CHAPTER XLVIII.

How Lourenço Moreno, with two other vessels of the company of Gonçalo de Siqueira, reached Cananor: and how the great Afonso Dalboquerque ordered him to conclude peace with the Rulers of Baticalá; and of the letter which Afonso Dalboquerque wrote to Timoja through him.

While the great Afonso Dalboquerque was expecting every day the arrival of Gonçalo de Siqueira, with the intention of taking advantage of his coming to determine finally as to his return against Goa,-when it was now the eighth day of the month of September,-Lourenço Moreno, captain of the ship Botafogo,1 arrived: he had come to be the factor of Cochim, and in company with him came João de Aveiro in the Bastiaina,2 and Lourenço Lopez, nephew of Thomé Lopez, in another ship; and upon the same day that they arrived, Lourenço Moreno went immediately to land to see Afonso Dalboquerque, and after delivering to him a packet of letters which he carried from the King D. Manuel for him, he informed him that Gonçalo de Siqueira had set out from Portugal with seven ships, having very good soldiers on board; and as they were all sailing along in company at the Cabo dos Correntes, so fierce a storm came upon them that it had scattered all the ships, and he himself indeed, with the two ships mentioned above, had run before the storm and reached Mozambique, and remained there for several days; but when they saw that Gonçalo de Siqueira

1 Botafogo; a long stick with a match-rope fixed at the end to fire off cannon.-Vieyra. Perhaps here the best English equivalent is Spit-fire, from Botar fogo, rather than Linstock, which would be the more literal translation.

2 Bastiaina; probably a feminine appellation signifying a woman of Bastia, the capital city of Corsica.

Cape Corrientes, on the coast of Mozambique, 24 deg. 10 min. S., 35 deg. 12 min. E.

was still behind, and that the season was growing late, they had crossed over to India, but in consideration of the latitude wherein he had parted company with the others, and because the weather which had brought him to Moçambique was also favourable for their voyage, he was of opinion that it would not be long before they also arrived.

This news which Lourenço Moreno brought concerning the fleet which Diogo Lopez was conducting greatly pleased Afonso Dalboquerque, for he trusted to avail himself of its help in the Goa business. And after conversing respecting many occurrences in Portugal, Afonso Dalboquerque recounted to Lourenço Moreno the troubles which had happened at Goa; and how he was making himself ready to return against that city again. And when these conversations were over, he dismissed Lourenço Moreno to go and rest himself after the fatigues of the voyage; and with the object of not losing time in respect of what he had determined to do, he summoned Duarte de Lemos and all the rest of the captains, and informed them that when he was in Goa, Condanechatim' and Naodaquiçar, the rulers of Baticalá, had sent a messenger to him, saying that they desired to make peace with him, and to be in obedience to the King of Portugal, but up to that time he had sent no reply to them, because he had no ships which he could send to that place; yet now that Lourenço Moreno had arrived with two very large ships in his company, he could now go and settle this matter, and on the way take the ships laden with supplies for that fleet, which he was preparing for the renewal of the attack upon Goa; and therefore he would have them declare what they considered he ought to do.

Thereupon Duarte de Lemos, who was opposed to the policy of Afonso Dalboquerque, and other captains who were

1 Condane chatim-i.e., Condane, the Merchant. See page 130, note 3. 2 Naoda quiçar-i.e., Nakhoda Quiçar; Quiçar, the Captain. See vol. i, page 227, note 2.

also on this man's side, declared to him that with these ships of burthen he ought not to desire to do anything, except to send them on to Cochim to load, and depute Lourenço Moreno to superintend their loading, for he it was who was to be the Factor; and by no means to appoint him to the performance of so doubtful an enterprise as this was, for it might so fall out that the ships would not return in time to take in their cargoes. The other captains, however, said that since the ships would have to wait for Gonçalo de Siqueira, the lord governor could well send Lourenço Moreno to Baticalá to conclude the business, for there would be no time lost in so doing, and it would be very advantageous to have a treaty of peace with Baticalá, in order to be able to obtain from that place any supplies which might be required during the retaking of Goa.

