Having continued thus long in suspense, and the time and the year spending [passing away] for the ship to proceed on her voyage to some other place; and our condition being, as we feared and afterwards found to be, the beginning of a sad captivity: the Captain sent orders to Master JOHN BURFORD to take the charge of the ship upon him, and to set sail for Porto Nova, whence we came; and there to follow the [Madras] Agent's order.
If any inquire what became of the cloth of our lading, which we brought thither; they only took an account to see what it was, and so left it where and as it was before: and there it remained until both house and goods rotted away, as the people of the same town informed me afterwards.
I impute the main reason of our surprise to our neglect, viz., in not sending a letter and present to the King at our first coming: who looking upon himself as a great monarch, as he is indeed, requires to be treated with suitable state.
Thus were sixteen of us left to the mercy of those barbarians: the names of which are as follows. The Captain, Master JOHN LOVELAND, JOHN GREGORY, CHARLES BEARD, ROGER GOLD, STEPHEN RUTLAND, NICHOLAS MULLINS, FRANCIS CRUTCH, JOHN BERRY, RALPH KNIGHT, PETER WINN, WILLIAM HUBBARD, ANTONY EMERY, RICHARD VARNHAM, GEORGE SMITH, and myself. Though our hearts were very heavy, seeing ourselves betrayed into so sad a condition, to be forced to dwell among those that knew not GOD nor His laws: yet so great was the mercy of our gracious GOD, that He gave us favour in the sight of this people: insomuch that we lived far better than we could have expected, being prisoners or rather captives in the hands of the heathen; from whom we could have looked for nothing but very severe usage.
The ship being gone, the King sent to call the Dissauva speedily to him; who, upon this order, immediately marched away with his army; leaving us where we were. But concerning us, there was no order at all.
