The author seems not to have been aware that this was the
Taptee, or river of Surat.
- E.]
The 2d February we went 6 c. to Rawel, or Arawul, a country village,
where unseasonable thunder, wind, and rain, combining with my disease,
had nearly made an end of me, so that we made mukom, or halted, on the
3d and 4th. The 5th I went to Beawle, or Beawull, 10 c. a large town
with a good castle. Next day we were again stopt by bad weather. The
7th, 16 c. to Ravere, a great town; and the 8th, 10 c. to Boorhanpoor,
where I pitched my tent in a yard belonging to the Armenians, not being
able to get a house for money, the city being so full of soldiers. About
2 c. short of Boorhanpoor is Babuderpoor a fair city; and between the
two the army of Khan-Khana was encamped on the north side of the road,
consisting of about 15,000 horse, 200 elephants, and 100 cannon of
different sizes, the encampment extending two coss in length. Within
twenty or thirty coss to the south, Amber chapon, an Abashed,[236] who
was general of the army of the king of Deccan, lay encamped at the head
of 10,000 of his own cast, all brave soldiers, and about 40,000
Deccaners; so that the Moguls had certainly lost the city of
Boorhanpoor, had not the prince Sultan Parvis with Rajah Mausing come
down with great forces; as Amber chapon had sent to demand the surrender
of Boorhanpoor, deeming that Khan-Khana was unable to hold it against
him.
[Footnote 236: Assuredly meaning an Abyssinian. - E.]
Boorhanpoor is a very large but beastly city, situated in a low damp
place, and consequently very unhealthy, which is farther augmented by
the water being bad. The castle is on the N.E. of the city, on the banks
of the river which runs by Surat. In the river beside the castle, there
is an image of an elephant in stone, so naturally made, that an elephant
one day, coming to the river to drink, ran against it with all his
force, and broke both his teeth. The forehead of this image is painted
red, and many simple Indians worship it. About two coss from the castle
is a garden belonging to Khan-Khana, called the Loll baug, all the way
between being pleasantly shaded by rows of trees. The garden has many
fine walks, with a beautiful small tank shaded by trees; and at the
entrance is a fine lofty banqueting-house, likewise among trees.
I rested till the 12th under my tent, for the recovery of my health,
which God was pleased to grant. Two days after my arrival, news came
that Ravere and other neighbouring places had been sacked by 1500 Deccan
horse, so that we were thankful to God for our safe arrival, as the way
was not now passable for 1000 horse. I was here informed, by letters
from an Armenian, of a prodigious disaster sustained by the Portuguese
armada on the Malabar coast, consisting of fifty frigates or grabs, and
two gallies, which being dispersed by a storm, was suddenly assailed by
the Malabar pirates issuing from many creeks, who took many of their
fleet and burnt most of the rest.
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