The voyages and adventures of Fernand Mendez Pinto, a Portugal, during his travels for the space of one and twenty years in the Kingdoms of Ethiopia, China, Tartaria, Cauchinchina, Calaminham, Siam, Pegu, Japan, and a great part of the East-Indiaes with a relation and description of most of the places thereof, their religion, laws, riches, customs, and government in time of peace and war : where he five times suffered shipwrack, was sixteen times sold, and thirteen times made a slave / written originally by himself in the Portugal tongue and dedicated to the Majesty of Philip King of Spain ; done into English by H.C. Gent.

CHAP. XVII. Antonio de Faria's Arrival at the Port: The Information that Antonio de Faria had of the Country; some passages between him and the Nautarel of the Town; his going to the River of Madel; with his incountring a Pyrat there, and that which passed betwixt them. (Book 17)

* 1.1BEing arrived at this Port we anchored in a Rode, which the Land makes near to a little Island on the South side of the mouth of the River, at the entry whereinto we remained without saluting the Port, or making any noise, intending as soon as it was night to send for to sound the River, and to be informed of that we desired to know. Upon the appearing of the Moon, which was about eleven of the clock, Antonio de Faria sent away one of his Lanteaas, well furnished, and twelve Soldiers in her, besides the Captain, named Valentino Martins Dalpoem, a discreet man, and of great courage, that at other times had given good proof of himself in like occasions, who departing went always sounding the depth of the River, until he arrived where divers Vessels rode at anchor; There he took two men that were sleeping in a Barque laden with earthen ware, and returning aboard undiscovered he rendred Antonio de Faria an accompt of what he had found touching the greatness of the place, and the fewness of the Ships that were in the Port, wherefore his opinion was, that he might boldly enter into it, and if it happened he could not trade there as he desired, no body could hinder him from issuing forth whensoever he pleased, by reason the River was very large, clean, and without any shelves, sands, or other things that might endanger him. Having consulted then with his company, he concluded by their advice, not to put the two Mahometans, that were taken, to torture, as was before ordained, because there was no need of it; Day being come, Anto∣nio de Faria desiring, before he stirred, to be informed from those two Mahometans of some particulars he would fain know, and thinking he might sooner prevail with them by fair mean••, then by menaces and torment, he made very much of them, and then declared his mind: Whereupon both of them with one accord said, that touching the entrance of the River there was nothing to be feared, in regard it was one of the best in all that Bay, and that ordinarily far greater Vessels then his went in and out there, for that the shallowest place was fifteen fathom at the least, and as for the people of the Country he was not to stand in any doubt of them, by reason they were naturally weak, and without arms; And that the strangers, which were at that instant there, arrived some nine days before from the Kingdom of Benan in two Companies of fifty Oxen a piece, laden with store of Silver, Wood of Aloes, Cloth, Silk, Linnen, Ivory, Wax, Lacre, Benjamin, Camphire, and Gold in Powder, like to that of the Isl••nd of Sama∣tra, who were come with th•••• Merchandise to buy Pepper, Drugs, and Pearls of the Isle of Ainan. Being demanded whether there was any Army in those parts, they answered No, because most of the Wars, which the Prechau, that is, the Emperor of the Ca••chins, made, or were made against him, were by Land; and that when any was made upon the Rivers it was always with little Vessels, and not with such great Ships as his, for that they were not deep enough for them: Further being asked, whether the Prechau was near to that place, they replyed, that he was twelve days journey from thence, at the City of Quangepaar••, where most commonly he with his Court resided, governing his Kingdom in Peace and Justice, and that the Mynes, reserved for his Crown, rendred him in yearly ••ent fifteen thousand Pic••s of Silver, every Pico weighing five quintals, the moy••••y whereof by the divine Law, inviolably observed in his Countries, was for the poor Laborers, that tilled the ground, to sustain their families withall, but that all his people by a general consent h••d freely relinquished that right unto him, upon condition, that from thence-forward he should not constrain them to pay tri∣bute, or any other thing that might concern them, and that the ancient Prechaus had protested to accomplish it as long as the Sun should give light to the Earth. Antonio de Faria further demanded of them, what belief they were of, whereunto they answered, that they hold the very verity of all verities, and that they believed there was but one God Almighty, who as he had created all, so he preserved all; howbeit if at any time our understandings were intangled with the disorder and discord of our desires, that no way proceeded from the soveraign Crea∣tor, in whom was no imperfection, but only from the sinner himself, that out of his impati∣ence judged according to the wicked inclination of his heart. Moreover asking of them, whe∣ther in their Law they believed, that the great God, which governeth this All, came at any time

