this enterprise, sailed to attack a fort belonging to
Angria upon the Malabar coast. Though their strength was great, yet they
were totally unsuccessful in their enterprise. It was this fleet
returning home that our pirates discovered upon the present occasion.
Upon the sight of the pirates, the commodore of the fleet intimated to
Mr. Brown, the general, that as they had no orders to fight, and had
gone upon a different purpose, it would be improper for them to engage.
Informed of the loss of this favorable opportunity of destroying the
robbers, the governor of Bombay was highly enraged, and giving the
command of the fleet to Captain Mackra, ordered him to pursue and engage
them wherever they should be found.

The pirates having barbarously sent away the galliot with her men, they
arrived southward, and between Goa and Carwar they heard several guns,
so that they came to anchor, and sent their boat to reconnoitre, which
returned next morning with the intelligence of two grabs, lying at
anchor in the road. They accordingly weighed, ran towards the bay, and
in the morning were discovered by the grabs, who had just time to run
under India-Diva castle for protection. This was the more vexatious to
the pirates, as they were without water; some of them, therefore, were
for making a descent upon the island, but that measure not being
generally approved, they sailed towards the south, and took a small
ship, which had only a Dutchman and two Portuguese on board. They sent
one of these on shore to the captain, to inform him that, if he would
give them some water and fresh provisions, he might have his vessel
returned. He replied that, if they would give him possession over the
bar, he would comply with their request. But, suspecting the integrity
of his design, they sailed for Lacca Deva islands, uttering dreadful
imprecations against the captain.

Disappointed in finding water at these islands, they sailed to Malinda
island, and sent their boats on shore, to discover if there was any
water, or if there were any inhabitants.. They returned with the
information, that there was abundance of water, that the houses were
only inhabited by women and children, the men having fled at the
appearance of the ships. They accordingly hastened to supply themselves
with water, used the defenceless women in a brutal manner, destroyed
many of their fruit-trees, and set some of their houses on fire.

While off the island, they lost several of t