On the 22d, 100 Dutchmen, armed with firelocks and pikes, all in brave array, marched to the front of the palace, where they drew up in a ring and gave three vollies.  The protector sent word in the king’s name to thank them, saying they had done enough, and might depart with their iron hats; for so the Javanese call head-pieces.  The 28th, three Dutch ships sailed homewards bound, mostly laden with pepper and mace, and five more of their ships sailed for Banda and the Moluccas.

The 4th December, a Dutch ship arrived from Coromandel, from which we had intelligence that the Globe was at Patane bound for Siam.  The 11th, the Hector, having taken in her lading, sailed from Bantam to the watering-place called Morough, where the air is good and healthy, and where refreshment of oranges is to be had in abundance, besides other wholesome fruits, intending to wait there till the Thomas was fully laden.  The 22d, the Trades-increase and Darling arrived from Priaman.  The 25th, in honour of the birth-day of the Saviour, certain chambers were discharged at our English factory, which were answered by ordnance from our ships.  The 28th, Keewee, the chief China merchant, invited Sir Henry Middleton and me, with all our merchants, to dinner at his house, where he had a play acted by Chinese actors on a stage erected for the purpose, which they performed with good pronunciation and gesture.  The 12th January, 1613, the Thomas set sail for England, having a crew of thirty-six English and three Indians.

Sec. 4. The Voyage of Captain Saris, in the Clove, towards Japan, with Observations respecting the Dutch and Spaniards at the Molucca Islands.[423]

In the morning of the 4th January, 1613, we weighed anchor from the road of Bantam for Japan, having taken in 700 sacks of pepper to make trial of trade at that place.  Our crew consisted of seventy-four Englishmen, one Spaniard, one Japanese, and five Swarts, [blacks] or Indians.  The 15th, in the morning, having little wind, we hauled off into fourteen fathoms, and steered E. by S. and E.S.E. leaving Pulo Lack on our starboard, and eleven or twelve small islands on our larboard; our depth shoaling from, fourteen to ten fathoms us we passed between two islands to the east of Palo Lack. In this fair way there is a shoal which has not above six feet water, and does not exceed half a cable’s length in extent either way.  Close in with it there are ten fathoms water, and the very next cast is on ground, as we had sad experience, having lain three hours beating on it with a reasonably stiff gale, but got off through God’s mercy, and the extraordinary exertions of the crew.  Our ship sprung a leak, which kept every man at the pump, myself only excepted, during the whole night, and till ten o’clock next day.  Every one took his spell in turn, and little enough to keep the leak from increasing, so that we were all doubtful of being obliged to put back for Bantam, to the great risk of losing our men by sickness, and disappointing our voyage to Japan; but, thank God, our carpenter found the leak, and made it tight.  To avoid this shoal it is necessary to keep close to the islands, as the main of Java is shoally.