■ 
NOTICES OF EUROPEAN INTERCOURSE WITH BORNEO. 505 
lies three miles up the river, of whatever happens. Van Noorfc 
sent a Chinese with a present to the king-, to make known to him 
that he had come to his country as a friend, who only desired to pro¬ 
cure food, water and other things for his money. Many praus visi¬ 
ted him, laden with fowls, fish, and fruit for which he bartered cloth. 
He also received some nobles and orang hay as, who behaved in a 
very friendly manner, and to whom he gave some presents that he 
might trade at liberty ; hut he ordered his people to keep a good 
watch, and see that not too many came on board at once, for fear of 
ill consequences. On the 25th the Chinese returned and brought 
news that the king, fearing they might he Spaniards, with whom 
he was at war, had at first been unwilling to allow them to land and 
to trade, but that now, being better informed, he desired that a 
Dutchman should land in order that he himself might better judge 
of the matter. Van Noort said that he would willingly comply, if 
the king would only give a hostage, and this being acceded to, he 
gave some fine firelocks and other weapons to be presented to the 
king in his name. 
That things were not right however, and that the place was noth¬ 
ing better than a nest of rogues, appeared afterwards very plainly to 
this commander. On the 1st of January 1601 he saw about 100 
praus assemble behind a point about a mile from his ship. A few of 
these approached his ship bringing some bags of pepper, but he hav¬ 
ing perceived their object, frustrated it, by ordering his people to take 
good heed and not to allow more than 2 or 3 to come on board. 
Many of them now pressed forward, but on the Dutch threatening’ 
to fire, they held off, asking why it was intended to shoot them, on 
which it was answered that they must go and lie at a greater dis¬ 
tance from the ship, which they did. On the second night they 
made an unsuccessful attempt to take the ship by cutting her cable 
and causing her to drift on shore. Some pepper was procured, but 
seeing that they behaved badly, and had nothing but evil in their 
minds, Olivier van Noort departed on the 5th of January.* 
* Slightly abridged from Yalcntyn,—Oud en Nieu Oost-Indicn, vol, iii. 
p.243. The account given in Harris is substantially the same. He tells 
TJ 
