The 27th, In The Morning, We Had Sight Of
Abdal Curia, And Before Night Espied Guar-Da-Fui.
The 2d April, Mr Pemberton came aboard me, telling me he had been at
Socotora, where the king shewed
Him a writing left there by Captain John
Saris, who was general of three ships from India, stating the time he
left England, his places of refreshment, the time of his arrival at
Socotora, and his having proceeded for the Red Sea in quest of trade;
mentioning likewise his having perused the writing left by me,
containing many reasons for not going there; but, having the pass of the
Grand Signior, he hoped to meet better entertainment than I had. On this
unexpected news, I called a council to deliberate on what we had best
do; when we quickly resolved to proceed as we had formerly determined,
having now no other way left, as we could not return again till the next
westerly monsoon, which would not be till the middle of May. I therefore
left Captain Downton in the Pepper-corn to remain till the 5th off the
mouth, keeping the port of Aden shut up; while I went with the
Trades-increase and Darling to keep the two passages of the straits of
Bab-al-Mondub.
The 4th, about ten a.m. we anchored within the island in eight fathoms.
Presently after there came a boat from shore with a Turk and three or
four Arabian soldiers, the Turk being chief of the place under the aga
of Mokha. He offered, if I had any letter to send, he would dispatch it
by a foot-post, who would bring back an answer in three days. I wrote,
therefore, to Captain Saris, giving him an account of the cause of my
coming, and what I proposed to do.
The 6th came a Jalba belonging to Zeyla, a place without the Bab, on
the African coast, bound for Mokha, laden with mats. I bought from her
twelve sheep, and permitted her to depart. The 7th, before day, came in
a ship of Basanor, which I obliged to anchor beside me. Richard Wickam,
one of Captain Saris's merchants, came this morning with letters to me
from Captain Saris, the contents of which I omit to write. I sent back
an answer by a Turk that came in his company, but detained Wickam, lest
they might have made him prisoner at Mokha, as I had embargoed the India
ships. The 8th came in a ship of Diu, bound for Mokha, which I stopped
and brought to anchor beside me, being the same I detained last year in
Mokha roads. This day we rummaged these two ships, taking out of them
such goods as suited our purpose, which were brought on board my ship.
The 9th came in a small bark of Shahr,[345] laden with coarse
olibanum, some of which we bought and paid for in ryals to their
contentment.
[Footnote 345: Called Shaher in Purchas, and by others Xaer and Xael
after the Portuguese orthography. It is dependent upon Kushen or
Kasbin. - Astl. I. 388. d.]
The 14th we were joined by Captain Saris with his three ships. After
mutual salutes, Captain Saris, Captain Towerson, and Mr Cox, their chief
merchant, came aboard of me, and we spent all that day in friendly
communication; and acquainting Captain Saris that I was much in want of
cables, he engaged to supply me. The 15th I went aboard the Clove, where
I and those that came with me were kindly entertained. Captain Saris
shewed me the pass from the Grand Signior, and we had a long
conversation, he believing that he would have had much good trade at
Mokha if I had not come, which my experience found otherwise. At last
we agreed, and set it down in writing interchangeably, that he was to
have a third part of all that was taken, paying for the same as I did,
leaving the subsequent disposal of the ships to me, who had sustained
the injury. From this to the 23d, many ships came in at the bab from
different ports of India, as Surat, Diu, Calicut, Cannanor, Acheen, and
other ports; and this last day came in the Rhemy of Surat, belonging
to the queen mother of the Great Mogul, laden with India commodities,
and bound for Jiddah, the port of Mecca.[346] In this ship were 1500
persons, mostly pilgrims, going to Mecca. The 24th I weighed anchor from
the bab, together with all the ships I had detained, and went for the
road of Assab. About five p.m. we came to anchor with all the fleet off
Crab island in twelve fathoms; and next morning stood in for the bay of
Assab, where at one p.m. we anchored in seven and a half fathoms. The
27th we brought good store of indigo out of the ships of Surat and Diu.
The Clove being in sight, plying off and on and not seeing us, I caused
a shot to be fired, which they hearing, answered with another, and
presently bore up for the road.....
[Footnote 346: It has been thought quite needless to enumerate the
different ships mentioned in Purchas, amounting in all to sixteen sail
of various sorts and sizes. - E.]
* * * * *
Note. The narrative of Sir Henry Middleton breaks off here abruptly,
for which no reason is assigned by Purchas. The omission will, however,
be found supplied in the subsequent report of the same voyage by Captain
Downton, and in the Journal of the Eighth Voyage of the India Company
commanded by Captain John Saris. - Ed.
SECTION XII.
Journal of the preceding Voyage by Nicholas Downton, Captain of the
Pepper-corn.[347]
INTRODUCTION.
Captain Nicholas Downton was what was then called lieutenant-general
under Sir Henry Middleton, in the sixth voyage set forth by the
English East India Company. We once meant only to have given an extract
from this journal, to supply the deficiency in the latter part of the
former narrative by Sir Henry Middleton; but on a careful examination,
we have found its information so superior to most of the early relations
of voyages, that we even regret it had been before garbled or
abbreviated by Purchas, who tells us, that this article consists only of
certain extracts from the journal of Captain Downton.
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