Travels in India (Tavernier) 37: Route by Sea from Hormuz to Masulipatam
Travels in India (Ball) 37
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Route by Sea from Hormuz to Masulipatam
37.1
I left Gombroon for Masulipatam on the 11th of May 1652, having embarked on a large vessel belonging to the King of Golconda, which every year goes to Persia laden with muslins and chites or coloured calicoes, the flowered decoration of which is all done by hand, — which makes them more beautiful and more expensive than when it is printed. The Dutch Company is in the habit of supplying a pilot and a sub-pilot and two or three gunners to the vessels which belong to the Kings or Princes of India, neither the Indians nor the Persians having the least knowledge of navigation. Upon the vessel upon which I embarked there were six Dutch, and about one hundred sailors of the country. We left the Persian Gulf with a soft and favourable wind ; but we made but little way before meeting a rough sea and south-west winds so violent, though good for our course, that it was impossible to carry more than a small sail. On the day after, and those which followed it, the wind became more furious, and the sea more disturbed, so that, when we arrived at the 16th degree, which is the latitude of Goa, the rain, thunder, and lightning increased the hurricane, and we were unable to carry any sail except the simiane, and that half furled, and thus we drove before the tempest for many days. We passed the Maldive islands without being able to see them, and our vessel made much water.
37.2
For it had remained nearly five months in the roads at Gombroon during the hot season, for if care is not then taken to wet the timbers which are exposed above water they open; this is the reason why vessels make so much water when laden. The Dutch do not fail to throw water all over theirs both morning and evening in order to preserve them, because without this precaution one runs the risk of being lost in a tempest. We had in our vessel fifty-five horses which the King of Persia was sending as a present to the King of Golconda, and about 100 merchants, both Persians and Armenians, who were going to India for trade. During the whole of a day and night a cross wind blew with such violence that our vessel took in water on all sides, and the worst was that our pumps were no good. It fortunately happened that there was a merchant on board who was taking to India two bales of cow-hides, which we call Russian leather; these skins are much valued, because they are cool, for covering small beds on which one throws oneself during the day to sleep for an hour or two. There were also on board four or five shoemakers or saddlers, who understood how to stitch these skins, and they did a good service to all in the vessel, and likewise to themselves, for we were in danger. They made great buckets, each consisting of four skins, and five large holes were cut in diverse parts of the lower deck, where some of the ship’s company filled the skins, which were then hauled up through the holes.
37.3
These skins held about a pipe of water each, and, in order to hoist them, a thick cable was extended from the mainmast to the foremast, to which as many pulleys were attached as there were buckets. To each bucket a sufficient number of passengers were allotted to hoist it, and so in less than an hour or an hour and a half we baled all the water out of the vessel. On this same day while the storm was so severe a strange thing occurred. Three thunderbolts struck our vessel. The first fell on the foremast, which it split from top to bottom, then leaving the mast at the level of the deck, it ran along the length of the vessel, killing three men in its course. The second fell two hours later, and, running from stem to stern, killed two more men on the deck. The third followed soon after, the pilot, sub-pilot, and I being together near the mainmast ; and the cook coming to ask the pilot if he wished him to serve the supper, the thunderbolt made a small hole in the cook’s stomach, and burnt off all his hair, as one scalds a pig, without doing him any other injury. But it is true that when this small hole was anointed with cocoanut oil he cried aloud and experienced acute agony. On the 24th of June we perceived land in the morning, and when sufficiently near we recognised that we were off Point de Galle, the principal town of the island of Ceylon, which the Dutch took from the Portuguese.
37.4
From this up to Masulipatam roads we had fairly good weather, and we arrived there on the 2d of July, one or two hours after sunrise. Our pilot at once went on shore to salute the Dutch Commander, and having told him that I was in the vessel, with M. Louis du Jardin, of whom I have spoken in my Persian narrative, he sent two horses to the landing-place, in order that we should visit him, for from thence to the house of the Dutch it is a good half-league’s distance. The Commander and the Dutch merchants received us with much civility, and having prepared two rooms for us, strongly pressed us to remain with them, which we accepted for this first night only. The following day we went to lodge with M. Hercules, a Swede by nationality, who was in the service of the Dutch Company, and who, being married, had a house of his own in the town. In order to be free we lived en pension with him, and the Dutch Commander asked us often to go to dinner at his house, where he very much pressed us to stay. We went two or three times to amuse ourselves with him in a beautiful garden which the Dutch have at half a league from the town, and three of them being married, their wives generally took part in our amusements. We regaled them in our turn with many kinds of excellent fruits and good wine which we had brought from Persia ; and M. du Jardin, who danced well and played the lute, strove on his own account to give them some amusement.
37.5
The English also were present at our small parties. And they entertained us two or three times as pleasantly as they could, having baladines, of whom there is no lack in this country, always present after the repast. On the 18th and 19th of June we bought a pallankeen, three horses, and six oxen, to carry us with our attendants and our baggage. We had settled to go straight to Golconda to the King, to sell him some of the pear-shaped pearls, of which the least weighed 34, and the largest 35 carats; and some other jewels, the majority of which were emeralds. But the Dutch having told us that we should make a useless journey, and that the King would buy nothing rare nor of high price which Mir Jumla, who commanded his army and was the Prime Minister of his Court, had not first seen, and as he was then at the siege of Gandikot, in the Province of Carnatic, we resolved to go in search of him, and the following is the route which we took in this journey.