The General And The Other Captains Ranged In Their Boats Along
Side Of The Town, But Did Not Venture On Shore, Not Having Sufficient
Force, Nor Could They Get Any Speech Of The Moors.
Next day they went on
shore at the watering-place, where they took what was needed without any
opposition from the Moors.
Being now hopeless of recovering the Negro, or
of procuring the Indian captives, it was determined to depart; but the
general resolved to be revenged on the town and people for their enmity.
For which reason, he went against it next day with ordnance, and
destroyed it in such sort that the Moors had to abandon it, and flee into
another island within the country.[35] This being done, the fleet weighed
anchor on Tuesday the 27th of March, and departed from Mozambique, whence
they proceeded to two little rocks, which they called St George, and
where they came to anchor in waiting for a wind, which was now contrary.
Soon afterwards the wind came fair and they departed, but the wind was so
light, and the currents so strong, that they were forced in a retrograde
course.
The general was much pleased to find that one of the Moors taken by his
brother at Mozambique was a pilot, and was acquainted with the navigation
to Calicut. Proceeding on their voyage, they came, on Sunday the first of
April, to certain islands very near the coast, to the first of which they
gave the name of _Ilha da Acoutado_, because the Moorish pilot of
Mozambique was here severely whipt by order of the general, for having
falsely said that these islands were part of the continent, and likewise
for not shewing the way to the watering-place at Mozambique, as before
related. Being cruelly whipt, the Moor confessed that he had brought them
to this place expressly that they might perish on the rocks and shoals of
these islands, which were so numerous and so close together, that they
could hardly be distinguished from each other. On this the general stood
out to sea, and on Friday the 4th of April,[36] standing to the north-
west, he came in sight, before noon, of a great land, with two islands
near the coast, around which were many shoals. On nearing the shore, the
Moorish pilots recognized it, and said that the Christian island of
Quiloa was three leagues astern; on which the general was much grieved,
believing certainly that the natives of Quiloa had been Christians, as
represented by the pilots, and that they had purposely taken a wrong
course that the ships might not come there. The pilots, to conceal their
treachery, alleged that the winds and currents had carried the ships
farther than they reckoned. But in truth, they were more disappointed in
this than even the general, as they had reckoned upon being here revenged
upon the Portuguese, by having them all slain. In this God preserved our
people from the intended danger most miraculously, for if they had gone
to Quiloa they had all surely perished; as the general was so fully
persuaded of the natives being Christians, as reported by the pilot, that
he would doubtless have landed immediately on his arrival, and have
thereby run headlong to a place where he and all his people would have
been slain.
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