"After being on board seven days I found there were in the Princess
Royal 82 Americans, all destined to the East Indies, for being what
they called 'Rebels.'
"We had a passage of seventeen weeks to St Helena, where we put in and
landed part of our cargo, which consisted wholly of provisions. * * *
The ship lay here about three weeks. We then sailed for Batavia, and
on the passage touched at the Cape of Good Hope, where we found the
whole of the fleet that sailed with us from England. We took in some
provisions and necessaries, and set sail for Batavia, where we arrived
in ten weeks. Here we purchased a large quantity of arrack, and
remained a considerable time.
"We then sailed for Bencoulen in the Island of Sumatria, and after a
passage of about six weeks arrived there. This was in June, 1780.
"At this place the Americans were all carried on shore, and I found
that I was no longer to remain on board the ship, but condemned to
serve as a soldier for five years. I offered to bind myself to the
captain for five years, or any longer term if I might serve on board
the ship. He told me it was impossible for me to be released from
acting as a soldier, unless I could pay L50, sterling. As I was unable
to do this I was obliged to go through the manual exercise with the
other prisoners; among whom was Wm. Randall of Boston, and Josiah
Folgier of Nantucket, both young men, and one of them an old ship-mate
of mine.
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