1831.] 
CAPTURE OF THE FRIENDSHIP, 
89 
come near the ship at night ; nor even in the daytime were any 
except in small numbers, allowed to come on board, and not even 
then, until they had divested themselves of their arms. The 
arms of a Malay usually consist of a kris, or dagger, secured to 
the left side by the fold of a long sash wrapped several times 
around the loins, and a knife, the blade of which and handle are 
generally about eighteen inches long. The blades of these 
knives are kept extremely sharp. 
On the morning of the fatal ninth of February following his ar- 
rival. Captain Endicott went on shore, as usual, in one of his 
boats, taking with him Mr. John Barry, of Salem, second officer, 
and four of the crew, to assist in weighing and despatching the 
pepper. The pepper, as soon as weighed, was placed in the 
large boats of the Malays, and by them rowed off to the ship, and 
passed on board, when the bags were started and returned, as is 
done till all is thus embarked. 
In the afternoon of the day abovementioned, one of the boats, 
having been loaded near the banks of the river, from which the 
place takes its name (river of Stones, or Stone river), and about 
one fourth of a mile from its mouth, was despatched with her 
Malay crew for the ship. Observing that the boat did not pro- 
ceed directly to the ship, but made a halt near the mouth of the 
river, and near the opposite shore, two of the four men were 
despatched to observe her motions, and see that the Malays were 
not steaHng pepper from the boat, a trick' of which they are fre- 
quently guilty. Before, however, these men had arrived near 
enough to perceive what had actually been going on, the boat was 
pushing off towards the ship ; when they returned and reported 
accordingly, that they had seen nothing suspicious, and that the 
boat had her usual complement of men. Captain Endicott was 
not satisfied, as he thought that he perceived in the boat, while 
rowing off, a rather unusual number of Malays. ■ 
. The facts were these: In pursuance of a preconcerted plan, 
made days before by the rajahs, and the very men who had en- 
gaged to furnish the cargo, and which a majority of the inhabi- 
tants were privy to, the boat had stopped at the mouth of the river 
to exchange crews, the hired boatmen leaving her, and the assas- 
sins, eleven in number, who were to be liberally paid if successful 
in their enterprise, carried the boat alongside of the ship, and be- 
