Page 507
An. 1689
Many go into the Moguls Service.
way from Nicobar, in purfuit of their intended Voyage to Perfia, they directed their courfe to- wards Ceylon. But not being able to weather it, the Wefterly Monfoon bearing hard againft them, they were obliged to feek refrefhment on the Coaft of Coromandel. Here this mad fickle crew were upon new projects again. Their defigns meeting with fuch delays and obftructions, they many of them grew weary of it, and about half of them went afhore. Of this number, Mr. Morgan, who told me this, and Mr. Herman Coppinger the Surge- on, went to the Danes at Trangambar, who kindly received them. There they lived very well ; and Mr. Morgan was employéd as a Mate in a Ship of theirs at this time to Achin ; and Captain Knox tells me, that he fince Commanded the Curtana, the Ship that I went in to Tonqueen, which Cap- tain Welden having fold to the Mogul's Subjects, they employed Mr. Morgan as Captain to trade in her for them ; and it is an ufual thing for the trading Indians to hire Europeans to go Officers on board their Ships ; efpecially Captains and Gun- ners.
About two or three more of thefe that were fet afhore , went to Fort St. George; but the main bo- dy of them were for going into the Mogul's Ser- vice. Our Seamen are apt to have great notions of I know not what profit and advantages to be had in ferving the Mogul ; nor do they want for fine ftories to encourage one another to it. It was what thefe men had long been thinking and talk- ing of as a fine thing ; but now they went upon it in good earneft. The place where they went afhore was at a Town of the Moors : which name our Seamen give to all the Subjects of the great Mogul, but efpecially his Mahometan Subjects ; cal- ling the Idolaters, Gentous, or Rafhbouts. At this Moors Town they got a Peun to be their Guide to the