_ 143 _ against men such as those in Aden, then the truth had been revealed. To this the governor replied that the fame of the Portuguese was well-founded, and that they had not won India from womanish men, but rather from the Turks and the Arabs from the Red Sea; it was only because the ladders had broken that he had lost lives as well as the city, however, judging by the way in which so many of our men had scaled the walls, he could see what kind of men they were and how they were eager to fight. But although Mira Mergena sent this letter to the governor, both he and the sheikh were very afraid of the governor's incursion into the Red Sea. As soon as the Sheikh learnt that our men had placed the ladders against the walls of his city, he sent a message to the sultan through the camel post, and this reached him fifteen days later. The sultan replied that if the frangues had sailed into the Red Sea the sheikh should guard his ports well, for he would do the same; he gave him this curt reply, because he was not on good terms with him. Mirocem, who heard about this immediately deserted Iudda in fear of our men; and the sultan was so appalled at the news, that he immediately left for suez, where he
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