The 14th, 100 Miles During The Day And
As Much In The Night.
The 15th, 80 by day and 80 by night.
The 16th, 80
by day and 70 in the night. The 17th, 90 in the day and 80 in the night.
The 18th, 100 in the day and 70 in the night. The 19th, 70 by day and 80
by night; all this time the course being due west. The 20th, we sailed
W. by S. 90 miles, and saw land to windward, and proceeded 100 miles in
the night. The 21st, we sailed W. by S. 80 miles by day and 50 in the
night. The 22d, continuing the same course, we went only 10 miles during
the day, and 20 in the night. The 23d it fell a calm, and we proceeded
along the coast of Arabia, 30 miles in the day and 20 in the night. On
the 24th, the calm continued and we had adverse currents, yet proceeded
along the coast of Arabia 30 miles, and came to the islands of Curia
Muria[232], which are very desert and thinly inhabited. We staid here
one day and took in a supply of water. The fleet departed from these
islands on the 26th, sailing along the coast of Arabia towards the Red
Sea, 30 miles in the day and 30 at night.
[Footnote 231: That part of the gulf may be here understood which is on
the outside of the Straits of Ormuz, or the bay between Cape Ras-al-gat,
or the coast of Muscat, and the Persian shore: Yet, from the after part
of the voyage this could hardly be the case, and we ought perhaps to
read in this part of the text the Arabian Sea, or that part of the
Indian ocean which stretches across the mouths of the Indus, from the
western coast of Guzerat towards the coast of Arabia. - E.]
[Footnote 232: In the text of the Aldus this place is called by mistake
the town of Khamaran, which is a very different place within the Red
Sea, but in Ramusio it is rightly named Curia Muria. These islands, are
in lat. 17 deg. 30' on the oceanic coast of Yemen or Yaman, and are likewise
named the islands of Chartan and Martan. - E.]
SECTION VII.
Continuation of the Voyage back to Suez, from the Portuguese factory at
Aser, to Khamaran and Kubit Sharif.
At the second hour of the night on the 27th of November, the fleet cast
anchor in six fathoms water off a town on the coast of Arabia named
Aser[233], a barren desert place, where both men and cattle are forced
to live on fish. At this place was found forty Portuguese with a consul
or factor, who resided here for trade, besides other merchants who come
frequently with spice and other things. But their chief trade was in
horses, which are here excellent; being to be had at about 100 ducats
each, and sell in India for 1000 ducats. As soon as the sheikh of this
place understood that Solyman Pacha was coming there with his fleet, he
caused all the Portuguese at the factory to be seized, and presented
them to the Pacha, who made them all be chained to the oars. We here
found a ship which had staid there by the way, being unable to proceed
to India. We remained here three days, and the Pacha seized all the
biscuit which could be procured for the use of the fleet. It may be
proper to notice, that in every place at which the fleet touched in this
return voyage, the Turks gave out that they had conquered the whole
country of India, and had cut all the Christians to pieces. The 1st
December, the fleet departed, holding a courses W.S.W. along the coast
of Arabia, and sailing 40 miles cast anchor before night at a place
called Mikaiya, and took in water. The 2d, continuing along the coast
of Arabia, we proceeded W.S.W. 30 miles in the day, and 10 in the night.
The 3d, 40 miles by day and 50 in the night. The 4th, 70 in the day and
30 in the night. The 5th, we went 60 miles farther, and by nine o'clock
in the night cast anchor off the town of Adem or Aden.
[Footnote 233: About the distance rather vaguely indicated in the text,
is a place called Dhofar on the coast of Yemen, and perhaps the text
ought to have been D'Afer. - E.]
On the 6th, the Pacha sent in the morning for a renegado Turk, formerly
a Christian and a person of some note, and without assigning any cause
ordered his head to be cut off. The reason was they all murmured, and
the Pacha feared this man might accuse him of negligence or cowardice,
and was therefore determined to be beforehand with him. This man had
formerly been in the service of the sheikh of Aden, and was afterwards a
captain at Diu, when the former king Badur was slain by the Portuguese.
The widow of Badur being possessed of a great treasure and desirous of
retiring to Mecca, was persuaded by this man to embark with him in a
galleon, with which he treacherously sailed to Egypt, whence he carried
the treasure to Constantinople and presented it to the sultan; who,
because of his conversance in the affairs of India, made him commander
of a galley, and ordered him to return to India with the fleet under
Solyman Pacha: And as the expedition succeeded so ill it now cost him
his life. Being desirous to secure Aden, the Pacha caused 100 pieces of
cannon of different sizes to be landed from the fleet, among which were
two passe-volants that had been taken out of the Venetian gallies at
Alexandria. He likewise landed an ample supply of powder and ball, and
left a Sanjak with 500 Turks and five foists[234]. Thinking himself
now out of danger from the pursuit of the Portuguese fleet, the Pacha
removed from the half galley and returned to the maon.
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