The
Inhabitants Are Moors, Who Are By No Means Warlike And Have Few Weapons,
But Are Well Clothed In Silk, And Cotton Vestments, Which They Purchase
At Mombaza From The Merchants Of Cambaya.
The women are ornamented with
jewels of gold and silver, the former being procured at Sofala, and the
latter from the island of St Lawrence, or Madagascar.
Each of these three
islands has a separate king, who, with all their subjects, are of the
Mahometan religion.
When the king of the island of Zenziber was informed of the arrival of
our ships, he sent immediately to compliment the general, accompanied
with great presents of the fruits and other productions of the country,
and requested his friendship, to which the general gladly agreed and sent
suitable answers. After remaining here eight days for refreshments, the
general departed on the 1st of March, and came to anchor beside the isle
of St George in the bay of Mozambique. Next day he caused a mark to be
erected on this island, where he went on shore and heard mass; and
departed thence without any intercourse with the inhabitants of
Mozambique. On the 3d of March, he came to the island of St Blas, where
the ships remained for some time to take in water, and to provide a stock
of sea wolves, and _solitarios_, which were salted to serve as provision
for the remainder of the voyage, and for which they were most thankful to
God. Departing from thence, they were driven back by a westerly wind
right contrary; but Providence sent them a fair wind, by means of which
they doubled the Cape of Good Hope with infinite pleasure on the 20th of
March, all the remainder of the crews being now strong and in good health,
with the cheering prospect of speedily returning to Lisbon. They now had
a fair wind, which lasted them twenty days, and sped them on towards St
Jago. The fair wind now failed them and delayed their voyage. Trying the
lead on Thursday the 25th of April, they found twenty-five fathom; and
the least water they had all that day was twenty fathom, on which account
the pilots concluded they were on the shoals of the Rio Grande.
Of the rest of this voyage, till the arrival of the general at the island
of St Jago, I have found no account; except that, when, approaching that
place, Nicholas Coello parted company one night with the general, and
made direct for Portugal, that he might carry the first intelligence to
the king of the discovery of India; and arrived at _Cascais_ on the 10th
of July 1499[74]. He went immediately to the king, whom he informed of
all that had befallen the general in his discovery of the Indies, and of
the commodities which had been brought from thence; of which discovery,
and of the prospect which it held out of a direct trade with India by sea,
the king was as glad as when he had been proclaimed king of Portugal.
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