_ 142 _ on reaching it split into two halves, going past it without touching it or obscuring its light. The governor and all those who saw this cross knelt down and worshipped it; weeping devoutly. The governor took this cross as a sign that Our Lord wished him to proceed along the direction in which it was pointing. He summoned all the captains and pilots and told them so, saying that they could sail by successive tacks. The pilots replied that they could not navigate without wind, and that if they did as the governor wished they would hit some ridges and everyone would be lost. As a result, the governor stayed where he was and remained there until the beginning of May. Seeing that there was no chance of the easterly wind returning before two and-half months, he returned to Camaran, where the people at the mainland ransomed the captives, whom the governor handed over in return for provisions. He was also given a letter from Mira Mergena, saying that he was very surprised that the "frangues" (as I said before, this was the name given to the Portuguese in the east) were the men who had conquered India, and had such a great reputation; he said that they had acquired this reputation because they had only had to overcome men who fought like women but when they had come up
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTg0NzAy