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204
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
[ NOVEMBER, 1927
knocked the boat with such violence that the Captain was compelled to let her run aground: as the pirate could not easily gain access to the vessel on the spot where she was lying, he did not lose courage, but waited patiently to see the result of the running aground: he did not wait in vain, for, as the Indians had been short of water for a long time, and could not find any at the place where they were in great suffering, they resolved, in order to save their lives, after having hidden in the sea all the gold, silver and jewels they had with them, to resort to the pirate himself, hoping that he might be satisfied with what remained in the vessel.
When Hugo had come up with them, he was clever enough to find out that something had been sunk into the sea ; and a false brother told him only the carpenter and his son knew the whereabouts of the queen's wealth (for she had brought a heap of money, jewels and materials as presents for Mocca, Medina, the Great Sheikh, and other places, and she desired to do it handsomely). Finally, after having thoroughly tortured the Captain, the carpenter, and the carpenter's son, whom he threatened to kill in his father's presence, Hugo made them bring out all that had been sunk in the sea, and seized it as well as the rest of the cargo. This action had made such a stir in India that Hugo, who was taken for a Frenchman, was held in abomination in that country, and consequently Frenchmen as a nation also.
The Governor had a great deal to say about this pirate, and Father Ambrose had great difficulty in persuading him that Hugo was not French, as he had come under the French Hag, and as it was certain that he had had many Frenchmen on board. Nevertheless, after much talk, he believed it; but he did not on this account excuse the French from the action in which they had assisted, and he still maintained that the desire of plunder was their sole motive in coming to this country. The Father denied that this was their intention, and said that they had only come with Lambert Hugo to avenge the affront that had been offered to some Frenchmen in Aden, a town in Arabia Felix, situated at 11 degrees latitude ; and after that, he related to him what had happened to the French in that town some years before. He told him that a palaches of Monsieur de la Melleraye was compelled by rough weather to separate from the large vessel, and to take refuge at Aden, and that the Sunnis, with unparalleled impiety, had all who set foot on land forcibly circumcised, though at first they had given them a good reception, and had promised to treat them amicably. He told him further that, in spite of this, the king of France had disapproved of the action of the pirate and of those Frenchmen who on board his vessel, just as much as the Indians did, because they had given his subjects a bad reputation, through the cunning of enemies of France; but that he wished to dispel this bad reputation, and that for this reason he had formed a Company to trade in India, with express orders not to commit any hostile action.
The Governor being satisfied with Father Ambrose's reply, requested him to write down in the Persian language all that he had said to him; as soon as this was done, he sent it to the Court; the Great Mogul had it read to him by his Dewan, and both he and his officials were satisfied with it, and they all desired the French vessels to land immediately; indeed, the Governor made much of Messrs. de la Boullaye and Beber, delegates of the Company, and told them that, after the testimony of Father Ambrose, he would render them any services that he could ; the English president, too, an old friend of this Father's, did them all the honour that was in his power, after having sent them his carriage and his men to receive them, and he assured the Father that all his property was at their disposal : thus, on the strength of the credit that he had acquired in India, the Capuchin dispelled the bad reports which the enemies of France had sown against the French.
(To be continued.)
16 A
timer or despatch boat.
