On Coming Near The Great Ship,
We Knew Her, By Her Masts And Tops, To Be The Mahmudi Of Dabul; And
Knowing The Pride Of Her Captain, I Was Anxious To Gain The Command Over
Him, As He Would Never Formerly, Either At Mokha Or Dabul, Come To Visit
Our General.
Seeing him stand from us, I gave him one shot, and stood
with the other ship, which, seeing us stand with the great ship, struck
to leeward, thinking to escape in the darkness of the night, now
approaching.
I took her for a ship of Diu; but, on getting up to her,
she proved to be from Kuts Nagone, laden with cotton-wool, some packs of
Indian cloth, with some butter and oil. Having got some of her principal
men aboard my ship, I made her edge with me into shoal water, on the
Arab coast, where I endeavoured, by means of lights, to discover five of
my men, whom I had left in the Larree ship. We anchored at midnight in
twelve fathoms, four leagues within the bab, where the next two days
we took out of the Larree ship sixty-six bundles of Indian cloth, but
which we returned again, as not needing it, and took only eight corges
of bastas, for which we paid to their content, and some butter and
oil. I now learned by a jelba, that Sir Henry Middleton had gone to
Assab roads, with eight or nine India ships, on which I made sail to
join him there, but the wind being unfavourable, had to come to anchor.
Next day, Giles Thornton, the master of the Trades-increase, came from
Sir Henry Middleton, to let me know that he had got possession of all
the Indian ships he desired. These were the Rekemi, of 1500 tons; the
Hassany, of 600; the Mahmudi of Surat, of 150; the Salamitae, of
450; the Cadree, of 200; the Azum Khani, belonging to the
Shah-bandar of Mokha, all belonging to Diu; besides three Malabar ships,
the Cadree of Dabul, of 400 tons, and a great ship of Cananore. Mr
Thornton told me, that before I could get into the road of Assab, Sir
Henry and Captain Saris, with all their people, would be gone ashore to
receive the King of Rahayta, who was come with his nobles and guards
to visit the two generals. The day being near spent, Sir Henry and
Captain Saris left the king in his tent, and went aboard the
Trades-increase to supper. I understood also of a contract entered into
with the Indian ships at the bab, by which it was agreed to exchange,
all our English goods for such Indian commodities as should be settled
by certain merchants on both sides. About this time likewise I was
informed, that the Mammi, or captain of the gallies, and others, had
come from the governor of Mokha to our general, to treat of peace, and
to enquire what sum he demanded in satisfaction of our damages.
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