Free Nathaniel's nutmeg by Giles Milton Page A

There could be no doubt that there had been foul play. Two of the ships' on-board barbers proclaimed in front of the council that Meulenaer 'was completely blue and purple; poisoned blood came not only from his mouth but from his neck as well; and even his hair fell out at the slightest touch. A child,' they concluded, 'could tell he had been poisoned.'
    A murder. A motive. And a body. It did not take long to find the suspect. The crew of the Mauritius accused Houtman of murder and promptly clapped him in irons. They then summoned the ships' council to convene for a second time and asked it to condemn him to death. But in this last demand they were to be disappointed for the council reasoned that there was insufficient evidence to execute Houtman and he was released.
    The ships' crews now decided to abandon their quest for spices and sail for home. The Amsterdam was so rotten that she was emptied of supplies and set on fire. Then, making a final stop at Bali in order to take advantage of the amorous charms of local girls - and leaving behind two men who found those charms irresistible - the Dutch set sail for home.
    When they finally reached Amsterdam more than two years had passed and two out of every three men on board had died. For the merchants who had financed the voyage the lack of spices was far more galling than the lack of men. They watched the ships' return to port fully expecting them to be laden with nutmeg, cloves and pepper. As it was, the cargo unloaded on that August day was silver reals - the same reals that they had watched being loaded two years previously. Incredibly, the price of spices had become so inflated while the ships had been in the East Indies that the tiny quantity Houtman carried home was enough to make the venture a profitable one. Had he been a more responsible commander he could have netted them a fortune.
    The troubles that had plagued Hollands inaugural voyage to the East did little to deter Amsterdam's merchants from risking yet more of their money in the spice race. They argued that they had met with far greater success than the English who had not only lost two ships on their first expedition, one more than theirs, but had failed so far to reach the spice port of Bantam.
    Less than seven months after Houtman's return, the merchants placed this unruly commander in charge of a second Dutch expedition to the East Indies, signalling that they had learned nothing from the mistakes of the previous voyage. But if Houtman was not up to the job, the chief pilot was more than qualified. His name was John Davis and he was an Englishman from Devon. A brilliant navigator, whose pioneering Arctic explorations had already carried him to the frozen shores of Greenland, he not only guided the ships to the East Indies and back, but also kept detailed notes on every coastline, port and harbour. Within weeks of completing the long voyage, Davis was hired for a second trip. But this time he was sailing on an English vessel under the command of the veteran James Lancaster. And this time, the two men were sailing as servants of the newly founded East India Company.
     

chapter three
    Music and
    Dancing Damsels
    On the evening of 24 September 1599, a loud cheer was heard coming from the half-timbered Founders Hall in London's Lothbury Street. For much of the day the city's merchant adventurers had been deep in discussion about sending a new fleet of ships to the East Indies. Now they had at last reached a decision. With a unanimous show of hands and a roar of excitement it was decided to apply to Queen Elizabeth I for her assent to a project that was 'intended for the honour of our native country and for the advancement of trade of merchandise within this realm of England'.
    No painting survives to record the scene behind the mullioned windows of Founders Hall on that September evening but with the Company scribe recording every last detail for posterity it is not hard to assemble a picture of the historic