The
Moors Were By No Means Satisfied With All This, Because The Zamorin Did
Not Order Us To Depart From Calicut, And Did Not Stop Our Trade, Which
Was Their Chief Purpose.
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.
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