The
Reason Of Wishing To Have Two Was, Lest One Might Die During The Voyage,
And Our People Were Much Pleased With This Promise.
The governor came a
second time to visit the general, and brought with him both the pilots
whom he
Had promised; to each of whom were given thirty crowns and a coat,
each crown being worth five shillings, under this condition, that
whenever one of them should go on shore, the other should remain on board,
that one might always stay by the ship while in harbour.
Notwithstanding these friendly meetings, speeches, and assurances, it
soon appeared, after the departure of the governor, that the Moors had
learned, during their intercourse with our people, that they were
Christians, on which the former friendship and good will of the Moors
towards them was changed to wrath and fury, and they henceforwards used
every endeavour to kill our men, and to take possession of the ships. The
governor, therefore, and his people, used every effort for this
mischievous purpose, and had certainly succeeded, if the Almighty had not
moved the heart of one of the Moorish pilots who had been received into
the Portuguese fleet, to reveal the same to the general; who, fearing
lest the infidels might suddenly execute their purpose, as being numerous
in comparison to his small company, determined to remain no longer in the
harbour. Wherefore, on Saturday the 10th March 1498, being seven days
after his arrival, he quitted the harbour of Mozambique, and cast anchor
close to an island, at the distance of a league from that place;
intending, on Sunday, to hear mass on shore, that they might confess and
receive the sacrament, which had not been done since leaving Lisbon.
After the ships were come to anchor in this place of safety from being
burnt by the Moors, which the general greatly dreaded, he determined to
go back to Mozambique in his boat, to demand the other pilot who had been
promised, but who still remained on shore. Leaving his brother with the
fleet, in readiness to come to his aid if needful, the general went
towards Mozambique with his boat, accompanied by Nicholas Coello, and the
Moorish pilot. On their way they saw six _zambucos_ or boats, filled with
Moors, coming towards them, armed with long bows and arrows, and also
with shields and spears. The Moors called to our people to come along
with them to the town; and the Moorish pilot, who explained their signals,
advised the general to do so, as the governor would not otherwise deliver
the other pilot, who still remained on shore. The general was much
displeased at this advice, believing the pilot only wished him to
approach the shore, that he might be able to run away, and therefore
ordered him to be secured as a prisoner. He likewise gave orders to fire
at the Moorish boats from his ordnance. When Paulo de la Gama heard the
shot, believing the general to be in more danger than he actually was, he
immediately came with the ship Berrio under sail to his aid. On seeing
this, the Moors fled away in such haste that the general could not
overtake them, and therefore returned with his brother to where the other
ships were at anchor.
Next day, being Sunday, the general and all his men went on shore, where
they heard mass, and received the sacrament very devoutly, having
confessed the evening before. After this they re-embarked and set sail
the same day. Having no hope of procuring the other pilot, the general
ordered to release him whom he had confined, and carried him on the
voyage. But he, willing to be revenged for the indignity he had
experienced, determined on carrying the Portuguese fleet to the island of
Quiloa, which was all peopled with Moors; and, as it seemed, intended to
inform the king of that place that our ships belonged to the Christians,
that he might destroy them and kill the crews. For this purpose, he
craftily persuaded the general not to be in trouble for want of the other
pilot, as he would carry him to a great island, on hundred leagues from
thence, which was inhabited half by Moors, and half by Christians, who
were always in war with each other, and where he might easily find pilots
to conduct him to Calicut. Though the general was much pleased with this
information, he yet did not give implicit credit to the Moor, but
promised him high rewards if he carried him in safety to that country,
and so went forward on the voyage with a scant wind.
On the Tuesday the fleet was still in sight of the land from which they
took their departure, and remained becalmed all that day and the next. On
Wednesday night, a gentle breeze sprung up from the eastward, on which
the fleet stood off to seaward, but on Thursday morning, on again making
the land, they were four leagues to leeward of Mozambique, whence plying
to windward, they came back that evening to the island where they had
heard mass on the Sunday before, where they cast anchor and remained
eight days waiting for a fair wind. While here at anchor, a white Moor,
who was a _molah_ or minister among the Moors of Mozambique, came on
board the generals ship, representing that the governor was much grieved
at the breach of peace and friendship between them, which he would now
gladly renew. To this the general made answer, that he would make no
peace with the governor unless he sent him the other pilot whom he had
hired and paid. With this answer the _molah_ departed, and never came
back. After this, while still waiting for a fair wind, there came another
Moor on board, accompanied with his son, a boy, and asked the general to
give him a passage to the city of Melinda, which he said was on his way
to Calicut.
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