At The Other End, Is The Alfandica, Where
There Is A Brass Gun Six Feet Long, Carrying A Large Ball.
Besides these
defences, there is a stone house at the north end of the town, built
like a sconce
Or redoubt, with a few pieces of ordnance; but they trust
little in their ordnance, relying mostly on their soldiers, of whom they
have always 200 in the town, and about 300 more in the country, within a
day or two days march, who are all constantly in readiness for service.
[Footnote 289: This is obscure, as it is not said whether it be 240
feet, yards, or paces. - E.]
The son of Cojah Nassan, the principal India merchant of the town, whom
we waited upon at his house, promised us all kindness, and regaled us
with tobacco and coffee, as is usual among these people. We went
afterwards to wait upon the governor before we returned on board. He
rose up at our entry to meet us, causing us to sit down by him, and
repeated all the fair promises of free trade he had given the day
before, declaring that he would deny us nothing that was reasonable. He
then told us there was another governor shortly to succeed him, who was
as his brother, and honester even than himself, who would faithfully
perform every thing he had promised. At our request, the governor
ordered the water-bailiff to furnish us at all times with boats, either
for our conveyance, or to carry water to the ship. From the governor, we
again went to visit the scrivano, who received us with much civility,
promising to come aboard to visit our ship, and compliment our captain.
After treating us with coffee, we took leave, and returned to the ship,
when the pledges were dismissed, acknowledging the good treatment they
had received, and were saluted on going ashore with five guns.
On the 17th, the scrivano, with our two pledges, our Jew friend, and
twenty other persons, came aboard, bringing a bullock, with bread,
quinces, and other fruits, a great round cake or pasty, like puff-paste,
in which were several fowls and chickens, well seasoned and baked, and
most excellent eating. We also, with a large quince pye, and many crabs,
together with sack and cordials, added our best welcome. The scrivano
was so well pleased with his reception, that he insisted upon becoming
the sworn brother of our captain, which was accordingly celebrated with
a cup of sack; and, after much mirth, and having taken a view of our
ship, he departed highly gratified.
We were well supplied with water by several poor people of Mokha, who
brought it off to the ship at a reasonable rate. Also, with the
concurrence of the governor and scrivano, we made every junk that
arrived anchor under our guns, and to ride in that situation till they
discharged their cargo; which indeed the governor wished us to do,
because some junks passed by that port to trade at others, to the injury
of Mokha At six in the evening of the 21st of April, we had a violent
storm of wind off the land, accompanied by much thunder and lightning,
but no rain, which continued for half an hour, all the rest of the night
being extremely hot. Although we rode above a league from the shore,
this tempest brought great quantities of dust, and even sand on board.
The 25th, we had a message from the scrivano, saying that the governor
and he had received letters from the pacha at Sinan, commanding them to
entertain us with all manner of kindness, and to give us free trade,
with liberty to reside among them in all quietness and security.
On the 27th the new governor arrived, when the ordnance of the town, and
of our ship and the several junks in the road, all fired to welcome his
arrival. He sent the former pledges on board to return thanks for our
salute, accompanied by a present of plantains, limes, mangoes, melons,
and bread, with one bullock, promising, in the name of the pacha, as
free trade as our nation had in Constantinople. The pledges remained all
night aboard, and went ashore with us next day, when we found the new
and the old governors sitting together at the end of a large room, much
in the same way as we had found the old one at our first arrival. The
new governor was named Regib Aga, and was accompanied by several
principal Turks, and by all the principal merchants from Surat, Diu,
Dabul, Scindy, Calicut, and Cananore. On our approach, he and the other
Turks only moved their bodies, but all the merchants rose up to salute
us. He made us sit down beside him, and told us that the pacha had
commanded him to give us satisfaction in all things; and that he knew
besides, we were of a nation in friendship with the Grand Signior, and
had free trade in Constantinople, Aleppo, and other parts of the Turkish
empire, being a nation of a friendly and honest disposition, and we
should therefore always find him disposed to give us free trade, and
every other courtesy In reply, we told him we proposed, at our next
coming to Mokha, if our reasonable requests of a free trade were
granted, to settle a permanent factory at this place, and to come yearly
to the port, with plenty of English and India goods, and should defend
the trade against pirates. We even distantly hinted, that it was
needless to deny us a free trade, being in a condition to force it if
refused, and to hinder all others from coming hither, the fear of which
had already caused some junks to pass by Mokha to Jidda, the port of
Mecca, a town of great trade, 150 leagues farther up the Red Sea, and to
other places.
The new governor replied, that we should be made as welcome as in any
place of our own country; and swore by God, and Mahomet, and by his own
beard, that we should live as free from all injury as in our own land.
We asked what security he would give us besides his word, when he said
we should have his phirmaun under his chop, or seal, and would procure
us the same from the pacha.
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