should-receive a defeat while at
anchor, our disgrace would be great, and our enemies could in that case
be little injured by us; while by setting sail, the viceroy, in his
greediness and pride, might do himself some wrong upon the sands, by
which he might cripple his own force, and thereby open a way for our
getting out through the rest. Yet this plan seemed only fit for ultimate
necessity, considering that much of our goods were now on their way, and
others were expected from day to day; and, if once out, unless it
pleased God to make us the conquerors, so as to drive the viceroy clean
away, I should on no account be able to return to my anchorage, where
only I could get in my lading. Considering also that the viceroy would
hold his honour in such high estimation, that he would rather die than
give way; and besides, that my people would be tired and half spent with
labour, before going to fight, by heaving at the capstan to get up our
anchors, setting the sails, and so forth, which in this hot country
makes them both weary and faint, to the great diminution of their
courage; while the viceroy and his soldiers being troubled with no
labour, which among them is done by slaves and inferior mariners, would
come fresh into the battle. Likewise, even supposing the viceroy to lose
many men in the fight, he could be again supplied from the nearest towns
belonging to the Portuguese, by means of his frigates; whereas we could
not have a single man replaced, whatever number we might have slain or
disabled.

Having none of our merchants aboard, as they were all employed in the
country, or with Mr Elkington in our factory at Surat, I sent for all
the masters, on the night of this Thursday the 19th January, desiring
them and some of the mates to come to supper with me on board the Gift.
I then made them a speech on our present situation, desiring every one
to give his opinion freely, how we might best proceed in our present
straits. I declared to them my confidence in God, notwithstanding all
the force of these bragging Portuguese, that their injurious attempts
would not prevail against us, who had been careful not to wrong them in
the Indies. I represented also to them, the jealousy entertained of us
by the nabob and other chief men of the country, because we had
refrained from firing at the saucy bragging frigates.

I found all the masters willing and tractable to my heart's desire. We
had some few discourses about our provident