ABSTRACT

We decided at this time to make boats for us to sail in, in consideration of the elderly, weak and sick who were still with us and who were certainly unable to accompany us if we were to travel the 170 leagues or more that we would have had to traverse to reach Sofala by land. As we were starting to make plans for the boats and to remove from the Be/em what we needed in the way of cordage, sails, tar, gum-mastic and benzoin with which to daub the ships, the devil threw us in such a state of disorder that, if he had been successful in what he prepared for us, it certainly would have gone very badly for many of us. The fact was that some were ill content with the treatment they had been accorded by the Captain during the voyage, the shipwreck, and the time we were on land and, since their courage would not endure many delays in that bush country, trusting in their relative youthfulness, health and good strength, they all began to discuss travelling by land. 1

And even though the Captain could have calmed them down with good treatment and words, he did not do so, but rather, following some very bad advice from people to whom he listened more attentively than he should have, he let his anger get the better of him, and, instead of encouraging those who needed it so much, he did the very opposite and ordered it to be announced that to all those who wished to go by land he would give arms and merchandise for trading and that they could leave immediately. The people rejoiced at this and since they were already dissatisfied because of some words uttered by the same Captain on several occasions affirming that he was going to make a single ship for himself and for his friends, leaving the rest of them to the mercy of their bad fortune in that bush-country, with this and with his conciliatory remark one day, when all the people were together, in

which he promised that he would give a gold chain to those who would leave, the people became so angry that they resolved to travel by land, more than 8o men signing on immediately, those who were the strongest and healthiest among the shipwrecked, and doubtless some others not of this opinion, in good or mediocre health, would have gone with them to avoid remaining and perishing there in utter abandonment. The only hesitation was concerning who was to serve as their leader, for, if they did not have a person for whom they had respect and to whom they would defer, they were certainly courting disaster. For this reason, of one accord they sent word to me that in any event they wanted me to go with them and be their commander, promising to obey me to the death on all occasions on which I should give them orders, promising further to carry me on their backs whenever I should be tired. They would certainly do everything they promised because of the great deference they had for me and the love and respect they had conceived for me. After the message had been given to me, and, weighing well what a suitable course of action would be in the matter, I answered them that it would be improper both for them to leave and for me to accompany them, since they would be leaving more than 100 persons to their deaths at the very outset, since the old, weak, and sick would be unable to make even the first day's journey, and since God had given all of them life in such a wretched shipwreck and danger of losing their lives, it would be an evil thing to abandon so cruelly such good companions, knowing that there was hope of our having another way of saving all of us, that even if there should prove to be none, the way by land would still certainly be available to us, or in the event that the Captain were to do what they feared with respect to the ship and even though I were very much opposed to going by land, that I would then go with them as a brother and companion and not as their leader, and for these reasons it was not fitting that I should do so now before seeing how things would work out.