Page 194 - Early English Adventurers in the Middle East_Neat

194: EARLY ENGLISH ADVENTURERS IN THE EAST

for all articles taken from them and to assist the English
to depart in safety with the valuable cargo of spices they
had obtained at Poolo Roon in exchange for their
goods.
Courthope’s answer was a flat refusal. “ I could not,”
he said, “ unless I should turn traitor unto my King and
country in giving up that right which I am able to hold
and also betray the country people who had surrendered
up their land to our King’s Majesty.” It was the kind
of answer that might have been looked for from one of
Courthope’s character, but it irritated Reaal who had set
his heart on getting this troublesome Englishman out of
the way without yielding any material point. He “ threw
his hat on the ground and pulled his beard for anger.”
As a concession Courthope afterwards offered to depart in
the Defence provided Reaal would agree to allow the
questions in dispute to be settled in Europe and would
pledge himself in the meantime to make no attack on the
Bandanese. But Reaal would not listen to any sugges­
tion which allowed of English interference with the inter­
nal affairs of the islands.
Nothing now remained but for the representatives of the
two nations to fight out the quarrel to the bitter end.
They proceeded to do so with the dour determination
which might have been looked for from two such antagon­
ists. The advantage, as the narrative makes clear, was
markedly in favour of the Dutch. They had a number of
strongly fortified positions, a considerable fleet of well
manned ships, and hundreds of trained soldiers which with
their undisputed command of the sea could be brought to
bear upon any point to which they desired to direct their
operations. The surrender of large masses of the Bandan-

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