Travels in India (Tavernier) 149.1.3

149.1.3

It had to be brought from some distance; this troubled us much, because the wind commenced to change, and the captain was unwilling to leave, as he had not all the cargo which he required. During the night, between the 28th and 29th, the wind began to change, and the pilots told the captain, who had never before sailed along the coasts of India, that he ought to hoist the anchor and set sail, although we had not received our full cargo; but the captain would not consent, replying that we wanted water. The wind having been strong throughout the night, on the following day it calmed a little, and loading up with the rice was continued. On the day after we strongly urged the captain to leave, and as he saw that all murmured he sent two boats to get water. But they had scarcely reached the mouth of the river when the wind became so furious that the sailors hastened to return without water, this they accomplished with much trouble and danger of being lost. When they came on board the two boats were tied astern of the vessel, according to custom, and fourteen men were put in the larger one in order to take care of her and to prevent the waves breaking her against the vessel. We desired then to begin to hoist the anchor, but the wind became still stronger and more adverse; of thirty or forty men who were about the winch more than twelve were injured by the bars, the violence of the wind driving them backwards.