His Anxiety To Have The Ships Brought Near The Shore Was, That
The Moors Might Be Able To Board Them And Kill All Their People; And,
Seeing It In This Light, The General Was Equally Determined To Prevent
Their Nearer Approach.
Finding he could not prevail on the general to
command the ships to be brought near the shore, and
Having no pretence to
justify either keeping him prisoner or offering him any wrong, the kutwal
next endeavoured to persuade him to order the sails and rudders on shore;
at which the general only laughed, saying the king had given full
permission to go on board without any such conditions, and assured him
the king should be fully informed of all his unjust proceedings.
The general and his people now pretended to be in want of necessaries
from the ships, and requested leave to send some of his people on board,
while he should remain on shore; but this the kutwal refused, and our
people began to be seriously alarmed. At this time Gonzalo Perez returned,
supposing the general at liberty and that he waited for him and his
companions. Perez informed De Gama that he had seen Coello, who waited
for him with the boats near the shore. The admiral was exceedingly
anxious that the kutwal should not know of this circumstance, lest he
might send out a number of armed almadias to capture them; and therefore
urged Perez to return secretly to give Coello warning to return to the
ships and keep constantly on the alert for fear of an attack. When Coello
got this intelligence, he immediately set off, and the kutwal caused him
to be pursued by several almadias full of armed men, but he made his
escape. The kutwal made another attempt to induce the general to order
his brother to bring the ships near the shore, but in vain; for the
general told him, his brother, even if he were to write such an order,
would not obey, or, were he disposed to do so, the other officers in the
ship would prevent him. The kutwal observed that he could not give credit
to this, as he was sure any thing he commanded would be obeyed. But no
arguments could prevail on the general to this measure, which he was
satisfied was meant for facilitating the destruction of the fleet to
gratify the Moors.
The whole of this day was spent in this manner, and in the night our
people were confined in a large paved yard surrounded with walls, and
under even a stronger guard than attended them during the day; and even
the general began to fear as well as the men, that they would be
separated from one another. Yet he trusted, when the zamorin should come
to know the usage they had received, he would give orders for their
release. That night, the kutwal came to sup with the general and sent a
supply of fowls and rice. Finding that he could not prevail over the
constancy of De Gama, he determined at last to set him at liberty.
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