1689.J

FRESH DESERTIONS FROM THE CYGNET.

they directed their course towards Ceylon. But not being able to weather it, the westerly monsoon bearing hard against them, they were obliged to seek refreshment on the Coast of Coromandel. Here this mad, fickle crew were upon new projects again; their designs meeting with such delays and obstructions, that many of them grew weary of it, and about half of them went ashore. Of this number, Mr Morgan, who told me this, and Mr Herman Coppinger the surgeon, went to the Danes at Trangambar, who kindly received them. There they lived very well; and Mr Morgan was employed as a mate in a ship of theirs at this time to Achin; and Captain Knox tells me, that he since commanded the Curtana, the ship that I went in to Tonquin, which Captain Welden having sold to the Mogul's subjects, they employed Mr Morgan as captain to trade in her for them; and it is an usual thing for the trading Indians to hire Europeans to go officers on board their ships, especially captains and gunners. About two or three more of these that were set ashore went to Fort St George; but the main body of them were for going into the Mogul's service. Our seamen are apt to have great notions of I know not what profit and advantages to be had in serving the Mogul; nor do they want for fine stories to encourage one another to it. It was what these men had long been thinking and talking of as a fine thing; but now they went upon it in good earnest. The place where they went ashore was at a town of the Moors; which name our seamen give to all the subjects of the Great Mogul, but especially his Mahometan subjects; calling the idolaters Gentoos or Rashbouts. At this Moors' town they got a peon to be their guide to the Mogul's nearest camp: for he has always several armies in his vast empire.

These peons are some of the Gentoos or Rashbouts, who in all places along the coast, especially in seaport towns, make it their business to hire themselves to wait upon strangers, be they merchants, seamen, or what

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they will. To qualify them for such attendance, they learn the European languages, English, Dutch, French, Portuguese, &c., according as they have any of the factories of these nations in their neighbourhood, or are visited by their ships. No sooner does any such ship come to an anchor and the men come ashore, but a great many of these peons are ready to proffer their service. It is usual for the strangers to hire their attendance during their stay there, giving them about a crown a month of our money, more or less. The richest sort of men will ordinarily hire two or three peons to wait upon them; and even the common seamen, if able, will hire one a-piece to attend them, either for convenience or ostentation; or sometimes one peon between two of them. These peons serve them in many capacities, as interpreters, brokers, servants to attend at meals, and go to market and on errands, &c. Nor do they give any trouble, eating at their own homes, and lodg ing there, when they have done their masters' business for them; expecting nothing but their wages, except that they have a certain allowance of about a "fanam," or threepence in a dollar, which is an eighteenth part profit, by way of brokerage for every bargain they drive they being generally employed in buying and selling. When the strangers go away, their peons desire them to give them their names in writing, with a certificate of their honest and diligent serving them: and these they show to the next comers, to get into business; some being able to produce a large scroll of such certificates.

But to proceed. The Moors' town where these men landed was not far from Cunnimere, a small English factory on the Coromandel Coast. The Governor whereof having intelligence by the Moors of the landing of these men, and their intended march to the Mogul's camp, sent out a captain with his company to oppose it. He came up with them and gave them hard words, but they being thirty or forty resolute fellows not easily daunted,

1690.]

ARRIVAL AT BENCOOLEN.

