_ 67 _ have there, which are vessels that can carry ten or twelve Portuguese and are easy to row, and others, if necessary, with Arab archers in them, to give help where it might be needed. I was told buy ships which came to Muscat after I had left there that there are some forty or fifty Portuguese there and this also useful aid to embark where there is most need, to fight these Turkish ships, with Our Lord’s help, if they come to attack Muscat; against whom Our Lord will grant us complete victory. It seemed to me that to send these ships was in the interests of His Highness and Your Lordship because those which are leaving here for India were carrying two or three Portuguese and a good deal of money, and if these Turks were to take any prizes in Muscat, and especially if they find the ships are carrying plenty of xerafins and tangas, and take these prizes to the Strait, it will cause them to come to Muscat every year. Dom Paio thought he should stay here, and he asked me for this fleet because he thought that he would be serving the King in this way. So, I gave it to him, and he is sailing as it commander. The captains and soldiers who are going with it are reliable and decent people. At the beginning of August, the two fastest caturs are going to patrol Cape Ras Al-Had to look out for the
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