_ 58 _ the city of Calicut. This was because the pilot mistook a town known there as Capua for Calicut, and below this town there was another called Pandarane [Kollan]. We dropped anchor along the coast, about a league and a half offshore. When we had anchored, four boats approached us from the land. These had come to find out who we were, and they pointed to the town and said that that it was Calicut. The following day, these boats came again to our ships and the captain ordered one of the deportees to go to Calicut. Those who went with him, took him to meet two Moors from Tunis, who could speak Spanish and Genoese. Their first greeting was the following: "Well I'll be blowed! Who brought you here?" Then they asked him what we had come so far to find and he answered: "We came in search of Christians and spices". To this they replied: "Why didn't the King of Castile, the King of France and the Signoria of Venice send you here?" His reply was that the King of Portugal would never agree that they should rule here, and they said he was quite right. After that they received him warmly and gave him wheaten bread and honey to eat. When he had finished eating he returned to the ships, accompanied by one of the Moors, who as soon as he came aboard began to say these words: "Good luck, good luck: lots of rubies, lots of emeralds. You should offer God many thanks for bringing
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