_ 159 _ and placed ladders against the walls in the spot that I had advised him was the best and weakest point. The Moors fled from the first stretch of wall that his men climbed. At other places the rotten ladders collapsed with the weight of men who tried to scramble up in search of victory in such a noble cause. I do not want to talk about their failure, because it would be a discourtesy to talk badly about people superior to myself. It would be better if you heard it from someone else. Aden cannot be taken without many battering rams, ladders, protective shields and picks, all of which let us down. Aden’s only strength is in its walls. Item 27: When the moment came to withdraw, the troops retreated so precipitately and in such disorder that it seemed as if everyone was pursuing them, though the gates of the city were closed and there was not a single Moor outside the walls. The batels did not want to pick up any men who did not belong to their own nau. I swear to God that I clung onto a batel with my body in the water for a whole hour and they did not want to take me on board, until I told the captain of one of them that if he did not rescue me, I would go over to the Moors. God is my witness, so are two or three of your servants; and if Your Highness wishes to know the name of the captain,it was Joao Gomez.
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