_ 125 _ to the flagship, taking with him the boat, which was full of pomegranates and other fruit. He told the commander-in-chief what the renegade had told him, but the latter did not believe that the Viceroy could send such a message to the Arabs, and instead he decided to wage a cruel war on them. Since he needed water for his stay there, he told Antonio de Sa to go and guard the wells at the island of Laraq, which is at a league and a half from Ormuz, so that it might provide his water supply. In order to prevent the Arabs from sullying the wells he also sent 20 riflemen and crossbowmen, as well as Nuno Vaz de Castelo Branco, who was to take his pinnace and stay at sea. One morning, while they were at Laraq, there appeared at sea many “terradas” which had come from the mainland with a cargo of dates they had to pass between the islands of Ormuz and Laraq to take them to Qeshm, where they would be sent on to Ormuz, because they thought they would find no guards to prevent them. When Nuno Vaz caught sight of the vessels he decided to go after them to see if he could capture any of them, for his pinnace was well equipped.
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