In the Andamans and Nicobars: The Narrative of a Cruise in the Schooner "Terrapin"

by C. Boden Kloss

"But, to proceed with our affairs: it was, as I said before, the 5th day of May, about ten in the morning, when we anchored at this island. Captain Read immediately ordered his men to heel the ship, in order to clean her, which was done this day and the next. All the water-vessels were filled; they intended to go to sea at night, for the winds being yet at N.N.E., the captain was in hopes to get over to Cape Comorin before the wind shifted. Otherwise it would have been somewhat difficult for him to get thither, because the westerly monsoon was not at hand.

"I thought now was my time to make my escape, by getting leave, if possible, to stay here: for it seemed not very feasible to do it by stealth, and I had no reason to despair of getting leave, this being a place where my stay could, probably, do the crew no harm, should I design it. Indeed, one reason that put me on the thoughts of staying at this particular place, besides the present opportunity of leaving Captain Read, which I did always intend to do as soon as I could, was that I had here also a prospect of advancing a profitable trade for ambergris with these people, and of gaining a considerable fortune to myself. For in a short time I might have learned their language, and by accustoming myself to row with them in their praus or canoes—especially by conforming myself to their customs and manners of living—should have seen how they got their ambergris, and have known what quantities they got, and the time of the year when it most is found. And then afterwards I thought it would be easy for me to have transported myself from thence, either in some ship that passed that way, whether English, Dutch or Portuguese, or else to have gotten one of the young men of the island to have gone with me in one of their canoes to Achin, and there to have furnished myself with such commodities as I found most coveted by them, and therewith, at my return, to have bought their ambergris.

"I had, till this time, made no open show of going ashore here; but now, the water being filled and the ship in readiness to sail, I desired Captain Read to set me ashore on this island. He, supposing that I could not go ashore in a place less frequented by ships than this, gave me leave; which possibly he would have refused to have done if he thought I should have gotten from hence in any short time, for fear of my giving an account of him to the English or Dutch. I soon got up my chest and bedding, and immediately got some to row me ashore, for fear lest his mind should change again.

"The canoe that brought me ashore landed me on a small sandy bay, where there were two houses, but no person in them. For the inhabitants were removed to some other house, probably for fear of us; because the ship was close by: and yet both men and women came aboard the ship without any sign of fear. When our ship's canoe was going aboard again, they met the owner of the houses coming ashore in his boat. He made a great many signs to them to fetch me off again, but they would not understand him. Then he came to me, and offered his boat to carry me off, but I refused it. Then he made signs to me to go up into the house, and, according as I did understand him by his signs, and a few Malayan words that he used, he intimated that somewhat would come out of the woods in the night, when I was asleep, and kill me, meaning, probably, some wild beast. Then I carried my chest and clothes up into the house.

"I had not been ashore an hour before Captain Teat and one John Damerel, with three or four men more, came to fetch me aboard again. They need not have sent an armed possé for me, for had they but sent the cabin-boy ashore for me, I would not have denied going aboard. For though I could have hid myself in the woods, yet then they would have abused, or have killed, some of the natives, purposely to incense them against me. I told them, therefore, that I was ready to go with them, and went aboard with all my things.

"When I came aboard, I found the ship in an uproar; for there were three men more, who, taking courage by my example, desired leave also to accompany me. One of these was the surgeon, Mr Coppinger, the other was Mr Robert Hall, and one named Ambrose—I have forgot his surname. These men had always harboured the same designs as I had. The two last were not much opposed, but Captain Read and his crew would not part with the surgeon. At last the surgeon leaped into the canoe, and, taking up my gun, swore he would go ashore, and that if any man did oppose it, he would shoot him. But John Oliver, who was the quarter-master, leaped into the canoe, taking hold of him, took away the gun, and with the help of two or three more, they dragged him again into the ship.

"Then Mr Hall, and Ambrose, and I were again sent ashore; and one of the men that rowed us ashore stole an axe and gave it to us, knowing it was a good commodity with the Indians. It was now dark, therefore we lighted a candle, and I, being the oldest stander in our new country, conducted them into one of the houses, where we did presently hang up our hammocks. We had scarce done this before the canoe came ashore again, and brought the four Malayan men belonging to Achin (which we took in the prau we took off Sumatra), and the Portuguese that came to our ship out of the Siam junk at Pulo Condore: the crew having no occasion for these, being leaving the Malayan parts where the Portuguese spark served as an interpreter; and not fearing now that the Achinese could be serviceable to us in bringing us over to their country, 40 leagues off; not imagining we durst make such an attempt; as, indeed, it was a bold one. Now we were men enough to defend ourselves against the natives of the island, if they should prove our enemies; though if none of these men had come ashore to me, I should not have feared any danger. Nay, perhaps less, because I should have been cautious of giving any offence to the natives: and I am of the opinion that there are no people in the world so barbarous as to kill a single person that falls accidentally into their hands, or comes to live among them, except they have been injured by some outrage or violence committed against them. Yet, even then, or afterwards, if a man could but preserve his life from their first rage, and come to treat with them (which is the hardest thing, because their way is usually to abscond, and rushing suddenly on their enemy, to kill him unawares), one might by some slight, insinuate oneself into their favours again. Especially by showing some toy or knack that they did never see before, which any European that hath seen the world might soon contrive to amuse them withal: as might be done generally with a little fire struck with a flint and steel....

"As for these Nicobar people, I found them affable enough, and therefore I did not fear them; but I did not much care whether I had gotten any more company or no.

"But, however, I was very well satisfied, and the rather because we were now men enough to row ourselves over to the island Sumatra; and accordingly we presently consulted how to purchase a canoe from the natives.

"It was a fine clear moonlight night in which we were left ashore, therefore we walked in the sandy bay to watch when the ship would weigh and be gone, not thinking ourselves secure in our new gotten liberty till then. About eleven or twelve o'clock we saw her under sail, and then we returned to our chamber, and so to sleep; this was the 6th of May.