into the world, clothed with a humane form, they said No, because there could be nothing that might oblige him to so great an extremity, in regard he was through the excellency of the divine Nature delivered from our miseries, and far esloigned from the Treasures of the Earth, all things being more then base in the presence of his splendor. By these answers of theirs, we perceived that these people had never attained to any knowledg of our truth, more then their eyes made them to see in the picture of Heaven, and in the beauty of the day, for continually in their Com∣bayes, which are their prayers, lifting up their hands they say, By thy works, Lord, we confess thy greatness. After this Antonio de Faria set them at liberty, and having given them certain presents, wherewith they were very well pleased, he caused them to be conveyed to Land; that done, the wind beginning a little to rise he set sail, having all his Vessels ado••ned with di∣vers coloured Silks, their Banners, Flags and Streamers displayed, and a Standart of Trade hung out after the manner of the Country, to the end they might be taken for Merchants, and not for Pyrats, and so an hour after he anchored just against the Key of the Town, which he saluted with a little peal of Ordnance, whereupon ten or eleven Almadiaes came presently to us with good store of refreshments; Howbeit finding us to be strangers, and discerning by our habits that we were neither Siams, Iaos, nor Malayos, nor yet of any other Nation that ever they had seen, they said one to another, Please Heaven, that the dew of the fresh morning may be as profitable to us all, as this evening seems fair with the presence of these whom our eyes be∣hold. Having said thus, one of the Almadiaes asked leave to come aboard us, which they were told they might do, because we were all their brothers, so that three of nine, which were in that Almadia, entred into our Junk, whom Antonio de Faria received very kindly, and causing them to sit down upon a Turky Carpet by him, he told them, that he was a Mer∣chant of the Kingdom of Siam, and going with his goods towards the Isle of Ainan he had been advertised, that he might better and more securely sell off his Commodities in this Town, then in any other place, because the Merchants thereof were juster and truer of their word, then the Chineses of the Coast of Ainan; Whereunto they thus answered, Thou art not deceived in that which thou sayst, for if thou be a Merchant, as thou affirmest, beleeve it, that in every thing and every where thou shalt be honored in this place, wherefore thou mayst sleep without fear.

