Page:Early English adventurers in the East (1917).djvu/198

 for all articles taken from them and to assist the English to depart in safety with the valuable cargo of spices they had obtained at Poolo Roon in exchange for their goods.

Courthope's answer was a flat refusal. "I could not," he said, "unless I should turn traitor unto my King and country in giving up that right which I am able to hold and also betray the country people who had surrendered up their land to our King's Majesty." It was the kind of answer that might have been looked for from one of Courthope's character, but it irritated Reaal who had set his heart on getting this troublesome Englishman out of the way without yielding any material point. He "threw his hat on the ground and pulled his beard for anger." As a concession Courthope afterwards offered to depart in the Defence provided Reaal would agree to allow the questions in dispute to be settled in Europe and would pledge himself in the meantime to make no attack on the Bandanese. But Reaal would not listen to any suggestion which allowed of English interference with the internal affairs of the islands.

Nothing now remained but for the representatives of the two nations to fight out the quarrel to the bitter end. They proceeded to do so with the dour determination which might have been looked for from two such antagonists. The advantage, as the narrative makes clear, was markedly in favour of the Dutch. They had a number of strongly fortified positions, a considerable fleet of well manned ships, and hundreds of trained soldiers which with their undisputed command of the sea could be brought to bear upon any point to which they desired to direct their operations. The surrender of large masses of the