Page:Early English adventurers in the East (1917).djvu/128

 awaited English fleet arrived off Surat. It consisted of four vessels—New Year's Gift, Hector, Merchants' Hope and Salmon—under the command of Nicholas Downton. Their arrival worked a fresh change in the situation. From being a negligible quantity the English became a factor of the utmost importance. Makarrab Khan promptly sought to enlist the aid of the ships in his operations against the Portuguese, assuming that as the quarrel had been forced upon the Mogul by his bestowal of favours upon the English, the latter would help him out of the difficulty. Downton, however, was not in the mood to take risks. His naturally cautious disposition had been strengthened by the misfortunes which had overtaken Middleton's voyage through an undue resort to belligerency. He hoped to be able to trade without entering into the quarrel on either side, and in any event he did not wish to risk his ships for the advantage of "the Moors," who had hitherto not shown an abounding affection for the English.

His benevolent neutrality was at first construed by the Moguls into an intention to side with the Portuguese, and they resented it accordingly. But any obscurity that there might have been about the position of affairs was soon dissipated by the Portuguese, who plainly indicated that they regarded Downton's fleet as not less enemy's ships than Best's two vessels. In the last days of the year they sent to him an insolent demand to retire from Indian waters. Downton treated the suggestion with proper contempt, but he could not fail to recognize that whether he desired it or not he had got to take a hand—and an important one—in this dispute.

Downton was a brave and capable commander and as a man possessed many estimable qualities, but he was