We saw one other very strange tree or plant, something more than the height of a man, very thick at the root, and tapering upwards almost to a point.  The trunk was very smooth and without bark, and near the top some long branches without leaves, bearing reddish flowers, which change afterwards to a fruit not unlike the date in form and size, which is at first green.  It contains many small whitish kernels, which as well as the branches are very bitter, and full of a resinous substance.  We also saw another church having a cross on its top.[217]

[Footnote 217:  Of this church and the whole island, see the voyage of Juan de Castro.  For, in times past, the natives were Christians; which, as all others not of their faith, the Mahometans call cafrs.  Being rude and brutish, they were the easier prey to the Arabs.—­Purch.]

Sec. 3. Occurrences in India, respecting the English, Dutch, Portuguese, and Moguls.

The 28th August, 1608, Captain Hawkins with the merchants and some others landed at Surat.  He was received into a coach and carried before the dawne, [or dewan.] We had very poor lodgings allotted to us, being only the porter’s lodge of the custom-house; where next morning the customers came and tumbled about our trunks to our great displeasure, though we had only brought our necessaries on shore.  We were invited to dinner by a merchant, who gave us good chear, but we had sour sauce to our banquet, for he was the person who had sustained almost the whole loss in the ship taken by Sir Edward Michelburne.  The captain also of that ship dined with us.  When that affair was told us, our captain said he had never heard of any such matter, and supposed it must have been done by a Hollander; but they affirmed it was to their certain knowledge an English ship, and deplored their hard fortunes, affirming there were thieves of all nations, yet they were not disposed to impute that fault to honest merchants.  This liberal sentiment somewhat revived us; and we were invited the day after to supper by Mede Colee, the captain of that ship.

The 2d October we embarked our goods and provisions, gave a present to Schekh Abdel-reheime, and got a dispatch for our departure; but the customers refused a licence till they should search our ship, yet meeting with some frigates in their own river, which they supposed to be Malabars, they durst not venture down to our ship.  These frigates [grabs] were Portuguese, who desired that no one should come to talk with them; yet Mr Buck rashly went on board and was detained.[218]

[Footnote 218:  At this place is given a confused relation of several incidents at Surat, obviously garbled and abbreviated by Purchas, so as to be difficultly intelligible.  As these are already contained in the journal of Hawkins, they are here omitted.—­E.]