We Were Willing To Be Assured Of A Good Reception In This
Port; The Patriarch Therefore Sent Me To Treat With Them.
I dressed
myself like a merchant, and in that habit received the four captains
of gelves which the chec
Sent to compliment me, and ordered to stay
as hostages, whom I sent back, that I might gain upon their
affections by the confidence I placed in their sincerity; this had
so good an effect, that the chec, who was transported with the
account the officers gave of the civilities they had been treated
with, came in an hour to visit me, bringing with him a Portuguese,
whom I had sent ashore as a security for his return. He informed me
that the King his master was encamped not far off, and that a chec
who was then in the company was just arrived from thence, and had
seen the Emperor of Aethiopia's letters in our favour; I was then
convinced that we might land without scruple, and to give the
patriarch notice of it ordered a volley of our muskets to be fired,
which was answered by the cannon of the two ships that lay at a
distance, for fear of giving the Moors any cause of suspicion by
their approach. The chec and his attendants, though I had given
them notice that we were going to let off our guns in honour of the
King their master, could not forbear trembling at the fire and
noise. They left us soon after, and next morning we landed our
baggage, consisting chiefly of the patriarch's library, some
ornaments for the church, some images, and some pieces of calico,
which were of the same use as money. Most of the soldiers and
sailors were desirous of going with us, some from real principles of
piety, and a desire of sharing the labours and merits of the
mission, others upon motives very different, the hopes of raising a
fortune. To have taken all who offered themselves would have been
an injury to the owners of the ships, by rendering them unable to
continue their voyage; we therefore accepted only of a few.
Chapter V
An account of Dancali. The conduct of Chec Furt. The author
wounded. They arrive at the court of the King of Dancali. A
description of his pavilion, and the reception they met with.
Our goods were no sooner landed than we were surrounded with a crowd
of officers, all gaping for presents; we were forced to gratify
their avarice by opening our bales, and distributing among them some
pieces of calico. What we gave to the chec might be worth about a
pistole, and the rest in proportion.
The kingdom of Dancali, to which this belongs, is barren, and thinly
peopled; the king is tributary to the Emperor of Abyssinia, and very
faithful to his sovereign. The emperor had not only written to him,
but had sent a Moor and Portuguese as his ambassadors, to secure us
a kind reception; these in their way to this prince had come through
the countries of Chumo-Salamay and Senaa, the utmost confines of
Abyssinia, and had carried thither the emperor's orders concerning
our passage.
On Ascension Day we left Baylur, having procured some camels and
asses to carry our baggage. The first day's march was not above a
league, and the others not much longer. Our guides performed their
office very ill, being influenced, as we imagined, by the Chec Furt,
an officer, whom, though unwilling, we were forced to take with us.
This man, who might have brought us to the king in three days, led
us out of the way through horrid deserts destitute of water, or
where what we found was so foul, nauseous, and offensive, that it
excited a loathing and aversion which nothing but extreme necessity
could have overcome.
Having travelled some days, we were met by the King's brother, to
whom, by the advice of Chec Furt, whose intent in following us was
to squeeze all he could from us; we presented some pieces of Chinese
workmanship, such as cases of boxes, a standish, and some
earthenware, together with several pieces of painted calico, which
were so much more agreeable, that he desired some other pieces
instead of our Chinese curiosities; we willingly made the exchange.
Yet some time afterwards he asked again for those Chinese goods
which he had returned us, nor was it in our power to refuse them. I
was here in danger of losing my life by a compliment which the
Portuguese paid the prince of a discharge of twelve muskets; one
being unskilfully charged too high, flew out of the soldier's hand,
and falling against my leg, wounded it very much; we had no surgeon
with us, so that all I could do was to bind it hard with some cloth.
I was obliged by this accident to make use of the Chec Furt's horse,
which was the greatest service we received from him in all our
journey.
When we came within two leagues and a half of the King's court, he
sent some messengers with his compliments, and five mules for the
chief of our company. Our road lay through a wood, where we found
the ground covered over with young locusts, a plague intolerably
afflictive in a country so barren of itself. We arrived at length
at the bank of a small river, near which the King usually keeps his
residence, and found his palace at the foot of a little mountain.
It consisted of about six tents and twenty cabins, erected amongst
some thorns and wild trees, which afforded a shelter from the heat
of the weather. He received us the first time in a cabin about a
musket shot distant from the rest, furnished out with a throne in
the middle built of clay and stones, and covered with tapestry and
two velvet cushions. Over against him stood his horse with his
saddle and other furniture hanging by him, for in this country, the
master and his horse make use of the same apartment, nor doth the
King in this respect affect more grandeur than his subjects.
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