_ 58 _ Basra to make every effort to capture El Katiff and Bahrain and to station a large garrison there. In the summer of last year (1550), the Pasha, eager to make astart, contacted some Arabs in El Katiff and won them over with promises. As a result, they agreed that he should send a fleet to lay siege to them and they would surrender the fortress to him.Meanwhile, he assembled numerous ships, embarked a large number of troops and descended on El Katiff, which he besieged on the seaward side. The captain there was Moradobec (Barbarossa), with 300 or 400Arabs. Either because he had been warned or because he suspected that some of his men had been bribed by the Turks, he abandoned the fortress and withdrew to the interior, so as to save his life. In this way, the Turks took over the fortress, repaired it and supplied it with artillery. When the news reached Ormuz it caused great consternation because of the dreaded proximity of the Turks.The king was greatly mortified at the loss of such an important fortress and he agreed with the captain Dom Alvaro de Noronha that letters should be sent immediately to the viceroy requesting him to take care of this matter, because it could cause great harm.
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