A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels — Volume 09: Arranged in Systematic Order: Forming a Complete History of the Origin and Progress of Navigation, Discovery, and Commerce, by Sea and Land, from the Earliest Ages to the Present TimeKerr, Robert
History
A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels — Volume 09: Arranged in Systematic Order: Forming a Complete History of the Origin and Progress of Navigation, Discovery, and Commerce, by Sea and Land, from the Earliest Ages to the Present Time
Kerr, Robert
Voyages and travels
Thus, by God's assistance, to whom be endless praise for our
deliverance, we happily extricated ourselves from this dangerous and
intricate affair, which was entirely concluded by six p.m. of the 20th
September. We set sail that same night with our new pilot and _Haji
Comul_, which last remained along with us, as his life would have been
in danger among that accursed crew, for revealing their diabolical plot.
We now bent out course for Sinde, as willing to avoid all subsequent
dangers which these blood-thirsty balloches might attempt to plot
against us. In our way, we had much conversation with Comul, whom we
much esteemed and respected for the excellent service he had done
towards us. _Comul_ was a native of Dabul in India, his father being a
Persian of the sect of Ali, in which _Comul_ was a churchman, or priest,
having likewise some skill in medicine and surgery, in which capacity he
had resided in the tent of the governor of Guadal, and owing to which
circumstance he had overheard their infernal plot. He had obtained leave
to come aboard our ship, under pretence of procuring certain ointments
or balsams, which he alleged had been promised him by our surgeons. He
said that, on hearing their murderous intentions, his heart yearned
within him, to think we should be led like sheep to the slaughter by
such bloody butchers, and that God willed him to reveal their plot to
us. He farther told us, that to his knowledge, they had already betrayed
three ships in the same manner; that they were all rebels against the
King of Persia, refusing to pay the tribute which they and their
ancestors had been accustomed to; and that the king of Persia had levied
an army, which waited not for from Guadal, with the purpose to invade
the country next winter.
This country of _Macquerona_, or Mekran, is on the main land of Asia,
bordering upon the kingdom of Persia. The port of _Guadal_ is nearly in
the lat. of 25° N, the variation being 17° 15' [lat. 24° 40' N. long.
61° 50' E.]. It has good anchorage in four or five fathoms. At night of
the 21st September, the day after leaving Guadal, our _balloche_ pilot
brought our ship in danger of running on a shoal, where we had to come
suddenly to anchor till next morning. The 24th at night, while laying
to, because not far from Cape Camelo, a Portuguese frigate, or bark,
passed close beside us, which at first we suspected to have been an
armed galley, for which cause we prepared for defence in case of need.
3. _Arrival at Diul-ginde,[115] and landing of the Ambassador: Seeking
Trade there, are crossed by the slanderous Portuguese: Go to Sumatra and
Bantam; and thence Home to England_.
[Footnote 115: This singular name ought perhaps to have been Diul-Sinde,
or Diul on the Indus, or Sinde river, to distinguish it from Diu in
Guzerat.--E.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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