_ 105 _ reason, I consider myself guilty in His and in your eyes, and deem it necessary to ask forgiveness, both from Him for not thanking Him, and from you for causing you pain with my loss”. They were all very pleased with these words, and offered their services to avenge the death of Dom Lourenco. After it became possible to speak to the Viceroy, the three captains who had run away from Afonso de Albuquerque explained to him why they had left Ormuz. They blamed Afonso de Albuquerque for everything, and requested in the King’s name that the Viceroy should hear their witnesses, so that their honour might remain untainted. They handed two Arabs over to him. They were being held at ransom, having been captured in a ship from Mecca while the captains were on their way.They had promised to give them 26,000 “cruzados” in exchange for their freedom, and the interpreter, Gaspar, had confirmed that they could afford it. The Viceroy, who very much needed the money from the captains’ hostages, was reluctant to see how strange it was that they had come and had deserted their commander-in-chief. However, some said that he was happy at what the captains had done to Afonso de Albuquerque, because he disapproved of the fact that he had taken his fleet to the Persian Gulf coast as he said himself. A few days later João
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