_ 384 _ the battle form cerame. The battle was so fierce that many citizens fled to the interior of the island and many pregnant women retreated from the noise of the gunfire. The disorder was so great, as was the fear in the enemy, that they fled, paying no attention to the arrows, so that many were killed by their own men. Their dead bodies were to float on the water for three days, and our men were able to collect much booty. The enemy naos carried out their duties well in the continuing battle. While Khwaja Attar surrounded and attacked our fleet, our men attacked the prince of Cambay’s ship, sinking it with an enormous volley from the nao Cyrne. Behind her was another of the best–armed ships, which belonged to Malik Ayaz, Governor of Diu, and which was also hit during the same attack. The King of Ormuz had pinned all his hopes on these ships. The men who had been in them were floating in the water, and when the men in the other ships saw this, realizing that they were being defeated, they threw themselves into the water to swim to safety. When Afonso de Albuquerque saw this he ordered men into the batels to go towards land and kill as many of these men as they could, which they happily did. However, those on the Meri had not deserted their ship, since although
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