ABSTRACT
While the great Afonso Dalboquerque was waiting for Diogo de Melo to bring his ship to anchor where the Rey Grande had been, Duarte de Melo, his brother, arrived in his boat, and told him that three days before Diogo de Melo had gone on board a small zambuco, which Manuel de Lacerda had captured laden with dates, and gone away with nine Portuguese and two Moors, but had never yet returned, nor did he know any news of them, but that the Moorish fleet which was fitting out at Julfar had arrived off the Island of Lara, and was now riding at anchor there. Afonso Dalboquerque, startled at this information which Duarte de Melo had given to him, immediately ordered D. Antonio de Noronha and D. Jeronymo de Lima to embark in the fusta and in his boat with men, and to go with Duarte de Melo, and see what it was that had happened. And he wrote a letter to Martim Coelho, bidding him weigh anchor and unite with them, that together they might attack the Moorish fleet which was lying off the Island of Lara, and do their best to obtain some information of Diogo de Melo, and go to his assistance, if by some chance he might happen to be in a place whence he could not come forth because of the Moorish fleet. As soon as the captains had started, they proceeded to unite with Martim Coelho, that all together might attack the Moorish fleet, which was lying at anchor, and this, directly it caught sight of our ships, weighed anchor and fled away under full sail and rowing.
