They
Have But One Wife, Use Circumcision, Pay Tythes, And Practice Fasting.
The Men Are Comely, And The Women So Brave That They Go To War Like
Amazons.
They are clothed mostly in skins, but some of the better sort
use cloth; their weapons are stones, which they sling with much
dexterity, and they live mostly in caves[92].
This island was subject to
the sheikh or king of Caxem[93] in Arabia.
[Footnote 91: Abyssinia is obviously here meant. - E.]
[Footnote 92: Though not distinguished in the text, Faria seems here to
confine himself to the barbarous Christian natives, inhabiting the
country; as the towns appear to have been occupied by Mahometan
Arabs. - E.]
[Footnote 93: Cashen or Cassin. - Astley, I. 63.]
At this place[94] De Cunna found a tolerable fort, not ill manned, and
decently provided for defence. He sent a friendly message to the sheikh,
but receiving an insolent answer he resolved to attack the place,
though the attempt seemed dangerous. He and Albuquerque went towards the
shore with the troops, but Don Alfonso de Noronha, nephew to De Cunna,
leapt first on shore, determining to shew himself worthy of the choice
which the king had made of him to command in Socotora, if gained.
Noronha immediately advanced against the sheikh with a few brave men.
The sheikh defended himself with great resolution, and had even almost
repulsed the assailants, when he was struck down by the lance of
Noronha. The Moors endeavoured with much valour to rescue their wounded
chief, but he and eight more were slain, on which the rest fled to the
castle. This was immediately scaled by a party of the Portuguese, who
opened the gate for the rest, who now rushed into the large outer court.
[Footnote 94: By a marginal note in Faria, it appears to have been now
the year 1508; but the particular place or town in Socotora attacked by
De Cunna is not mentioned. I am disposed however to believe that date an
error of the press, for 1507. - E.]
The Moors bravely defended their inner fort to the last man, so that of
eighty-three men only one was taken alive, besides a blind man who was
found hidden in a well. Being asked how he had got there, being blind,
he answered that blind men saw only one thing, which was the way to
liberty. He was set free. In this assault the Portuguese lost six men.
During the assault the natives of the island kept at a distance, but now
came with their wives and children, joyfully returning thanks to the
Portuguese commander for having delivered them from the heavy yoke of
the infidels; and De Cunna received them to their great satisfaction
under the protection of the crown of Portugal[95]. The Mosque was
purified by the solemnities of the Catholic church, and converted into a
church dedicated to the Invocation of Neustra Sennora della Vittoria,
in which many were baptised by the labours of Father Antonio of the
order of St Francis. De Cunna gave the command of the fort, now named
San Miguel, to Don Alfonso de Noronha, his nephew, who had well deserved
it by his valour, even if he had not been nominated to the command by
the king. Noronha was provided with a garrison of an hundred men, with
proper officers; after which De Cunna wintered at the island of
Socotora, though very ill accommodated, and then sailed for India,
sending Albuquerque, according to the royal orders, to cruise on the
coast of Arabia[96].
[Footnote 95: Little did these poor Jacobite Christians suspect, that in
exchanging masters they were subjected to the more dreadful yoke of the
Portuguese Inquisition! The zeal of the Portuguese for the liberty of
the Christian inhabitants of Socotora soon cooled, when it was found
unable to pay the expence of a garrison, and it was soon abandoned to
the milder oppression of its former Mahometan masters. - E.]
[Footnote 96: From an after part of the text of Faria, we learn that
this fort in the island of Socotora was taken on the 20th of August,
probably of the year 1507.]
While these things occurred at Socotora, the zamorin of Calicut was
arming afresh against the Portuguese, relying on the promises of his
wizards and soothsayers; who, finding that the succours under Tristan de
Cunna were long delayed, assured him of success in that lucky
opportunity, and predicted a great change of affairs, as indicated by an
earthquake and a great eclipse of the sun, so complete that the stars
were seen at noon for a considerable time, and which they pretended was
a sure sign of the approaching destruction of the Portuguese. But on the
viceroy Almeyda receiving notice of the preparations at Calicut, he sent
his son Don Lorenzo thither with a squadron of ten ships. At this time
Gonzalo Vaz was in Cananor with his ship, taking in water; and on his
voyage to join Don Lorenzo he fell in with a ship belonging to Cananor
having a Portuguese pass, which he sunk with all her moorish crew sewed
up in a sail that they might never be seen. But this wicked action was
afterwards discovered, for which Vaz was broke; a very incompetent
punishment for so great a crime, owing to which the Portuguese
afterwards suffered severe calamities, as will appear in the sequel.
On his way towards Dabul in search of the Calicut fleet, Don Lorenzo
cast anchor at the entrance of the port of Chaul, into which seven
vessels belonging to the Moors entered without making any return to his
salute. On this Lorenzo followed them in his boats, and the Moors leaped
overboard to escape on shore, but many of them were slain by the
Portuguese in the water. Lorenzo then took possession of the ships,
which were laden with horses and other goods; and as the Moors
endeavoured to overreach him with regard to ransoming their vessels,
greatly underrating their cargoes, he ordered them all to be burnt.
Going thence to Dabul, where he found the Calicut fleet, he anchored off
the mouth of the river, and called a council of his officers to consult
on the proper measures for an attack; but owing to the narrowness of the
river it was carried in the council not to attack, contrary to the
opinion of Lorenzo, who was eager to destroy the enemies ships.
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