Page:History of India Vol 7.djvu/125

 SEIZURE OF ENGLISH SHIPS AND SAILOES 91 men," said the Dutch to the islanders, " whom ye made your gods, in whom ye put your trust, but we have made them our slaves." Twenty of the miserable cap- tives were since dead of cruel usage. The Dutch had also taken two English ships, rifled another, and put the crews in irons, declaring they had the authority of King James himself to capture any COURT OF PROPRIETORS, EAST INDIA HOUSE. English vessel to the east of the Celebes. They refused to restore a vessel unless we gave up our claim to Pula- roon, boasting " that one Holland ship would take ten English: that they care not for our king, for Saint George was now turned child." King James reopened negotiations in earnest (Sep- tember, 1618) and demanded that Dutch commissioners should be sent to London. A report was allowed to reach The Hague that he had ordered the seizure in England of certain Dutch East Indiamen, and in No-