Continuing This
Procedure, We Anchored In The Evening Of The 14th, Two And A Half Miles
Short Of The Bar Of Surat; When Presently A Fleet Of Fourteen Frigates
Or Barks Came To Anchor Near Us, Which We Discovered By Their Lights, As
It Was Quite Dark.
But as they could easily see us, by the lights at our
ports, that we were in readiness for them, they durst not come any
nearer, so that we rode quietly all night.
Early of the 15th, we weighed
with the land-wind, and coming somewhat near the frigates, they also
weighed and stood to the southwards. We held on our course past the bar,
towards South Swally, where we soon after arrived, though much opposed
by contrary winds.
Soon after we were anchored, I sent Molineux in his pinnace, and Mr
Spooner with Samuel Squire in my gellywatte,[123] to take the
soundings within the sands. 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.
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