_ 203 _ As soon as he arrived in the Island, not knowing that there was a fortress there and we had not heard of this before he saw a settlement of about 200 citizens (?) and adjacent to it a quite strong fortress near the sea with a keep two storeys high and other towers and very good tall walls with cannon-bases and embrasures and a very fine moat around it. In this fortress there was a son of a King of Arabia bordering the island, and his domain is called Fartak. This king is much esteemed in those parts of Arabia because his men are more warlike and eager in endeavour than any others, and because their whole life is dedicated to war. They are paid stipends in the form of shares(?), according to the information received of them. This king’s son was very eager to be a knight among them, and he had already been to many places receiving a stipend (?) in charge of men. He had with him in this fortress two hundred knights chosen from men of his father’s house, who alternated every two years as the garrison there. This manner of defence, according to the information we have received, and from what was learnt in the place, caused the island to be highly prized by the king and among all the Moors, mainly because they ruled over Christians, because the island was very profitable and because it is situated where it is. Tristão da Cunha came ashore here and put his men on land. The son of the King of the Fartakis, who was guarding
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