_ 210 _ whose good faith he suspected; but Koya Pakki was told that he could go freely on board without the need for a safe-conduct. Koya Pakki presented himself the following day, accompanied by two Christian prisoners who were in his custody; he said he was sent by the city governors and asked the commander-in-chief to be kind enough to wait four days, to give the Samorin time to return from his place of retreat(A). According to Gaspar Correia, Koya Pakki had justified this delay by an accident that had happened to the Samorin, which the cabin-boy had contradicted in declaring that the king had already returned to the town(B). These contradictory statements increased the impatience of Lopo Soares, who replied to the first overtures of the Samorin in proclaiming that the authorities of Calicut were very badly placed to talk of peace when they had, on many occasions, deliberately broken the peace that the Portuguese had offered them. He demanded, as a preliminary to any negotiation, the return of two Italian deserters whom some said were (A) Castanheda, I/91, p. 194-195: Barros, I/7-9, p. 290-291; Góis, I/96, p. 233; BM Anonymous, p. 120. (B) Correia, I/2, p. 498.
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