The 22d The General
And All His Company Set Out On Their Journey For Zenan, Attended By A
Strong Guard Of Soldiers To Prevent Their Escape.
The carpenters,
however, were detained at Mokha, where they wrought in chains on our
pinnace for the pacha; likewise several wounded men, who were unable for
the journey, remained still in chains at Mokha.
That same evening,
though the Turks guarded our men very narrowly, Mr Pemberton slipt aside
among the bushes, and made for the sea-side, where he chanced upon a
canoe with a paddle, in which he put off, committing himself to the
danger of the sea, rather than trust to the mercy of the Turks. Through
the fatigue of his long journey, he was forced to give over rowing by
the morning; but it pleased God that the canoe was noticed from the
Trades-increase, and picked up by her pinnace, which brought Mr
Pemberton on board, hardly able to speak through faintness. The 27th,
the Darling, which had been sent to seek me at Aden, returned to the
road of Mokha, having lost an anchor and cable.
On the 2d January, 1611, I departed with all the three ships from Mokha
roads, intending to ply up for Bab-al-Mondub, for three reasons: First,
to ease our ground tackle, which was much decayed through long riding at
anchor in boisterous weather; second, to seek some place where we could
procure water, for which we were now much distressed; and, lastly, to
stop the passage of all the Indian ships entering the Red Sea, by which
to constrain the Turks to release our general with the people and goods.
We stood over in the first place for the Abyssinian coast, where we left
the Darling to look for her anchor and cable, while with the other two
ships we plied to windward, and came to anchor in the evening on the
Arabian coast, about three leagues to windward of Mokha, and about four
miles off shore, in eight fathoms water. The 3d we set sail with the
ebb-tide, working to windward; but in the afternoon I spent my two
topsails, and before we got other two to the yard we were half-seas over
towards the Abyssinian coast, and anchored in sixteen fathoms. Towards
morning the wind increased, with dark cloudy weather and a rough sea,
when we lost sight of the Trades-increase, at which time she had broke
an anchor and drove, and let fall another anchor, which not holding, she
drifted into six fathoms, when they were forced to cut their cable, and
stand off into deeper water. The 4th, when preparing to weigh anchor, I
saw the Trades-increase standing over for Mokha, while Mr Pemberton in
the Darling was riding in a good road, to which I would gladly have
gone, but not knowing what need our great ship might have of my
carpenters, her own being prisoners at Mokha, I stood after her, and
carrying too much sail in rigorous weather, we split both our new
topsails, which had been sewed with rotten twine, as indeed most of our
sails were. Owing to this, it was night before I got into Mokha road,
where I learnt the Trades-increase had lost two anchors, on which I sent
my carpenters aboard to stock some others for her.
From that to the 18th we continued in Mokha roads with little ease, and
to the material injury of our cables. From the 6th to the 11th canoes
came every day from the town with letters from the carpenters,
containing a variety of forged news communicated by the aga, who
permitted them to send off chiefly for the sake of wine and beer, with
which they gratified the Turks; and were sometimes allowed to send off
some little fresh provisions. The 12th the Darling came into the road,
saluting me with three guns in token of good news. Mr Pemberton came
immediately aboard, and told me, to my great comfort, that he had found
an easy road and a good watering place, and had recovered his cable and
anchor. The 18th some persons came off to us from Mokha, bringing us two
bullocks, two goats, a few hens and eggs, and some fruit, but no news of
our general. That afternoon we set sail for the good road on the
Abyssinian coast, and anchored at night three leagues short of it, under
an island which we named Crab island, owing to the great abundance of
crabs we found there. The 19th we weighed again, and anchored under
another island, smaller than the former; and on the 20th we stood
farther into the bay, anchoring in eight fathoms, half a mile from
shore, right opposite the watering place.
I sent George Jeff ashore in the pinnace to find out the river, and
to endeavour to speak with the natives. Immediately on landing, about an
hundred of the natives presented themselves, armed with lances, and one
bolder than the rest came forwards, and even desired to be carried on
board. He there informed me, by means of an interpreter, that the Turks
had sent over to them, saying how they had betrayed and slain many of
our men, and wishing them to do the like to as many as they could lay
hold of. This young man was said to be a person of consideration, and
was very kind to us all the time we lay in this bay. He remained all
night in the Trades-increase, where he was kindly used to his entire
content. The 21st, with all the boats, I went a-land with most of our
men, setting some to dig wells, some to fetch ballast, others to fill
water from a small well we found ready dug, and the rest under arms to
guard those who wrought. Soon after our landing, there came to me the
priest of the natives, with the father and brothers of our friendly
youth, who had not yet left us.
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