They
Were Handsomely Entertained, And Next Morning Our General Gave The Chief
Two Goats And A Cartridge Of Gunpowder, With Some Trifles To The Two
Others.
Messrs Revet, Jordan, Glascock, and I, went ashore with them for
the pledges, and on landing went unadvisedly along
With them to some
houses, where we found the pledges guarded by some fifty or sixty men,
armed with bows and arrows, swords, bucklers, and darts; yet were they
delivered to us. We then returned to the pinnace, accompanied by the
king's brother, most of the Moors following us, and six or seven of them
going up to the pinnace to examine it, after which they returned to the
rest. We went all into the boat, and the king's brother readily came
along with us, and was courteously entertained as usual. Towards night
the master offered him a knife, which he scornfully refused, and
immediately went ashore in an almadia.
The long-boat went ashore very early of the 14th for water, and when the
casks were filled the ship was seen with her sails set down to dry; but
the natives believing she was going away, the companion of the king's
brother came and asked our boatswain if it were so. The boatswain, as
well as he could by signs, made him understand that it was only to dry
the sails. While thus talking, our pinnace was observed coming ashore
well armed, on which the natives went away. Had not the pinnace made her
appearance so very opportunely, I believe they intended at this time to
have cut off our men, and seized the long-boat, for two or more of the
rogues were seen lurking about the watering-place, as if waiting for the
signal of attack. When our pinnace came on shore, and the men were
standing near on the sands under arms, the master sent Nicholas White to
the town, to tell the islanders that our merchants were landed, and as
White was passing a house full of people, he observed six Portuguese in
long branched or flowered damask gowns, lined with blue taffeta, under
which they wore white calico breeches. Presently after, the attendant on
the king's brother came and told Mr Revet that the native merchants were
weary, and requested therefore that the English would come up to look at
the cattle. Now White saw only one bullock and no more. Mr Revet desired
to be excused, and pressed him to send down the bullock, saying, there
were enough of goods in the boat to pay for it; with which answer he
went away.
The king's brother was then on the sands, and gave orders to a negro to
gather cocoa-nuts to send to our general, and desired Edward Churchman
to go and fetch them, who went accordingly, but was never seen or heard
of more.[278] Finding that the English refused to land, and stood on
their guard, the word was given for assault, and a horn was sounded,
upon which our men at the watering-place were immediately assaulted.
John Harrington, the boat-swain's mate, was slain, and Robert Backer, Mr
Ellanor's man, was sore wounded in eight or ten places, and had
certainly been killed, but that a musket or two were fired from the
boat, by which it would seem that some of them were hurt, as they
retired crying out. Bucker, though weak and faint, made a shift to get
to the boat, and two or three other men, who were at the watering-place,
got safe into the boat.
[Footnote 278: Jones says he was informed afterwards by a Portuguese,
that Churchman afterwards died at Mombaza. He tells us likewise, that
the Portuguese of Mombaza intended to have manned a Dutch hulk which had
wintered there, on purpose to take the Ascension; but learning her force
they laid that design aside, and endeavoured to circumvent them by means
of the natives of Pemba, who are very cowardly, and dare not venture on
any enterprize, unless instigated by the Portuguese. - E.]
In the morning of the 26th, the boat and pinnace went ashore well armed
to fetch in our davy, which is a piece of timber by which the anchor
is hauled up; and a little beyond it, they found the body of Harrington
stark naked, which they buried in an island near Pemba. The natives of
this island seemed well disposed towards us; for, at our first coming,
they made signs to us, as if warning us to take care of having our
throats cut, which we then paid no attention to.[279]
[Footnote 279: This circumstance is not easily understood, unless by the
natives are here meant negroes, as distinguished from the Moors, who
endeavoured to murder the English, probably at the instigation of the
Portuguese. - E.]
We set sail that same day from Pemba, being the 20th December, and by
midnight our ship got aground on the shoals of Melinda, or Pemba, which
we were not aware of, but got off again, by backing our sails, as the
wind was very moderate. Next morning we pursued and took three small
boats, called pangaias, which had their planks very slightly connected
together, while another boat was endeavouring to come off from the land
to give them notice to avoid us. In these boats there were above forty
persons, six or eight of whom being comparatively pale and fair, much
differing from the Moors, we thought to have been Portuguese; but being
asked, they shewed their backs all over with written characters; and
when we still insisted they were Portuguese, they said the Portuguese
were not circumcised as they were.[280] As we could not be satisfied of
their not being Portuguese, some of our mariners spoke to them about the
murder of our men, which seemed to put them in fear, and they talked
with each other in their own language, which made us suspect they were
meditating some desperate attempt.
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