Next Night We Found The Water Similar, But Not
Altogether So White.
Before day on the 30th, the water was again white,
and likewise the next night; but on all these occasions we could find no
ground.
On the night of the 8th September at twelve o'clock, our ship sprung a
leak, which, when discovered, had raised the water in our hold six feet
and a half. In four hours, with both pumps, the ship was freed, but we
afterwards found that the water increased at the rate of a foot in the
half hour. In the morning of the 9th, I summoned the chief commanders of
the fleet on board, desiring them to send their carpenters to assist in
searching for the leak, and some of each of their companies to aid our
men in pumping. Some were set to rummage the hold in search of the leak,
and others to stick our sprit-sail full of oakum, with which we made
several trials under the ship's bilge, but could not find the leak. We
at length found, by divers trials within board, that the leak was before
the main-mast; and we, next morning, fitted the sprit-sail again,
letting it down at the stern, and brought it forwards by degrees, and at
length, by God's blessing, our leak was partly stopped, as the water
only rose about six inches in a glass, which had before risen twelve
inches. Bat within three glasses, the oakum being washed out, the leak
increased as before. This night we got an additional pump from the Bull,
to free the water from the fore part of our ship, where it stood
eighteen inches deeper than in our well. The 11th, we again fitted our
sprit-sail with oakum and let it down again, when it pleased God so to
favour us, that in an hour after our ship was tighter than ever.
On the morning of the 12th we espied a sail, which the Gift came up with
in the afternoon, being a Portuguese ship belonging to Don Pedro de
Almeyda, from Mozambique bound for Diu, laden principally with about
fifty quintals of elephants teeth. In the morning of the 20th the Bee
rejoined us from Swally roads, informing us that the rest of our fleet
was safe in that anchorage. They had brought in with them a junk and two
other ships, which they had chased on the 16th. The junk was a great
ship of Surat, belonging to the mother of the Great Mogul, burden about
1200 or 1400 tons, having in her above 1000 persons, and twenty-nine
tons of silver, though some said a great deal more. The other two were
English interlopers, called the Francis and the Lion: the former of 160
tons, belonging to - - -, and commanded by Captain Neuce; and the latter
of 120 tons, fitted out by Philip Bernardy, an Italian merchant in
London, commanded by Thomas Jones, who had formerly been boatswain of
the Hector.
This evening we anchored in the road of Swally, where we found the rest
of our fleet, with the foresaid junk and the two English privateers. On
oar arrival, we heard of two Dutch ships having been cast away at
Gowdever;[261] the Rotterdam of 1000 tons, and a small pinnace. The
9th October, I sent up twenty-one chests of coral to Surat, which were
landed two days before from the Ann; and at night I sent up eight tons
and four hundredweight of elephants teeth, taken out of our Portuguese
prize. This afternoon twenty sail of frigates from Goa arrived at the
bar of Surat, commanded by the Captain-major Don Pedro de Asadedo,
[Asovedo?] From one of these, five of the country people came ashore
among our men, two of whom were taken by our guard, and confessed they
came from Goa a month before, having orders from the viceroy to range
the coast, to discover the English, when they were to return; but if the
English were not on the coast, they were to proceed for Cambay, to
capture the caffila, or convoy of country vessels.
[Footnote 261: This name is inexplicably corrupt. - E.]
In the morning of the 14th October, seventeen of the frigates departed
for Cambay, passing fairly by us. This day likewise I sent fourteen tons
of elephants teeth to Surat, under a guard of thirty-six men, who
likewise conveyed our treasure to Ahmedabad; and, on the 17th, I sent
other twelve tons four hundredweight of elephants teeth. This day the
Portuguese frigates returned again, and passed in our sight to the
southwards. Next day we sent off all the rest for our ivory; and on the
22d we landed sixteen chests of coral, and two of sea-horse teeth, out
of the Bull.
The 14th November, a month's pay was distributed to all the ships
companies, except the chief commanders and merchants, amounting to 3302
Spanish dollars. After this, the Bee was sent off for Jasques; and we
landed from the other ships cloth, tin, cases of wine and strong waters,
and all the rest of the presents that were in the cabin.
The 17th January, 1618, the Bee returned from Persia. This day seven
Malabar junks were seen in the offing, two of which were brought in by
the Francis, and two by the Bee. We departed from Swally roads on the
12th March, and anchored that same evening near the bar of Surat. The
17th, in the morning, the wind coming about northerly, the Ann departed
for the Red Sea, and on the 18th I dispatched the Bull. At noon of this
day, standing to the southward, we were in lat. 11 deg. 25' N. the wind, as
for four or five days before, being, at night, a slight breath from the
land, and, by day, in the afternoon, a fresh breeze from the sea. In the
forenoon of this day, we saw eight sail to the southward of us, and
three between us and the land, besides two sallies and ten frigates.
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