_ 151 _ Sintra, who saw that he was annoyed, suggested that the letter be re-sealed as before, and that they should mention the matter to no one, Afonso de Albuquerque replied that if this was what he was in the habit of doing, he do not wish it to be done in this instance, for the powers and orders of His Majesty should not be re-sealed once they had been opened, unless he permitted it. The Viceroy then replied that he was on his way to fight the Sultan’s fleet at Diu or wherever it might be, and that with God’s help he hoped to defeat it and avenge the death of his son, thereby rendering a great service to God and the king. Furthermore, his term of office extended to the end of January, at which time the ships would be able to go to Portugal, and now it was the beginning of December, Afonso de Albuquerque told him that what he had said about waiting for the “St John” to await the king’s instructions was only an excuse; for he still refused to leave India, although the king had twice ordered him to do so, once in his own sealed letter, and the other time in the letter which the Viceroy had received. He should therefore obey him, specially since they could not at all be sure that the “St John” would arrive after all, it had not yet arrived, although the other ships which had come with it had long since reached India.
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