_ 90 _ Out of which he must have carried away twenty thousand pardaos, and proceeded as I said, to sack the island of Queixome, and all this tumult he effected with merely seven hundred fighting men and two thousand or two thousand five hundred service men, sailors, and a flock of galleys, and meanwhile there were in this fortress seven hundred fighting men, most of which were honourable men armed with the finest musketry to be had; in truth if we could learn something of them we might yet take from them the artillery and work on them all the damage we could wish. The Captain on one night only sent out Estevão Lourenço do Avelar with five men to go and reconoitre and spy, and I believe truly that Estevão Lourenço would do so, for he is a man really fitted for the post, and also because he took with him companions who would assist him very well, had the Captain not circumscribed them so, and thus not one of them came upon them, nor could they go out beyond the limit. Subsequently he offered, in my presence, the Captain many times to give him permission, either by sea or by land, and he would bring him a spy, but this is the Captain never allowed him to do; he is a person who, both in his charge as in all else of the service of Your Highness would
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