_ 436 _ the number of their galleys and the rank of their captain, one cannot entirely doubt that the Turks intend to mount an attempt on India and not leave it alone. This captain has knowledge and experience of the whole coast from Malindi to Mozambique, and of the other coast from Aden to Ormuz. On one of these coasts they will wish to try various wiles, and to carry out plans which this captain, must already have had in mind, promising great and profitable achievements. The Viceroy of India must be warned and ordered to take measures to deal with this information, which must also be verified. Through this Antonio de Pinto from Cairo (and I know of the freedom he enjoyed in that city, and that he exercised the profession of broker there), and also from important people from Venice and Ragusa [Dubrovnik] I have talked to, I have heard that forty thousand quintals of spices come to Alexandria every year, mainly consisting of pepper. Antonio Pinto says that this pepper comes to Aden, to Mocha, to the river-mouth which forms the port of Zabid, to Kamaran, to Jeddah, to Lemba, to Tor, to Suez amd very often along the coast of Abyssinia to Suakin, and to Quseir, from Aden and Jeddah, and on by caravan to Cairo. From the other ports it comes in gelvas to Tor, and from there
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