_ 211 _ "slaves" and agents of Venice(A). They had left for India with one of the first fleets to buy precious stones and had soon proved to be very able artillery technicians when they had arrived in Calicut(B). Lopo Soares' demands on their behalf revealed the importance of their activities; an importance of which they quickly became aware for they spent their time persuading the authorities of Calicut not to free them under any pretext and not to deprive themselves, at any cost, of such precious auxiliaries(C). The discussion that followed between their defenders and the partisans of peace, deferred by several days the reply awaited by Lopo Soares. A week had not yet passed since the first contacts when he decided to break off [the talks]. He did not seem concerned about the fate of the Portuguese captives whose escape he had secretly promised to organise and who were soon subjected to an even more rigorous detention(D). He gave the order to the six smallest ships in the fleet to approach (A) Godinho, Économie, p. 733-734. (B) BM Anonymous, p. 120; Castanheda, I/91, p. 195; Barros, I/7-9, p.291. Ludovico di Varthema was acquainted with these two characters who were both assassinated in 1506 (Varthema/Schefer, p. 255-258 and 271-272). (C) Castanheda, I/91, p. 195. (D) Castanheda, ibid.
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