Hamilton’s account of the east indies.

305 "

miles, our fcouts brought in news of the Ballowches and Mackrans being juft before usin great numbers. I had thirteen of my beft firemen with me in front, where my beaftsWere. We being all mounted on little horfes, alighted, and fet our beafts on ourflanks and front, to ferve us for a barricadoe, to defend us from l'word and target-men,which were the principal ftrength of the robbers, and we, at the fame time, had roomenough to fire over our barricadoe. We were not long in that pofture, till the enemyfent an herald on horfeback, with his fword brandifhing, and when he came withincall of us, he threatened, that if we did not inftantly furrender at difcretion, we fhouldhave no quarter. I had two of my feamen that fliot as well with a fuzee as any everI faw, for 1 have feen them at fea, for diverfion, knock down a Angle fea-fowl with aAngle bullet, as they were flying near our fliip. I ordered one to knock down theherald, which he inftantly did, by a bullet through his head. Another came prefentlyafter, with the fame threatenings, and met with the fame treatment. The next thatcame, I ordered his horfe to be ftiot in the head, to try if we could take his rider, thatWe might learn fomewhat of the enemy’s ftrength. The horfe was killed as foon ashe appeared, and fome of our horfe got the rider, and hewed him down, inftead ofbringing him to us. Our guard of horfe continually kept in the rear, but feeing whatWe had done in the front, took courage, and getting in amongft the bullies, metwith fome that had a defign to attack our flank, and foon defeated them, which putthe robbers in fuch fear, that they betook themfelves to flight, and our horfe purfuing,put many to the fword : fo when |hey returned from the purfuit, we went on in ourjourney, and travelling four miles, came to a mud-w'all fort, called Dungham, a pro-per Englifh name for fuch a fortification. It is built mid-way between Tatta and Lar-nbundar, to fecure the caflilla from being fet upon in the night, who all lodge within> Jtj men and beafts promifcuoufly, which makes it fo nafty, that the Englifh appellationis rightly beftowed on it. There are about twenty little cottages built clofe to it, whobreed fowls, goats, and fheep, to fell to paffengers. And thefe are all the houfesto be feen in the way between Tatta and Larribundar.

The news of a viclory that I had over three Sanganian pirates at fea, on my voyagefrom Malabar to Larribundar, had reached Tatta, before the fecond fkirmifh by land,fo that when I came to Tatta, we were received with acclamations from the populace,and the better fort vifited us with prefents of fweet-meats and fruits, afcribing the fafearrival of the caflilla wholly to our courage and conduct.

We were lodged in a large convenient houfe of 15 rooms, and had good ware-houfes. The flairs from the ftreet were intire porphyry, of 10 foot long, of a brightyellow colour, and as fmooth as glafs. They were about ten in number, and led upto a fquare of 15 yards long, and about 10 broad. Next day we had a complimentfrom the nabob, of an ox, five fheep, as many goats, twenty fowls, and fifty pigeons,'vith fweet-meats and fruit in abundance. He, at that time, lay encamped about Ax% miles from the town, with an army of 8 or 10,000 men, with a deftgn to punifli theBallowches and Mackrans for robbing the caffilla and killing his men, as is beforementioned. He deAred me to let him know when we deftgned to drink a difh of cof-fee with him, and he would fend horfes to bring us to the camp. I returned thanksfor his civility, and fent him word, that I deftgned to kifs his hand the very next day ;a nd he accordingly fent twenty ftne PerAan horfes, well equipped, for my ufe, ten ofVv hich I accepted for myfelf and guard to mount, and the other ten were mountedWl th fome of the moft conftderable merchants in Tatta, who went to accompany me°ut of refpeft ; and to make our cavalcade appear with the greater grace, as foon asWe ca me to the camp gate, we would have alighted, but an officer on horfeback told

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