Journey From Surat To The Court Of The Mogul, And Entertainment
There, With Some Account Of The Customs Of The Country.
I landed at Surat on the 26th September, 1615, and was received in an
open tent by the chief officers of the town, well attended.
On this
occasion I was accompanied by the general, and principal merchants,
Captain Harris being sent to make me a court of guard with an hundred
shot, and the ships, all dressed out to the best advantage, saluted me
with their ordnance as I passed. There was much controversy about
searching my servants, but at length they passed free to the city, where
we had a house provided for us. We continued there to the 30th October,
suffering much vexation from the governor, who forcibly caused search
many of our chests and trunks, taking away what he thought fit.
The 30th October I departed from Surat, and that day travelled only four
coss to Sumaria.[188] The 1st November I went eleven miles to a
village. The 2d, to Biarat, twenty-one miles, where there is a castle,
this town being on the borders of the kingdom of Guzerat, subject to the
Mogul, and belonging to Abraham Khan. The 3d I entered the kingdom of
Pardaff shah,[189] a pagan lord of the hills, who is subject to
nobody; and at the end of fifteen miles we lodged in the fields, beside
a city of note, called Mugher. The 4th we travelled nine miles by a
rocky way, and lay in the fields, beside a village called Narampore. The
5th, fifteen miles, and lay in the fields. The 6th, twenty miles, to a
city called Nundabar, in the kingdom of Brampore, [Burhanpoor] which
is subject to the Mogul. At this place we first procured bread, after
leaving Surat, as the Banians, who inhabit all the country through which
we had travelled, make only cakes instead of bread. The country
peculiarly abounds in cattle, as the Banians never kill any, neither do
they sell any for being slaughtered. One day I met at least 10,000
bullocks loaded with grain, in one drove, and most other days I saw
smaller parcels.
[Footnote 188: In this journal the names of places are exceedingly
corrupted, and often unintelligible. Such as admitted of being
corrected, from the excellent map of Hindoostan, by Arrowsmith, have
their proper names placed within brackets. - E.]
[Footnote 189: In the miserable map of Hindoostan, accompanying this
journal in the Pilgrims, this prince is called Partap-sha. - E.]
The 7th we went eighteen miles to Ningull. The 8th, fifteen to
Sinchelly, [Sindkera.] The 9th, other fifteen to Tolmere, [Talnere.]
And the 10th, eighteen to Chapre, [Choprah] where we pitched our tents
without the town, and the king's officers guarded us all night with
thirty horse and twenty shot, for fear of out being attacked by robbers
from the mountains, as I refused to remove into the town. The 11th we
travelled eighteen miles, eighteen on the 12th, and fifteen on the 13th,
which brought us to Brampore, [Burhanpoor] which I guessed to be 223
miles east from Surat.[190] The country is miserable and barren, the
towns and villages only built of mud.
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