In addition to stand-offs among the Portuguese, English and Dutch, and the inherent dangers of the voyage (most expeditions lost at least a third of their men to scurvy, dystentry and tropical diseases), there were legion clashes among the grandiose and idiosyncratic personalities involved in these explorations. I found the story of the Spice Trade to be quite interesting and that I suppose was a result of the hard work put in by the author.

The welcome he received infuriated the Dutch, who were determined to seize control of the world’s nutmeg supply. And the boat journey from Neira to Rhun is not treacherous (I've been there using a rickety inter-island transport) since in the ocean, everything depends on the season and tides.This is a book for people who want to know how people found places before the Google Maps and how weird it was when information would travel from one place to another for two years, rather than 0. As nearly every spice island fell to Dutch control, an English merchant, Nathaniel Courthope, and a few dozen other merchants were able to sneak in and declare British sovereignty over Run Island—not too challenging a task as native islanders were so upset with the harshness of Dutch rule that they actually invited British sovereignty in exchange for protection. You will also learn that the English are good and the Dutch are bad (it is not quite clear why, but apparently the English were more gentlemanly when doing the pirate stuff).

Maybe one day people will laugh at the lenghts we go now to get access and control over the oil resources. Against incredible odds, the last of the merchants sent to establish a toehold in the island group, he rallied his men and the natives daily and held Run against the Dutch, under the most brutal conditions, for four long years.

Within the stories of the Spice Islands and the founding of the Dutch East India Company, and the East India Company are some really interesting stories and they are dutifully recorded here in the driest way possible. I now have a better knowledge and understanding of the race for domination of the Spice Islands, the development of the East India Company and the subsequent British Empire.

Banten is Bantam, Aceh is Achin, Mollucas is Molucos, Ambon is Amboyna, and he also misspelled Indonesian first vice president name, Hatta became Hatti.

Of course I don't know anything about the circumstances here; it could be that Keeling really didn't know anything about the uprising.