The Portuguese in the Sea of Oman

_ 301 _ these contracts, you will go ashore with all the people of the fleet, in formation, with all their weapons, pikes and arquebuses, and you shall enter the city with your banners, fifes and drums and go the King’s palaces and you will present him with the gifts you have taken with you. You will tell him on my behalf that I greatly esteem his friendship and consent, and that I am sending a great fleet to see him through the winter, with the purpose of conquering the whole coast of the Arabian Sea and handing it over to him. After talking to him about these matters, you will require him to sign the contracts and swear them, together with his brothers, in accordance with their law. And having done all this, you will bid him farewell with great courtesy and return in formation to the ships. Item: All the time you are anchored in the city, you will keep close watch on the fleet. Every night you will send two catures to go outside the port to keep a watch on the sea, and to give you intelligence of all that they see and hear there, so that nothing shall enter or leave the port of which you do not know in time to prevent indicents or happenings which may occur. However, if you receive firm intelligence in Socotra that there is a great Turkish fleet in the neighbourhood of Aden,

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