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that occurred during this interval of | Diamond, Captain Howel commander. the tour I made from Achin is with We were about fifty or sixty passenrelation to the Painted Prince whom gers in all; some ordered to be left at I brought with me into England, and Indrapore, and some at Bencouli ; who died at Oxford. For while I was five or six of us were officers, the rest at Fort St George, about April 1690, soldiers to the Company. We met there arrived a ship called the Min- nothing in our voyage that deserves danao Merchant, laden with clove- notice till we came abreast of Indrabark from Mindanao. Three of Cap- pore; then the wind came at NW., tain Swan's men that remained there and blew so hard that we could not when we went from thence came in get in, but were forced to bear away her, from whom I had the account of to Bencouli, another English factory on Captain Swan's death, as is before the same coast, lying fifty or sixty related. There was also one Mr leagues to the southward of IndraMoody, who was supercargo of the pore. ship. This gentleman bought at Mindanao the Painted Prince Jeoly,' and his mother, and brought them to Fort St George, where they were much admired by all that saw them. Some time after this, Mr Moody, who spoke the Malay language very well, and was a person very capable to manage the Company's affairs, was ordered by the Governor of Fort St George to prepare to go to Indrapore, an English factory on the west coast of Sumatra, in order to succeed Mr Gibbons, who was chief of that place. By this time I was very intimately acquainted with Mr Moody, and was importuned by him to go with him, and to be gunner of the fort there. I always told him I had a great desire to go to the Bay of Bengal, and that I had now an offer to go thither with Captain Metcalf, who wanted a mate, and had already spoken to me. Mr Moody, to encourage me to go with him, told me that if I would go with him to Indrapore he would buy a small vessel there, and send me to the Island Meangis as commander of her; and that I should carry Prince Jeoly and his mother with me (that being their country), by which means I might gain a commerce with his people for cloves. This was a design that I liked very well, therefore I consented to go thither. It was some time in July 1690 when we went from Fort St George in a small ship called the

Upon our arrival at Bencouli we saluted the fort, and were welcomed by them. The same day we came to an anchor, and Captain Howel and Mr Moody, with the other merchants, went ashore, and were all kindly received by the Governor of the fort. It was two days after before I went ashore, and then I was importuned by the Governor to stay there to be gunner of this fort, because the gunner was lately dead; and this being a place of greater import than Indrapore, I should do the Company more service here than there. I told the Governor, if he would augment my salary, which by agreement with the Governor of Fort St George I was to have had at Indrapore, I was willing to serve him, provided Mr Moody would consent to it. As to my salary, he told me I should have twenty-four dollars per month, which was as much as he gave to the old gunner. Mr Moody gave no answer till a week after, and then, being ready to be gone to Indrapore, he told me I might use my own liberty, either to stay here or go with him to Indrapore. He added, that if I went with him, he was not certain as yet to perform his promise in getting a vessel for me to go to Meangis with Jeoly and his mother; but he would be so fair to me, that because I left Madras on his account, he would give me the half share of the two painted people, and leave them in my possession and at my disposal. I accepted of the offer, and writings were immediately drawn between us.

Thus it was that I came to have

this Painted Prince, whose name was ing was done in the same manner as Jeoly, and his mother. They were the Jerusalem Cross is made in men's born on a small island called Meangis. arms, by pricking the skin and rubI saw the island twice, and two more bing in a pigment. But whereas close by it. Each of the three seemed powder is used in making the Jerusato be about four or five leagues round, lem Cross, they at Meangis use the and of a good height. Jeoly himself gum of a tree beaten to powder, told me that they all three abounded called by the English drammer, which with gold, cloves, and nutmegs; for is used instead of pitch in many parts I showed him some of each sort of India. He told me that most of several times, and he told me in the the men and women on the island Malay language, which he spake indif- were thus painted; and also that they ferent well,Meangis hadda madoc- had all earrings made of gold, and hala se bullawan," that is, "There gold shackles about their legs and is abundance of gold at Meangis." arms; that their common food, of "Bullawan "" I have observed to the produce of the land, was potatoes be the common word for gold at and yams; that they had plenty of Mindanao; but whether the proper cocks and hens, but no other tame Malay word I know not; for I found fowl. He said that fish (of which he much difference between the Malay was a great lover, as wild Indians language as it was spoken at Min- generally are) was very plentiful about danao, and the language on the coast the island; and that they had canoes, of Malacca and Achin. When I and went a-fishing frequently in showed him spice, he would not only them; and that they often visited tell me that there was madochala, the other two small islands, whose that is, abundance; but, to make it inhabitants speak the same language appear more plain, he would also as they did; which was so unlike the show me the hair of his head, a thing Malay, which he had learnt while he frequent among all the Indians that I was a slave at Mindanao, that when have met with, to show their hair his mother and he were talking towhen they would express more than gether in their Meangian tongue I they can number. He told me also could not understand one word they that his father was Raja of the island said. And indeed all the Indians where they lived; that there were who speak Malay, who are the tradnot above thirty men on the island, ing and politer sort, looked on these and about one hundred women; that Meangians as a kind of barbarians; he himself had five wives and eight and, upon any occasion of dislike, children, and that one of his wives would call them "bobby," that is, painted him. He was painted all "hogs," the greatest expression of down his breast; between his should- contempt that can be, especially from ers behind; on his thighs mostly the mouth of Malays, who are genebefore; and in the form of several rally Mahometans. And yet the broad rings, or bracelets, round his Malays everywhere call a arms and legs. I cannot liken the babby, by a name not much differdrawings to any figures of animals, ent; and mamma signifies a man: or the like; but they were very though these two last words properly curious, full of great variety of lines, denote male and female; and as flourishes, chequered work, &c., keep-"ejam" signifies a fowl, so ejam ing a very graceful proportion, and mamma is a cock, and "ejam appearing very artificial, even to babby" is a hen. But this by the wonder, especially that upon and way. between his shoulder blades. By the account he gave me of the manner of doing it, I understood that the paint

