In A Channel Where We Found Only Five Feet
At Low Water In Our Former Voyage, Mr Molineux Had Now Three Fathoms;
And Mr Spooner Had Now Seven Or Eight Feet, Where Our Boats Could Not
Pass At All Formerly.
Seeing some people on the shore in the afternoon,
whom I supposed might be some of our merchants from Surat, I sent my
pinnace to them; but they were some of the people belonging to Coge
Nozan, sent to discover what nation we were of.
From them I got farther
information respecting the wars with the Portuguese, being told that the
Moguls were besieging Damaun and Diu, Mocrib or Mucrob Khan being the
general of the Mogul forces against Damaun; and I also learnt to my
sorrow, that Mucrob Khan was governor and viceroy, as it may be called,
not only over Surat, but all the country round, as, from former
experience, I considered him to be a great enemy of our nation, and a
friend to the Portuguese. From these people likewise, I heard of the
health of Mr Aldworth and the rest of our factory, and wrote to hasten
his presence, sending my letters by the servants of Coge Nozan.
[Footnote 123: From this singular term, what is now called the
jollyboat has probably derived its name. - E.]
I sent my purser on shore in the pinnace, early of the 16th, to purchase
such necessaries as I thought might easily have been got; but he
returned about ten o'clock a.m. without buying any thing for our
purpose, bringing with him Mr Aldword, the chief merchant of our factory
at Surat, along with whom was one Richard Steel, who had come over-land
to Surat from Aleppo.[124] Mr Aldworth endeavoured to persuade me that
Mucrob Khan was our friend, and that we had now an excellent opportunity
to obtain good trade and satisfactory privileges while the Moguls were
engaged in war with the Portuguese; and as both the Nabob and all the
natives were rejoiced at hearing of our arrival, they would assuredly
give us a most favourable reception. Pleased with these hopeful
circumstances, I yet still wished some other person here in command
instead of Mucrob Khan, of whom I remained doubtful, and that we should
have no free trade from him, but in his accustomed manner, which I
believed to have been, of his own accord to cross us, and not as so
constrained by direction of his king; and the event turned out
accordingly, though we were wise behind the band, as will appear in the
sequel. Even the name he bore ought to have opened our eyes as to his
influence with the Great Mogul: as Mocrub signifies as much as his
own bowels, Khan meaning great lord. Yet I was deluded to believe
that his favour with the king was tottering, and that he might easily be
brought into disgrace, by complaint of any thing done contrary to the
will or humour of the king; so that we were too bold, and injured our
business when we found him opposing us, as we thought unreasonably.
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