Book 1 



Travels in India. 



chap. xn. 



The Road from Surat to Goa, and from Goa to Golconda through 



Vifapour. 



. 



YOU may go from Surat to Goa, partly by Land, and partly by Sea. But the 

 Road being very bad by Land, generally Travellers go by Sea, and hiring an 

 jilmaàier, which is a Barque with Oars, they go by the Shoar to Goa : though 

 fometimes the Malavares or Indian Pirats are very much to be fear'd all along 

 thofe Coafts, as I lhall tell you in due place. 



The way from Surat to Goa, is not reckon'd by Coftes, but by Gos, one of which 



makes four of our common Leagues. 



From Surat to Daman, gos 7 



From Daman to Bajfain, gos 10 



From Bajfain to Chaoul, gos 7 



From Cvaoulw D about, gos 12 



Ff orri \D about to Rejapour, gos io 



From Rejapour to Mmgrela, gOS 9 



From Mingrela to Goa, gos À 

 In all from Surat to Goa, gos , .61 



The great danger which you run along the Coaft, is the hazard of falling into 

 the hands of the Malvares, who are violent Adahumetans, and very cruel to the 

 Chriftians. I fàw a bare-foot Czrmelite-'Çxm who had been taken by thofe Pirats. 

 This Friar, to get his ranfom the fboner, they put to that kind of torture, that his 

 right^arm wasfhorter by one half then his left, and fo it was with one leg. The 

 Captains do not give above fix Crowns to every Souldier for the whole fix months 

 that they are ufually out at Sea : Then the Souldiers may return home, and if 

 their Captains will have them ftay longer, they muft allow 'em more pay. They 

 feldom venture out above 20 or 2 y leagues at Sea, which is no great hazard of 

 the VefTel. But fometimes the Portuguif.'s fnap them, and then they either hang 

 'em up prefently, or throw 'em over-board. Thefe Malavares carry fometimes 

 200, fometimes 2yo men, and they fail together in Squadrons of ten or fifteen 

 Barques to attack a great VelTel, not caring a rufh for the great Guns. They come 

 board and board fo fuddenly, and caft fuch a quantity of Pots of Artificial Fire 

 Upon the deck that if there be not fpeedy remedy appli'd, they will prefently do 

 a world of mifchicf. Generally our Seamen, knowing the cuftom of thefe Pirats, 

 when they come within ken, prefently fhut up the Scuttles, and fill the deck with 

 water, to hinder the Fire-Pots from doing execution. 



An Englijh Captain, whofe name was Mr. Clarke , coming from Bantam to Su- 

 rat, not far from Cochin, met a Squadron of thefe Malvares, confifting of 2 y or 30 

 of thefe Barques. Who came board and board, and vigoroufly attacked him. 

 The Captain feeing he could not withftand their firft Fury, put fire to fome Bar- 

 rels of Powder, and blowing up the deck, blew a great number of the Pirats into 

 the Sea. Neverthelefs, the reft were nothing difcourag'd, but boarded the Ship 

 a fécond time. The Englijh Captain feeing there was no help, put his men into 

 two Shallops, and fraying behind in his Cabin, where the Pirats could not enter Co 

 fuddenly , he fèt fire to a Train which he had laid, that reach'd to all the reft of 

 the Powder, and at the fame time leaping into the Sea, was taken up by his own 

 men. In the mean time the Ship being all a-fire, the Pyrats leapt into the Sea 

 alfo. But for all this, the two" Shallops, wherein there were about forty EngUJh, 

 were taken by the reft of the Malvares, that Were Frefh-men $■ and I was then 

 at breakfaft with the Englijh Prefident, Mr. Fremelin, when he receiv'd a Letter 

 from Captain Clar^ that he was a Slave to Samorin, who is the moft confidera- 

 ble King all along the Pirats Coaft. The Prince would not leave the Englijh in 

 the hands of thofe Scoundrels, knowing that they would have been in great dan- 

 ger of their lives, by reafon that above twelve-hunder'd Women had loft their 

 Husbands, in the two times that the Ship had been fir'd. However the King 



