While Pursuing Their Voyage Towards Mombaza For Some Days,
The Ship San Raphael Chanced One Morning, Two Hours Before Day,
To get
aground on certain shoals, two leagues from the shore of the continent.
Paulo de Gama immediately made signals
To apprize the other ships of his
situation and their danger; on which they had the good fortune to avoid
the shoals and got safely to anchor. The boats from the other ships were
immediately sent off to assist Paulo de Gama in the St Raphael; and, on
seeing that the tide was then low, the general was much rejoiced, as he
well knew she would float again with the tide of flood; whereas, before,
he was much afraid she might be totally lost. He therefore gave orders to
carry all their anchors out to deep water, to prevent her from getting
farther on the shoal. By the time this was done day broke, and soon after
at low water the St Raphael was quite dry on a sand bank, having taken no
harm in striking. While waiting for the tide of flood, our people named
these sands _Os baixos de Sam Rafael_, or the Shoals of St Raphael, and
named certain islands and hills of the continent, then in sight, the
islands and hills of St Raphael.
While the ship remained thus dry, and the people walking about on the
sand, they saw two boats full of Moors, who came to our ships, bringing
many sweet oranges, much better than those of Portugal.
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