They are betrayed into the hands of the Turks; are detained awhile at
Mazna; are threatened by the Bassa of Suaquem. They agree for their
ransom, and are part of them dismissed.
Some time after, we received news that we should prepare ourselves to
serve the Turks--a message which filled us with surprise, it having never
been known that one of these lords had ever abandoned any whom he had
taken under his protection; and it is, on the contrary, one of the
highest points of honour amongst them to risk their fortunes and their
lives in the defence of their dependants who have implored their
protection. But neither law nor justice was of any advantage to us, and
the customs of the country were doomed to be broken when they would have
contributed to our security.
We were obliged to march in the extremity of the hot season, and had
certainly perished by the fatigue had we not entered the woods, which
shaded us from the scorching sun. The day before our arrival at the
place where we were to be delivered to the Turks, we met with five
elephants, that pursued us, and if they could have come to us would have
prevented the miseries we afterwards endured, but God had decreed
otherwise.
On the morrow we came to the banks of a river, where we found fourscore
Turks that waited for us, armed with muskets. They let us rest awhile,
and then put us into the hands of our new masters, who, setting us upon
camels, conducted us to Mazna. Their commander, seeming to be touched
with our misfortunes, treated us with much gentleness and humanity; he
offered us coffee, which we drank, but with little relish. We came next
day to Mazna, in so wretched a condition that we were not surprised at
being hooted by the boys, but thought ourselves well used that they threw
no stones at us.
As soon as we were brought hither, all we had was taken from us, and we
were carried to the governor, who is placed there by the Bassa of
Suaquem. Having been told by the Abyssins that we had carried all the
gold out of AEthiopia, they searched us with great exactness, but found
nothing except two chalices, and some relics of so little value that we
redeemed them for six sequins. As I had given them my chalice upon their
first demand, they did not search me, but gave us to understand that they
expected to find something of greater value, which either we must have
hidden or the Abyssins must have imposed on them. They left us the rest
of the day at a gentleman's house, who was our friend, from whence the
next day they fetched us to transport us to the island, where they put us
into a kind of prison, with a view of terrifying us into a confession of
the place where we had hid our gold, in which, however, they found
themselves deceived.
But I had here another affair upon my hands which was near costing me
dear. My servant had been taken from me and left at Mazna, to be sold to
the Arabs. Being advertised by him of the danger he was in, I laid claim
to him, without knowing the difficulties which this way of proceeding
would bring upon me. The governor sent me word that my servant should be
restored to me upon payment of sixty piastres; and being answered by me
that I had not a penny for myself, and therefore could not pay sixty
piastres to redeem my servant, he informed me by a renegade Jew, who
negotiated the whole affair, that either I must produce the money or
receive a hundred blows of the battoon. Knowing that those orders are
without appeal, and always punctually executed, I prepared myself to
receive the correction I was threatened with, but unexpectedly found the
people so charitable as to lend me the money. By several other threats
of the same kind they drew from us about six hundred crowns.
On the 24th of June we embarked in two galleys for Suaquem, where the
bassa resided. His brother, who was his deputy at Mazna, made us promise
before we went that we would not mention the money he had squeezed from
us. The season was not very proper for sailing, and our provisions were
but short. In a little time we began to feel the want of better stores,
and thought ourselves happy in meeting with a gelve, which, though small,
was a much better sailer than our vessel, in which I was sent to Suaquem
to procure camels and provisions. I was not much at my ease, alone among
six Mahometans, and could not help apprehending that some zealous pilgrim
of Mecca might lay hold on this opportunity, in the heat of his devotion,
of sacrificing me to his prophet.
These apprehensions were without ground. I contracted an acquaintance,
which was soon improved into a friendship, with these people; they
offered me part of their provisions, and I gave them some of mine. As we
were in a place abounding with oysters--some of which were large and good
to eat, others more smooth and shining, in which pearls are found--they
gave me some of those they gathered; but whether it happened by trifling
our time away in oyster-catching, or whether the wind was not favourable,
we came to Suaquem later than the vessel I had left, in which were seven
of my companions.
As they had first landed, they had suffered the first transports of the
bassa's passion, who was a violent, tyrannical man, and would have killed
his own brother for the least advantage--a temper which made him fly into
the utmost rage at seeing us poor, tattered, and almost naked; he treated
us with the most opprobrious language, and threatened to cut off our
heads. We comforted ourselves in this condition, hoping that all our
sufferings would end in shedding our blood for the name of Jesus Christ.
We knew that the bassa had often made a public declaration before our
arrival that he should die contented if he could have the pleasure of
killing us all with his own hand. This violent resolution was not
lasting; his zeal gave way to his avarice, and he could not think of
losing so large a sum as he knew he might expect for our ransom: he
therefore sent us word that it was in our choice either to die, or to pay
him thirty thousand crowns, and demanded to know our determination.
We knew that his ardent thirst of our blood was now cold, that time and
calm reflection and the advice of his friends had all conspired to bring
him to a milder temper, and therefore willingly began to treat with him.
I told the messenger, being deputed by the rest to manage the affair,
that he could not but observe the wretched condition we were in, that we
had neither money nor revenues, that what little we had was already taken
from us, and that therefore all we could promise was to set a collection
on foot, not much doubting but that our brethren would afford us such
assistance as might enable us to make him a handsome present according to
custom.
This answer was not at all agreeable to the bassa, who returned an answer
that he would be satisfied with twenty thousand crowns, provided we paid
them on the spot, or gave him good securities for the payment. To this
we could only repeat what we had said before: he then proposed to abate
five thousand of his last demand, assuring us that unless we came to some
agreement, there was no torment so cruel but we should suffer it, and
talked of nothing but impaling and flaying us alive; the terror of these
threatenings was much increased by his domestics, who told us of many of
his cruelties. This is certain, that some time before, he had used some
poor pagan merchants in that manner, and had caused the executioner to
begin to flay them, when some Brahmin, touched with compassion,
generously contributed the sum demanded for their ransom. We had no
reason to hope for so much kindness, and, having nothing of our own,
could promise no certain sum.
At length some of his favourites whom he most confided in, knowing his
cruelty and our inability to pay what he demanded, and apprehending that,
if he should put us to the death he threatened, they should soon see the
fleets of Portugal in the Red Sea, laying their towns in ashes to revenge
it, endeavoured to soften his passion and preserve our lives, offering to
advance the sum we should agree for, without any other security than our
words. By this assistance, after many interviews with the bassa's
agents, we agreed to pay four thousand three hundred crowns, which were
accepted on condition that they should be paid down, and we should go on
board within two hours: but, changing his resolution on a sudden, he sent
us word by his treasurer that two of the most considerable among us
should stay behind for security, while the rest went to procure the money
they promised. They kept the patriarch and two more fathers, one of
which was above fourscore years old, in whose place I chose to remain
prisoner, and represented to the bassa that, being worn out with age, he
perhaps might die in his hands, which would lose the part of the ransom
which was due on his account; that therefore it would be better to choose
a younger in his place, offering to stay myself with him, that the good
old man might be set at liberty.
The bassa agreed to another Jesuit, and it pleased Heaven that the lot
fell upon Father Francis Marquez. I imagined that I might with the same
ease get the patriarch out of his hand, but no sooner had I begun to
speak but the anger flashed in his eyes, and his look was sufficient to
make me stop and despair of success. We parted immediately, leaving the
patriarch and two fathers in prison, whom we embraced with tears, and
went to take up our lodging on board the vessel.