De Gama Reasoned With Them To Little Purpose, As They Had
Been Now Four Months At Sea, And There Hardly Remained, Sixteen Persons
In Each Ship Able To Do Duty, Some Of Whom Even Were Afflicted With The
Diseases Of Which The Others Had Died.
It is even said that Paulo de la
Gama and Nicholas Coello had agreed to return to India, if any wind
should spring up that would have served for the voyage.
At length a favourable wind sprung up unexpectedly, and in sixteen days
they came in sight of land on Wednesday the 2d of February 1499, at which
the mariners were much rejoiced, and soon forgot all their past troubles
and dangers. As they came near the land towards evening, the general gave
orders to keep their heads out to sea during the night, to avoid rocks or
shoals. As there were no person on board who knew where they were, a Moor
alleged they had steered direct for Mozambique; saying there were certain
islands 300 leagues from the shore, and directly over against that place,
where the natives were continually subject to the disease which had been
so fatal to our men. When morning came, they stood towards the land, when
they came before a large and goodly city, surrounded with walls, having
fair and lofty houses, and a large palace on a height in the middle of
the city, seeming to be a magnificent building. This city is called
Magadoxo, and stands on one side of the Gulf of India on the coast of
Ethiopia[71], an hundred and thirteen leagues from Melinda, the situation
of which I shall explain hereafter.
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