Chap. 
edly it has a very Uriel Relation to the Bufinefs of this 
Collection, and therefore 1 ffiall give as dear an Account 
of this Man’s Misfortunes, as is poffible, and in as lew 
Words as I can. 
William Bontekoe , Native of the Town of Horn, tailed 
on the 28th of September , 16 1 8, from the Pexel, for the 
Indies, on board a Veffel of eleven hundred Tons, hav- 
ing two hundred and fix Men on board, in Company with 
tw°o Ships of a fm alter Size. The Difficulties he met with 
beo-an very early *, for being feparated from the reft of his 
Squadron by a violent Storm, which lafted for feveral 
Days, he therein endured fuch Hardffiips, and ran thro 
fuch Variety of Dangers, that neither himfelf nor any of 
the experienced Seamen he had on board, expected to ef- 
cape. At length, however, the Violence of the Tempeft 
abated, and they found themfelves in the Streights of Sunda, 
where they met with another Accident ftill more terrible ; 
for one of the Crew going down to pump, at the fame 
time that the Steward went to draw Brandy, it fell out un- 
luckily, that the former had a Candle in his Hand, out of 
which a Spark flew into the little Hole which the Steward 
had pierced in the Brandy-Calk, and that coniequently 
took Fire. The Captain, foon apprifed of the Accident, 
ran down and ordered them to throw W ater upon tne 
Calk, which, in their Confufion, they rolled down into 
the Place where their Smith kept his Coals •, but, howe- 
ver, the Water feemed to have- put out the Fire : But in 
about half an Hour they were fatally convinced, that the 
Coals being covered with the flaming Brandy, had taken 
Fire. In this Diftrefs, they continued to throw great 
Quantities of Water upon the Coals, in hopes of extin- 
guishing them, from v/hence a new rsvil arole; the ful- 
phureous Smoak of the Coals coming up through the Scut- 
tles in fuch thick Clouds, that they were not able to fee 
what they were doing •, and* which was worfe, they were 
fo fuflfocated thereby, that they were no longer able to 
mind what they were about. 
In this Diftrefs they were conftralned to Ihut the Scut- 
tles, and to make Holes in the Ship’s Sides, thro’ which, 
by ’the Help of Canes, they continued to pour Water. 
Captain Bontekoe fore-feeing that their greateft Danger lay 
in the Fire reaching the Powder-room, fent for the Super- 
cargo, without whofe Confent he could do nothing, 
and endeavoured to perfuade him to confent that the 
Powder Ihould be thrown over-board ; but he was not 
to be moved, alledging, that if they threw over the 
Powder, and fhould afterwards be attacked, tho by a 
Veffel ever fo much inferior to them in Strength, they 
muft be obliged to ftrike, without making any Defence. 
By this Man’s Obftinacy, they were left in this dreadful 
Condition, fluctuating between Hope and Defpatr, the 
Fire appearing fometimes, and fometimes was fo little to 
be diftinguilhed, that they had Reafon to think it had 
been out. But alas ! they were foon convinced of their 
Miftake, for the Coals lying at no great Diftance from a 
Tire of Buts, filled with Oil ; the Fire very foon reached 
them, and then the Crew began abfolutely to defpair. 
Their Cafe indeed was miferable, beyond Defcription, lor 
they were out of Sight of Tand, the rolling Ocean on 
~ every Side, and the Fire immediately under them. It fo 
happened, that their Shallop had been for fome Time in 
Tow, and to make Room for the Men to bring Water 
to put out the Fire ; they had likewife heaved out the 
Long-boat. The Crew obferving this, flipp’d fome to 
the Fore-caftle, and fome into the Galleries, Irom whence 
they dropped into the Sea, and then fwam on Board the 
Shallop, or Boat ; 1 b that while the Captain was uhng his 
utmoft Endeavours to preferve the Ship, he loft a great 
Part of his Men. 
