s to see our
manner of burial. After the corpse was interred, we all returned to the
factory, where we had a collation, and then our people returned to the
ship. I had almost forgotten to remark, that we had much ado to get any
native to dig the grave in which a Christian was to be buried, neither
would they permit the body to be conveyed by water in any of their
boats.

At this time the king commanded that all the streets in Firando should
be cleaned, and that gutters should be made on each side to convey the
water from them, all the streets to be new gravelled, and the
water-channels to be covered with flat stones. This work was all done in
one day, every one performing so much of it as was in front of his own
house, and it was admirable to see the diligence every person used on
this occasion. Our house was not the last in having this task performed,
as our landlord, the Chinese captain, set a sufficient number of men to
do the work.

The 30th, some other merchants of Miaco came to look at our commodities,
who offered twelve tayes the fathom for our best _stammel_, or red
cloth; but they went away without making any bargain. At this time we
had very heavy winds, both by day and night, so that we were in fear of
another tuffoon, on which account all the fishers hauled their boats
ashore, and every one endeavoured to secure the roofings of their
houses. A week before this, a _bose_, bonze or conjurer, had predicted
to the king that this tempest was to come. About this time our surgeon,
being in his cups, came into a house where a _bose_ was conjuring for a
woman who wanted to know if her husband or friends would return from
sea. So when the _bose_ was done, the surgeon gave him three-pence to
conjure again, and to tell him when our general would return to Firando.
In the end, the _bose_ told him that the general would return within
eighteen days, pretending that he heard a voice answer from behind a
wall, both when he conjured for the woman, and now when he conjured for
the surgeon.

On the 2d of October, the master sent me word that some of the men had
run away with the skiff. These were John Bowles, John Saris, John
Tottie, Christopher Evans, Clement Locke, Jasper Malconty, and James the
Dutchman. While in the way to the king to get boats to send after them,
our Dutch _jurebasso_ came running after me, and told me our people were
on the other side making merry at a tippling-house. On this information
I returned to