als. We all met outside of the straits in the afternoon, in nineteen
fathoms water, about four miles from the Arabian shore. From the 12th to
the 27th, we were much pestered with contrary winds, calms, and a strong
adverse current, setting to the S.W. at the rate of four miles an hour.
The 27th, we had a favouring gale to carry us off, and by six p.m. had
sight of _Mount Felix_, [Baba Feluk,] a head-land to the west of _Cape
Guardafui_. The 30th, we came to anchor in the road of _Delisha_, on the
northern coast of Socotora. We found there a great ship of Diu and two
smaller, bound for the Red Sea, but taken short by the change of the
monsoon. The captain of the great ship with several others came aboard
me, and assured me our people at Surat were well, being in daily
expectation of ships from India, and that Captain Hawkins was at the
court of the Great Mogul, where he was made a great lord, and had a high
allowance from the king. They said likewise, that the king had given
Captain Sharpey money to build a ship, which was nearly ready for
launching at Surat. This and many other things he told me seemed too
good news to be true.

[Footnote 338: This must be the pinnace which was set up at Mokha, so
named in memory of their release from that place.--E.]

As the monsoon was far spent, I requested the _nokhada_ of Diu to aid me
with his boats and people in procuring water and ballast, which he and
the others willingly did, offering me all the water in their ship, and
employing their people to bring me more from the shore, so anxious were
they to get me away. It was long before I could bargain with the king
for his aloes, but at last I got it, paying higher than Captain Keeling
had done; for I think the Indians were in hand with him for it, which
made him enhance the price. I left letters with the king, which he
promised to deliver to the first English ship that came there. Having
finished all my business, I had much ado to get a simple fellow from the
ship of Diu to pilot me on the coast of India, who pretended to be a
good coaster. We set sail from Delisha on the 3d September, with a
favourable wind, which brought us by the 26th into the road of Surat,
where we came to anchor in seven fathoms near three India ships. A mile
from us rode at anchor seven sail of Portuguese frigates or men of war,
there being thirteen more of them within the river of Surat.[339]

[Footnote 339: These twenty Portuguese frigates, as then called