_ 108 _ Our men placed a sailyard across it and covered it with drapes to form a protective barrier, where they defended themselves from. When the “Comendador” (member of military or religious order), Rui Soares, noticed that Jorge Botelho was absent he asked after him, and learning where he was understood why he had retired. He went to apologize to him for not having. given him a leading position in the ship and brought him to the fighting, where he helped our men in such a way that all the enemy who were on our ship were killed, and none of the others were able to board it. Seeing how much our men were resisting they moved their ship away but there was not a man on our ship who was not wounded. The “Comendador” proceeded on his way but met with such a fierce storm it was already winter that he had to change direction and instead of heading for Cochin went to shelter behind Cape Comorin. News reached the Viceroy from land, that this ship was there he didn’t find out who its captain was but learnt that it was full of wounded men and in great need of help. The Viceroy thought that it might be Afonso de Albuquerque, and because he knew that he wouldn’t be able to come to Cochin before the month of September and would have to spend the winter at Cape Comorin, he asked Garcia de Sousa to go to him and to take medicine for the wounded, as well as an anchor-cable from
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