of about 12 Rounds and set it against one of 'em one of the other four got up to the top of it and laid himself a cross it the second went up and sat a-cross theother's Shoulders the third climb'd up and pitch'd himself on his Head upon the Head of the second and there stood with his Feet directly upwards upon which the fourth came and stood upright on the Feet of the third And after playing several Tricks there he leapt down on the Ground and stood still the next Fellow that was still standing on his Head gave a spring upwards and falling down lighted on the Shoulders of him that stood below the next who was on the Ladder came down likewise with a Leap and fell a-cross the Shoulders of him and so did the fourth and last who had been the first on the Ladder He that had stood all this while and held the foot of the Ladder took it and climb'd up with it to the top of the other four and there made a sort of Harangue to us in Japponnese which concluded the Sight There was a great many other Tricks intermixt with these which were well worth the taking notice of but I thought these would suffice to shew you how far these Men out-do any thing we commonly see in Europe This being over we call'd for our Reckoning in which came to no more than Two thousand Butgis An European at first is frightned at such a reckoning as this and thinks that such a Sum of Money should be enough to Treat a King and all the Nobility or to defray the Charges of a Lord Mayor's Feast but he must understand that these Butgis are but little thin pieces of Lead with holes in the middle of 'em a certain number of them is put upon a String to save the trouble of telling them over upon every occasion and three Hundred of 'em are worth but Two Pence of Dutch Money so that our Dinner amounted but to 13 or 14 d. Besides this our Musick and Dancers cost us a Shilling and we gave a Ducatoon to the Juglers and Tumblers having paid all we went back again down the River to Batavia At this very time the Streight of Sunda was very much infested with Pickaroons They had only Praws or small Boats of their own with which they run with ease in and out of several Rivers of the Kingdom of Bantam and did a great deal of mischief about the Islands of Toppers-hoedie Dwarsin-de-zee and others They used to wait there for their Prey and when they had gotten their Booty they made immediately to their lurking holes where finding safety for a great while they were at last so bold that not a Ship could scape them and the more because the Company never concerned themselves about it nor took any Measures to suppress them But at length the Bali the Ship in which I had been some time before coming that way bound for Jambi on the Coast of Sumatra and being obliged to cast Anchor near the aforesaid Islands these Pyrates joyning their Forces together came and surrounded her and notwithstanding a stout Defence made on Board the Bali for some hours they made themselves Masters of her killed all the Men they could come at and having taken what they could conveniently carry away set it on Fire While the Ship was all in Flames a Ship from Malabar coming luckily by made towards the Fire to see what it was Two Men who in the Engagement had hid themselves below Deck and were now got out but knew not how to dispose of themselves stood upon the Fore-Castle ready to throw themselves into the Sea to avoid being burnt But they sent them a Boat by which means these poor Creatures were preserved and being brought on Board the Ship they continued their Course to Batavia where they gave the General an Account of what had happen'd The Company now being Sufferers by this thought fit to send after these Pyrates which they never minded before while they came by no loss themselves and while the Fishermen only c. were in danger Immediately two Men of War were ordered to go after 'em together with eight small Boats well Mann'd to give them Chace It being requisite there should be Chirurgions more than ordinary in those Ships and this being like to be a short Expedition and near home my Friend and I who could not be employed in a long Voyage were appointed to go with them We were very well pleas'd with our Commission and accordingly we got ready our Chests and went on Board the Ceylon which carried 300 Men and 48 Guns The other Ship was about the same Rate The Boats had each of them from 60 to 70 Men and about 16 Patterero's When we were got past the Island Onrust we kept along the Sea-shore till we came beyond Bantam and there we lay before the Mouth of some Rivers as close to the Land as we could And so as to lye to the Windward At Night we divided our Fleet and sent two of our Boats out to Sea to entice the Pirates out after them if they should chance to see them and we stood ready to clap in between them and the River so to cut off their Pass and hedge them in We lay two days close to the Shore within a Stone 's throw of Land but very safe with no less than 60 Fathom Water Atlength about Sun-set we saw five Boats making Sail towards our two Boats at about two Leagues distance from us upon which we moved altogether forwards along the Shore and by that time it was quite dark we made directly towards 'em taking still care to be
