We Returned To Swally On The 27th December,
Having Only Lost Three Men In Action, And One Had His Arm Shot Off:
While The Portuguese Acknowledged To Have Lost 160, Though Report Said
Their Loss Exceeded 300 Men.
The 13th January, 1613, I was appointed factor for the worshipful
company, and bound under a penalty of four hundred pounds.
Our ships
departed on the 18th, the galleons not offering to disturb them: and at
this time Anthony Starkey was ordered for England. Mr Canning was
seventy days in going from Surat to Agra, during which journey he
encountered many troubles, having been attacked by the way, and shot in
the belly with an arrow, while another Englishman in his company was
shot through the arm, and many of his peons were killed and wounded. Two
of his English attendants quitted him, and returned to Surat, leaving
only two musicians to attend upon him. He arrived at Agra on the 9th
April, when he presented our king's letter to the Great Mogul, together
with a present of little value; and being asked if this present came
from our king, he answered that it only came from the merchants. The
Mogul honoured him with a cup of wine from his own hand, and then
referred him, on the business of his embassy, to Morak Khan. One of his
musicians died, and was buried in the church-yard belonging to the
Portuguese, who took up the body, and buried it in the highway; but on
this being complained of to the king, they were commanded to bury him
again, on penalty of being all banished the country, and of having all
the bodies of their own dead thrown out from the church-yard. After
this, Mr Canning wrote that he was in fear of being poisoned by the
jesuits, and requested to have some one sent up to his assistance, which
was accordingly agreed to by us at Surat. But Mr Canning; died on the
29th of May, and Mr Kerridge went up on the 22d of June.
At this time I was to have been sent by the way of Mokha to England; but
the master of the ship said it was impossible, except I were
circumcised, to go so near Mecca. The 13th October, 1613, the ship
returned, and our messenger made prisoner at the bar of Surat by the
Portuguese armed frigates, [grabs] worth an hundred thousand pounds, and
seven hundred persons going to Goa.[97] This is likely to be of great
injury here, for no Portuguese is now permitted to pass either in or out
without a surety; and the Surat merchants are so impoverished, that our
goods are left on our hands, so that we had to send them to Ahmedabad.
John Alkin, who deserted from Sir Henry Middleton to the Portuguese,
came to us at this time, and told us that several of their towns were
besieged by the Decaners, and other neighbouring Moors, so that they
had to send away many hundred Banians and others, that dwelt among them,
owing to want of provisions; and indeed three barks came now with these
people to Surat, and others of them went to Cambaya. Their weak
behaviour in the sea-fight with us was the cause of all this.
[Footnote 97: Probably owing to careless abridgement by Purchas, this
passage is quite unintelligible. The meaning seems to be, That the ship
in which was the English messenger, having a cargo worth 100,000l.
sterling, and 700 persons aboard, bound on the pilgrimage to Mecca, was
taken and carried into Goa. - E.]
About this time also, Robert Claxon of the Dragon, who had deserted to
the Portuguese for fear of punishment, came to us accompanied by a
German who had been a slave among the Turks. One Robert Johnson, who was
with the Portuguese, and meant to have come to us, was persuaded by
another Englishman, while passing through the Decan, to turn mussulman,
and remain in that country, where he got an allowance of seven shillings
and sixpence a-day from the king, and his diet from the king's table.
But he died eight days after being circumcised. Robert Trully, the
musician, fell out with Mr Kerridge at Agra, and went to the king of
Decan, carrying a German with him as interpreter. They both offered to
turn Mahometans, and Trully, getting a new name at his circumcision,
received a great allowance from the king, in whose service he continues;
but the German, who had been, formerly circumcised in Persia, and now
thought to have deceived the king, was not entertained; whereupon he
returned to Agra, where he serves a Frenchman, and now goes to mass.
Robert Claxon, above mentioned, had also turned Mahometan in the Decan,
with a good allowance at court; but, not being contented, he came to
Surat, where he was pitied by us for his seeming penitence; but being
entrusted with upwards of forty pounds, under pretence of making
purchases, he gave us the slip and returned to the Decan. Thus there are
at present four English renegadoes in the Decan, besides many
Portuguese. The 27th October, 1613, we received letters sent by Mr
Gurney of Masulipatam, written by Captain Marlow of the ship Janus,
informing us of his arrival and trade at that place.
From Surat I went to Periano? three coss; thence to Cossumba, a
small village, ten coss; and thence to Broach, ten coss. This is a
very pretty city on a high hill, encompassed by a strong wall, and
having a river running by as large as the Thames, in which were several
ships of two hundred tons and upwards. Here are the best calicoes in the
kingdom of Guzerat, and great store of cotton. From thence I went to
Saninga [Sarang], ten coss; to Carrou? ten c. and then fourteen c.
to Boldia [Brodrah], a smaller city than Broach, but well built,
having a strong wall, and garrisoned by 3000 horse under Mussuff Khan.
I went thence ten c. to a river named, the Wussach, [the Mahy?] where
Mussuff was about to engage with the rajaputs who lay on the opposite
side of the river, the chief of whom was of the race of the former kings
of Surat.
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