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THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
Wedensday the 6 January, about 11 in the morning, Sevagee arrived neere a great garden without the towne about of a mile, and whilst hee was busied in pitching his tents sent his horsmen into the outward streets of the towne to fire the houses; soe that in less then halfe an houer wee might behold from the tops of our house two great pilliers of smoke, the certaine signs of a great disolation, and soe thay continued burning that day and night. Thursday, Friday and Satturday still new fires raised, and every day neerer and neerer approching our quarter of the towne.
[ DECEMBER, 1921
That the terror was great I know youe will eassly beleeve. And upon his first begining of his firing the remainder of the people fled as thicke as posible; so that on Thursday the streets were almost empty, wich at other tymes are exceeding thicke with people; and we the English in our house, the Duch in theirs, and some few marchants of Turky and Armenia, neighbours to our English house, possesed of a seraw or place of reception for straingers, were left by the Governour and his people to make what shift wee could to secure ourselves from the enemy. This might the English and Duch have done, leaveing the towne and goeing over the river to Swalley to our shipps, which were then riding in Swalley Hole; but it was thought more like English men to make ourselves ready to defend our lives and goods to the uttermost than by a flight to leave mony, goods, house to merceless people, and were confirmd in a resolution that the Duch alsoe dete[r]mined the same; though there was noe possibility of releiveing one another, the Duch house beeing on the other side of [the] towne, almost an English mile asunder.
In order therfore to our better defence, the President, Sir George Oxinden, a most worthy, discreet, couragious person, sent advice to our ships at Swalley of our condition, with his disires to the captains to spare him out of their ships what men thay could; and wee in the meane tyme endeavored to fitt our house soe well as wee could, sending out for what quantety of provision of victualls, watter, and powder wee could gitt, of wich wee gott a competent store. Tow brass guns we procured that day from a marchant in towne of about 300 [weight] a peice, and with old ship carriages mountted them and made ports in our great gate for them to play out of to scoure a shorte pasage to our house. That afternoone wee sent aboard a ship in the river for guns, and had tow of about 600 [weight] per peice sent up in next morning with shott convenient. Some are set to melt lead and make bullets, others with chezels to cutt lead into slugs; no hand idle, but all imployed to strengthen every place, as tyme would give leave, to the best advantage.
On Weddensday men arrive to the nomber of 40 odd and bring with them 2 brass guns more. Our 4 smaller guns are then carried up to the tope of the house and 3 of them planted to scoure 2 great streets; the 4[th] was bent upon a rich churles house (Hogee Said Beeg [Haji Zahid Beg], of whom more by and by), because it was equally of hight, and being posesed by the enemy might have beene dangerous to our house. Coptaines are appointed, and every man quarterd and order taken for reliveeing one another upon necessity. A fresh recrute of men coming of about 20 more, wee than began to consider what houses neere us might bee most prejuditiall, and on one side wee tooke possesion