about 200 years ago by the Spaniards who invaded the Kingdom of Cotta which the City of Columbo belongs to in this following manner They came with two Ships and landed at the place where now Columbo is The Cingulaish King being informed of it at Cotta came out with an Army to meet them but in vain for his Men could not abide the smell of Gun-Powder The Spaniards fell to Building some small Fortifications and to settle themselves in the Country As soon as they were able to get some Assistance being well pleased with the Land and their Success they carried on the VVar not only against the said King of Cotta so as to beat him out of the City where he resided and lay it waste as it is now to this day a place where the wild Elephants are catch'd but in time reach'd farther and at last of seven Kings that had possession of this Island they destroyed six But the seventh who resided at Candi in the middle of the Island being vex'd to see with what Tyranny they used his Subjects begun to carry on a War very vigorously against them and continually Plagues the Cities and Forts which they had built on the Sea-side and for about 20 miles into the Land How this Country fell from the Spaniards to the Portugueses and from the Portugueses to the Dutch I will give an Account hereafter Their chief Fortifications are the City and Castle of Columbo eight Leagues Eastward of that lies the Fort Negombo 20 miles further the Fort Calpintin again 22 miles from thence another call'd Aripen and between those two the Paerl-Bank heretofore so famous Six miles further a very strong Fort on the Island of Manara very fruitful and seven miles in compass This Island of Manara is divided from Ceylon by an Arm of Salt-Water about a Cannon-shot wide Jasnapaparnum a fortified City lies 22 miles distant from Manara and is secured with Bastions call'd by these Names Pas-Piil Pas-Beschatter Pas-Elephant and Punt de Pedre Six and thirty miles farther is the Fort called Trinconamale built by the Dutch against the French This Fort the French had taken Possession of as also of the Bay where Ships ride very safe under the Command of Monsieur de la Haye as Viceroy till the Dutch drove them away again There is another Fort call'd Battacolo 40 miles from that Thence to Punt de Gala 30 miles Thence to Alecan 11 miles Thence to Galture 5 miles Thence round back again to Columbo 6 miles The Description I have given here of these outward Fortifications makes the Circuit of this Island to be in all 206 miles The Inland Fortifications are Maluane 6 Leagues from Columbo Hanguelli or Gourwebell 2 Leagues from Malvane Sittawaca 4 miles farther Ruenell also 4 Leagues farther Saffrigan and Bibliogam 8 Leagues from Ruenell And 12 Leagues on this side of Columbo you have Anguradotten and Caudingellen lying upon two Rivers that run out of the King of Candi's Country very rich in precious Stones The Island of Ceylon hath chiefly two sorts of Inhabitants Those of Columbo from Columbo to Gala are called Cinguleeses or Cingulaians They are very well shaped part of a black and part of a yellowish Complexion The Men have long streight Hair and wear their Beards very large like the Suissers They are generally very Hairy upon their Breasts and they are very proud of it They wear a piece of Linnen about their middle from the Navel down to their Knees But they make a very great distinction of their Apparel according to their Dignity and Quality Their King dresseth himself as he pleases His Cap is of Silk wrought with Gold about a yard high with a great Carbuncle before and Rubies and Saphiires all round about it and at the top a Bird of Paradise His Shirt and Wastcoat is made of the finest Cotton with Golden Buttons and he wears a Garment of colour'd Silk that goes 4 or 5 times round his middle and hangs down to his Knees His Stockings are fastned above his Knees with a string whereon is fastned a silver Plate as large almost as a Trencher His Shoes are only Leathern Soles with strings one of which comes up between his Toes and the other comes round his Foot and ties the Sole fast to it And all these strings are set out with Saphires and Rubies He wears a Sword close under his right Arm tied to a Silk Ribbon It is very heavy being in a massy Silver Scabbard it is made like a Hanger and about a yard long the Handle is ordered with fine precious Stones On his left side between his Shirt and his Wastcoat he wears a long Knife besides his Sword inlaid with Gold and Jewels and by that a sharp Pen wherewith they write upon Leaves of Trees in a Silver Sheath Those of his Council called Pisare and his Generals may also wear Silk Gold and Silver but they