of which a considerable distance from the main is encumbered with shoals.  We all met outside of the straits in the afternoon, in nineteen fathoms water, about four miles from the Arabian shore.  From the 12th to the 27th, we were much pestered with contrary winds, calms, and a strong adverse current, setting to the S.W. at the rate of four miles an hour.  The 27th, we had a favouring gale to carry us off, and by six p.m. had sight of Mount Felix, [Baba Feluk,] a head-land to the west of Cape Guardafui.  The 30th, we came to anchor in the road of Delisha, on the northern coast of Socotora.  We found there a great ship of Diu and two smaller, bound for the Red Sea, but taken short by the change of the monsoon.  The captain of the great ship with several others came aboard me, and assured me our people at Surat were well, being in daily expectation of ships from India, and that Captain Hawkins was at the court of the Great Mogul, where he was made a great lord, and had a high allowance from the king.  They said likewise, that the king had given Captain Sharpey money to build a ship, which was nearly ready for launching at Surat.  This and many other things he told me seemed too good news to be true.

[Footnote 338:  This must be the pinnace which was set up at Mokha, so named in memory of their release from that place.—­E.]

As the monsoon was far spent, I requested the nokhada of Diu to aid me with his boats and people in procuring water and ballast, which he and the others willingly did, offering me all the water in their ship, and employing their people to bring me more from the shore, so anxious were they to get me away.  It was long before I could bargain with the king for his aloes, but at last I got it, paying higher than Captain Keeling had done; for I think the Indians were in hand with him for it, which made him enhance the price.  I left letters with the king, which he promised to deliver to the first English ship that came there.  Having finished all my business, I had much ado to get a simple fellow from the ship of Diu to pilot me on the coast of India, who pretended to be a good coaster.  We set sail from Delisha on the 3d September, with a favourable wind, which brought us by the 26th into the road of Surat, where we came to anchor in seven fathoms near three India ships.  A mile from us rode at anchor seven sail of Portuguese frigates or men of war, there being thirteen more of them within the river of Surat.[339]

[Footnote 339:  These twenty Portuguese frigates, as then called, were only barks, grabs, or praws of the country, armed with small guns.—­E.]

Long before our arrival, the Portuguese had intelligence that we were in the Red Sea, and bound for Surat, so that these frigates were sent purposely to prevent us from trading at Surat, or any other place on that coast.  Don Francisco de Soto-major was captain-major of this flotilla, being what is called captain-major of the north, and reaped great profit from granting cartasses, or passports, to all ships and barks trading on that coast, all being confiscated that presumed to navigate without his licence.  I discharged my pilots that night, paying them well, and sent by them a letter to such Englishmen as might be in Surat, as I could not learn how many or who were there resident.