Antonio de Faria mistrusting some intelligence might come over Land concerning that which he had done to the Pyrat upon the River of Tanauquir,* 1.2 and so might work him some prejudice, would not dis-imbarque his goods, as the Officers of the Custom-house would have had him, which was the cause of much displeasure and vexation to him afterward, so that his business was twice interrupted by that means, wherefore perceiving that good words would not serve to make them consent to his Propositions, he sent them word by a Merchant, who dealt between them, that he knew well enough they had a great deal of reason to require the landing of his goods, because it was the usual course for every one so to do; But he assured them, that he could not possibly do it, in regard the season was almost past, and therefore he was of necessity to hasten his departure as soon as might be, the rather too for the accommo∣dating of the Junk wherein he came, for as much as she took in so much water, that threescore Mariners were always laboring at three pumps to clear her, whereby he ran a great hazard of losing all his goods; And that touching the Kings Customs he was contented to pay them, not after thirty in the hundred, as they demanded, but after ten, as they did in other Kingdoms, and so much he would pay presently and willingly. To this offer they rendred no answer, but detained him that carried the message prisoner; Antonio de Faria, seeing that his messenger re∣turned not, set s••il immediately, hanging forth a number of flags, as one that cared not whe∣ther he sold or no; Whereupon the Merchants strangers, that were come thither to trade, per∣ceiving the Commodities, of which they hoped to make some profit, to be going out of the Port, through the perversness and obstinacy of the Nautarel of the Town, they went all to him, and desired him to recall Antonio de Faria, otherwise they protested to complain to the King of the injustice he did them, in being the cause of hindring their Traffique. The Nau∣tarel, that is the Governor, with all the Officers of the Custom-house, fearing left they might upon this occasion be turned out of their places, condescended to their request, upon condition, since we would pay but ten in the hundred, that they should pay five more, whereunto they agreed, and instantly sent away the Merchant, whom they had detained prisoner, with a Letter full of complements, wherein they declared the agreement they had made. Antonio de Faria answered them, that since he was out of the Port, he would not re-enter it upon any terms,

by reason he had not leasure to make any stay, howbeit if they would buy his Commodities in gross, bringing lingots of silver with them for that purpose, he would sell them to them, and in no other manner would deal, for he was much distasted with the little respect the Nautarel of the Town had carried towards him, by despising his messages; and if they were contented to accept thereof, that then they should let him know so much within an hour at the farthest, otherwise he would sail away to Ainan, where he might put off his Commodities far better then there. They finding him so resolved, and doubting to lose so fair an occasion, as this was, for them to return into their Country, embarqued themselves in five great Lighters with forty chests full of lingots of silver, and a many sacks to bring away the Pepper, and arriving at An∣tonio de Faria's Junk, they were very well received by him, unto whom they represented anew the agreement they had made with the Nautarel of the Town, greatly complaining of his ill Government, and of some wrongs, which without all reason he had done them; but since they had pacified him by consenting to give him fifteen in the hundred, whereof they would pay five, they desired him to pay the ten, as he had promised, for otherways they could not buy his Commodities. Whereunto Antonio de Faria answered, that he was contented so to do, more for the love of them, then for any profit he hoped to reap thereby, for which they gave him many thanks, and so being on all sides agreed they used such diligence in discharging the goods, as in three days the most of it was weighed and consigned into the hands of the owners thereof; whereupon the accompts were made up, and the lingots of silver received, amounting in all to an hundred and thirty thousand Taeis, after the rate of seven shillings and six pence the Taei, as I have said elsewhere. And though all possible speed was used herein, yet before all was finished, news came of that which we had done to the Pyrat in the River of Tananquir, in so much that not one of the inhabitants would come near us afterward, by reason whereof Antonio de Faria was constrained to set sail in all haste.

