I Remained Secretly In Lisbon Till The 13th Of That Same
Month, When I Embarked In A Ship Belonging To London, Commanded By One
Mr Steed, And Bound For That Place.
We weighed anchor that day from the
Bay of Wayers, where a boat full of Portuguese meant to have
Taken the
ship and carried us all on shore, having intelligence of our intended
departure; but by putting out to sea we escaped the danger, and, God be
praised, arrived at our long-desired home on the 17th September, 1610,
having been two years and six months absent from England.
Sec.3. Additional Supplement, from the Report of William Nichols.[297]
At Bramport, or Boorhanpoor, most of our company departed from the
general, Captain Sharpey, who was unable to provide for them, except
some who were sick and were obliged to remain. Some went to one place,
and some to another, and some back again to Surat. I told my companions,
being one of those who were willing to take the best course we could,
that I would travel, God willing, to Masulipatam, where I had learnt at
Surat that there was a factory of the Hollanders. Not being able to
prevail on any Christian to accompany me, I made enquiry at Boorhanpoor
if there were any persons going thence for Masulipatam, and found one,
but it was such a company as few Englishmen would have ventured to
travel with, as it contained three Jews; but necessity has no law. After
agreeing to travel with them, I thought if I had any money, the dogs
would cut my throat, wherefore I made away with all my money, and
attired myself in a Turkish habit, and set off along with these dogs
without a penny in my purse.
[Footnote 297: Purch. Pilgr. I. 232. - William Nichols, according to
Purchas, was a mariner in the Ascension, who travelled by land from
Boorhanpoor to Masulipatam. His account of the unfortunate voyage was
written at Bantam, 12th September, 1612, by Henry Moris; but being the
same in substance with those already given, Purchas has only retained
the following brief narrative of the route of Nichols to Masulipatam and
Bantam. - E.]
Travelling along with them for four months, I had nothing to eat but
what the Jews gave me; and many times they refused to give me any food,
so that I was reduced to the necessity of eating such food as they gave
their camels, and was glad to get even that, for which I had often to
make interest with the camel-keepers. In this miserable case I travelled
with these dogs four months. Sometimes they would say to each other,
"Come, let us cut the throat of this dog, and then open his belly, for
he has certainly swallowed his gold." Two of them would have cut my
throat, but the third was an honest dog, and would not consent.
So at length, with many a weary days journey, and many a hungry belly,
after long and dangerous travel, we came safe to Masulipatam, where I
immediately quitted these cruel dogs, and betook myself to the Dutch
factory, where the chief used me very kindly, and gave me clothes and
meat and drink for five months, before any shipping came there.
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