The 18th We Came
To Anchor In Nine Fathoms On Fine Sand In The Road Of Tammarin, A League
From Shore, And Right Over Against The King's House.
[Footnote 404:
Cape das Baxas, on the coast of Samhar, is in lat. 5 deg. N.
so that the latitude in the text must be too short by about thirty-eight
minutes. - E.]
[Footnote 405: Cape Orfui is in lat. 11 deg. N.]
[Footnote 406: Cape Guardafui is in lat. 12 deg. 24' N.]
Sec. 2. Occurrences at Socotora and in the Red Sea.
I sent ashore Mr Richard Cockes, our cape merchant, well accompanied, to
wait upon the king of Socotora, to acquaint him who we were and the
cause of our coming, and to procure cattle and fish to refresh our men.
Mr Cockes was received and entertained in a friendly manner, and came
back with a present of fresh provisions, together with a letter left
there by Sir Henry Middleton, dated 1st September, 1611, aboard the
Trades-increase in Delisha road, the original of which I retained, and
returned an accurate copy for the information of future ships.[407] The
19th we went ashore in state, and were welcomed by the king, who feasted
the whole company. He was superbly dressed in crimson velvet, richly
decorated with gold lace. His house was built of freestone, in the
fashion of a castle, and he had above an hundred attendants, fifty of
whom were well clothed according to the Moorish fashion, the rest being
natives of the island. His name was Sultan Amur Bensaid,[408] being
the son of the king of Cushin [Caixem, Caxem, Kushem, or Kessem] on the
coast of Arabia. After many compliments and courtesies, we took our
leave of him at night, and returned on board. At this place we paid for
cattle twelve dollars each, three shillings for sheep, and a dollar for
goats; which, though dear, were hardly fit for men's meat, being so
vilely and in a more than beastly manner abused by the people, that they
were quite loathsome to see when opened. For rice we paid three-pence a
pound, and the same price for dates. Hens a shilling each. Tobacco 700
leaves for a dollar. Eggs a penny each. And the king, who is universal
merchant, would only take Spanish dollars, refusing our English money.
[Footnote 407: This letter was a brief summary of the disadventures of
Sir Henry in the Red Sea by Turkish perfidy; as in his own journal has
already appeared, with a caveat to all English ships, and notice of the
road of Assab. - Purch.]
[Footnote 408: The editor of Astley's Collection, who appears to have
been an orientalist, gives this name and title, Soltan Amor
Ebensayd. - E.]
The 27th, I called a meeting of the merchandizing council, to whom I
read the company's instructions, and the letter from Sir Henry
Middleton, received from the king of Socotora. By the instructions, we
were led to expect good store of aloes at this place, but the king was
quite unprovided, and could not furnish any before next August. And as
we were appointed to go from hence to Aden and Mokha, in the Red-sea, in
case the monsoon did not serve for Surat, which we were now strongly
dissuaded from by an account of the wrongs done there by treachery to
Sir Henry, I represented that we should find it very chargeable to
remain here or in Delisha roads for six months waiting the monsoon, as
there was no getting to the coast of Guzerat until the end of September.
My opinion was therefore, notwithstanding the bad tidings from Sir
Henry, that we should proceed for Mokha, having with us the pass of the
Grand Signior, which the former ships had not; by which means we would
be able to certify to the company of what avail the pass might be,
taking, care, however, to stand well on our guard, and not to trust any
one ashore without a sufficient pledge. In this way we might ride
securely, and might obtain trade aboard, if not on shore, our force
being able to defend us, or to offend, upon occasion, against any force
that port could fit out. If therefore we found no means of commerce, we
could then avail ourselves of his majesty's commission, in respect of
the violence used against Sir Henry and his company, and so enforce the
vent of our English commodities, or make spoil of their trade and
custom, by not permitting the entry of the Indian ships which were
expected there on the 5th of March; but, till then, I should be very
unwilling to deal with them by force. I considered this to be our best
plan of procedure, as by it our fleet might remain together, and go in
company to Surat when the monsoon would permit, according to our
instructions, our joint force being better able to resist any inimical
attempts. The council agreed to my proposal, so that we concluded to
keep company together, and to proceed for the Red Sea.
We accordingly weighed anchor on the 1st March, and made sail for the
Red Sea. The road of Tammarin has good anchorage in four fathoms, a
musket-shot from the shore; and farther in are three, and three and
a-half fathoms all along the bay, keeping two cables length from shore,
all fair sand, with some stones, the coast being all bold. A
demi-culverin shot may reach the castle from the anchorage, and the
castle is of no strength. The latitude of Tamniarin bay is 12 deg. 35'
N.[409] The king of Socotora advised us, in sailing for the Red Sea, to
keep to the south of Abdal Kuria, as, if we went to the north of that
island, we should be forced over to the Arabian coast, and would find
great difficulty to fetch Cape Guardafui; and, indeed, by experience, we
found it best to keep the Abyssinian, or African shore aboard.
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