_ 212 _ of the galley. A bombardier and a soldier who were standing at the prow of the foist thinking they were lost, grabbed the oars so as to save themselves on them, preferring to be taken captive than drowned. When Simão da Costa, a very tough and experienced man, saw that the galley was veering to leeward, he encouraged his crew, rigged the sail that had been lowered and began to leave the galley to his windward. Meanwhile, the bombardier and the soldier who were still clinging to the oars, were taken on board by the Turks. On seeing that the foist had escaped from his clutches through his own fault, Piri Reis’ son kept up the bombardment as long as he could, but it was all in vain, because Simão da Costa was throwing money to his oarsmen along the gangway, in order to strengthen their resolve. He forced the foist to use sail in such a way that he always moved to windward where, as far as he knew, the galley already was. However, he did not allow it to follow him, so that by nightfall it had lost him to sight. Whereupon, finding himself relieved of pressure, Simão da Costa, passed on to the coast of Persia and sailed along it to reach Ormuz. The news he gave there about the five galleys caused so much upset and consternation to all, that they began
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