_ 86 _ The Captain who is called João de Lixboa as well as the others who had wives as soon as the news of the Rumes having entered the Strait arrived sent them out in a ship to the fortress: their misfortune was such, that three galleys which were drifting from their Captain in Chief took them, there being between married and single ten or twelve, besides many slaves both male and female: this capture of the women was made known to us afterwards by a common man that went with them, who was sent away by the Turks to obtain the ransom for the women to be ransomed, which ransom was sent out from here in search of them, and did not find them because they had already been recovered by the other fleet. The taking of Mascate we never knew for certain, until the last night when they wanted to depart from hence, when they brought a Governor they had taken at the fortress close to the walls for him to tell us, leaving before that on account of the wretched suspicion we already had; we used to question often the renegades who at night came to speak with the men on the walls, without their ever wishing to answer us to the purpose. The gunner besought on behalf of all to be ransomed to which the Captain never would acceed nor speak on the subject since it appeared to him to be a disservice to God and to Your Highness. This untoward confusion of surren-
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