_ 41 _ shallow. D. Fernando left them guarded by the oared vessels and tacked hard with the heavy ships in order to gain the windward. He arrived in Muscat and rejoiced when he caught sight of them once more at 9 a.m. on 25 August among the islands of Sohar. Aleque-lubi rowed in line-ahead along the coast, with the wind on the prow. D. Fernando attempted to cut him off but the Turk speeded up the oar stroke of the nine lightest galleys and escaped him on that occasion. The other six galleys were captured by a boarding attack and the combatant’s taken prisoner and beheaded. D. Fernando withdrew to Muscat, dressed his wounds and repaired the galleys. He blessed and baptized them with the following names: St. Helena, St. Lucia, Conceição, Vitória, Santiago and S. Miguel. They had 47 bronze cannon, some firing stone balls weighing 40 arretels. The five caravels had gone in pursuit of the other nine galleys. In a clever maneuver, they cut off their route to the Strait of Mocha and pursued them as far as India, where seven fled to the port of Surat. The last two were lost, having run aground on the coast of Daman. The news soon arrived. Francisco de Sá (the Bespectacled),the captain of Bassein, and João de Mendonça (the
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