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320
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
DECEMBER, 1921
and strikes his hand almost of, soe that [it] hung but by a pece of flesh. The fellow, haveing made his thurst at Sevagee with all his might, did not stoop but run his bloody stumpp against Sevagee[s] breast and with such] force, [that] both Sevagee and hee fell togather. The blood being seen upon Sevagee, the noise run through the camp that hee was killed and the cryo went " kill the prisoners"; whereupon some were miserably hacked. But Sevagee lave. ing quitted himselfe, and hee that stood by haveing cloven the follows scull, comand was givein to stay the execution and to bring the prisoners before him; wich was imediatly done, and Sevagee, according as it come in his minde, caused them to cutt of this mans head, that mans right hand, both the hands of a 3[rd]. It comes to Mr. Smith[s] turne, and his right hand being comar.ded to be cutt of, hee cryed out in Indostan to Sevagee rather to cutt of his head ; unto wich end his hatt was taken of, but Sevagee stopt execution, and soe (praised bee God) hee escaped. There were than about 4 heads and 24 hands cutt of.
After that Mr. Smith was come away and retayned by the President and they heard the answer, hee sends the embassador of Ethiopia, whome hee had sett free upon dillivery of 12 horses and some other things sent by his king to Oron Zeb, to tell the English that hee did intend to vissitt us and to raise the house and kill every man of us. The President resolutly answers that wee were redy for him and resolved not to stire: let him come when hee pleased, and since hee had (as hee saide) resolved to come, hee bid him come one pore (pahar] (that is about the tyme of a watch) sooner then hee intended. With this ans. wer the ambassadour went his way, and wee heard no farther from him any more but in the terrible noise of the fier and the hideous smoke wich wee saw, but by Gods mercy came not soe neere us as to take hold of us (ever blesed be His name).
Thursday and Friday nights were the most tirrible nights for fier. On Friday, after hee had ransaked and dug up Verge Voros house, hee fiered it and a great vast number more towards the Dutch house ; a fier soe great as turnd the night into day, as before the smoke in the day tyme had almost turnd day into night, rissing soe thicke as it darkned the sun like a great cloud. On Sunday morning about 10 a clocke (as thay tell us) hee went his way, and that night Jay 6 course of, and next day at noono was passed ovor Brooch river. 6
There is a creedable information that hee hath shipt his treasure to carry into his owne country, and Sir George Oxenden hath sent a fregate to see if hee can light of them; wich 'God grant. Wee kept our wach still till Tuesday.
I had forgote to writt you the manner of their cutting of mens hands, wich was thuss. The person to suffer is pinioned as strreight as possibly thay can, and then, when the nod is given, a soldier comes with a whitle or blunt knife and throws the poore patient downe upon his face; than draws his hand backward
8 Broach River'is of course the Narbada; but it seems hardly credible that Sivaji returned by uch a rounda bout route.
