________________
176
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARI.
[JUNE, 1907.
bredth & then had fild vp yo cha [channel] in 6 & 7 fathom water, & raised it selfe in some places 5 & 6 fathom aboue yo surface y water; Makinge ye Sea soe hott in yt depth as I could not suffer my hand in it.
We hyred horises & 6 soldiers to gard vs, for its a dangerous Contrey for anie to travell in, to Conduct vs to ye foote of Mongebell, wheere this erruption was, it being 14 Miles from Cattania, and we went all the way alonge the Mettle (lava) it had throwne out. Att yo foote of this Hill, & litle aboue yo vent, is 2 hills & quarter of a Mile in hight, all Ashes throwne vp by Mongabell since ye Erruption. It was soe terrable to looke in at y vent or hole wch first this metle past out at, as I trembled to see it & darst not stay. Its 20 yds longe and 10 yds brod, all of such
flaime as cannot be greater Imagined. Its 10 or 15 yds lower then yo surface of ye earth formerly it had ran over.
In or way to it we rid over topps howses & trees & townes & ways not formerly pagsable, but now levelled wth yo abondance of Ashes woh Mongebell vommitts Oat ; for 15 & 20 Miles it hath don this.
The people, in neuerall townes Woh waere Coverd, weere getinge out theire howshold stuff, & in seall vineyds bareing theire vines, woh they told vs woad yo next yeare beare yo better for it, for it inriches theire land much & makes y barren ground fruitfull.
In Cattania & seuerall other towns weere written Over theire Doores Santa Agothia (Agatha] et Sants Marea (Maria) ffogo [faoco] noli me tangere ;99 yo people had left theire howses. The Metle it runs is of 2 Borts, both woh I haue, & alsoe a paper full of the Asbes.
After 3 days we imbarqued for Messena, in woh Citty I lodged at the howse of Mr. Parker Marchant & by him Mr. Wilkinson, Mr. Morgan & Mr. Hill, Mr Stannier & Mr. Mende (all Engs), was kindly treated.
The Day of June we weighed Anchor for Scanderroones in Turkey, yo winde faire, and sailed by ye west end of Candia, vnder wch land lay 10 saile of Turke men warr belonging to Argier Algiers), we had beene in y. Service of ye grand Senior ag . Candia, And gade vs chace from 10 in y. Morninge till 7 at night, at wch hower we could not avoid speakeing with them. They Commanded vs hoyce out of boate. Of Capt possetively told them he woud not. We weere all in redinesse, or yards. slange, and everyman to his quarters, resolved to die or sinke by them. They Chased vs wth french Cullers [colours), but when they haled vs, put ont theire Swalloe tailes.
When they gee we wond not hoyce out of boate, theire Admirall hoyced out his & sent his Leavetennant aboard to Comd of Capt [command our captain) aboard him, but Cap! Bates would not, nor anio other in ye ship. At last we iudged it fit to send [some one] & all refrising. 184 went. Many questions he asket by ye rannagado English, 85 but I answered as I thought good. At last it bapned soe well that instele of beinge in ye bottom of ye sea, or Carring water in Arger,30 the one of woh we se noe way to avoyd, all ye 10 sayle being Come vp, we got Cleere, & arrived saife at Silena87 in Cyprisse.
* The author has mixed up Latin and Italian in his quotation. * Scanderoon, or Alexandretta, the port of Aleppo. * Apparently, Richard Bell 45 The writer ovidently moans that the Turkish ships had on board renegade Englishmen in their service. W{. e., made to work as slaves in Algiers. * Silonia,.on the east of Cyprus. - . Dr. Poopoke's Travels in the East in Pinkerton's Voyages, Vol. X.
D. 560.
