[Footnote 403:  I am apt to suspect the word still here used, is only meant to imply fermentation, not distillation—­E.]

Goa is the chief city of the Portuguese in India, in which their viceroy resides and holds his court.  It stands in an island about 25 or 30 miles in circumference, being a fine city and very handsome for an Indian town.  The island is fertile and full of gardens and orchards, with many palmer trees, and several villages.  Here are many merchants of all nations.  The fleet which sails every year from Portugal, consisting of four, five, or six great ships, comes first here, arriving mostly in September, and remaining there forty or fifty days.  It then goes to Cochin, where the ships take in pepper for Portugal.  Often one ship loads entirely at Goa, and the rest go to Cochin, which is 100 leagues to the south.  Goa stands in the country of Adel Khan, which is six or seven days journey inland, the chief city being Bisapor. [Bejapoor.]

On our arrival in Goa we were thrown into prison, and examined before the justice, who demanded us to produce letters, [of licence?] and charged us with being spies; but they could prove nothing against us.  We continued in prison till the 22d December, when we were set at liberty, putting in surety for 2000 ducats not to depart from the town.  Our surety was one Andreas Taborer, who was procured for us by father Stevens, an English Jesuit whom we found there, and another religious man, a friend of his.  We paid 2150 ducats into the hands of Andreas Taborer, our surety, who still demanded more; on which we petitioned the viceroy and justice to order us our money again, seeing they had it near five months, and could prove nothing against us.  But the viceroy gave us a sharp answer, saying, we should be better sifted ere long, and that they had other matter against us.  Upon this we determined to attempt recovering our liberty, rather than run the risk of remaining as slaves for ever in the country, and besides it was said we were to have the strapado.  Wherefore, on the 5th of April 1585 in the morning, we removed secretly from Goa; and getting across the river, we travelled two days on foot in great fear, not knowing the way, as having no guide, and not daring to trust any one.

One of the first towns we came to is called Bellergan? where there is a great market of diamonds, rubies, sapphires, and many other precious stones.  From thence we went to Bejapoor, a very large city, where the king keeps his court, in which there are many Gentiles, who are gross idolaters, having their idols standing in the woods, which they call pagodas.  Some of these are like a cow, some like a monkey, some like a buffalo, others resemble a peacock, and others like the devil.  In this country are many elephants, which they employ in their wars.  They have great abundance of gold and silver, and their houses are lofty and well built.  From thence we went to