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THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[MAY, 1907.
yt had beene wth me in ye Morninge. This was 3 Clock in ye afternoone. We see them before He Sd, men they could see vs. Sd ye padre, we are betraid. I askt ye gide who these weere. goeinge to ye next great towne, soldiers. Yu lie, ya Roogne, så ye padre; ya haue betraid vs.
I was at a stand, consideringe what to Doe best. Ye Guide S4, lets goo. Noe, Sa ye padre, lets stay heere till night. Did not y", Sd ye Guide, agree with me in Babylon, weh I hane given security to performe, & yu are to march when I say goe & to stay when I say stay. I replied, will ya beare vs harmless. He sd, yes I will. Wth yt he went out, ptending to see if ye way was Cleere & staid from vs of an hower, & returninge, he bridled or horsses & Sa, vp, ye way is cleere. We had not rid a League, but we spied yo 14 horsmen in ambush in a valley. They let vs pass till we caime to ye top of ye hill, & then spred them selves. 4 caime One way, 4 An other, 4 the 3 & 2 more, all weh Compassed vs about. I had made my bridle fast to my horse legg & made my bow & arrowes redy, but they caime poothering soe fast, yt all theire lances was about me in a trice, & S4, we haue now got Gunns, fyer if ya darr, for if ya either fyer or shoot arrow, yu are a deadman, & ye rest.
The Padre cried, do not shoote. In ye meane tyme, they struck in wth me & stript me Naked, all saue my boots, woh saued me some thinge. They weere all muffeld vp; I could only see theire eies. Some few Dollers I had about my Midle, wch they psently eased me of, And, starke Naked, made me lead my horse to a valley. I went not fast enough, Soe One gaue me a push wth ye butt end of his lance, weh put me on my Nose. In that fall he spied ye pursse & Snatcht it away; I was affraid all had gon together. Beinge in ye Valley, made me sit a side till they parted my things, vizt. My wearinge Clothes & Lynnen, 3 Serpaws [saropā, dress of honour], One Prester John gaue me, One Oram Zebb ye Magull from his owne boddie, & One Shaw Sollymon King of Pertia, 52 wth other things of Vallew. The Rogue Guide, after Devided, Cast lotts who should haue this & who that Share. Besides these, there was 3 of his Maites Great seales ye Magull gaue me, being had On ye occation before Exprest.
They caused likewise ye Padrey to be stript, & set downe likewise, & set us both downe to cut of or heads. Sa yo Guide, my wife & Children is pawne for yo padre; 53 Cut of yo head of ye other. They gane ye Padrey his Coate againe, Settinge me by my selfe wth a lance at my back & 2 swords Over my heade, sayinge, take yor leave of ye world. I desired them suffer me to say a few prayers, weh they did, & in that tyme they tooke Councell, And mutined amonge themselues, 3 went one way, & sd they would goe & complaine; 3 followed them to bring them back. He woh tooke my Jewells from my members, said, Is it not enough we haue taken his goods, but we must take his life; Theires a God. They made me come to them, & fall downe & Kiss every One of theire feete, & say they had don well in takeing away wtt I had, & to say God blesse them for it, And houe me a Cammeel Coate, showeing vs the way. I would [have] gon ffor Babylon but they would not let vs goe that way.
Wee had not gon an Engl Myle, but two of them caime after vs, & comeinge vp to v. demanded my slave (woh was a Black as Those Arrabs are), & tooke him and My Mule, sayinge he was not to travell that way,
Wee travelled all that night, & next day, weary, haueing neither mans meate nor horasmeate, And haueinge lost our way, we caime to a den at whose mouth lay about 20 dead sheepe. It was about 3 Clock in yo afternoone. Sd ye Guide, wee are all vndon, iudgeinge it a Denn of Lyons Or Tygers; But we see noethinge to hurt vs. Att 12 Clock at night, we, redy to die and our horsses quite tyred, we caime to a River cald Olson, weh runs into Tygris. Then weere wee from anie inhabbitant 9 (Nine) days iurney & had noe pritions. By Gods providence caime downe the River Men vppon Rafts of Wood wth tents vppon them, Goeinge for Bossera. Wee weere affraid, but of nessessity sent ye Guide, who spooke Arrabb, to hails them, The whilst y
53 See ante, p. 127.
53 Seo ante, p. 130.
