Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1849-10-06
the intercession of his incensed compan-

eh iS"o'Su oh oooiu Juhh, the tI1Te
just mentioned being put into cage be
tween decks only 5 feet high, feet long
and feet broad; the other twelve mel
were slowed in second cage - by II
feet square, and high enough to stand VI
in. In these cribs they were kept durin!
the passage to Nagasaki, where they arri
we'd about September 1st; they made every
objection to going ashore, and asked fol
their own boats that they might try to
reach China in them. Moreama, the 90.
vernment interpreter, among other false.
hoods, told them they should be carefully
taken care of ashore, and in six weeks for
@arded to Batavia in the Dutch ship
One could have little more patience with
a people like the japanese, if to their cru
city in carrying out regulations which they
suppose necessary for their national safety,
they did not add such gtatuitous mendacity
to delude the unfortunates in their power.
The men were questioned on board of the
junk, and then carried to the "town house
OF Nagasaki," as they call it, In kago or
chairs; as each man entered the door, he
was compelled to step on crucifx in the
ground, and if he showed any dislike to
tread on the sacred emblem, q japanese at
tendant on each side pulled him back ov
lifted him up, until both feet had rested on
it. Mccoy was told that ifany of the men
had refused to go through this ceremony,
he would have been put into an iron house,
from which death would be his only exit.
Boyd was pulled from one side to the other,
as he showed some dexterity at dodging it.,
until he was forcibly fixed by his guard
upon it. When in the town house, they
were made to squat down, and shortly a
a hiSSing sound announced the governors
approach. They told him brief they were
Americans; but as it was now
dark, the examination soon closed, and
they were carried to temple about mile
from the town, where they We're lodged in
a room surrounded by fence 80 feet high:
beyond which there was wall or 10
feet high their guard lodged under the
same root, separated from them by gra-
ting. These accommodations were not so
bad and strait as the cages and Junk.
In day or two they We're all again
carried to the town house, and questioned
more minutely; but Mccoy and Boyd mad
by this time learned enough II of the Japan
ese language to know that the interpreta-
tons Of Moreama were very Incorrect
Partly on this account, perhaps, the ex-
animation was agaiu put off to the morrow,
at which time the operhootd from Desima
was present. He asked us, "says Mccoy,
''what was our object in coming into the
Japan seas! We told him we came in
pursuit of whales. He then asked US if We
came in search of any other kind of fish
if whaling was our only object; and if we
dld not also come to spy out the country
We told him, No, we only came for whales.
He asked us if we ate the whales; to which
we replied, We made oil of them, &c;-
with more such conversation, after which
we were carried back to our prison.
The suspicious rulers having no truth to
were not satisfied with the
examination, and next day
Sept. 6th.) this testimony was all gone
over again, and after it concluded, More-
anna told them he doubted not they were
spies, and came for no other purpose than
to examine the country. The Dutch su-
perintendent kindly sent them some coffee;
sugar, gin and wine, and piece Of long
cloth for Bull TO make himself clothes.-
After six weeks had elapsed he sent let
ter to them, stating that permission had not
yet come from Yedo, but that the Dutch
ship would tarry twenty five days outside
Of the harbor he also wisely cautioned
them against quarreling, adding that such
unruly conduct would only aggravate their
In their reply TO this note, the
dlspirited seamen expressed themselves as
IN wretched condition; and begged him
to make known their case to some Ameri-
can consul, if perchance thereby man-of-
war might be sent to their relief.
Seeing no release came, the impatient
Mccoy escaped from his prison by tearing
off the boards from the fence, and climbing
the wall, in the vain hope of getting aboard
the Dutch ship lying off the harbor before
she sailed; He travelled all night and hid
himself in the hills during the next day,
till 6 p. M, when he made for the beach,
a rain storm induced him to hope the coast
was clear, but he was retaken and carried
back in kago 10 his old quarters, and ques-
TONED as to his designs in escaping, and his
object in spying out the land. He was put
in stocks, and tied to the grating that night,
and the next day carried to the townhouse
to undergo another examination, where the
question as to his being a spy was again
asked though he told his keepers his ONLY
desire was TO get aboard the Dutch Ship
He was taken thence to the common prison
in the heart of the town, once the sight of
church, and kept there by himself about
three weeks, Mccoy had BY this time ac-
qulred so much knowledge of japanese as
to be able to talk with the people and his
guard on the most COMMON subjects, but
they were too carefully watched themselves
to be free to tell him anything of impor-
tance. AT the end of three weeks, think
ing the Dutch ship had sailed, he despaired
OF ever getting away, and refused to take
food: His guard told him he must eat for
that doubtless the emperor would give per=
mission when he ''thought good" for them
to depart; and the governor himself sent
an officer to inquire the reason of his absti-
nence. On the fourth day, November l6,