_ 75 _ Once Mirocem’s and Meliquias fleets had been assembled together, consisting of 45 ships, including 40 pinnaces and galleys, one galleon and four ships, they left for Chaul, which lies at a distance of 60 leagues from Diu. Since Meliquias was very crafty, he did not wish to sail into Chaul at the same time as Mirocem, and stayed behind, for he wished to see in whose favor the encounter went, so that he could react accordingly. Because if Mirocem was defeated he did not wish the Viceroy to know that he had come to help him, thus incurring his enmity. But although he did not wish to sail into the Chaul river with Mirocem, the latter was not afraid to go in alone. Accordingly at midday on a Friday he went into the river, making use of a very good favorable wind, he himself, with the ships and the galleon stayed some way back, whilst the galleys were positioned between him and the shore. As a result, they were hidden from view and our men only caught sight of the ships and the galleon, five vessels in all, when they saw them there was great consternation, because some said these were, the Roumeliotes, others that it was Afonso de Albuquerque who had come from the Arabian coast for they were expecting him any day. They were further convinced that it was him because the ships were sailing along the shore, as if on their way to
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