At Our First Coming, This Fort Was In
Ruins; But It Had Been Since Pulled Down And New Built.
The Darling came
into the roads this afternoon, and brought me news of the welfare of the
rest, to my no small comfort after so many troubles.
The 6th March, Nakhada Malek Ambar, captain of a great ship of Dabul,
came ashore, accompanied by a great number of merchants, all of them
being carried round the town in a kind of triumph, and were afterwards
feasted by the aga. I likewise was sent for to this feast, and
entertained with much seeming love and friendship. In presence of the
whole company, the aga sent for the Koran, which he kissed, and
voluntarily swore and protested that he had no ill will to me, but
wished me all good, and would do every thing in his power to do me
pleasure, being much grieved for the past, and his heart entirely free
of malice or hatred. I returned him thanks, seemingly much satisfied
with his protestations, though I gave no credit to them, but was forced
to endure what I could not remedy, till God should please to provide
better.
The 7th, the aga made a great feast at his garden-house for the Dabul
merchants, to which I and Mr Femell were invited. The 8th we were all
sent for by the aga, when thirty were selected to remain along with me
a-land, and the rest, to the number of thirty-six, were sent on board
the Darling. The 9th I had escaped, if I had not been more careful for
those who had then been left behind than for myself. This day the
Darling departed to the other ships in an excellent road called Assab,
on the coast of Habash or Abyssinia, which they had found out during my
absence, where they, were safe in all winds that blow in these seas, and
where they had plenty of wood and water merely for the trouble of
fetching. The water was indeed a little brackish, but it satisfied them
who had been long in want on that necessary. The people of this country
are as black as the Guinea negroes; those on the sea-coast being
Mahometans, but those of the inland country are Christians, and subjects
to Prester John. They go almost naked, having only a cloth round their
waists and down to their knees. At the first coming of our people they
were much afraid; but after becoming acquainted, and a mutual peace
being sworn between them, they supplied our ships with beeves, sheep,
and goats, for money, at a reasonable rate; and, as they afterwards
desired calico rather than money, I furnished them with it from Mokha,
after which our ships got refreshments much cheaper in truck than
formerly for money, dealing faithfully and kindly with our people,
though the Turks sought to make them inimical by means of barks, which
pass to and fro. The king of this country on the sea-coast, who resides
at a town on the coast called Rahayta, about forty miles south from
Assab, nearer the bab, sent some of his principal people with
presents to the commanders of our ships, who returned the compliment by
sending him some presents by messengers of their own. He entertained
these messengers very courteously, promising every thing his country
afforded. The vulgar speech of this people is quite different from
Arabic, but the better sort speak and write Arabic, in which language
their law of Mahomet is written.
Sec. 4. Sir Henry Middleton makes his Escape from the Turks, and forces
them to make Satisfaction.
April 1st, 1611, the Darling departed from Mokha for Assab, having
permission of the aga to come over every ten days to see how I did. This
unlooked-for kindness gave no hopes of being able to work my freedom.
Between and the fourth there came in two great ships of Dabul, which,
with the one here before, belonged to the governor of Dabul, who is a
Persian, and a great merchant, having many slaves. Of these, Malek Ambar
is one, who is in high credit with him, and had the management of all
the goods in the three ships. Ambar is a negro, born in Habash, and
perhaps cost his master fifteen or twenty dollars; but now never goes
out of doors without great troops of followers, like some great
lord.[337]
[Footnote 337: We have here omitted the enumeration of many merchant
ships that arrived from various places, and of a caravan of merchants
from Damascus, Sues, and Mecca, to make purchases from these ships of
India commodities. - E.]
The 11th, the aga and all the chief men of the town rode out at
day-break to make merry at his garden-house, which gave me a fair
opportunity of putting in practice what I had long projected, for Hamet
aga and others had told me the pacha would not perform his promise
unless for fear. I wrote, therefore, to Mr Pemberton, saying that I
meant this day to make my escape on board, and that I would have myself
conveyed to the boat in an empty cask; and desired, therefore, that he
would send the boat in all speed manned with choice hands, and that he
would send me some wine and spirits to make my keepers drunk, all which
he punctually performed. Before I told Mr Femell of my intentions, I
made him swear to be secret, and not to endeavour to persuade me from my
intentions. I then gave him notice of what I meant to do, and that, if
he and others would walk down to a certain place at the sea-side, I
would not fail to take him and the rest in. I also told him that the
carpenters were appointed to embark themselves at another place, where a
boat lay on the beach, south from the town, with a mast and sail ready
for the purpose, but were not to push off till they saw the Darling's
boat away from the jetty.
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