are not permitted precious Stones for Ornaments and it is as much as their Lives are worth to offer or pretend to wear any of 'em tho' they are of little or no value Nor do they dare so much as take up one of them when they find them any where and the greatest as well as the meanest Persons throughout all the Kingdom are equally obliged to the Observation of this Custom His Corals which are Governors over some one Coral or County may wear Silk but neither Sword nor Stockings They wear a Staff tipt with Silver with the King's Arms on it they wear a sort of Slipper or Shoe made of Wood mighty neat and very curiously wrought Next to these Corals the Apohami or Nobles are rank'd They go drest as the Corals excepting that they may not tie like them the Caps they wear on their Heads These are to be known when they come into the City by their having a Slave always behind them to carry a Talpot Leaf after them which serves as an Umbrello when it Rains The next in Rank are the Scriveners and Husbandmen who Manure the Fields of Rice They must wear nothing but Linnen no Swords Shooes Stockings nor Caps only a Knife they may and an Iron Pen. Their Wives and those of the above-named Persons may have their Garments from a handful above the Navel down to the Ground but nothing upwards but a short Bajuvan as they Name it which doth not come so low as to cover their Breasts After these are the Handicrafts-Men as Carpenters Goldsmiths Blacksmiths Potters Barbers Burners of Chalk c. These and their Wives may wear a Linnen Garment from the middle downwards and set out their Ears with Gold After them are the Trivitors who gather the Drink from the Trees and boyl the Sugar Tschallias that peel off the Cinnamon The Fishermen and the Laserins their Soldiers Mainets their Washers Borrowayen their Drummers Cubin who are a sort of People that will carry People where they please for Money the meanest of all are the Batins and Zubies These may not
reserved I ask'd him one day how he came to be an Hermit to which he replied just as you come to be a Surgeon But to have done with my capricious Gentleman I was sent for to one of the General 's Servants so that I had once more an opportunity of seeing the General 's Garden which was one of the finest that ever was seen for all kind of Asiatic or Indian Trees and Flowers in which were two Parts set aside the one for all manner of Wild-Beasts the other for all sorts of Birds of all which an account would be too tedious In short I can hardly think of any rare Creature that was not there to be seen Two days after this my Companion and I and two more went a shooting about two or three Leagues into the Country along by the Powder-Mills upon the River Jacatra And as we had pretty good sport and kill'd a good quantity of Pigeons Rabbets c. we were going to a Negery to refresh our selves and make Merry with our Provisions we spying a Rabbet making towards a little Wood two of us went after him while the others went forward to get that Dress'd which we had kill'd As we were in pursuit of our Game my Friend one way and I the other I came to a narrow River's side where I saw a Man sitting in a Melancholly posture with his Eyes on the Ground Hearing him groan and sigh put me to a stand and ask him what he was to which he answer'd me with a deep sigh that he was a poor Hollander I askt him what he did there and whither he design'd to go Ah! Sir says he I know not where I am nor which way I am to take but surely Providence hath sent you to my Relief and seeing I have the Happiness once more to meet with a Christian I beseech you to direct me if there 's any way for 't how I may come to you Saying this he fell upon his Knees so I told him I would get him over and bid him stay there My Companion had made his shoot and was gone to the rest So I went up to the Village and got a Praw which I sent to bring him over to me and as soon as he came over he gusht out in Tears and Embracing me thank'd me most passionately for my seasonable Assistance I desired him to go along with me to some Company I had which he did and gave me a short account of himself by the way My Company wondred who I had got with me but when they were informed what he was we all help'd to Comfort him and treated him as we did our selves In that while he inform'd us of the particulars of his Misfortunes The sum of which was That being come over from Delst in the Company 's Service as Carpenter he had been employed in the Kartirian Wars and as he with three more were sent out to take a View of some part of the chief City of that Kingdom they had the ill Fortune to fall into the Hands of the Enemy who carried them away Prisoners to Tuban and there Sold them to a rich Chinese who was just come thither in a Ship of his own That Chinese carried them all four to China to the Sea-Port Town call'd Quancheu where after seven years of hard Slavery they found an opportunity and made their escape from