_ 102 _ take his wealth, that he was a vassal of the King; within the Fortress there were not more than five hundred archers. After Simaõ da Cunha had gone on board he found there was no one to steer the vessels and they commenced to drift about that sea in a desperate manner as though despairing of being saved and many began to die, and those that were in health began to sicken, and only a few blacks who were well attempted to carry the ships, a foist arrived to this, Ormuz, and brought the sad news, and the Captain at once took some terrada and sent a large number of men in them, and they went in search of the vessels, and found them on these seas in a desperate condition, without water and without anyone to man the ships, only left to God’s mercy. On sea Simaõ da Cunha died as well as many other Fidalgos, and the rest were all ill, and with the help of the men sent from here, they were able to save the ships, all of which came on to Ormuz, the men were all ill not one arriving in health: up to the date of this the dead number some a hundred and twenty, others are ill in bed, many of them with no hope of life. Some say it was all due to poison in the water, however those who know the land say that it was not so, that the land itself is malarious at this season. I write thus in detail to Your Worship so that you should be aware entirely of what passed in our stations we had some
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