Accordingly We Sent Them A Free
Pass, Signed By Our Captain And Three Merchants.
In this, after reciting
that we had found good usage from the governor and merchants at Mokha,
we engaged to give them all freedom to pass quietly, assuring them of
kind usage, provided they were not enemies to our sovereign or his
subjects.
A more general pass was afterwards granted by us for the quiet
and free departure of all junks and other vessels, with their cargoes,
mariners, and passengers.
On the 10th, the captain of the Dabul junk invited us to a banquet at
his house, where we found the governor with about fifty principal
persons, besides attendants, all of whom rose up to bid us welcome.
Coffee, sherbet, and tobacco, were served round, with various fruits, as
plums, apricots, and mangoes, and thinking these had been the feast, we
were about to depart; but the governor and the Dabul captain desired us
to remain, that we might eat bread and salt with them, which we did.
The feast at last made its appearance, though late, being about sixty
dishes of meats, baked, roasted, broiled, stewed, and boiled, but all
mingled with rice and various kinds of sallads, in the fashion of India.
Our cargo consisted mostly of bad wares, which had lain in India till
they were nearly spoiled, and so hung long upon our hands; wherefore we
importuned the governor to dispeed our sales, which he charged the
broker to do with all expedition.
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