Page 197 - Early English Adventurers in the Middle East_Neat

FAITHFUL UNTO DEATH 197

if blood must be shed it shall not be my fault, it being
lawful in defence of myself to do my best.”
The next important move in the conflict was in the early
months of 1618 when the English dispatched three ships
to the Moluccas to relieve Courthope and further develop
the trade with the islands. They apparently thought that
the number would be sufficient to ensure their safety, but
the Dutch had concentrated their forces with the special
object of dealing with the English flotilla and did not
hesitate to oppose it as soon as a favourable opportunity
offered.
As the Solomon, one of the three ships, was off Banda
she encountered four large Dutch vessels which, without
any ado, proceeded to attack her. The English ship was
so deeply laden that she could not use her lower tier of
ordnance. She was further embarrassed by a lack of
ammunition. Nevertheless she fought on from two o’clock
in the afternoon until nine at night. By this time the
contesting ships were quite close to each other—“ almost
board and board ”—and it was possible for the combatants
to enter into conversation with each other.
Cassarian, the English commander, opened a parley
with the result that he on the demand of the Dutch com­
mander struck his colours and went on board the enemy’s
flagship. As he did not return his crew assumed that he
had been detained a prisoner. Their first care was to
disarm the party of Bandanese on board, whose assistance
they had had in the fight and whose exasperation at the
turn events had taken might they feared take the form
of a general running amok. The precaution, as events
proved, was not an unnecessary one. When the Hollanders
came to take possession of the ship two of the Bandanese