Page 216 - Early English Adventurers in the Middle East_Neat

216 EARLY ENGLISH ADVENTURERS IN THE EAST

which magnified these trivial bodies of aliens into a poten­
1 tially powerful combination capable of dire mischief to the
- Government. He acted as if the danger were imminent.
The prisoner was placed in close confinement and double
guards were everywhere established. Meanwhile, the
other Japanese soldiers, twelve in number, were brought
into the castle and disarmed.
Next attention was turned to the English. The staff
of the English factory lived in quarters in the town some
little distance off. But it so happened that at the time there
was in confinement in the castle one of the number, Abel
Price by name, who had got himself into trouble by set­
ting fire to a Dutchman’s house when intoxicated. Price
is described in the records as a “ Chirurgeon,” and pre­
sumably was a man of education though evidently not of
exalted morals. The council had him brought before
them to see what light he could throw upon this conspiracy
which had been so providentially brought to light.
Price, dragged forth from his dungeon possibly with
. the effects of alcoholic excess still upon him, cut a poor
figure. He “ after little or no torture,” to adopt the
curious phraseology of the Dutch record, “ instantly con­
fessed, saying that on New Year’s Day (their style) Cap­
i
tain Towerson had called them together, viz. the English
merchants and the other officers, and first had had them
take their oath of secrecy and faithfulness on their Bible.
After this he pointed out to them that their nation was
greatly troubled by us and treated unjustly, and was very
little respected; for which he thought to revenge himself.
If they would help him and assist him faithfully, he knew
how to render himself master of the castle, to which
some of them made objections, saying their power was

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