_ 92 _ a Malabari nau to sail in advance to capture some pilots. The said nau captured a Moorish nau sailing from Zeila to Jidda, laden with wheat, rice and some bales of cloth. Most of the Moor (sic) fled. We only captured a few who could not swim and some Moorish women, but none on land. The Captain-General did not drop anchor, Sir, but ordered (sic) Jorge de Brito to take the nau and tow it by the stern. Item: Sir, the night that we left the entrance of the Straits, such a strong wind blew up, veering from south-west to south-east, that it really threatened to swamp us. That night, Sir, the cable attached to the stern of Jorge de Brito’s nau snapped. I was in the galley alongside Jorge de Brito, and when I saw that the cable was broken we began to fire off cannonades for the Captain-General to wait for us. The wind was so strong, Sir, that we could not reach the nau Three Portuguese and fourteen or fifteen Malabaris perished in it. Item: Sir, when the cable on that nau snapped, the greater part of the fleet was saved, because, Sir, when dawn broke we found ourselves just off four islands; first, a league from them, then half a league and then among the breakers, because of the little sail that we had. That night, Sir, I believe Dom Alvaro’s fusta ran aground, because, Sir, it was using extra sail to escape out to sea. The
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTg0NzAy