To This I Answered, That The Proposal Was
Utterly Unfit For Me To Listen To; As Whatever I Promised I
Must
perform, though at the expence of my own life and of all under my
command, and that I could
Not possibly lend myself to fight against the
Portuguese on any account whatever, unless they first attacked me, as it
was absolutely contrary to my commission from my own sovereign. I added,
that, if the Portuguese provoked me by any aggression, I would not be
withheld from fighting them for all the wealth of the nabob: But he made
small account of this distinction, and, seeing that we refused to fulfil
his wishes, he opposed us in all our proceedings as far as he could, so
that we nearly lost all our former hopes of trading at this place. In
this dilemma, I made enquiry respecting Gengomar and Castellata, and
also of Gogo:[125] but could get poor encouragement to change for
better dealing, so that we remained long perplexed how to act, and
returned to our business at the ships.
[Footnote 125: Gogo is on the west shore of the gulf of Cambay. In an
after passage of this voyage, what is here called Gengomar and
Castellata, is called Gengomar or Castelletto, which may possibly
refer to Jumbosier, on a river of the same name, about sixty miles north
from Surat. Castelletta must have been a name imposed by the
Portuguese. - E.]
The 27th, in the morning, when Nicholas Ufflet went ashore, he found all
the people belonging to Swally had gone away from the water-side in the
night, as also all those who used to stay beside the tents, in
consequence of an order from the nabob; and was farther informed that
our merchants were detained at Surat, having been stopped by force when
attempting to cross the bridge, and had even been beaten by the guard
set there by the nabob. The gunner's boy and his companion, formerly
supposed to have run away, and who were in company at the time with our
merchants, being on their return to the ships, were also well beaten,
and detained with the rest. The 31st we began to take in fresh water, to
be ready for departing, as our stay here seemed so very uncertain. This
day, Thomas Smith, the master's boy, had most of the outer part of one
of his thighs bitten off by a great fish, while swimming about the ship.
The ravenous fish drew him under water, yet he came up again and swam
to the ship, and got up to the bend, where he fainted. Being brought
into the gun-room, the surgeon endeavoured to do what he could for his
recovery; but he had lost so much blood that he never recovered out of
the swoon, and shortly died.
In the evening of the 2d November, Mr Aldworth and Mr Elkington came
down from Surat, where they left Mr Ensworth very sick. They reported to
me their proceedings with the nabob, as formerly stated; but said they
were now reconciled, and that he had made fair promises of future
respect, with a free trade through all the country under his government.
I do not attribute his severe proceedings hitherto to any hatred or
ill-will to our nation, but to his fears lest we might unite with the
Portuguese against him, owing to my refusing to assist him against
Damaun.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 147 of 474
Words from 76503 to 77079
of 247546
