The Portuguese in the Sea of Oman

_ 325 _ galleys. These ships seized some merchant ships from whom they learned that there were no more than three or four galliots in the port of Mecca, under Captain Zafar, against whom Luis Figueiredo had fought. They returned with this information and gave it to the captain major. It was already the beginning of April, so it was necessary to retire to Ormuz, which they did without discovering a single thing. Having set sail, they travelled along the coast of Arabia. When they arrived at the fortress of Dofar, Dom Fernando anchored there with the whole fleet because he had an official order from his father to expel the Fartakans, who had once more taken it over. The following day, all the men from the fleet were transferred to the oared ships and to the sloops of the galleons and caravels, and they made for the shore, where they began to disembark with some difficulty because of the towering breakers. Almost three hundred Fartakans sallied forth from the fortress on Arab horses and camels, which they had brought trained for that purpose, and they began to engage the first of our men to come ashore, charging among them like beasts without fear of death, and wounding ten or a dozen of our soldiers in the first encounter. Amongst these

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