thence in a small Boat to the Island of Manilha where they luckily met with a Ship that was coming to Batavia but as they were got almost within reach of it and within four miles of Land their Ship struck upon a Shelf and there sunk and he knew of none that had saved themselves but he alone The Relation of this dismal Story did affect us so that we were as Melancholly as himself Our Dinner being over we return'd to Batavia and took this poor Man with us and presented him to the General who appointed him a Post under the Gunner of the Castle till further Orders I need not give the Reader the particular Account which he gave us of his Slavery it being much the same with what we use to hear concerning that Condition and may be found in most Books of Travels especially in those of Ferdinandus Mendez Pinto who gives an Experimental Account of all sorts of Slavery having been himself taken 13 times and 17 times sold in the space of 21 years About this time three Ships were getting ready to go and make a discovery of a certain Island which lies Northward of Japan There had been some Ships sent thither some years before but they had all miscarried some by the way others as it was reported by the attractive power of the Magnetic Mountains were drawn violently to Shore so that to avoid that danger they contrived the Building of these Ships without Nails or Iron Work When they were ready they Beat up for Volunteer Seamen promising them for an Encouragement a Twelve Month's Pay over and above their Wages half of it to be paid presently the other half when they came back This raised Men in abundance and as fast as they could wish and in three weeks time the Ships being ready went under sail with 220 Men on Board of ' em It is said that Island was first found out by the Portugueses but that they were forced to abandon it by reason of the excessive Cold and multitude of Wild-Beasts for it lies Northward of Tartary But the Gold which as it is reported comes in great store down several Rivers of that Country was I presume the only Motive which set the Dutch upon making these dangerous Attempts and upon ventring a second time after such bad Success What became of this last Expedition I never heard for there came no News of it to Batavia before I came away from thence Soon after this a great piece of Roguery was carried on at Bantam which unhappily proved successful The Dutch had there under one of the Bastions a great Magazine of Powder and they had unfortunately at that time above 100 Tun of it in the Magazine A Javian undertook to get in by breaking of the Wall which he was forced to do by digging a way under Ground quite to the side of it Every day he closed up the entrance into his Hole with Earth so artificially and so softly that no body perceived it and that neither of the two Sentinels that stood on the Bastion heard the least Noise at any time When he was got in he took a Bamboo-Cane that was hollow and filling that with Gun-powder lighted it at one end and the Fire coming to the Powder in the Cane gave a great Blow with some Flame without doing any further harm for the present This alarm'd all the People who presently went to search every corner of the Bastion to see what the matter was and there the Bamboo-Cane was found and the Powder that was in it was consumed But no sooner had they open'd the Vault-Door but the
are very neat and wash themselves all over every day The Man hath all the Care of the House upon him and they have generally two Slaves the one to go to Market the other to dress the Victuals I will now I am treating of Columbo give you some Description of that City I have already told you how it was built by the Portuguese but when the Dutch East-India Company took possession of it they Demolish'd many parts and Re-built others after the Dutch manner and to this day they are building at the Castle and City The Castle hath on the West-side the Sea on the North-East the City on the South-East a sweet River It is fortify'd with several Bulwarks each of which hath 20 or 30 Guns a very good Counterscarp and there are so many Rocks on the Sea-side that no Ships can come near it There is a broad Channel runs all round it where one may see every day Crocodiles in abundance It hath three Gates one to the South-West call'd Port de Gala about a Musquet-shot off on the side that goes to Galture the Land about it is richly fill'd with Orchards and Gardens full of fine Fruit-trees which reach a mile or two The other Gate is call'd the Delfsche Port from the Bastion which is just by it that bears that Name This Gate is toward the City and the way to it hath the Sea all along on one side and a deep Ditch on the other and a large Field call'd the Buffler's Plain which they can lay all under Water when they please by opening a Sluce The third Gate which is Northward hath the Name of Water-Port on the left side of that is the Water-Pass guarded by many Cannon that