On the tenth we took a Jonk belonging to the King of Succatore, bound as they said, to Surrat, (the Devil was in our Captain to believe a word they said if ought might be gotten by them) and had aboard of her little that was considerable, saving six horses, and bast to make Ropes withal, wherefore he dismist her.
On the eleventh we anchored in twenty fathom three Leagues off the shore, to give notice if any Jonks should pass by in the night, they stood to the Westwards; and met a Jonk coming from the Red-sea, but this cowardly Hulk seeing our Boat, supposed her to be a Scout from some Man of War not far off, ran and sheltered her self under a Fort some fourteen Leagues to the West-ward of Diu-head. This Jonk had some Europeans aboard her, which plyed their small shot so that our Boat was forced to leave her, and coming aboard us was sent out again better provided with men and arms to lye as they had done before, to meet with the said Jonk, but in the night came six Sayl of Friggats instead of her and anchored by them. Our desperate daring less than little Fan Fan, would not leave them (knowing who they were) till she had spit that little Venom that was in her and then retir’d, this so allarm’d us that we got all sayls loose; and weighing up our Anchor the Cable broke, so our Anchor was lost; we stood in and having spent some shot on the Friggats notwithstanding there was such inequality in the number, they stood away for the shore and left us, however we would not let them pass so, but being some seven Leagues from Diu-head, in the night we stood in again amongst the Friggats, but there being little wind and a light night, they crept under the shore, from the twelfth to the seventeenth we plyed to and again, standing off in the day, and in again at night, seeing these Friggats every day, but could not come at them; they lay there to give the Jonks notice of us as we supposed.
The eighteenth we made up to the Land of Saint John’s fourteen or fifteen Leagues off, near which we took a boat that came from Danda ja-vapore, bound for a place near Diu, out of this boat we only took two Mestico’s and a boy, and so dismist her; anchoring at eighteen Fathome Oazy (being high water and little wind) in Latitude 19 Degrees, 48 Digits, about nine Leagues of shore, Valentines pike, East and by South, per Compass.
The two and twentieth we saw a Jonk and gave chase to her, fetching her up we found her to be a great Junk of Surrat, bound for Acheen with Merchandise, having a pass from the President and Councel, therefore he medled not with them; but in the afternoon came to an anchor in two and twenty Fathom, about thirty Leagues of shore. The weather was gusty with much rain, but never did I hear such peals of Thunder, nor see such great and continued flashes of Lightning: at four in the evening the next day we anchor’d at eighteen fathom within six leagues of Damon, the wind at North North east, and variable, with such terrible claps of Thunder and Lightning, that my friends, the Scrivener and Drugster would have freely parted with all they had to have been at the bottom of a Cornish Tinn-mine. They envied now poor Gregories condition, accounting his misery a great happiness, for since the Element of Water had received him into the Womb of her protection, the Element of fire might as soon give him a new soul as to detriment his body, theirs being now minutely expos’d to the mercy of its uncontroulable fury.
On the twenty fifths evening we anchored in ten fathom reddish clay, the Pagod East, North east, per Compass, and the trees of old Swalley, North, North-east, about three Leagues off; the next day the wind being at North, North-west, we turn’d up and anchor’d in ten fathom, the Toddy-trees East and by North, per Compass.
Lastly, having laid one buoy on the tonge of the sand and another on the point of the Main, we came over the Barr, the least water is four fathom and half at half flood, so we ran in till the Souther-Toddy-tree bore South and by East per Compass, and there anchor’d in eight fathom water. This month we sailed not above one Hundred and seven Leagues.
CHAP. XXIV.
Latroon and his friends arrive in Swalley Road, they go ashore at Surrat, are entertained with other Captains of Ships lately come to an Anchor, by the President; he discovers an old Mistress of his and his old fellow servant, waiting on a Captain in a disguising habit; he renews his acquaintance with her; she tells him what befell her after his unworthy shipping her to Virginia, and the cause of her coming for India. She enters into a League with Latroon to cheat her pretended Master, which she did, the manner how. They sail together from Surrat homeward.
The next day after our coming to an Anchor in Swalley Road, there came in to us six sail of Dutch-ships from Nova Batavia; and two days after came in four English ships more into the same Port. One of the Captains meeting with a Fleet of Friggats entring in at the Rivers mouth, was boarded by them and unhapily blown up, himself and others of his Company escaped, but were miserably burnt with powder. The ship drave into Swalley over the Bar and was tow’d on shore by our Boats and Barges, but all in a manner consumed by the fire; there was a Dutch-ship fought with the Friggats this while, which Sunk three of them, and in the fight there was three more surpriz’d, the first by the Charles Barge, the next by our Long-boat, which we doubly mann’d, and the last by the Dutch: they were but of little value, being laden with Paddee, Beech-leaves and other trifles.