_ 562 _ to ask the King of Massawa for water. He saw that this was the way to deceive them as he wished, and he ordered many water-skins to be filled and sent his soldiers with them to the Portuguese. As they were extremely thirsty, for their sins, for it is not right that rebels should be preserved, and because of their predicament, as soon as they saw the water they threw their weapons to the ground and went to drink from the water-skins. The Moors seized all their weapons and took them away, and they attacked the Portuguese and bound their hands together and took them to the King of Massawa. The King ordered the Captain of Zeila and the Turks who were there to cut off the heads of all the Portuguese. Ninety-six Portuguese soldiers, all of good birth and many of noble families, were beheaded there. They were much to blame for their own deaths, but I think the Governor was more to blame as he had left them helpless and taken all their captains off to Suez. If the captains had remained in Suez, each with his men, I assure Your Highness that no such disaster would have occurred. The other men left in Massawa were also embittered because the time had passed that the Governor had fixed to return to Massawa. The lascars had all said that they would not wait more than a week, and then
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