command all the Ships that lye in the Road. Within the Castle are many pretty Walks of Nut-trees set in an uniform Order but they bear no Fruit only red and white Flowers The Streets are pleasant walks themselves having Trees on both sides and before the Houses The Castle contains about 40 Acres of Land The Governor all the Merchants Officers and Soldiers have their Dwelling within it and without the Walls between them and the Sea are the Huts where near four thousand Slaves belonging to the Company lye at night They are of different Nations and are constantly kept at work Their Huts are very little made up with nothing but Straw and Leaves There are Dutch-men to look over 'em who are call'd Mucadons each of these have 70 80 90 or 100 to oversee and must give an account of ' em There is likewise a very large place for Ammunition two strong Cellars for Gun-powder and Magazines for the Merchants and a Church and behind that a very fine Stable commonly full of Persian Horses There is also a Powder Wind-mill by Port de Gala and by the Water-Pass a Wind-mill to saw Boards c. The City of Columbo is much larger than the Castle by reason of the large Trees and Gardens that are in it and it is very well fortify'd with five Bulwarks call'd Victoria Constantia Concordia Haerlem and Euckhuysen It hath on the North the Road where the Ships lye on the other side the River that is full of Crocodiles It hath three Gates the one as I said just now is call'd the Delfsche-Port the second is not far from that and goes toward the Sea the third is the Port-Victoria or Negumbo The Inhabitants are a mixture of Officers Soldiers Burghers and Tradesmen Blacks and Whites and others For which reason the Hollanders are oblig'd to keep a careful watch every night The Streets are always very clean tho' it Rain never so much There is an Hospital for the Dutch very well provided with able Surgeons and they with very good Medicines and Slaves allow'd them The chief Doctor that had the Care of it in my time was in very ill Repute for his ill Management of those that came under his Hands and for several ill Actions he was accus'd of and amongst others of having a pretty while been too familiar with a Slave of his and then Killing of her and Burying her in his Garden Not far from that is an Hospital for Dutch Orphans The Boys are taught to Read and Write after that they are made either Drummers or Soldiers The Girls besides Reading and Writing are taught to Sew or any other Employment proper to their Sex and there they are kept to work till some-body comes to marry 'em which commonly happens by that time they are 12 or 13 years of Age. The Dutch Church-yard is in the middle of the City enclos'd with a Wall on which a Malabarian School stands On the out-side of the Church-yard there is Sold all the Week long Silks Stuffs and Linnen by the Moors and Persians and all sorts of Fruits dry'd Fish Onions Sugar and Rice by the Malabarians Maldivians and Cingulayans and other Inhabitants of Columbo CHAP. IX A sad Accident happens before Columbo by Gun-powder Two Ships come to Columbo from Persia bound from thence for Holland The Author is discharg'd at his request tho' with some difficulty Is to go to Punt de Gala by Sea to Embark there The Master being drunk they run the Vessel against a Rock and all sunk The Author and fourteen others save their Lives by swimming to shore but lost all their Goods They come Naked to Punt de Gala whence he Embarks aboard the Wester-Amstel Their departure and arrival to the Cape where they find the Ships from Batavia that had waited seven Weeks for them A French Pirate comes amongst them under a disguise All come away from the Cape An Account of their Voyage What places they passed What extremity they were come to At last by God's Assistance they came safe home IN the Year 1680 We had three unlucky Accidents The one was That a Ship being come from Holland by Batavia and lying at Anchor in the Road near Columbo it had brought a great quantity of Gun-Powder for the use of this City the Inhabitants thereof had already loaded their Boats with 80 Barrels of it and were so near Land that they prepar'd for haling of it to shore A Boy belonging to the Master of the Boat stood smoaking with a Pipe in his Mouth which the Master seeing gave him such a box on the Ear that he dash'd his Pipe into the next Boat where some Powder being scatter'd took Fire and blew up that Boat and in the twinkling of an Eye the two next and not only so but also all the People that stood upon the shore had a toss in the Air. Another was That two Ships lying at Anchor in the Road and the Wind growing very violent broke their Cables and stranded them against the Fish-market but all the Men saved their Lives The 9th of December Two great Ships call'd the Africa and the Cortegeene came from Persia Having now staid seven months over and above the five years I was oblig'd to in the Service of the East-India