Our
Surety Was One Andreas Taborer, Who Was Procured For Us By Father
Stevens, An English Jesuit Whom We Found There, And Another Religious
Man, A Friend Of His.
We paid 2150 ducats into the hands of Andreas
Taborer, our surety, who still demanded more; on which we petitioned the
viceroy and justice to order us our money again, seeing they had it near
five months, and could prove nothing against us.
But the viceroy gave us
a sharp answer, saying, we should be better sifted ere long, and that
they had other matter against us. Upon this we determined to attempt
recovering our liberty, rather than run the risk of remaining as slaves
for ever in the country, and besides it was said we were to have the
_strapado_. Wherefore, on the 5th of April 1585 in the morning, we
removed secretly from Goa; and getting across the river, we travelled
two days on foot in great fear, not knowing the way, as having no guide,
and not daring to trust any one.
One of the first towns we came to is called _Bellergan?_ where there is
a great market of diamonds, rubies, sapphires, and many other precious
stones. From thence we went to _Bejapoor_, a very large city, where the
king keeps his court, in which there are many Gentiles, who are gross
idolaters, having their idols standing in the woods, which they call
pagodas. Some of these are like a cow, some like a monkey, some like a
buffalo, others resemble a peacock, and others like the devil.
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