Japan and the Japanese

162 JAPAN. A. D. 1C11 1C13.
on, " prepared to take the bone from him that would wrest it front
his fellow." The Dutch fort at Buchian had a garrison of thirtj
Dutch soldiers, and eleven Dutch women, " able to withstand tin
fury of the Spaniard, or other nation whatsoever, being of a, ver^
lusty, large breed."
The Dutch commander would not allow the natives to trade witk
the English, even to the extent of a single katty of cloves, threat-
ening with death those who did so, and claiming all the Spic*
Islands held by them as " their country, conquered by the sword
they having, with much loss of blood and money, delivered the
inhabitants from the tyranny of the Portuguese, and having made a
perpetual contract with them for the purchase of all their spices at
a fixed rate," in the case of cloves at about eight cents the pound.
This claim of exclusive right of trade Captain Saris declined to
acknowledge ; at the same time he professed his readiness to give
the Dutch, "as neighbors and brethren in Christ,-" a preference in
purchasing any part of his cargo of which they might happen to stand
in need.
The English and Dutch had been ready enough to join together
in breaking up the Portuguese and Spanish monopoly, and in forc-
ing a trade in the Indian seas ; but it was already apparent that
the Dutch East India Company, which in the amount of capital at
its command very far surpassed the English Company, was bent on
establishing a monopoly of its own, not less close than that formerly
maintained by the Portuguese. The Spaniards, on the other
hand, professed friendship, and made some offers of trade but ; Captain
Saris, suspecting treachery, did not choose to trust them.
On the 14th of April, he left the Moluccas, and stood on his
course for Japan. On the 10th of June, having been in sight of
land for a day or two, his ships were boarded by four great fishingboats,
fitted with both sails and oars, from whose crews they learned
that they were off the harbor of Nagasaki. In fact, one of these
boats belonged to the Portuguese, and was manned by " new Chris-
tians," who had mistaken the ships of Captain Saris for the
\nnual Portuguese carac. Finding their mistake, no entreaty
could prevail upon them to stay ; but two of the other boats, for
thirty dollars each in money, and rice for food, agreed to pilot
the ship to Firando, by the pilot's reckoning some thirty leagues to