* 1.3After we had quit the River of Mutepinan, directing our course Northward, Antonio de Faria thought good to make to the Coast of the Island of Ainan, for to seek out a River, named Madel, with a purpose there to accommodate the great Junk, wherein he was, because it took in much water, or provide himself of a better in exchange upon any terms whatsoever; So having sailed for the space of twelve days with a contrary wind, at length he arrived at the Cape of Pullo Hinhor, which is the Island of Cocos; There hearing no news of the Pyrat he sought for, he returned towards the South Coast, where he took certain Prizes, which were of good value, and well gotten as we thought. For it was the main intention of this Captain to deal with the Pyrat, which frequented this Coast of Ainan, as they before had done with divers Christians in depriving them of their lives and goods; For as God doth ordinarily draw good out of evil, so it pleased him out of his divine Justice to permit, that Antonio de Faria in revenge of the Robbery, committed by Coia Acem upon us in the Port of Lugor, should in the pursuit of him chastise other Theeves, that deserved to be punished by the hands of the Por∣tugals. Now having for certain days together with much labor continued our Navigation within this Bay of Cauchenchina, as we were newly entred into a Port, called Madel, upon the day of the nativity of our Lady, being the eight of September, for the fear that we were in of the new Moon, during the which there oftentimes happens in this Climate such a terrible storm of wind and rain, as it is not possible for ships to withstand it, which by the Chineses is named Tufan, and that the Sky charged full with Clouds had four days together threatened that which we feared, it pleased God amongst many other Junks that fled into this Port for shelter, there came in one belonging to a notorious Chinese Pyrat, named Hinimilau, who of a Gentile, that he had been, was not long before become a Mahometan, induced thereunto (as it was said) by a Cacis of that accursed Sect, who had made him such an Enemy to the Christian name, as he vaunted publiquely, that God did owe Heaven unto him for the great service he had done him upon Earth, in depopulating it by little and little of the Portugal Na∣tion, who from their mothers wombs delighted in their offences, as the very Inhabitants of the smoaky House, a name which they give to Hell; And thus did he with such sayings, and other like blasphemies, speak as villanously and abominably of us as could be imagined. This Pyrat, entring into the River in a very great and tall Junk, came up to us where we rode at anchor, and saluted us after the custom of the Country, whereunto we returned the like, as it is the manner there to do at the entry into any of the Ports, they neither knowing us to be Portugals, nor we what they were; for we thought they had been Chineses, and that they came into the Port to shrewd themselves from the storm as others did, whereupon, behold,

five young men, that were Christians, whom this Robber held as Slaves in his Junk, guessing us to be Portugals, fell a crying out three or four times together, Lord, have mercy upon us. At these words we all stood up to see who they were, and perceiving them to be Christians, we called aloud to the Mariners for to stay their course, which they would not do, but con∣trarily beating up a Drum, as it were in contempt of us, they gave three great shouts, and withall brandished their naked Scymitars in the ayr in a way of threatening us, and then cast an∣chor some quarter of a league beyond us. Antonio de Faria desiring to learn the reason hereof, sent a Balon to them, which no sooner arrived near them, but the barbarous Rogues pelted them with so many stones, that the Vessel was almost overwhelmed, so that they were glad to return, both Mariners and Soldiers being very sore hurt; Antonio de Faria seeing them come back all bloody, demanded the cause of it: Sir, answered they, we are not able to tell you, only you behold in what plight we are; saying so, and shewing him the hurts on their heads, they declared unto him in what manner they had been entertained. At first this accident much troubled Antonio de Faria, so that he stood musing a good while upon it, but at length turn∣ing himself to them that were present, Let every one here, said he, prepare himself, for I cannot be perswaded but this is that Dog Coia Acem, who I hope this day shall pay for all the wrong he hath done us. Whereupon he commanded presently to weigh anchor, and with all the speed that might be he set sail with the three Junks and Lanteas. Being come within a Mus∣ket shot of them, he saluted them with six and thirty Pieces of Ordnance, whereof twelve were Faulconets, and other Field-pieces, amongst the which was one of Battery, that carried cast Bullets, wherewith the Enemies were so amated, as all the resolution they could take for the instant was to leave their anchors in the Sea, not having leasure to weigh them, and to make to the shoar, wherein also they failed of their desire; for Antonio de Faria perceiving their design got before them, and boarded their Junk with all the Forces of his Vessels; hereupon began a most furious Combat both with Pikes, Darts, and pots full of Powder thrown from either side, so that for half an hour it could not be discerned who had the better: But at length it pleased God to favor us so much, that the Enemies, finding themselves weary, wounded, and hurt, threw themselves into the Sea. Antonio de Faria, seeing these wretches ready to sink by reason of the impetuousness and strength of the current, he imbarqued himself with some Soldiers in two Balons, and with much ado saved sixteen men, whereunto he was induced by the great need he stood in of them for the maning of his Lanteas, because he had lost a great many of his people in the former fights.

Notes

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  §. 2.
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  §. 3.