Hamilton’s account of the east indies. 28 £
family defcended from Mahomet, by Fatima his daughter and Alii his apoftle, beingof a mafculine, fiery temper, reproached the King for not refenting fo grofsan affront, fwore by her anceftor the Prophet, that fhe would never ftir out of thetent flie then fat in,, till Mufkat was taken from the Portuguese . All the army ap-plauded the Queen, and threatened to mutiny, if they were not forthwith led by theirofficers to thefcalade of the city walls. And at laft the King finding that no perfua-fions could cool their fury, though the day was far fpent, ordered them to be led on.The Portuguese flanked them, from their forts on the mountains, with plenty of greatand fmall fhot; but the Arabs never looked back, nor minded the great numbers oftheir dead companions, but mounted the walls over the carcafes of their flain. Aboutfun-fet they drove the Portuguese from two of the city gates, and purfued their enemyfo hard, that not one efcaped, though they fled in great hafte towards the great fort,where the governor ftaid. That fort is built on a rock almoft furrounded by the fea,and has no way to get up to it, but by a flair-cafe hewn out of the rock, above 50 yardshigh, and not above two or three perfons can afcend a-breaft. The Arabs thought it im-practicable to attack it, fo made a blockade of it. In the attack of the town, the Arabsloft between 4 and 5000 of the bell of their forces * and the Portuguese , in their forts,were reduced to 60 or 70. Thofe in the fmall forts were obliged foon to furrender forwant of ammunition and provifions ; and all were put to the fword, except thofe, who,to fave their lives, promifed to be circumcifed, and abjure the Chriftian religion. Thofein the great fort held out about fix months, under great want and fatigues; and allhopes of relief being cut off, they refolved on a furrender, on which motion, theinprudent governor, who was the foie caufe of their calamity, leaped down a pre-cipice in to the fea, where the water being very fhallow, he was dallied to pieces onthe rocks.
The little garrifon would fain have come to a capitulation, but the Arabs would grantthem no terms, but that they mull yield, or be ftarved : and though the terms were hard,yet they thought beft to furrender, and all were put to the fword, except a few whoembraced Mahometifm, which in all were eighteen perfons. And this relation I hadfrom a very old renegado, who was at the tragedy, being-then a foldier, who reckonedhimfelf about 100 years old, and by his afpect, could not be much lefs.
The city of Mulkat is very ftrong, both by nature and art; but the buildings verymean, as moft fabricks are under the oeconomy of a people who abominate luxury andpride, as the Mulkat Arabs do. The cathedral built by the Portuguese Hill retainsfome marks of its ancient grandeur, and is now converted into a palace for the King,when he refides there, which is generally a month or two yearly. The wall of thetown that faces the harbour, has a battery of large cannon, about 60 in number, andthere are 8 or 10 fmall forts built on the adjacent rocks or mountains, which guard allthe avenues to the town, both by fea and land ; and there are none permitted to comein or go out of the harbour between fun-fet and rifing.
The pirates that infefted the Indian feas at the latter end of the fixteenth century,made a breach between the Englilh and them. The pirates having made prise ofone of their Ihips, they retaliated on the Englilh private (hipping: they feised CaptainMorrice’s little lhip, and detained him and all his crew as Haves, and would never ran-fom. them. In anno 1705, they took Captain Murvei in. a rich lhip from Bengal,bound to Perfia: but that might be attributed to pufillanimity, in not offering to makea defence.
They put their Haves to no manner of labour, and allow them a foldier’s payfor fubfiftence: and what they can earn otherwife by induftry, is wholly their own.
There