_ 417 _ had gone to Cyprus. However some incident had caused him to change his route and return to India, he crossed the desert, reached Basra and from there went to Ormuz. As he had experience of the route and knew the Persian language and because he was a man of courage and spirit, Cristovao de Mendonca chose him to make this journey. Furthermore, he could find no one else, because the danger of the road put fear into everyone when Cristovao de Mendonca said how important the journey was in the service of the King of Portugal. Antonio Tenrreiro accepted the assignment with goodwill, but Cristovao de Mendonca gave him very little help towards his expenses, with some letters of accreditation for wherever they might be needed, he set off from Ormuz for the city of Basra on the 20th of Septamber 1528, travelling by sea. This city is in Arabia at the end of the Persian Gulf, at somewhat more than thirty leagues up the River Euphrates. This voyage took him forty days because of the contrary winds, and on reaching the city he was detained twenty days because of the caravan for Damascus with which he had hoped to go had already left. The Sheikh of the city refused to give him a guide to take him across the desert, which stretches from Basra as
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