Page 50 - Early English Adventurers in the Middle East_Neat

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50 EARLY ENGLISH ADVENTURERS IN THE EAST

perplexed thought as to its disposal. But he was not in
the mood to allow any small difficulties to interfere with
his thorough enjoyment of the situation in which he now
found himself. By a single stroke he had satisfactorily
settled what had at one time seemed likely to prove the
insoluble problem of how to fill his ships and make the
voyage a financial success. That the desired end had been
gained by a privateering raid on another power, if it con­
cerned him at all, probably added a zest to the memory of
his achievement, since by its means he had struck another
heavy blow at his ancient enemy.
Lancaster now determined to make his way home by
way of the Sunda Straits. Experience had shown him that
Acheen was a hopeless place for business in present cir­
cumstances, and that the real centres of the spice trade
was at Priaman to the southward on the eastern coast of
Sumatra and at Bantam on the island of Java. It was
I clearly in this direction that the permanent establishment
could be most profitably located, more especially as the
Dutch had made Bantam their headquarters.
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On his return to Acheen Lancaster sought an audience
of the King to announce his decision to leave. The monarch
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received him jovially. One of his first questions to his visitor
*
was whether he had forgotten the most important business of
his recent raid—that little affair of the Portuguese maiden.
Entering into the spirit of the jest, Lancaster seriously
assured his majesty that his wishes would most certainly
have been complied with but for one thing, there was no
one found to be worthy of the high honour. “ Therewithall I
the King smiled and said, ‘ If there be anything in my king­
dom may pleasure thee I would be glad to gratify thy
good will.

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