When he difeovered this, he endeavoured to get them 
on Board again •, but finding that impoflible, he made all 
the Sail he could to come up with them, and while he 
was doing this, the fatal Blow which he expected, took 
Place, that is to fay, the Ship blew up, and he was 
thrown from the Quarter-deck with two great Wounds in 
his Head, his Body half fcorched, and his Legs and 
Arms fo bruited, that he could hardly move them. How- 
ever, his being fo fuddenly plunged into the Water, 
brought him to his Senfes ■> fo that feeing the Mainmaft of 
4 
the Ship near him, he with much ado got upon it 5 and 
by the Help of two Boards, kept himfelf floating till he 
was taken up by the Shallop with much Difficulty. It 
was by this Time Night, and though the Captain, as 
foon as he came on Board, advifed them to keep as near 
the Wreck as they could, yet they kept rowing all Night 
long, as if they had been fure of making Land. But 
when the Day broke, and they faw neither Shore nor Ship, 
they came to the Captain, befeeching him to tell them 
what they fhould do. They were without Sails* without 
Compafs, without Water, and had not above feven or 
eight Pound of Bifket, but were ftill rowing as hard as if 
they had been within Sight of Shore. The Captain ex- 
horted them to Courage and Obedience, and in the firft 
Place made a Review of them, by which it appeared, 
that there were forty-fix in the Shallop, and twenty-fix in 
the Long-boat. He advifed them to lay afide their Oars, 
as ferving only to weaken them, and bid them make ufe 
of Sails. They afked where they were to be had, the 
Captain replied, that every Man muft pull off his Shirt, that 
by fewing them together, they might make as good Sails 
as they could. It was then objected, that they had not 
either Needle or Thread, But the Captain taught them to 
fupply the firft with Nails, and the latter by untwifting 
the Ropes. While they were at work upon the Sails, he 
employed the Carpenter in making a Jacob s Staff, for 
taking Obfervations •, and tho’ he was fo ill, that he could 
not fit up, yet he made fhift to draw a Compafs, and a 
Chart, in which he laid down the Iflands of Sumatra , Ja- 
va, and the Streights of Sunda. 
While they were thus at Sea, they got fome Mews, 
and fome Flying-fifh, and when it rained, they collected 
the Water in their Sails, and preferved it in two or three 
Calks. But notwithftanding all this, they were in a Fort- 
night’s Time driven to fuch Neceffities, that it was with 
great Difficulty the Captain prevailed upon them to defift 
from a Defign they had formed of killing and eating two 
or three Boys they had on Board. It was the 20th of 
November , that the Ship blew up, and on the 3d of De- 
cember, they, with much Difficulty, made an Ifland on 
the Coaft of Sumatra , from whence, with infinite Danger, 
they reached that Shore, and after running thro* Va- 
riety of Perils, in which they were preferved by the 
wife Counfel of their Captain,^ they at laft paffed the 
Streights of Sunda, and arrived fafe on the Coaft of Java y 
where they were taken on Board the Dutch Fleet, com- 
manded by Frederick Houtman of Alcmaer , who failed out 
of the Fexel at the fame Time with Captain Bontekoe . 
After he had remained fome Time with him, the Ad- 
miral fent Captain Bontekoe to Batavia , to the General 
John Peter Coen , who then commanded in the Indies , and 
who immediately gave him another Ship, as the juft Re- 
ward of his Toils, and fent him with naval Stores and 
Provifions to the Moluccas. After this, he was employed 
by the fame General in feveral other Services for the Space 
of two Years, and then he was fent to China , on Board 
the Fleet of Cornelius Reygers , who was entrufted with an 
Expedition of great Importance, which was to eftablifli a 
Commerce with the Inhabitants of that Empire, either by 
fair Means, or by Force and in cafe the latter only was 
found practicable, they were ordered to make themfelves 
Mailers of the Ifland and Fortrefs of Macao , or one of 
thofe Iflands on the Coafts of China, to which the Portu- 
guese had given the Name of Pifcadores. 
This Expedition, tho’ very well concerted, and a 
Force employed, every Way fufficient for the Execu- 
tion of it, yet failed by unforefeen Accidents, and the 
Portuguese at Macao having repulled them in their At- 
tempt upon that Place, they were obliged to think of ex- 
ecuting the latter Part of their Commiffion by attacking 
fome of the Iflands before- mentioned. This proved a 
Work of Time, and was likewife attended with innumera- 
ble Difficulties, chiefly through the wicked and perfidious 
Temper of the Chinefe, who were too numerous to be 
wrought upon to Advantage by Force, and who under 
colour of Peace, betrayed and murdered fuch as trufted 
themfelves in their Hands. They likewife frequently en- 
dangered the Dutch Squadrons by their Fireftiips, and in 
fine, gave fuch Difquiet to Captain Bontekoe , that he re* 
falvcd 
