_ 575 _ fish; the island is situated 30 miles off the Strait, and ships from Mecca have to pass that way and can be attacked by the Portuguese. There is also timber and plenty of good water. The women do the work of men and are said to be great sorcerers, able to give wind to the ships or take it away. Item: This same captain conquered a city of 500 houses on the Malindi coast called Barama and compelled it to pay a yearly tribute of 2000 gold xerafins to the King of Portugal. Item: In the same year Afonso de Albuquerque, who was with Tristão da Cunha at the conquest of Socotra, when Tristão set sail for Cochin to take on cargo went on with six ships to the coast and strait of Persia, pillaging, settingon fire and destroying 8 towns and villages and arrivedat the island of Ormuz, where he won a battle againstthe king and compelled him to pay the King of Portugal a yearly tribute of 15,000 xerafins and to build at his own expense a fortress for the King of Portugal, which was begun immediately. The Portuguese, like other nations, behave badly when they are victorious, wanting the people’s women, setting things on fire and doing other scandalous things. As Afonso is also a difficult man and greatly offended several of the ships’ captains, three of them abandoned him together with their ships and went on to Cochin. Nevertheless they
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