[Footnote 37:  Key-sima, an island considerably to the N.E. of Firando, and nearly midway between Niphon and Corea, from which it may be about forty miles distant.—­E.]

Towards night, I was informed that two Spaniards were arrived from Nangasaki, and were lodged with Zanzibar.  They sent for our jurebasso to come to them, but I did not allow him, on which they and Zanzibar came to our house.  One of them was Andres Bulgaryn, a Genoese, who had passed Firando only a few days before, and the other Benito de Palais, pilot-major of the Spanish ship lately cast away on the coast of Japan, the same person who came here formerly from Nangasaki to visit Captain Adams.  They said they had come to visit their friends, me in the first place; and used many words of compliment, after which they entered into conversation respecting our fugitives.  They pretended that it was not the fathers, as they called the jesuits, who kept our people from being seen and spoken with, but the natives of Nangasaki, who they said were very bad people.  In fine, I shrewdly suspected these fellows of having come a-purpose to inveigle more of our people to desert, as the others did, wherefore I advised our master to have a watchful eye both to the ship and boats, and to take special notice who kept company with our men, as it was best to doubt the worst, for the best will save itself.

On the night of the 1st November, two houses were set a-fire on the other side of the water, which were soon extinguished, but the villains could not be found out.  This day I sent word to Mr Foster on board, to look well to the ship and the boats, and to the behaviour of our people, as I strongly suspected the two Spaniards of being spies, come to entice away our men.  I sent him word likewise, that I understood the Spaniards meant to invite him that day to dinner, but wished him to beware they did not give him a higo.[38] He answered, that he had the same opinion of them I had, and should therefore be mainly on his guard.  He came soon after on shore, and the Spaniards came to our house, where by much entreaty they prevailed on Mr Foster and Mr William Eaton to go with them to dinner at Zanzibar’s house, along with Hernando and the other two Spaniards.  But these two Spaniards came to me, and desired me to tell Mr Foster and those who went with him, to take heed they did not eat or drink of any thing they did not see tasted by others, as they were not to be trusted, which I communicated to Mr Foster and Mr Eaton.  Ximenes told me that Mr Adams had goods in his hands belonging to the pilot-major, who had come in the hope of finding Mr Adams here, and meant to wait his return.  He said they had likewise brought letters from the bishop and other fathers to the other two Spaniards, advising them to return to Nangasaki, but which I think they will not do.  I this day sent our jurebasso to both kings and the other nobles, to give them thanks for the kind entertainment we had received the day before.