To This I Answered, That I Could Not Do
This; As, If Once Off The Coast, The Wind Was Entirely Adverse For Our
Return:
But, if he would further our dispatch, so that we might be ready
in any convenient time, I would do any thing reasonable that he could
desire.
The 9th, the nabob's son came to the shore, but would not
venture on board, wherefore I went ashore to him. He had a horse ready
for me on landing to fetch me, and desired me to sit down beside him,
which I did. He then commanded some horsemen, who accompanied him, to
amuse me, by shewing their warlike evolutions on the sands, chasing each
other after the fashion of the Deccan, whence they were; and at his
desire I caused eleven guns to be fired, to do him honour. Though he
refused to drink any wine at this interview, he sent for it after his
departure, as also for a fowling-piece he had seen in the hands of one
of our people, both which I sent him, together with a bowl from which to
drink the wine.
Sec.2. Account of the Forces of the Portuguese, their hostile Attempts,
and Fight with the English, in which they are disgracefully repulsed.
On the 16th of December, 1613, Mr Elkington wrote me, That the nabob had
told him the Portuguese frigates had burnt Gogo, with many gouges or
villages in its vicinity, together with ten large ships, of which the
Rehemee was one, and an hundred and twenty small vessels. He said
likewise, that the nabob was much displeased with me for not having
fired upon the Portuguese vessels, as they passed our anchorage, which
circumstance had renewed his suspicions of our friendly intelligence
with the Portuguese; and, although Mr Elkington had said every thing he
could to explain the reason of our conduct, as stated formerly, he could
not satisfy the nabob of its propriety. The 23d two boats came off to us
for lead; and on the same day we saw twenty-two Portuguese frigates,
which came to anchor in the night between, us and the mouth of the
river, where they continued most part of next day.
The 24th, in the morning, we saw four boats coming down the river
towards us; but, on seeing the Portuguese frigates, they immediately
turned back, and were chased up the river by two of the frigates.
Finding they could not get up with the boats, the Portuguese landed and
set fire to two or three poor cottages, and carried off two or three
cattle, and then returned to their squadron at the mouth of the river.
In the afternoon, they all went up the river in company. In the morning
early of the 25th, we saw five or six frigates under sail. An hour or
two after, we saw a boat standing towards us, which was presently chased
by two frigates, on which the men in the small boat ran her a-ground and
forsook her; but as the frigates could not float near where the boat
was, and the tide was ebbing fast, they departed without farther harm.
The 26th in the morning, I sent the Hope a good way to the northward
from the rest of our fleet, to see whether the Portuguese would assail
her.
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