_ 149 _ made his way to Calicut. I travelled as a merchant in the last named with a Jew. We were welcomed by the Portuguese and told that if we served you well Your Highness would show us great generosity. This we decided to do. Many of your noblemen in Goa will testify to the diligence with which we dispatched the building materials for your fortress in that city. Item 2: We answered in Persian and Arabic all the letters from Vijayanagar, the Sabaio, Batecala, Chaul, Dabul and Cambay. By doing this we hoped for the same reward as all who served you well. Item 3: When the Commander-in-Chief went to Malacca, the writer of this letter, Francisco de Albuquerque, became a Christian. Item 4: Five Cambay ships were captured on the voyage. I estimated that two of them were worth 25,000 xerafins in Menang Kaban (Sumatra) gold dust, which is gold of 221/2 carats. The scoundrels did not agree, accusing me of trying to cheat them. They caused such a fuss; I decided not to argue. So, they sold the larger ship in Malacca to the Commander for 9,500 xerafins in gold bars, which was gold of 16 carats. Thus, they sold for base gold because they
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