Our Whole Conference, Therefore, Was
With The Almirante, Who Chiefly Addressed Himself To Captain Woodcock,
Our Almirante, Or Vice-Admiral.
Mir Adul Hassan, and Pulot Beg, had been sent for to the ship, where
some persons had embezzled a portion of treasure, as we now wished them
to be present at the conference on the part of the Khan.
They came
accordingly to the English house, when one of them made a long speech,
saying how kindly the Khan esteemed the services and assistance given by
the English in this war, which he should never forget, nor allow to pass
unrewarded. They next declared that the Khan intended to proceed, after
the surrender of Ormus, to besiege both Muskat and Sware, and therefore
that the Portuguese ought on no account to be allowed to go to either of
these places. Lastly, they insinuated basely and dishonourably, that we
should betray the Portuguese captain, and five or six more of his
principal officers, into their hands, as this would tend greatly to the
honour and satisfaction of the Khan, by enabling him to present them to
Shah Abas. On hearing this vile and dishonourable proposal, I left the
room, that my ears might not be contaminated by such abominable
conditions; saying, at my departure, to these Persians, that I would not
be guilty of consenting to so infamous a business for a whole houseful
of gold.
The Portuguese being reduced to such extremity as to be under the
necessity of surrendering on any terms that might save their lives from
the cruelty of the Persians, sent on the morning of the 23d, offering to
put themselves into our hands, on condition that we furnished them with
the means of being conveyed either to Muskat or India. We agreed to this
proposal, on which Captain Blithe and I went as hostages into the
castle, to see them safely set out; the Persian general promising that
not one of his soldiers or men should enter the castle till all the
Portuguese were gone out, and that only three of his people and three of
ours should sit at the gate, to see that they did not carry away any
thing of value. This the Persians watched so narrowly, that they most
basely searched and abused the women. But the king of Ormus with his
rich vizier, together with their women, treasure, and servants, were all
conveyed over the breach in the wall, and not a single Englishman called
or allowed to see what they carried out with them. Not only they, but
all other Mahometans and Banyans, with their treasure and best things,
were conveyed out of the castle in the same manner; whole bales of
goods, with boxes and caskets full of treasure, to an unknown amount,
were carried at the same time over the breaches. No sooner were the
gates opened for letting out the Portuguese, but at least forty Persians
got in and spread themselves about the castle, besides whom, some of the
ruder sort among the English got in likewise, whose coming in I fear was
the cause of the Persians doing the same, judging themselves as worthy
of this liberty as our people.
Before mid-day of the 24th, both the Persians and English began to
pillage in a most shameful manner, so that I was both grieved and
ashamed, yet could see no means of remedy. The Persians drove out the
poor sick, wounded, and scorched Christians, who were not able to help
themselves, so that my heart yearned with compassion to see their woeful
plight. In the evening, the Khan of Shiras came over, as if in triumph,
to view the castle and its great ordnance, of which there were near
three hundred pieces,[311] part of which belonged to the galleons, and
the rest to the castle. This evening, the commanders and I, wishing to
retain possession of the church in which we had placed a quantity of
plate and treasure, for its better security against being embezzled, our
design was utterly denied by Pulot Beg, who told our commanders, in
plain terms, that they might lie out of doors. Being justly incensed at
this, we all three left the castle, the two captains going on board
their ships, while I went to the city; but, as the tide was up, and I
could not get a boat, I had to remain at the castle wall till near
midnight. At this time there came about sixty Persians, by their own
report, sent by the Khan to prevent the Arabs from conveying away any of
the ordnance which lay by the shore, but I suspect their real object was
to cut the throats of the poor Christians who lay at the shore, for want
of boats to carry them on board; but fortunately they were protected by
an English guard. Our chief business the whole of this day was to see
the poor Portuguese sent safely out of the castle, most of them so
weakened by divers maladies, but chiefly by famine, and many of them so
noisome by their putrified wounds, and scorchings with gunpowder, that
their pitiful cries and complaints might have moved pity in a heart of
stone; yet such was the cruel disposition of the Persians, that they
drove them out of the castle like so many dogs, stripping many of them
even of their shirts.
[Footnote 311: In a shorter relation of this siege, by Mr W. Pinder, the
ordnance in the castle of Ormus are thus enumerated: - Fifty-three pieces
mounted, of the following descriptions, - four brass cannons, six brass
demi-cannons, sixteen brass cannons-pedro, nine brass culverins, two
brass demi-culverins, three iron demi-culverins, ten brass basses, one
iron minion, one iron culverin, one iron cannon-pedro. Besides
ninety-two brass pieces not mounted, and seven brass bastels which they
had landed from the ships that were sunk. In all, 152 pieces. - E.]
On the evening of the 27th, we allowed the Portuguese to depart for Goa,
to the number of 2500 persons, including men, women, and children, to
whom we gave our two prizes, the Robert and Shilling, for their
transport, with victuals and water necessary for the voyage, and a pass
to free them from any molestation, in case they met with any of our
ships at sea.
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