The 21st, The
King Of Rahayta Sent Me A Present Of A Fat Cow And A Slave, By A
Kinsman Of His, Who Staid All Night In The Trades-Increase.
At various
times the Budwees[359] brought us abundant supplies of bullocks, goats,
and sheep, which they sold to
Us for cloth, preferring that to money:
But by the beginning of May, our cloth fit for their use being all gone,
we could only purchase with money, after which our supply became scanty.
The 11th May, our general happily effected his escape from Mokha aboard
the Darling, with fifteen more of his people.[360]
[Footnote 359: Badwis, or Bedouins; the nomadic Mahometan tribes on the
African coast of the Red Sea, are here meant - E.]
[Footnote 360: The narrative of Sir Henry Middleton in the preceding
section, giving a sufficiently ample account of the incidents in the
voyage, till the return of the ships to Mokha, it has not been thought
necessary to continue the relation of Downton so far as regards the
intermediate transactions, for which we refer to the account of the
voyage already given by Sir Henry Middleton. But as his narrative breaks
off abruptly soon after the return to the Red Sea, we resume that of
Downton in the subsequent subdivisions. - E.]
Sec. 3. Account of Proceedings in the Red Sea on the second Visit.
The 1st April, 1612, on our return from India toward the Red Sea, we
were by estimation eighteen leagues short of Aden. It was now ordered by
the general, that I was to remain before or near the town of Aden, to
enforce any Indian ships that should arrive there to proceed into the
Red Sea, for which I received a commission, or written instructions,
from the general, who was with all expedition to proceed with the
Trades-increase to the bab, or gate of the Red Sea, both for the
safety of the company's ship, of which we had intelligence from
Masulipatam, that she was following our track into the mouths of the
wolves, from whom by God's mercy we had escaped, and there to take
revenge of the Turks and the subjects of the Great Mogul, for the wrongs
done to us, our king, and our country. The 2d we found the Darling at
anchor some eight leagues eastward of Aden, having got before us by
reason of our having lingered four days for her. She had completed her
business at Socotora, and had departed thence before we past it, going
by Saboyna, Abdal Curia, and Mount Feluk, where we lingered for her. She
brought from Socotora a letter left with the king, written by Captain
John Saris, general of the Clove, Hector, and Thomas, ships belonging to
our India company, signifying that he was gone into the Red Sea,
notwithstanding the letter of Sir Henry Middleton, giving an account of
the villanies there done to us. The general immediately departed toward
the bab, with the Trades-increase and Darling, leaving me in the
Pepper-corn at anchor, about eight leagues east from Aden.
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