These people received
our countrymen with civility, and therefore the captain, in order to
trade with them, shewed them the patterns of the goods he had on board,
and sent some of them to the king of the country, who was so well
pleased that he sent for the captain and the factor to his palace, which
was about a mile from the sea. Here they were placed, according to the
custom of the country, on rich carpets, flowered with gold and silver;
and the king and queen being seated at the upper end of the room, dinner
was brought in, which consisted of many dishes; but no sooner were the
dishes put down but an amazing number of rats and mice came from all
quarters, and devoured all the meat in an instant. The factor, in
surprise, turned round to the nobles and asked "If these vermin were not
offensive?" "O yes," said they, "very offensive; and the king would give
half his treasure to be freed of them, for they not only destroy his
dinner, as you see, but they assault him in his chamber, and even in
bed, so that he is obliged to be watched while he is sleeping for fear
of them."
The factor jumped for joy; he remembered poor Whittington and his cat,
and told the king he had a creature on board the ship that would
despatch all these vermin immediately.
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