_ 53 _ grand scale and Brother Gaspar was greatly needed there, as are many others. He preaches three times a week, on Sunday, Wednesday and Saturday. He gives religious instruction every day to the young men and negroes and summonses them twice a day with a little bell that he rings as he walks through the street. Right at the beginning he was stoned on two occasions by the Moors. On Saturdays he holds debates with the Jews in the synagogues whom he impresses greatly. He has the same effect on the Moors. Many of them become Christians and they call him Master Gaspar Zacharias(A). The Moors flock to him because they see him living like a poor man. They give him pieces of camel’s hair cloth with which to clothe himself, but he is unwilling to accept anything. He is much loved by the captain(B) He is also revered by the Portuguese and the Moors, because in their dealings with the captain, Master Gaspar is their only support. Ormuz is in Persia, which is an extremely large province. A dozen leagues beyond Ormuz there is an area of perpetual snow, which is said to be one month’s journey (A) The Koran praises Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist. (B) At that time it was D. Manuel de Lima.
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