Page 93 - Early English Adventurers in the Middle East_Neat

ENGLISH CAPTIVES IN ARABIA 93

fourth voyage, which, as we have seen, consisted of the
Ascension and the Union, commanded by Captain Alexan­
der Sharpeigh. A vivid account of the expedition is given
by John Jourdain, who accompanied the ships as one of
the factors, and whose journal, published by the Hakluyt
Society, under the erudite editorial supervision of Mr. Win.
Foster, is not the least valuable of the many interesting
historical documents of this eventful period. Jourdain,
who came of good Dorsetshire stock—his father was in 1584
Mayor of Lyme Regis—drifted into the Company’s service
from the Western shipping trade, which was a veritable
nursery of the early East India commanders. His educa­
tion must have been above the common, for his diary is a
work of some elaboration, containing not only an account
of the professional aspects of the voyage, but much in the
nature of topographical description and narrative of per­
sonal experiences. He appears through his writings in the
light of a strong, self-reliant character, not afraid of respon­
sibility, and, like most of his fellows, keen for the honour of
his country. On this voyage he figured in a subordinate
part, which did not allow him any great scope for distin­
guishing himself, but later, as will be found as the story
progresses, he earned a niche in the Hall of Fame which is
tenanted by the sailor worthies of the early seventeenth
century.
Many months were consumed in the voyage to the Cape
and the subsequent effort to beat up the African coast to
Aden. After some exciting experiences at Pemba, near
Zanzibar, and subsequently in a conflict with the crews of
several native vessels overhauled at sea, the Ascension
and the Union, towards the middle of January, 1609,
found themselvesTn the vicinity of the Seychelles. As his