Social and Political Life in the Vijayanagara Empire (A.D. 1346 – A.D. 1646) v1.c8.s3.72

v1.c8.s3.72

The Bōyees, or the palanquin-bearers,⁴ were paid their wages before starting on a journey. How these simple folk could compensate for their faint-heartedness by their honesty is very well illustrated in the following adventure which befell poor Caesar Frederick in A.D. 1567: "The Winter in those parts of the Indies beginneth the fifteenth of May, and lasteth unto the end of October: and as we were in Ancola, there came another Merchant of Horses in a Palanchine, and two Portuguall Souldiers, which came from Zeilan (Ceylon), and two carriers of Letters, which were Christians borne in the Indies: all these consorted to goe to Goa together, and I determined to go with them; and caused a pallachine to be made for me very poorly of Canes; and in one of them Canes I hid privily all the Jewels I had, and according to the order, I took eight Falchines to carie me: and one day about eleven of the clocke we set forwards on our journey; and about two of the clocke in the afternoone, as we passed a Mountaine which divideth the territorie of Ancola and Dialcan, I being a little behind my company, was assaulted by eight theeves, foure of them had swords and targets, and the other foure had bowes and arrowes. When the Falchines that carried me understood the noise of the assault, they let the Pallachine and me fall to the ground, and ranne away and left me alone, with my clothes wrapped about me: presently the theeves were on my necke and rifling me, they striped me starke naked, and I fained my selfe sicke, because I would not leave the Pallachine; and I had made me a little bed of my clothes: the theeves sought it very narrowly and subtilly, and found two Purses that I had, well bound up together, wherein I had put my copper money which I had changed for foure Pagodies in Ancola. The theeves thinking that it had been so many Ducats of gold, searched me no further: then they threw all my clothes in a bush, and hied them away, and as God would have it, at their departure there fell from them a hankercher, an when I saw it, I rose from my pallanchine or couch, and tooke it up and wrapped it together within my pallanchine. Then these my Falchines were of so good condition, that they returned to seeke me, whereas I thought I should not have found so much goodnesse in them: because they were payed their money aforehand, as is the case, I had thought to have seene them no more. Before there comming I was determined to pluck the Cane wherein my Jewels were hidden, out of my couch, and to have made me a walking staffe to carry in my hand to Goa, thinking that should I have gone thither on foot, but by the faithfulness of my Falchines, I was rid of that trouble, and so in foure dayes they carried me to Goa, in which time I made hard fare, for the theeves left me neither money, gold, nor silver, and that which I did eate was given of my men for Gods sake: and after at my comming to Goa, I payed them for every thing royally that I had of them".¹