Though Disappointed In These Views, They
Continued To Intermiddle In Our Affairs, Particularly By Buying Up The
Spices And Sending Them Elsewhere, In Hope Of Irritating Our People, And
Bringing On A Quarrel, That They Might Have A Pretext To Attack Us.
This
they were much inclined to bring about, as, being greatly more numerous
than our men, they hoped the
Zamorin would take part with them against us.
They likewise used all possible means to draw over the common people of
Calicut to their side, and to excite them to enmity, against us, by
making them believe that our people had injured them.
Through those devices, our factor was unable to procure more spices than
sufficed to load two ships in the course of three months, from which the
general was convinced that the friendly assurances of the zamorin was
little to be depended on; and if he had not been afraid of not being able
to procure a sufficient supply elsewhere, he would have gone to another
port: But, having already consumed a long time and been at heavy charges,
he determined to remain at Calicut, and sent a message to the zamorin,
complaining of the delays, which ill accorded with the promises of his
highness, that the whole fleet should be loaded in twenty days, whereas
three months were now elapsed and the loading of two ships only was
procured. He urged the zamorins promise that the Portuguese ships were to
be first loaded; whereas he had assured information that the Moors had
bought up great quantities of spices at lower prices, and sent them to
other places, and begged the zamorin to consider that it was now time for
the ships to begin their voyage to Portugal, and that he anxiously wished
for dispatch. On receiving this message, the zamorin pretended to be much
surprised that our ships were still unprovided with a loading, and could
not believe that the Moors had secretly bought up and removed the spices,
contrary to his orders; and even gave permission to the general to take
those ships belonging to the Moors which were laden with spices, paying
the same prices for the spices which had been given by the Moors. This
intelligence gave much satisfaction to the Moors, as a favourable
opportunity for drawing on hostilities with the Portuguese; and,
accordingly, one of the principal Moorish merchants began immediately to
load his ship: openly with all kinds of drugs and spices, and suborned
several Moors and Indians, who pretended to be the friends of our factor,
to insinuate that he would never be able to find a sufficient loading for
our fleet, if he did not seize that ship. Correa listened to this
insidious advice, which he communicated to the general, urging him to
take that Moorish ship, as he had license from the zamorin to that effect.
The general was exceedingly unwilling to proceed to this extremity,
afraid of the influence of the Moors with the zamorin, and of producing
hostilities with the natives.
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