_ 127 _ When he did this the Arabs surrendered and Nuno Vaz asked them if they were carrying any important men aboard, which they denied, saying that they were all sailors who were taking dates to Ormuz. Those of our men who had come aboard were searching it when they found the captain’s garments, which were very splendid. They gave them to Nuno Vaz, who asked the Arabs whom they belonged to. Their reply sounded like a lie to him, and he ordered one of them to be tortured, so that he confessed the truth at once and pointed the captain out. Having the captain in his power he stopped looking for the other terradas, because night had already fallen. He returned to where he had left the other vessel and towed them both to Laraq. On the following day he took them to the commanderin-chief and told him what he had done. The commander-in-chief was very pleased because the dates were very abundant (and they lasted him until he reached India), and also because forty Arabs had been captured in one of the terradas. These he placed in the various ships, he cut off the nose and ears of one of them and had him thrown ashore during the night, in front of the king’s residence, bearing a letter in which he said that he had captured the Arab captain, that he (this must be addressed to Cojeatar
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