ABSTRACT
When day broke, the great Afonso Dalboquerque ordered all the fleet to set sail, and in four days they arrived at the city of Mascate, 1 which is the principal port for all that coast; and on that day in the evening all the ships entered the port, with the exception of those of Manuel Teles and Francisco de Tavora, which remained outside because the breeze dropped- Directly they were all anchored, there came on board the flagship two noble Moors in an almadia, and as they were already aware of the destruction of Curíate, they told Afonso Dalboquerque that the rulers of the city had sent them to beg him to do it no injury, for they were willing to be vassals of the King of Portugal. Afonso Dalboquerque asked them whether they brought with them authority from the rulers and people of the city to treat. To this the Moors replied that they had not brought any written instructions, but it was sufficient that they were come thither according to order of the city; so he told them he could not make any answer until the two of his captains who remained outside had first come into port, but they might return to shore, and on the following morning return safely to him, and he would arrange with them all that the service of the King of Portugal, Lord of the Indies, required. The Moors being gone with this reply, now that Francisco de Tavora and Manuel Telez had come in, Afonso Dalboquerque ordered both of them to take boat and sound the harbour, how many fathoms depth there was between the ships and the shore, and to try to get a view of the position of the stockade which the Moors had made; and 73they went along the shore, after having sounded the bottom, and saw all very well. So having returned to the ships, they told him that the Moors had constructed in front of the town a wall of timber ten palms broad and twenty high, packed with earth, very strong, and on either side it had been carried up into two very high mountain ranges, which ran down into the sea, and made the whole very strong; and in this wall they had made some defences, like bulwarks, with many mortars of the size of our camelos 1 mounted on them, and that we could land at the foot of the wall at high tide. While Afonso Dalboquerque was discussing this with Francisco de Tavora and Manuel Telez, the two Moors, who had come the day before, came on board, with permit of the Rulers to treat for peace, and told him that the city desired to be obedient to the King of Portugal, and perform whatever he, the chief captain, might order on his part. Afonso Dalboquerque, after hearing what they had to say, ordered them out while he communed with the captains who were then with him, respecting the agreement to be made with the envoys, and having settled what reply to make, he called the Moors in and told them, that if the city was willing to obey the King of Portugal, and pay him yearly a fair and reasonable tribute, and supply himself with all supplies he might require when he arrived at Ormuz, he on his part would not make war upon them, but, on the contrary, would protect and defend them as vassals of the king, his lord. The Moors replied that the inhabitants of the city were content to become vassals of the King of Portugal, and to pay him every year the dues—and they were many—which they had hitherto paid to the King of Ormuz; and as to the demand of supplies for that occasion only they would give him all he needed. As Afonso Dalboquerque considered it below his dignity to haggle with them, he desired Antonio do Campo, Pero Yaz Dorta, and João Estão, scrivener to 74the fleet, to speak with the Moors outside, and tell them that with the conditions mentioned he would receive them into the friendship of the King of Portugal, but they must on their part give him abundance of supplies and fresh water, carried at their own cost to the city of Ormuz as long as he might remain there. After long discussion about these terms, the factor returned to Afonso Dalboquerque, to tell him the Moors were unwilling to give more than they had at first agreed for. This reply annoyed him very much, and he ordered them before him, and asked them in a somewhat passionate voice how they dared deny to the officers of the king their lord those things that they demanded, since they had but just then cast themselves at his feet, and told him they desired to be his vassals: let them go at once and tell the rulers of the city that next morning he would show them how Portuguese cavaliers chastised places which were unwilling to obey the King of Portugal and his chief captain. When the Moors perceived that Afonso Dalboquerque was angry, and cast them off without any kind of agreement being concluded, they were in a great fright, and threw themselves at his feet, begging him to pardon them, and they would do whatever he desired. So he sent them to talk with Antonio do Campo and with the factor. The Moors went out very dejectedly, and agreed to all that was asked; and, the agreement being concluded, they went on shore again very gladly, and at once set about bringing the supplies as long as day lasted; but when the morning came that Afonso Dalboquerque hoped would finish the work, they did not return, and no message came from land, but he was kept thus in suspense until midday, without being able to divine what change had taken place with affairs; but in order to know better what course to take, he went into his skiff with D. Antonio de Noronha, his nephew, and D. Jeronimo and others, and went along the shore unconcernedly, in order to better understand the 75matter, and see the position of their stockades. At the time he arrived at the shore the boat of Afonso Lopez da Costa was on the beach taking in water, and from the boatswain who was in it he heard that all that night there had been great joy, excitement, and shouts in the city, and it was rumoured that a captain had arrived with ten thousand men from the interior, armed with lances and shields, whom the Benjabar sent to the aid of the city, and that the news was confirmed by the common sailors, who were at the watering places taking in water. Afonso Dalboquerque told the boatswain to get the sailors together without exciting suspicion, and if it proved difficult for him to collect the barrels, to leave them. So the sailors who were at the watering places, perceiving the excitement of the Moors, and fearing they would be murdered by them, left some of the barrels behind, and assembled at the boat in great haste, and related to Afonso Dalboquerque the same news that the boatswain had given him; and he having seen everything very clearly, went to the Taforéa, which was nearest to the shore, and despatched Dinis Fernandez in his skiff to land, bidding him summon one of those Moors who had consented to the agreement for peace. When the Moors, who were going up and down along the beach, saw the skiff, they gathered about, intending to take it; but Dinis Fernandez, who was well acquainted with their treacherous ways, seeing them in a state of excitement, did not touch land, but returned to the ships with some of his mariners wounded by the arrows shot at them. Afonso Dalboquerque, seeing the shamelessness of the Moors, gave orders to Afonso Lopez da Costa, Antonio do Campo, and Manuel Teles, to take their ships as close up to the shore as they could, and let down warps from the stern into the sea, that they might haul upon them whenever it might be necessary, and then to bombard the city to annoy the Moors, for he was determined to attack them in the morning. The captains weighed anchor, and took up positions according to the directions they had received, and commenced firing with their artillery against the stockades, but did very little damage, as the wall was closely packed with earth. So, perceiving that from where they were they could do no good, they took up a new position opposite an entrenchment made by the Moors outside the wall, and containing two mortars, which was rather exposed to our fire; and directly the firing began, the Moors deserted the mortars and fled away. When Afonso Lopez da Costa saw that the entrenchment was deserted by the Moors, he thought he could capture the guns; so he went into his boat with his men, and went to attack the entrenchment and take them, and Antonio do Campo followed behind to defend him, if there was any need for it; but when they landed, the Moors, who came up to the rescue of the mortars, were so numerous, that if Afonso Dalboquerque had not happened to arrive in time to succour them, it would have gone ill with them all, and as it was, when he arrived, Afonso Lopez da Costa was wounded, with five men in his boat, by the arrows; so he caused them to be mustered, and after severely reprimanding them for having fought in that way, contrary to the orders he had given, he desired them not to cease firing against the stockades, for even if no injury were done, yet it dispirited the Moors who were therein.
