Page 58 - Early English Adventurers in the Middle East_Neat

58 EARLY ENGLISH ADVENTURERS IN THE EAST

made for Bantam, off which port he anchored some time
in November.
As news of the exploits of the Tiger had preceded her
it was natural that her welcome was not effusive. Some
Englishmen from the local factory who came aboard told
them the stories that were current as to their charac­
ter. The Hollanders, who were most active in circulating
the “ slanders ” as they were rather whimsically regarded
by Miclielbome, represented the members of the ex­
pedition as a body of “ disordinate livers,” who only
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wanted the opportunity to perpetrate the worst acts of
violence.
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In a fine frenzy of indignation the gentleman adventurer
sent a message to the Dutch ships then in port that he
would weigh anchor and ride close by them with the intent
that they might attack him if they dared. He gave notice
. that if one piece of ordnance was put out he would either
sink them or be sunk by their side. Suiting the action to
the word, Michelborne shifted his anchorage to the vicinity
of the Dutch fleet, which consisted of five ships, one of
which was a large vessel of between 700 and 800 tons.
But the challenge was not taken up, and according to the
veracious chronicler, “ whereas the Hollanders were wont
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to swagger and keep great stirre on shore all the time
before our being there, they were so quiet that we could
scarcely see one of them on land.”
Notwithstanding this bravado, Michelborne found it
convenient to make his stay at the Javan port a brief one.
On leaving he steered a course for Patani, a port on the
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eastern coast of the Malay Peninsula, which at that period
was a centre of considerable trade. For some days the
vessel was becalmed off the island of Banca. To enliven
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