sore scalded with fire-pots, in the
management of which the Persians had now become expert, though many of
them had paid dearly for their instruction. In this conflict four
Portuguese were slain, and their heads brought to the Persian general.
In this art of cutting off heads, the Persians are particularly cunning,
insomuch, that I do not think there is an executioner in all Germany
that can excel them. No sooner does a Persian lay hold of an enemy, than
off goes his head at one blow of his scymitar.[308] He then makes a hole
in the ear or cheek with his dagger, by which he will sometimes bring
three or four heads at once to his general. When it is proposed to send
these heads taken in war to be seen by the king or the khan, they very
adroitly flea off the skin of the head and face, which they stuff up
with straw like a foot-ball, and so send them by whole sackfulls.[309]

[Footnote 308: This, however, is to the praise of the Persians, as good
swordsmen, on which account the Turks fear coming to hand blows with
them.--_Purch_.]

[Footnote 309: In Turkey they manage this barbarous trophy of success
more conveniently, as the Grand Signior is satisfied with a display of
the ears of his enemies preserved in salt.--E.]

This night, one of the frigates that came from Muskat for Douna de
Sousa, made her escape, no doubt very richly freighted. Her consort,
which likewise attempted to get away, was chased in again. That which
escaped, being hailed by the Arab boats that lay in wait to intercept
the passage, got off by using the watch-word usual between the English
and Arabs, _Ingres ingresses,_ which had not been once changed since the
commencement of this enterprize, in which oversight both the Persians
and English were highly blameable, as, by the continual use of this
watch-word, it had come to the knowledge of the Portuguese, who thus
used it to their great benefit.

During the night of the 20th April, the other frigate made an effort to
escape, but was intercepted and taken by the frigate and pinnace
belonging to the London. This frigate was employed to carry away the
Portuguese _almirante,_ named Luis de Brito, a kinsman to the viceroy of
Goa, but the captain of the castle would not permit him to go away; and
the men belonging to this frigate, being seven persons, fearing the
capture of the castle and desirous to secure their own lives, stole away
without leave.

The 21st, the Persians made a display of making themsel