Kidd’s narrative written before he was taken into custody, or had any reason to believe that he would be called to account for this incident, goes more fully into this matter. Though from other parts of his narrative he seems to have been a man of few words, he waxes eloquent on this occasion. It appears that he had been into Carrawarr a few days before, to water. “There the gentlemen of the English factory,” he says, “gave the narrator an account that the Portuguese were fitting out two men-of-war to take him, and advised him to put to sea, and to take care of himself from them, and immediately to set sail thereupon. And the next morning about break of day he saw the said two men-of-war standing for the said _Galley_, and they spoke with him, and asked him whence he was. Who replied, from London, and they returned answer, from Goa; and so parted, wishing each other a good voyage. And still sailing along the coast, the Commodore of the said man-of-war kept dogging the said _Galley_ all the night, waiting an opportunity to board her; and in the morning without speaking a word, fired six great guns at the _Galley_, some whereof went through her and wounded four of his men. And thereupon he fired upon him again, and the fight continued all day; and the Narrator had eleven men wounded. The other Portuguese man-of-war lay some distance off and could not come up with the _Galley_, being calm; else would likewise have assaulted the same. The said fight was sharp, and the said Portuguese left the said _Galley_ with such satisfaction, that the narrator believes no Portuguese will ever attack the King’s colours again in that part of the world especially.” In reading this narrative, it should be remembered that Kidd was no braggadocio; but a plain sea captain who had admittedly greatly distinguished himself in the war, which was still in progress against the French. The next enormity with which he was charged at his trial was cruelty to the natives. It appears that he had sent some of his men ashore at one of the Malabar Islands for wood and water; and the natives having cut one of their throats, he caused one native to be shot by way of reprisal. The manner in which capital was attempted to be made by the prosecution out of this incident appears plainly from the verbatim report of the King’s evidence. In reply to a question by the counsel for the prosecution, as to what Kidd had done after fighting with the Portuguese man-of-war, Bradenham replied, “We went to one of the Malabar islands for wood and water, and Captain Kidd went ashore and several of his men, and plundered several boats and burnt several huts, and ordered one of the natives to be tied to a tree and one of his men to shoot him.” Hoping apparently to bring some further atrocities to light, counsel proceeded to ask, “What was the reason for his shooting this Indian?”