I Told My Companions,
Being One Of Those Who Were Willing To Take The Best Course We Could,
That I Would Travel, God Willing, To Masulipatam, Where I Had Learnt At
Surat That There Was A Factory Of The Hollanders.
Not being able to
prevail on any Christian to accompany me, I made enquiry at Boorhanpoor
if there were
Any persons going thence for Masulipatam, and found one,
but it was such a company as few Englishmen would have ventured to
travel with, as it contained three Jews; but necessity has no law. After
agreeing to travel with them, I thought if I had any money, the dogs
would cut my throat, wherefore I made away with all my money, and
attired myself in a Turkish habit, and set off along with these dogs
without a penny in my purse.
[Footnote 297: Purch. Pilgr. I. 232. - William Nichols, according to
Purchas, was a mariner in the Ascension, who travelled by land from
Boorhanpoor to Masulipatam. His account of the unfortunate voyage was
written at Bantam, 12th September, 1612, by Henry Moris; but being the
same in substance with those already given, Purchas has only retained
the following brief narrative of the route of Nichols to Masulipatam and
Bantam. - E.]
Travelling along with them for four months, I had nothing to eat but
what the Jews gave me; and many times they refused to give me any food,
so that I was reduced to the necessity of eating such food as they gave
their camels, and was glad to get even that, for which I had often to
make interest with the camel-keepers. In this miserable case I travelled
with these dogs four months. Sometimes they would say to each other,
"Come, let us cut the throat of this dog, and then open his belly, for
he has certainly swallowed his gold." Two of them would have cut my
throat, but the third was an honest dog, and would not consent.
So at length, with many a weary days journey, and many a hungry belly,
after long and dangerous travel, we came safe to Masulipatam, where I
immediately quitted these cruel dogs, and betook myself to the Dutch
factory, where the chief used me very kindly, and gave me clothes and
meat and drink for five months, before any shipping came there. At last
there came to Masulipatam three ships belonging to the Hollanders, one
called the Hay, and another the Sun; the third was a frigate which
they had taken in the Straits of Malacca. The Sun and the frigate being
bound for Bantam, I entreated the master of the Sun to allow me to work
my passage to Bantam, when he told me very kindly, he would not only
grant me a passage for my work, but would give me wages, for which I
gave him my hearty thanks, and so went on board. We set sail not long
after from Masulipatam, and arrived safe at Bantam on Thursday the 6th
September, 1610, when I immediately went with a joyful heart to the
English house.
In my travel overland with the three Jews, I passed through the
following fair towns, of which only I remember the names, not being able
to read or write. First, from Bramport [Boorhanpoor] we came to
Jevaport, Huidare, and Goulcaude,[298] and so to Masulipatania.
[Footnote 298: These names are strangely corrupted, and the places on
that route which most nearly resemble them are, Jalnapoor, Oudigur, or
Oudgir, and Golconda, near Hydrabad. - E.]
SECTION IX.
Voyage of Captain Richard Rowles in the Union, the Consort of the.
Ascension.[299]
INTRODUCTION.
"In Purchas this is entitled, 'The unhappy Voyage of the Vice-Admiral,
the Union, outward bound, till she arrived at Priaman, reported by a
Letter which Mr Samuel Bradshaw sent from Priaman, by Humphry Bidulph,
the 11th March, 1610, written by the said Henry Moris at Bantam,
September the 14th, 1610.' This account given by Moris, the same who
wrote the brief account of the journey of Nichols, relating the voyage
of the Union no farther than to Priaman, appears to have been only
transcribed by him from the letter of Mr Bradshaw, one of the factors;
yet in the preamble to the voyage, Moris says that he had the account
from the report of others, without any mention of the letter from
Bradshaw. What concerns the return of the Union from Priaman, and her
being cast away on the coast of France, contained in the second
subdivision of this section, is extracted from two letters, and a kind
of postscript by Purchas, which follow this narrative by
Moris." - Astley.
[Footnote 299: Purch. Pilgr. 1. 202 Astl. I. 348.]
Sec. 1. Of the Voyage of the Union, after her Separation from the
Ascension, to Acheen and Priaman.
You have already had an account of the voyage of the two ships, the
Ascension and Union, from England to the Cape of Good Hope, but of the
proceedings of the Union after her separation you have not heard;
therefore I have thought proper to make some relation thereof, as well
as of the other, as I have heard from the report of other men, and thus
it was:
The Union and Ascension were separated by a storm in doubling the Cape,
during which storm the Union sprung her main-mast, and they were obliged
to fish it in the midst of the storm, owing to which they lost company
with the admiral; and as the storm continued, and they were hopeless of
recovering the company either of the Ascension or pinnace by continuing
off the Cape, they shaped their course for the Bay of St Augustine in
Madagascar. Being arrived there, they went ashore, and remained twenty
days, where they procured good refreshing, being always in hopes of the
coming of the Ascension and pinnace, but were disappointed. Then making
sail from thence, they directed their course for the island of Zanjibar,
in hopes to meet the general there.
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