1 Skilful, ingenious.

woman

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He said also, that the customs of those other isles, and their manner of living, was like theirs, and that they

2 That is, by tattooing.

1690.]

HISTORY OF THE "PAINTED PRINCE."

were the only people with whom they had any converse; and that one time, as he, with his father, mother, and brother, with two or three men more, were going to one of these other islands, they were driven by a strong wind on the coast of Mindanao, where they were taken by the fishermen of that island, and carried ashore and sold as slaves, they being first stripped of their gold ornaments. I did not see any of the gold that they wore; but there were great holes in their ears, by which it was manifest that they had worn some ornaments in them. Jeoly was sold to one Michael, a Mindanayan, that spoke good Spanish, and commonly waited on Raja Laut, serving him as our interpreter where the Raja was at a loss in any word, for Michael understood it better. He did often beat and abuse his painted servant, to make him work, but all in vain; for neither fair means, threats, nor blows would make him work as he would have him. Yet he was very timorous, and could not endure to see any sort of weapons; and he often told me that they had no arms at Meangis, they having no enemies to fight with. I knew this Michael very well while we were at Mindanao. I suppose that name was given him by the Spaniards, who baptized many of them at the time when they had footing at that island; but, at the departure of the Spaniards, they were Mahometans again as before. Some of our people lay at this Michael's house, whose wife and daughter were pagallies to some of them. I often saw Jeoly at his master Michael's house; and when I came to have him so long after, he remembered me again. I did never see his father nor brother, nor any of the others that were taken with them; but Jeoly came several times aboard our ship when we lay at Mindanao, and gladly accepted of such victuals as we gave him; for his master kept him at very short commons.

Prince Jeoly lived thus a slave at Mindanao four or five years, till at last Mr Moody bought him and his mother for sixty dollars, and, as is

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before related, carried him to Fort St George, and thence along with me to Bencouli. Mr Moody stayed at Bencouli about three weeks, and then went back with Captain Howel to Indrapore, leaving Jeoly and his mother with me. They lived in a house by themselves without the fort. I had no employment for them, but they both employed themselves. She used to make and mend their own clothes, at which she was not very expert, for they wear no clothes at Meangis, but only a cloth about their waists; and he busied himself in making a chest with four boards and a few nails that he begged of me. It was but an ill-shaped, odd thing, yet he was as proud of it as if it had been the rarest piece in the world. After some time they were both taken sick, and though I took as much care of them as if they had been my brother and sister, yet she died. I did what I could to comfort Jeoly; but he took on extremely, insomuch that I feared him also. Therefore I caused a grave to be made presently, to hide her out of his sight. I had her shrouded decently in a piece of new calico; but Jeoly was not so satisfied, for he wrapped all her clothes about her, and two new pieces of chintz that Mr Moody gave her, saying that they were his mother's, and she must have them. I would not disoblige him, for fear of endangering his life; and I used all possible means to recover his health; but I found little amendment while we stayed here. In the little printed relation that was made of him when he was shown for a sight in England, there was a romantic story of a beautiful sister of his, a slave with them at Mindanao, and of the Sultan's falling in love with her; but these were stories indeed. They reported also that his paint was of such virtue, that serpents and venomous creatures would flee from him; for which reason, I suppose, they represented so many serpents scampering about in the

1 That is, I feared for his life also, so profound was his grief.