_ 139 _ anchor, and they all came to help him tow the flagship away with their Barges. It was safely released without letting in any water; from here he sent Dom Garcia and some other captains in their barges to Camaran, which was close by, telling them to go into the island’s harbours. They were to prevent the Arabs from abandoning it if they tried to so do. When our men arrived, they found that the Arabs were indeed trying to abandon the island, leaving for the mainland in fear of the governor; whom they knew was on his way. Our men captured some gelvas; taking some men and women prisoner, and they captured a ship which belonged to the sultan, and another which belonged to some merchants; both of these were anchored, and two others that had been beached were also captured. After this the governor arrived in Camaran, which is on the Arabian coast all ships sailing into and out of the strait pass between it and the mainland. It has a good harbour which is protected from all the wind and which provides secure anchorage. The land itself is sandy, and it is marshy only in one part, as a result of the sea water; here there are some mangroves, which are very small and full of water everywhere around the trees there are tiny patches of grass the size of a fist, although cattle
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTg0NzAy