Page 76 - History of Portuguese in the Gulf_Neat

k'
\
i' /
186 APPENDIX A.
i jury, the sight was destroyed by the effect of the fire on the
him to his presence, and used him very honourably and liberally,
for the sake of an old friendship with his family.
Meanwhile, the summer came on, and the king Xa Kodbadin
chose to pass it in Nakelstam, a district of Mogostam on the Per­
sian mainland, cool and full of good water and fruit, which are
not in Harmuz. So he and his court went there, and a few days
•ill:: later he fell sick and died, in the year of the Hyxara 747, and
A.D. I347.
Ii Turon XA, son of Xa Kodbadin, succeeded to the kingdom of
|!j Harmuz by the death of his father.1 He it was who wrote in
I! Persian the lives and doings of the kings that went before him,
in prose and verse : not briefly, as I do, but in a great volume,
IT! whence I have extracted this short narrative. He was a good
»■]
hi king, beloved and much honoured by his people. On his acces­
i sion he sent, as governor to the Isle of Keys, one Mamud Homer,
a man of courage and experience. Xady, who was in Barhen,
i though knowing him for a good captain, yet desisted not from
!ii! his design of invading Keys. When he got there, after some
tt! skirmishes and small success, he bargained secretly with a kins­
ft! !
13 man of Mamud Homer’s for his betrayal at the first opportunity.
>i This agreed on, Xady made pretence of a wish for some reason­ i of affairs in his favour,4 and took cruel vengeance on all who had
able peace, and desired an interview. Mamud Homer agreed too
easily and trustfully, and the meeting took place. Xady, who
1! came well knowing what to do, managed to separate Mamud
i from his followers, captured him when defenceless, and deprived
ii i him of his eyes—or rather, of sight.
HI This was a common practice, before and since that time, of the
t kings of Persia and of Harmuz, when they would assure them­
selves against those whom they might fear, who were commonly
!• their own kindred. At this day there are seen in Harmuz, on a
hill near the Hermitage of Santa Lucia,2 rather over a mile from
the city, the ruins of certain towers, wherein the kings used to
keep relatives so blinded. The method was this : they took a
brass basin, as hot as fire could make it, and passed it several
ffl! times before the victim’s eyes. And so, without any other in-
1 footnote on p. 45 of his translation of Barbosa, who mentions this
I: 1 Barros and Couto (u. s.) state that “Ceifadin” or “CeifadixA” was
•ii succeeded by his younger brother “TorunxA,” whose reign lasted
; 1 thirty years. Castanhcda (Liv. 11, cap. lix) speaks of this king as
“ Tuxura” (for “Turuxa”), but says nothing of the length of his reign.
ii; None of these writers mentions the fact of this king’s being the
■ i historian of Hormuz. The Dominican translator (see Appendix D,
1 infra) calls the royal historian “ Pachaturunxa,” and, by a curious slip,
credits him with having reigned “ three hundred years, a little more
or less” ! —D. F.
I: j ’■
2 See the plan of Hormuz in Astle/s Collection, u.s., and NieuhoPs
•/ ?
Travels, op. cit.> p. 232.—D. F.
t.
1
;
i ’
KINGS OF HORMUZ. lS7
l optic nerves, the eyes remaining as clear and bright as before.1
After the blinding of Mamud Homer, Xady remained master of
the Isle of Keys. The news came to Turonxa, who at once sailed
in search of him. Xady had early advice of this, and wanted to
fly from the isle, but could not, so close was the blockade. But
it was winter, and though the king's men kept good watch by sea,
it was not so strict but that Xady managed to get away, one very
cloudy night, in a light tarranquin,2 to Lapht, in the island of
Queixome. The king, who had early news of this, pursued him,
and anchored at Dargahon, near Lapht. Xady’s companions
heard of it, left him to himself, and betook themselves to the king.
He, finding himself deserted, went at once aboard the tarnvujuy,
and sailed for Barhen with such expedition that, although the
king without delay sent vessels in chase of him, they did not
catch him.
Xady, when he reached Barhen, soon died of pure despite,:J
leaving a son, a minor, to whom King Turonxa gave his father’s
office. But Xambe, the deceased Xady’s brother, whose flight to
Xyraz we have mentioned, having heard of his brother’s death,
betook himself in all haste to Barhen. Here he found the state
taken sides against him in his former disputes with Xady, his
brother. Many of these he slew, not sparing even the child, his
nephew; and many fled in terror from the isle.
But there was one Mir Ageb, a chief, who ill endured such
tyranny and insolence; and he, with the help of his own family
and some other followers, stormed and sacked Xambe’s house,
and slew Xamb<5 himself. He had lately confined one Aly
Mahamed Palaon,5 a captain of importance, who was now
presently set free. Mir Ageb proposed, with this man’s support,
! to usurp the lordship of the isle. He would not give it, but passed
over to the mainland of Arabia, to the fortress of Katifa, taking
I
1 The above passage is quoted by Lord Stanley of Aldcrlcy in a
custom. See also Varthema, p. 96 ; Linschoten, vol. i, p. 46 and
note ; Pyrard, vol. ii, p. 242 and note ; Comment, of Af Data., vol. iv,
p. 179.—D. F.
2 See note on p. 159, supra.—D. p.
3 «
Dc pura passion.” I have some authority for the rendering :
“ Gwenwynwyn fell sick with alarm and despite ; Died, and went to
the Devil, the very same night” (Peacock, Crochet Castle). At any
rate, I like using hard words about “ Xady,” who is no favourite of
mine.
4 « Cosas dispuestasP
5 “ Palaon ” probably represents “ PahlwAn,” meaning, in its highest
sense, “a hero,” though often applied to a mere athlete or wrestler.