48 MASSOWAH. 
We so strongly suspected our old pilot, that we would not per- 
mit him to leave the ship till I had gone on shore and secured a 
good reception. During the whole voyage he had been threatening 
the Naqueda* of the dow that he would, on his arrival here, com- 
plain to the Nayib of his injustice in giving him only fifteen dollars 
for piloting the ship to Massowah, when he himself received so 
large a sum as four hundred. When he saw the dow's boat going 
on shore without him, he thought they might make their story 
good, and his rage exceeded all bounds : he called to them, on their 
peril, not to, proceed, and, when they went on, continued mutter- 
ing to himself, and told the Captain he was so angry, that if his 
head should be cut oflp, it would not prevent his complaining. 
Several Banians came olFin a boat, the end of which was covered 
with green and red silk. They brought an additional invitation to 
me from the Nayib. Our salute of five guns was immediately fired, 
and was answered, first by two guns near the castle. These were 
loaded with ball, the whizzing of which, though the guns were 
pointed wide of us, we could plainly hear, and from such bad 
marksmen was by no means pleasant : the third from the same 
place missed fire. At length two more were fired from the same 
place, and, half an hour afterwards, a fifth from the other side of 
the town, all loaded with ball. I had a letter from Devage, the India 
Company's broker at Mocha, to one of the Banians, which I deli- 
vered. I consulted him on the subjects and then determined imme- 
diately to go on shore. I put on a plain Indian dress of muslin, 
with a shawl round my middle, in which I stuck my tulwah. Mr, 
Salt and my servant had also dresses of that country, and Hyder 
went as interpreter. 
* The native master, f Indian sword. 
