________________
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
From Laborr I began againe my Jurney towards Prester Johns Contrey. I caime at was Maltan [Multan], ye Cheife Citty of trad in the Magulls contrey. Buckar [Bakkar], wch is 120 Leagues. Bucker is two Cittys, One On this side ye thother Al'ta'naut, and a fort in yo Middle of yo river betwixt both Citties.84
178
[JUNE, 1906.
The first Citty Thence I went to river cald Milsa,
The river is cald Bucca, a fresh water, a League Over And a huge Currant. The manner of fishinge is wth potts, woh yo Men yt fish lie On theire bellys & swime with feete & hands vp ye Curent, wth noe boate can, but haled with ropes,85
The next Citty I caime to was Cindey [probably Haidarabad in Sindh] web y River takes its Genhall naime from, & yo 9 Rivers spooke of at Kissey [Kistna] comes in theire.
The next is Tatta; betwixt Bucker & Tatta 150 long Leagues. From Tatta to Lahorebander [Lahori Bandar] 30 Leagues. In that Citty I was told I could travell throw ye bloches [Baluchs'] Contrey, for he is an absolute Kinge, strong, & lies betwixt ye Magulls Contrey & Prester Johns.
Advizeinge with some men, I tooke a guide web bound him selfe to carrie me safe throw the bloches Contrey, wch ye Guid did, tho wth great Expence to me, weh is 350 Leagues.
The first towne I caime to in Prester Johns Contrey was Ne'ge'po'tan [Negapatam]86 110 Leagues from ye bloches Contrey. The Gouerner of the place Questioned me whence I caime I told him I was goeing to Court, wch liked him verry well; The Custome of the Contrey is to receive all in, but to let none out without Lycence.
From thence to Can' na' noor [Cannanore], wch is from Ne'ga'po'tan 340 Leagues. The Gouernor questioned me wtt I was, & told me he was to give acct of all Strangers to ye Emperor. I told him I was an Englishman. He told me it was not vsuall for English to travell in theire in that Contrey. What can you doe. I said, nothinge, Only my Jurney was to se ye Contrey. He sent me with a Gard to ye Court, which is cald Pow'la' van, woh was 60 Leagues. Prester Johns Court is wald round & is in Circumference 24 Courses [kös], 3 makeing an English League, so it [is] 16 Engl Leagues.
Att Court I was assigned to ye Duan [diwan], yo Emperrors second, soe cald by reason he is most intimate & neare him in office. But ye Duan weary, I was not pinitted to speak with him till an hower before sun sett, wh was ye hower ye Lds weere pinitted yt had businesse. The gard yt caime wth me had a letter for him. When delivered, 'I was cald for before him.
He askt what I was. I answerd, an Englishman. He demanded on what ptence I caime thether or whether I was bound. I answered, to se ye Court whose faime I had herd of. He askt for my passes. I showed him One from ye Magull, One from ye Kinge of ye Bloches [Baluch's] woh he said was good, But found by one I had served ya Magull. He askt me in wit Capassity. I said as a Marchant. He told me, Jut Cotta [jhut kahta], ya lie, yu haue some other art. I said, noe. Tome-better-somsta [tum behtar samajhta]. We shall know before ya goe; Carrie him to peon.
I was carried & kept 3 mo., My man in one plaice & I in an other. One caime every day to me, woh was an Old & eminent Lord at Cort. And haueing Considered my Condition, pickt out of my man I knew some art. The Nobleman Caime to me and said, freind, yu have some art & yu had better owne it and come out then stay in pson. I confest. The Old Le brought me out to ye Emperror, wch y Daan seinge, was offended wth this Ld my freinde, intending to [have] psented me to ye Empror the first.
(To be continued.)
Whatever the names in the text may represent, the modern names are Sakkar and Rohri,
The writer means the mashak or inflated skin, on which the river-side man rides on the water in the great
rivers of North India.
The writer now muddles up his journey to Baluchistan towards Persia with some travels he had made in the Tamil Country on the Coromandel Coast!
