_ 190 _ Countinho arrived at the harbour thirty horsemen came to the beach. They wore skirts of mail and were followed by many men on foot, who stayed behind a sand dune. As soon as they saw the captive whom Lionel Coutinho had put ashore, they seized him and cut him to pieces, without so much as listening to what he had to say. They then came to the water’s edge to speak to our men and told them they would do the same to them. Lionel Coutinho withdrew and when the commander-in-chief arrived, he told him how matters stood. The council met and the commander-in-chief asked them if they still had time to go to Socotra before winter, to which they replied they wouldn’t if they delayed any longer. If they wasted time at Mogadisho winter would come, and they wouldn’t have anywhere to spend it. There wasn’t a friendly port which could accommodate such a large fleet as theirs and they would be lost. He therefore left for Socotra at once. Chapter: 39 The island of Socotra lies at a distance of 70 leagues from Mogadishu if one follows the coast towards the northeast, The fleet came to Cape Guardafui where this coast ends, thereafter continuing westwards towards the Red Sea. This cape is at the mouth of the Strait of Mecca, and all ships
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