fiue and twentie souldiers, that keepeth watch and
ward night and day: and within that another,
with the like guard, wherethorow they come to a very
faire Court, and at the end of that Court there is
another porch as the first, with the like guard, and
within that another Court. And in this wise are
the first fiue gates guarded and kept with those Captaines:
and then the lesser gates within are kept with a guard
of Porters: which gates stand open the greatest
part of the night, because the custome of the Gentiles
is to doe their businesse, and make their feasts in
the night, rather then by day. The city is very
safe from theeues, for the Portugall merchants sleepe
in the streets, or vnder porches, for the great heat
which is there, and yet they neuer had any harme in
the night. At the end of two monethes, I determined
to goe for Goa in the company of two other Portugall
Marchants, which were making ready to depart, with
two palanchines or little litters, which are very
commodious for the way, with eight Falchines which
are men hired to cary the palanchines, eight for a
palanchine, foure at a time: they carry them as
we vse to carry barrowes. [Sidenote: Men ride
on bullocks and trauell with them on the way.] And
I bought me two bullocks, one of them to ride on,
and the other to carry my victuals and prouision,
for in that countrey they ride on bullocks with pannels,
as we terme them, girts and bridles, and they haue
a very good commodious pace. From Bezeneger to
Goa in Summer it is eight dayes iourney, but we went
in the midst of Winter, in the moneth of Iuly, and
were fifteene dayes comming to Ancola on the sea coast,
so in eight dayes I had lost my two bullocks:
for he that carried my victuals, was weake and could
not goe, the other when I came vnto a riuer where was
a little bridge to passe ouer, I put my bullocke to
swimming, and in the middest of the riuer there was
a little Iland, vnto the which my bullocke went, and
finding pasture, there he remained still, and in no
wise we could come to him: and so perforce, I
was forced to leaue him, and at that time there was
much raine, and I was forced to go seuen dayes a foot
with great paines: and by great chance I met
with Falchines by the way, whom I hired to carry my
clothes and victuals. We had great trouble in
our iourney, for that euery day wee were taken prisoners,
by reason of the great dissension in that kingdome:
and euery morning at our departure we must pay rescat
foure or fiue pagies a man. And another trouble
wee had as bad as this, that when as wee came into
a new gouernours countrey, as euery day we did, although
they were al tributary to the king of Bezeneger, yet
euery one of them stamped a seueral coine of Copper,
so that the money that we tooke this day would not
serue the next: at length, by the helpe of God,
we came safe to Ancola, which is a country of the
Queene of Gargopam, tributary to the king of Bezeneger.
[Sidenote: The marchandise that come in and out
to Bezeneger euery yere.] The marchandise that went