_ 355 _ perceive, and here they affirm that he is very subtle when they find out he has been deceiving them, and when the issue of affairs, in which they are engaged turns against success, of which I do not speak of here, he proves wide of the mark of what was thought without exercising diligence, for they say of the Devil that he is very discreet. I return to the purpose of this letter, on reaching the line at the beginning of March I proceeded along it, until the twenty seventh of the month, and always with contrary winds, and finding I could not pass on to the island of Saõ Lourenco and winter at Moçambique, for the weather never gave us hopes of turning favourable, I veered round again towards India with the opinion and counsel of the Pilot and Master as well as of all others in the ships, and Autos were drawn up of what had occurred, and even so, it was myself alone who thought of doing this for I considered how much I could serve God the King Our Lord. And as far as I can judge never since India was discovered had such a counsel as this been taken, because ships departing late do not seem to take their reckonings here, for they would not understand it probably as I did, for many reasons of seamanship which it pleased our Lord I
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