_ 92 _ and where the timber for it was coming from. He promised us his support if we served him willingly, and so we set to work, for when we were in Goa we always served as his interpreters, in Arabic and Persian, in Turkish and in Gujurati, and if other languages were necessary, we also learned then. Item: All the letters which came from the Kings of Vijayanagar, of Cambay, Bhatkal, Chaul, Gujurat and Ormuz passed through our hands, and we read them, and we were always found to be truthful and willing. We also acquired all the things necessary for the fortress, such as charcoal and line, and workmen, and everything was done through our industry. Item: We arranged that the men should receive one third less pay than the Captain-in-Chief had ordered, and the same for the presents and gifts he made to the pagan captains, and this was because we knew the customs of the country and how the kings of the Moors treated them and the gifts they made and the salary they paid. A1l this Your Highness may learn from the Captain-in-Chief. Item: When we were going to Malacca five Gujurati ships that were on their way there were seized, and two of them I was arranging to sell for thirty-five thousand gold
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTg0NzAy