_ 98 _ command that what Your Lordship thinks necessary is to be spent, this fortress will be a strong citadel. The walls and bastions are in need of attention, and also the bombards. Your Lordship must believe that it is very necessary for Francisco Pires to come here. I think that the King and Guazil of Ormuz will eventually help with some contribution to the cost. Although there are twenty Portuguese ships in this port of Ormuz there are so few men here that when there was a muster to pay them I found two hundred and eighty men, apart from the casados, who were not yet entered on the roll. Your Lordship can see how many men will remain in this fortress when these ships leave for India, as they must since they are taking horses to Goa, from which our Lord the King receives so much profit. Besides, most of them are very ill-equipped with weapons and they are merchants, and what they most care about is carrying on their business. There is certainly a great shortage of good soldiers here. Your Lordship must supply these needs from there as best you can, in our Lord the King's service. Men are much needed here. Ormuz has many very dangers and is very open to attack because there are more than two hundred small terradas, which are used for bringing water
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