While Sequeira Was On His Voyage
For Massua, A Small Black Flag Was Seen On The Disk Of The Sun Towards
Evening On The 9th Of April Being Easter Sunday.
On arriving at Massua
they found all the inhabitants had fled, yet they found some vessels in
the port which they captured.
The inhabitants of Massua had fled to the
neighbouring port of Arkiko in the dominions of Prester John, and
the governor of the town sent a messenger with a letter to Sequeira
desiring that he would make peace with the people who had fled to him
for protection; at the same time he asked nothing for the town where he
commanded, because they were all Christians, and because they had a
prophecy among them which foretold the coming of Christians to settle a
correspondence with them, and which he now believed to be fulfilled on
seeing the Christian colours. Sequeira sent a courteous answer, and drew
nearer the shore, on which several Christians came on board. They told
him that their prince had sent several years before an ambassador named
Mathew, to a king at the other end of the world whose fleet had
conquered India, on purpose to become acquainted with these remote
Christians and to demand succour against the Moors; but that the
ambassador had never returned. On hearing this, Sequeira was satisfied
that they dealt ingeniously with him, as he had actually brought that
ambassador along with him, and had orders from the king of Portugal to
land him safe in the dominions of Prester John.
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