Page 56 - History of Portuguese in the Gulf_Neat

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26 THE TRAVELS OF PEDRO TEIXEIRA.
between shores level on cither bank ; whereof the northern
or Persian plains are in the possession of Mombarek, son
of Motelob, an Arab chief who holds them against the
Turk, and is at war with him; pretending a right to these
and to the territory of Basord.1 In his territories are
Magdom, Odza, and Doreka,2 cities of importance. They
lie widely waste, not barren, but untilled for fear of the
Turks. Those on the other, or Arabian, bank are fertile
and cultivated, with many palm-groves, orchards, and
gardens.3 The river makes near its mouth a great bend,
but returns to its course, which here is from west to east.
It may be here a little over two miles wide, and about six
fathoms deep at this season of low water, with a strong
current.
On either shore are abundant herds and flocks, geese
and ducks, and other fowl and beasts. The inhabitants are
•i
Arabs, who carry on communication by swimming upon
inflated skins. Many came thus to our ship, to sell hens,
geese, milk, butter, dates, and other victual, all very cheap.
There was a strong head wind, so we got but slowly up
the river ; and after eight or nine leagues came to where
it divides into two equal parts. One flows southward
through Arabia, and enters the Persian Gulf at Katifa
near Barhen, forming of that bit of land an isle perhaps
more than eighty leagues long.4 The other channel is that
1 For “Mombarek,” see also P. Della Valle, Letter No. 17, from
Bagdad, December 10th to 23rd, 1616. [A number of Royal letters in
Doc. Rem., tom. i and ii, refer to “ Bombareca,” and the liberal terms
offered by him to the Portuguese, to induce them to form an offensive
and defensive alliance with him, against the Turks.—D. F.]
2 Maktueh, Ahwaz (or perhaps Hawizeh), Dorak, Dawrak, or Fella-
hieh, R. G. S. map of Persia.
* This contrast still exists {Persian Gulf Pilot and charts). But
Teixeira’s channels cannot be verified now : the river has changed too
much.
4 The translation is literal. It is difficult to suppose thatTeixeira
really believed any mouth of the Shdt-el-Arab to reach El Katff, near
the Isles of Bahrein, which last we shall see reason to think that he
JOURNEY FROM INDIA TO ITALY. 27
by which we had come, and from this on the single stream
is wider, deeper, and stronger. A little way up it we
came to an islet in mid-stream, one league in length, and
half as much broad; green enough, and full of palm-groves
and gardens.1 The channel is deeper on the Arabian side
of it. Pursuing our voyage, we came at 8 A.M. of August
the 6th to Serrage,2 fifteen or sixteen leagues from the
bar ; where ships of burden anchor to discharge cargo.
Here we cast anchor over against a fort that the Turks
hold on the river side, in the territory of Mombareka.
They have many other such, both above and below it, to
protect the land, and their vassals therein, against the
Arabs’ forays.
I left the ship and entered a canal, which may have two
fathoms of water at ebb, and more than three at flood tide.
For the tide is felt here, though the water is ever fresh.3
By this creek, fringed on each side with ploughed lands,
palm-groves, and gardens watered therefrom, after less
than one league’s journey, we came to Basord.
Basora4 is a city of Arabs, set about two miles west
of the joint Euphrates and Tigris, and communicating
visited. Yet the distance, in geographical leagues of twenty to a
degree, corresponds to that position. One can only suppose our
author to have been misled by an ignorant or mendacious pilot. [In
the description of Basra, printed from the Sloans MS. 197, in the
Comment, of A). Da/6., vol. iv, pp. 232-238, the writer makes the same
statement regarding a branch reaching to Catifa.—D. F.]
This description would suit the modern island of Muhalla, below
the entrance of the Hafar, or channel into the Kdrun (Persian Cult
Pilot).
2 Not noticed by the Persian Gulf Pilot or charts. But Kiepert has
“Saradji,” a little below Basra, on the west bank.
3 Rise and fall at Basra “ about nine feet.” The influence of the
tides reaches about thirty miles beyond Kurna, but the stream always
runs down, the rise and fall gradually decreasing to nil (Persian
Gulf Pilot). The water is more brackish, and hotter, than that of
the Hafar, or Kdrun, and ships should prefer the latter {ibid.).
4 Cf. the description of Basra referred to in the foot-note supra.
—D. F.