_ 72 _ in with him. It seemed both to him and to us that that separation was a bad omen. When he appeared, the king told him that he had expected him to go and see him on the Tuesday. The captain explained that as he had arrived tired from his journey and that was the reason why he had not come to see him. The King again reminded him that he had told him how he was from a very rich kingdom but he had not brought him anything, and he had also informed him that he had brought him a letter, which he had not delivered to him. The captain rejoined that he had brought nothing because he had only come to observe and discover, and that when other ships returned there, he would then see what they brought him. As for the letter that he had told him he had brought, this was true and he would deliver it immediately to him. The king then asked what was it that he had come to find, precious stones or men? But since he had come to find men, as he claimed, why had he not brought something else? Besides, he had been told that they carried a Santa Maria made of gold. The captain replied that the image that he had brought was not of gold, and even if it had been he would not hand it over to him, since it had guided him across the seas and it would take him back to his country.
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