Indian Antiquary Vol 50

SR No.: 032542
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Richard Carnac Temple, Devadatta Ramkrishna Bhandarkar
Publisher: Swati Publications
Publication Year: 1985
Total Pages: 468
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 19 MB

Page 237

JULY, 1921)
MISCELLANEA
227
MISCELLANEA. BOCAMORTIS-BACAMARTE.
Lacerda, Portuguese Dictionary, gives Baoan art This term occurs (ante, vol. XLIX, 10) with
as a variant of an obsolete word Braca marto,
meaning a cutlass, banger, a whinyard, the braca Episodes of Piracy in the Eastern Seas (Episode XVI). Thus --" They kept at a small distance
therein being possibly connected with the Portu
guese words braça etc., for arm. That the bacamarto. firing their muskets and bocomortasses and fling.
was a hand weapon is clear from the above ex ing granadoes." Bocomortass clearly means a
trauts, but it is doubtful if Lacerda is right in de blunderbus or musketoon, which was frequently
fining it as a cutlass. In his English-Portuguese in the East a gun with a bell mouth or open
volume of his Dictionary he gives bac amarte as mouthed face, not infrequently-that of a tiger,
an equivalent for both hand-gun and musketoon, sculptured at the muzzle. Lat. bucca, It. bocca,
but not for either cutlass or hanger. Port. boca : hence, buccamortis, death-dealing face. Cf. Boca Tigris, mouth of the Tiger, for the
From the instances of the use of the word by narrows in the Canton River and in the Tigris.
Robeiro and in the E.I. Co's. Records, it is obvious.
that the woapon intended was a hand gun or mus. In Part II of An Illustrated Handbook of Indian
ketoon. The confusion between Portuguese bacaArms, by The Hon. Wilbraham Egerton, entitled
marts and Latin bucca mortis probably arose both Catalogue of the Arms in the Indian Museum,
from the appearance of these guns and from the is, No. 585,"Matchlock; very long barrel. Taken
execution caused by them. at the siege of Seringepatam," and a note thereon from the Codrington Collection, where it is called
I referred the matter to Mr. M. Longworth a "Bukmar; musyuetoon with bell mouth; tiger
Dames, and he wrote as follows:pattern. Taken at Sering apatam. Used by the "I have been unable to find any other instances officers of the camel corps."
in Portuguese of the use of the words bacamarte'
and 'bracamarte.' In the original text of Rebeiro's It is therefore possible that bukmdr, bugmdr, is a
work, Fatalidude Historica de Ilha de Ceilao, first western Indian term arising out of the Portuguese
printed in 1836, I find "bacamarte' used, as term boca mortis.
correctly given in the translation you have quoted. Since the above note was written, Mr. S. Vieyra's Dict., ed. 1813, gives bacamarte as Charles Hill has drawn my attention to further meaning A blunderbuss,' and bracamarte as a instances of the use of the word in its Portuguese short and brond gword' formerly used. The two form frorn Rebeiro's Hist. of Ceilão.
worvis seem quito distinct. Dalgado does not
give either in his Glossario Indo-Asiatico, no doubt In describing " How the Hollanders besieged and
considering them original Portuguese words, not assaulted the City of Colombo" in 1656, kebeiro of Oriental origin. I do not think bracamarte' writes (2d ed. tr. P. E. Picris, pp. 368, 369, 370): can have any connection with the word for 'arm.'. "One afternoon we (the Portuguese) encountered
An arm' in Portuguese is braço, with a soft c', them and had a fierce fight, and as the passage and not braca. For bracamarte I can suggest
ich they had made through the earth was two nothing better than boca mortis, but marte' might braças (fathoms) in breadth, many hastened to its
conceivably stand for Marte, Mars, and thus mean defence and a large number of them were killed; mouth of Mars' instead of mouth of death.' while the hole which we had made being small But it is impossible to be certain, for it does not and dark, they could do us no harm. The only
seem very probable that a common word in uni. arms which could be used in this position were
versal use like boca should be turned into baca, basamartes and pistols ... Inside the fort at the
unless by a misprint or mistake in writing. I am mouth of the countermine they set up a wicket
sorry I cannot help more on this curious point." through which & man could hardly creep, and when
The expressions bacamurte and bracamarte are the two whose turn it was to go on guard reached
therefore obviously an old puzzle to lexicographers there, they were disarmed of all their weapons
And scholars, and these notes are put forward in before entering ... and therefore each of them
the hope of some one finding a clear elucidation. took with them only a bacamarte ... Their orders
With regard to braça and braca, the cedilla was so were that if an advance were made from that
often omitted in MSS. that they may yet prove side on the bastion, they were to fire their bacs
after all to be indentical. marties in such a way as to set the touch-hole of the powder-cask alight."
R. C. TEMPLE.