By the 12th of this month they had lost thirteen of the crew; and the death of thirty others was hourly dreaded. At this time too the westerly monsoon was set in, so that it was impossible to reach Batavia; and as they must speedily make some land, or inevitably perish, it was resolved to attempt the getting to Macassar, a Dutch settlement on the island of Celebes. On the 13th they saw several trees floating, and birds sitting on them: and two days afterwards they came to an anchor, at little more than a league from Macassar.
Late that night the Governor sent a Dutchman on board the Swallow, who was greatly alarmed to find that she was an English man of war, no such vessel having ever anchored there before; and so apprehensive of danger was the Dutchman, that he would not venture to enter the cabin. Very early the next day the Captain sent a letter to the Governor, requesting permission to buy provisions, and asking shelter for the ship, till the proper season returned for sailing to the westward. When the boat arrived at the wharf, not one of her crew was permitted to land; and on the Lieutenant’s refusing to deliver the letter, except to the Governor himself, the Shebander and the Fiscal (two officers of the town) came to him, and said that the Governor was sick, and that they came for the letter by his command. Though this sickness was believed to be mere pretence, the Lieutenant at length delivered the letter, which they took with them. When the boat’s crew had waited several hours in the burning heat of the sun, and without the least refreshment, the Lieutenant was informed, that the Governor had given orders to two gentlemen to wait on Captain Carteret, with an answer to his letter. While the boat lay off the wharf, it was observed that there was a great hurry on shore, all hands being engaged in fitting out such vessels as were proper for war.
Soon after the boat came back, Mess. Le Cerf and Douglas brought a letter, intimating, that “the ship should instantly depart from the port, without coming any nearer to the town; that she should not anchor on any part of the coast, and that the Captain should not permit any of his people to land on any place that was under the Governor’s jurisdiction.”
As the most forcible answer to this letter, the Captain shewed his dying men to the gentlemen, and again pleaded the urgent necessity of the case. They could not but see and feel the propriety of granting refreshments and shelter to persons in such a situation; but still, they said, their orders were absolute, and must be obeyed. Provoked at this treatment, the Captain declared he would anchor close to the town; and if they then refused him necessaries, that he would run the ship a-ground, and himself and his crew would sell their lives as dearly as possible. Alarmed at this declaration, they begged the Captain to remain in his present station, till the Governor should give further orders; and this he promised, provided that he had an answer before the sea breeze set in on the day following.
Early in the morning a sloop of war, and another vessel, with many soldiers on board, came and anchored under the ship’s bows. The Captain sent to speak with them, but they would not answer a single question: and as the sea-breeze set in at noon, he then sailed towards the town, the other vessels weighing anchor, and keeping even pace with him.
A vessel now approached from the town, in which were several gentlemen, among whom was the Mr. Douglas above-mentioned; but none of them would go on board till the Swallow had dropped her anchor. On their expressing some surprize that the Swallow had sailed from her former station, Captain Carteret told them, that he had only acted agreeable to his declaration to them the preceding day, in which he was fully justified by his present situation. These gentlemen brought with them two sheep, some fowls, fruit, and other provisions, which were highly acceptable.
After they had made several propositions, which Captain Carteret could not but reject, he again declared his resolution of putting his threats in execution, and to convince them that he was in earnest, shewed them the body of a man who had expired within a few hours; but who would probably have been then alive, if the refreshments had been brought in time. They now enquired if the ship had touched at the Spice Islands; and being answered in the negative, it was at length agreed, that she should sail to a bay at a small distance, where an hospital might be built for the sick, and where provisions were plenty, and that if any thing farther was wanted, it should be sent from Macassar.
This proposal was readily embraced, on the condition that the Governor and Council should ratify it, which they afterwards did. The Captain now enquiring why the two vessels had anchored under the ship’s bows, was told, that it was only to protect her from any outrages on the part of the natives of the country. Mr. Carteret had nothing to treat his guests with, but bad salt meat and rotten bread: but, during their treaty, a very elegant dinner having been dressed in the gentlemen’s vessel, it was served up on board the ship; after which they parted good friends.
An officer from the town coming on board the next day, the Captain applied to him to procure money for his bills on the English government. This he promised to attempt, and went on shore for that purpose, but, returning in the evening, brought word, that there was not a person in the town, who wanted to remit any money to Europe; and that the Company’s chest was totally drained: but this difficulty was at length surmounted, by an order to the Resident at Bonthain, who had money to remit to Europe, to take the Captain’s bills for any thing he should want.
On the day following Mons. Le Cerf, who was an Ensign, brought a pilot on board, to carry the ship round to Bonthain; and Le Cerf had the command of some soldiers, who were on board two guard-boats that attended the ship: and he was likewise to act as a check on the Resident.
All things being thus settled, they sailed early on the 20th of December, 1767, and anchored in the road of Bonthain on the following day. The guard-boats were now moored close to the shore, to prevent all communication between the ship’s boats and those of the country. Captain Carteret having attended the Resident, to settle the price and mode of procuring provisions, a house was appropriated to his use, situated near a small fort. This being fitted up as an hospital, the sick were landed and placed under a guard, which was commanded by M. Le Cerf, who would not permit them to go above thirty yards from the hospital, nor the natives to traffic with the seamen; so that the profits of traffic fell into the hands of the Dutch soldiers, whose gains were immoderate; so great, indeed, that some of them sold at a profit of more than a thousand per cent. after having extorted the provisions from the natives at what price they pleased. Captain Carteret having remonstrated with the Resident on the injustice of this procedure, he spoke to the soldiers on the subject; but this produced no good effect; and it was known that, after this, Le Cerf’s wife sold provisions at more than double the prime cost, while it was suspected that he sold arrack to the seamen.
On the 26th and 27th three vessels arrived, one of which had troops on board, destined for the Banda Islands; but their boats not being allowed to go on board the ship, the Captain prevailed on the Resident to purchase, for his use, four casks of salt provisions. Above one hundred sail of proas arrived at Bonthain Bay on the 28th.--These vessels, which fish round the island, carry Dutch colours, and send the produce of their labours to China for sale.
On the 18th of January a letter from Macassar informed Captain Carteret, that the Dolphin, his old consort, had arrived at Batavia. Ten days after this the Secretary, who had been sent with Le Cerf, had orders to return to Macassar; on the 19th of February, Le Cerf himself was recalled; and on the 7th of March the largest of the guard-boats was likewise ordered back. On the 9th the Resident received a letter from the Governor of Macassar, enquiring when Captain Carteret would sail for Batavia, though he must know it could not be before the eastern monsoon set in, which would not be till May. All these were suspicious circumstances; and toward the end of the month it was observed, that a canoe frequently paddled round the ship several times in the night, and retired as soon as she was seen.
While every one was speculating on these matters, the Captain received a letter, informing him that a design was formed for his destruction; that the Dutch were at the bottom of this affair; but that the ostensible person was to be the son of the King of Bony, who was on terms of friendship with the Dutch, as they had often assisted him in attempts to reduce the inhabitants of the other parts of the island of Celebes, and had been as often repulsed. The pretended grounds for this proceeding were, that the English might form connections with these unsubdued natives of the island.