In this latter opinion Afonso Dalboquerque coincided, so he sent for Lourenço Moreno, and sent him forth immediately to go and conclude this affair, and with him he sent also the two ships which had accompanied him from Portugal, and a Moor of Cananor, named Porcassem1, as interpreter, to go on shore and negotiate the matter; and he gave to Lourenço Moreno written instructions of what he was to do, and certain memoranda of the conditions on which he was to conclude peace. Of these the principal articles were, that the rulers were to give him a house, built at their own expense, of stone and mortar, wherein the Factor of the King of Portugal could keep his merchandise secure; and they were also to pay in every year, by way of tribute, two thousand bags of rice. And he ordered him that, having completed this business with the utmost alacrity, he was to proceed direct to Onor, and put himself in communication with Timoja, and deliver over to him Lourenço da Silva, and Fernão Vaz, whom he sent to that

1 Porcassem, for Abu'l-Casim, softened into Bul-Kasim; called Pocaracem in chapter li. 2 Fardos, each weighing forty-two pounds.

prince to occupy the position of captains of the Hindoos who were to wage war with those of Goa: and to these two captains he ordered that certain Portuguese should be delivered, to be carried with them, and saddles, bridles, and all other sorts of horse furniture, and he gave Lourenço Moreno this letter, which is given here below, to deliver to Timoja.

LETTER OF THE GREAT AFONSO DALBOQUERQUE TO TIMOJA.

"Honoured Timoja, chief alguazil and captain of the people of Goa, and lord of the lands of Cintácora, for the king our lord, I, Afonso Dalboquerque, captain-general and governor of the Indies, and of Persia, and of the kingdom and lordship of Ormuz, and of the kingdom and lordship of Goa, for the king our lord, send you my salutations. You know well my determination, which is to besiege Goa with your advice and help, and I trust in Our Lord that we shall quickly gain possession of that place. I should be glad if you would show favour towards this people who are engaged in war against those of Goa, and permit them to enjoy and consume the revenues of the land. To you I send Lourenço da Silva and Fernão Vaz, who are good cavaliers and captains, to command these people who are engaged in war: do you send them at once to the spot where the people are, and grant them some number whereof they may be captains, for they are good cavaliers; and I trust that they will perform their duty well. I shall soon be with you. I should be much pleased if you would send me, by one of your fustas, news of the way in which the land is going on, and what sort of army there is in Goa, and with what sort of soldiers you are able to help me. And as for those supplies which I desired you to get in readiness for me, do you order them to be delivered over to Lourenço Moreno, that he may bring them to me, for I am in need of them. Kiss for me

the hands of the King of Garçopa, and tell him that I beg he will assist me with all his power, for I trust very quickly that we shall cast out the Moors from the land, and that I will help him with my person, my horses, arms, and people to gain much land from them, and I will make him a greater lord than all the others who are round about him; therefore I beg him of his goodness to favour this people who fight for us, and to have no fear of the Moors, for he shall soon see the Hidalcão destroyed, and all his estate ruined."

As soon as Lourenço Moreno had got his ships in readiness, he took leave of Afonso Dalboquerque, and proceeded to embark, and shaped his course straight for Baticalá.

CHAPTER XLIX.

How Simão Martinz captured a ship which came from Méca, richly laden, and brought her to Cananor; and of the news which two Jews, who were taken in her, related to the great Afonso Dalboquerque.

Five days after the departure of Lourenço Moreno for Baticalá, Simão Martinz arrived, whom Afonso Dalboquerque had sent to reconnoitre the ships which were coming out of the Straits (as I have already related), and with him he brought a ship which he had captured in the latitude of Monte de Deli,1 bound from Méca to Calicut, laden with much merchandise. And, among other captives who were taken in her, there were two Castilian Jews, who declared for certain news that the Rumes were not able to set out that year, because the Grand Sultan had been engaged in serious dissensions with the governors of Damascus and Alepo, and there was no time for him to make ready.

Afonso Dalboquerque inquired of them whether many

1 See page 217, note.