_ 146 _ his term as captain of Angedive had ended, he could no longer give him a salary. For this reason, Manuel Pessanha asked his permission to return to Portugal. However, they were later reconciled, and he did not leave. As the Viceroy knew that more Roumeliotes were arriving in Diu every day, and as he needed a large ship to meet them, he thought he should keep one of the king’s cargo ships in India, specially considering how many large ships had come from Portugal that year. This he proposed to his Council, and it was agreed that it should be done, it was further agreed that it was the “Belem”, whose captain was Jorge de Melo Pereira, that should stay behind. This captain was very happy to stay, seeing how much this was needed, without thinking of the danger to his life. While the ships which were to sail for Portugal were being loaded, Nuno Vaz Pereira, captain of the “Santo Espirito”, arrived after having gone to Ceylon to collect tributes these had been imposed on the King of Ceylon by Dom Lourenco de Almeida. However, he did not bring any money or anything else, because the king refused to comply, at the instigation of some Calicut Arabs who were staying there. Also at this time, on the 4th of November, the Viceroy was given a message from an Arab merchant of Cochin, saying that the King of Quilon was asking for his
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