I told his majesty, as a small token of my duty and affection to him, I was come to make him a tender of the additional title of King of Mount Alkoe.—"Father," says he, "we shall never be able to get a sufficient number of my subjects to go thither; for though your safe return may be some encouragement, yet whilst their old apprehensions subsist (and I know not what will alter them) we can do no good; and indeed were they free to go, and under no suspicion of danger, it would cost abundance of men to conquer Mount Alkoe."
"Great sir," said I, "you mistake me: I told you I came to make you a tender of it; I have proclaimed you king there, and freedom to the people; I have held an assembly of the kingdom, placed a governor, taken the engagement of himself and subjects to you, settled laws amongst them for your benefit, the full third part of all their labour; have brought ten deputies, two from each denomination of people among them; and they only wait your command to be admitted, to beg your acceptance of their submission, and pray your royal protection."
"Father," says the king, "you amaze me! but as it is your doing, let them come in."
The deputies being received, and heard by Maleck, their interpreter, very graciously, the king told them, in a very favourable speech, that whatever his father had done, or should do, they might accept as done by himself; and commanded them to remind the governor, for whom he had the highest esteem, to observe the laws, without the least deviation, till his father should make such further additions as were consistent with his own honour and their future freedom; and having feasted them in a most magnificent manner, they returned, highly satisfied with the honours they had received.
This transaction being immediately noised abroad, all the colambs came themselves; and the great cities, by their deputies, sent his majesty their compliments upon the occasion; and there was nothing but mirth and rejoicing throughout the whole kingdom. And those who had refused going with me, as Maleck told me, hung their heads for shame and sorrow that they had missed the opportunity of bearing a part in the expedition.
I demonstrated to the king that the only way to preserve that kingdom was to settle a large colony on the plains, between the mountain and the sea, to intercept clandestine trade, and make a stand against any force that might be sent from the Little Lands to recover the mines. And I promised to be present at the settlement, and an assistant in it.
Most of the colambs, as I said, being at court upon this complimentary affair, the king summoned them for their advice on my proposals, and told them he had ordered me to lay before them my thoughts on the affairs of that kingdom; and after many compliments and encomiums had passed on me, I told them the necessity of the colony, the commodity that would arise from it, how I intended to manage it, and what prospect I had of introducing amongst them several extraordinary conveniences they had never before had.
The colambs, who, for want of practice this way, knew but little of the matter, thinking, nevertheless, that in the general turn of things they must somehow come in for a share, approved of all I said. I desired them then to settle out of what part of the people, and how to be nominated, such choice of the colony as should be made for the new settlement; but found them much at a loss to fix on any method of doing it. So I told them I believed it would be the best way to issue an order for such as would willingly go, to repair to a particular rendezvous; and in case sufficient should not appear voluntarily, to issue another order that the colambs, out of their several districts, should complete the number, so as to make a body of 12,000 men of arms, besides women and children; and that such a territory should be allotted to each, with so much wood-grounds, in common to all, as would suffice for their subsistence; all which passed the vote.
I then told them that this large people must have a head, or governor, to keep them to their duties, and to determine matters of property, and all disputes amongst them. Here they one and all nominated me; but I told them I apprehended I could be more useful other ways, having too many things in my head for the general good, to confine myself to any particular province; but if they would excuse me in presuming to recommend a person, it should be Nasgig. And immediately Nasgig being sent for, and accepting it, they conferred it upon him.
All things, as I judged, went on in so smooth a way, in reference to the new colony, that I was preparing, with the assistance of the proper officer, expresses to be sent with the king's gripsacks into the several provinces, with notice of these orders, and an appointment for a rendezvous. But while this was doing, abundance of people came crowding about me to be informed whether I thought it safe for them to go; and I believe I had fully satisfied all their scruples, when by some management of the ragans, who, having so long declared Mount Alkoe to be inhabited by Mindrack, did not care the people should all of a sudden find out they had deceived them, there was a report ran current, that though I and my bearers, who were all Mount Alkoe men, returned safe, yet if any of the Brandleguarpines had gone, they would never have come back again. This rumour coming to my ears, and fearing whitherto it might grow, I had no small prospect of a disappointment, and I thereupon stopped issuing the orders till I had considered what farther to do in the affair. At length, being persuaded I had already satisfied abundance of their scruples, and in order to dissipate the doubts of others, and to familiarise them in some measure to the country and people of Mount Alkoe, I proposed a prize to be flown for, and gave notice of it for six days all about the country, both to those of Mount Alkoe, and those of Sass Doorpt Swangeanti, that whoever, except those who were with me in the late expedition, should make the most speedy flight to the governor's of Mount Alkoe, to carry a message and bring me an answer from Lasmeel, should have one of my pistols, with a quantity of powder, and so many balls; and the person who should be second, should have a cutlass and belt. The time being fixed, very few had entered in the first two or three days; but on the third day came several over from Alkoe to enter, which the Brandleguarpines seeing, and having equal inclination to the prize, after half a dozen of them had entered on the fourth morning, before noon on the fifth I had near sixty of them on my list, besides the Alkoe men, making in all about one hundred.