_ 116 _ Arabs, whom the Sheikh had sent to find out about our ships. After they had greeted each other, the pinnace’s master, who could speak Persian, told them to approach, because these ships belonged to the Portuguese who were their friends. The Arabs pretended to be friendly, came aboard and began conversing with our men. The master asked them what the commander-in-chief had told him to ask them, and as a result the Arabs believed that the ships had come from Portugal and knew nothing about what had happened to the commander-in-chief in Ormuz. The master asked them to come and speak to the commander-in-chief of this fleet, and to bring him news of Ormuz. They agreed to come, believing that they would be able to deceive him, telling him to go to Ormuz, where he and his men would all be killed. The commander-in-chief saw from afar that the pinnace had been detained by the Arabs’ boat, and when he saw it coming towards him, he retired to his room and told Francisco de Tavora to pretend that he was the commander-in-chief. When the catual(A) and the other Arab came aboard, Francisco de Tavora received them very well and after the Arab had sat down, he asked (A) i.e.–Governor, as in India.
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