In This Fearful
Engagement, Our Ship, The Charles, Discharged 375 Great Shot Against The
Adversary, As Reported By Our Gunners, Besides 100 Musqueteers Who Plied
Their Small Arms All The Time.
Neither were the enemy idle, for our ship
received at least 100 great shot from them, many of which dangerously
took place in her hull.
Our foremast was shot through the middle, our
mainmast wounded, the main stay, and many of the main shrouds, cut
asunder.
After we had seen the carack set on fire, which was about midnight of
the 8th, we stood off and on till morning, to see if we might find any
thing in her ashes. Finding this ineffectual, we sought about for some
place where we might find succour and refreshment for our sick and
wounded on shore. The land was very high, and the sea every where too
deep for anchoring, so that it was the 10th before we could find a good
harbour, which was in the S.W. part of the island, where we anchored.
The James came to anchor in twenty-two fathoms, with one of her anchors,
while the other was only in fourteen. This harbour was over against a
town called Mattoma.
This island seemed very pleasant, full of goodly trees, covered all over
with green pasture, and abounding in beeves, goats, poultry,
sugar-canes, rice, plantains, lemons, oranges, and cocoa-nuts, with many
other wholesome things; of all which we procured sufficient to relieve
our whole company for a small quantity of white paper, a few glass
beads, and penny knives. For instance, we bought as many oranges as
would fill a hat for half a quarter of a sheet of white paper, and all
other kinds of provision in the same proportion. The islanders brought
much of their fruits to us in their little canoes, which are long and
narrow boats, like troughs, hollowed out of single trees; but their
cattle we bought on shore. I observed the people to be straight,
well-limbed, and able-bodied men, of a very dark tawny colour. Most of
the men, and all the women, were entirely naked, except merely enough to
hide their parts of shame. Some few of the men wore long garments, after
the fashion of the Arabs, whose language they spoke, and were likewise
of the Mahometan religion, and so rigid, that they would not suffer us
to come near their places of worship. They have good convenient
dwellings, and fair sepulchres for their dead.
They scorned to live under strict obedience to a king, whose residence
was some miles up the country, as they required to have his leave, which
was sent for, before they would sell us any provisions. When informed of
our arrival, their king sent a message of welcome to our commander,
together with a present of beeves, goats, and choice fruits; in return
for which, he was well recompensed and contented, by a present of paper,
and other English toys. We saw some Spanish money among them, of which
they made so small account, that some of our men got rials of eight, in
exchange for a little paper, or a few beads. What use they made of the
paper, we could not guess. The cocoa-nut tree, of which this island has
abundance, may have the pre-eminence of all trees, in my opinion, by its
universal usefulness. Without the help of any other, one may build and
furnish out a ship for sea, with every thing requisite. Of the body of
this tree may be made timbers, planks, and masts; its gum may serve for
paying the bottom; the rind of the same tree will make sails and
cordage; and the large nut, being full of kernel and pleasant liquor,
will serve those who navigate the ship both for meat and drink, as also
for merchandize.
Being well stored with these nuts, and other good provisions, after six
days abode here, the breaches in our ships received in fight being all
repaired, and our men well refreshed, we put again to sea on the 16th of
August, with a prosperous wind. On the 24th, we passed under the line,
without any heat to offend us, bending our course for Socotora, near the
mouth of the Red Sea, an island whence comes our Socotorine aloes. But
an adverse wind from the coast of Arabia prevented us from being able to
fetch that island, which we passed on the 1st September.
In the year before, our English fleet touched at this island, on which
occasion the petty king came to the water-side, and hearing some of our
wind-instruments, asked if they ever played David's Psalms, which he had
heard of, being a Mahometan. He was answered by one who stood by, that
they did. On which he observed, that it was an evil invention of him who
first mingled music with religion; as God, before that, was worshipped
in heart, but by this only in sound. I mean not by this story to condemn
the use of music in churches; leaving it to him who bids us praise the
Lord with stringed instruments and organs, to plead that cause.
Missing our port of Socotora, we proceeded on our voyage; and, on the
4th of September, we celebrated a solemn funeral in memory of our slain
commander; when, after sermon, the great guns and small arms gave a loud
peal to his honourable remembrance. At night on the 6th September, to
our great admiration and fear, the water of the sea seemed as white as
milk. Others of our nation since, passing in the same course, have
observed the same phenomenon, of which I am yet to learn the cause, as
it was far from any shore, and we could find no ground.
On the 21st of September we discovered the main land of India; and on
the 22d had sight of Diu and Damaun, cities inhabited by the Portuguese.
The 25th we came safely to anchor in Swally roads, within the bay of
Cambay, which is the harbour for our fleet while in this part of India,
when we were visited by the merchants of the Surat factory, the
principal of whom was Mr Thomas Kerridge.
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