_ 257 _ it over to him, freely and unconditionally and that he should occupy and look after it”. The guazil answered that “he did not have the courage to defend it because as soon as D. Antão departed, the Turks would return to attack it and this would cause a fresh problem, with Ormuz having to come to its relief”. Dom Antão understood the problem and discussed with the captains in the Council what he should do about it. It was agreed that the fortress should be demolished, so that the enemy would not return to take it and build strongholds inside it. When this was done, D. Antão de Noronha ordered the bulwarks to be mined so as to blow them up. He entrusted this to a clerk of works whom he had brought with him. This man set about excavating some galleries to place the mines and he came across some covered latrines that were in a recess of one of the bulwarks. He heavily reinforced these with stone and cement on the outside and placed some barrels inside, leaving a gap to ignite them. While this work on the mines was being carried out, Dom Antão decided to station himself in the shelter of a bulwark with the leading officers of the fleet. When Manuel de Vasconcelos came to him and asked him to go and inspect his mine that was almost ready (because the captain had divided the task among the
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