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vi INTRODUCTION. INTRODUCTION. vii
fleet, had fled inland, leaving the widow of the former abundance of fish and the curious way by which the galley-
ruler to face the Portuguese. This woman having been slaves caught them. After a few days’ stay at Hormuz,
Zi
recognised as ruler in place of the fugitive usurper, the the fleet sailed for the Strait of Hormuz; but, on arriving
Portuguese went on to Malindi, where they were received at Kishm, Martim AfTonso became so ill that the ships
with all honour by the king, who asked and was granted returned to Hormuz, where the commander died and was
permission to accompany the fleet to Mombasa. The latter buried. The fleet remained in the Strait until September,
place had been strongly garrisoned and mounted with when it once more returned to Hormuz, whence it sailed,
ordnance ; but after first making a show of resistance, and under the command of Simao da Costa,1 Martim Affonso’s
then soliciting terms of peace, the king and all his people father-in-law, for Goa, where it arrived in October, 1587.2
vacated the town, which the Portuguese entered, looted, Apparently, Pedro Teixeira had been with Martim
and burnt. Seeing this destruction from the mainland, Affonso’s fleet from the time of its departure from Goa;
the king of Mombasa once more wrote asking for peace, and, as far as we know, he returned thither with Simao da
and confessing his faults. The king of Malindi acted as Costa. But, except for his experience at Maskat, he
intermediary, but, as a satisfactory agreement could not be passes over this expedition in silence.
arrived at, Martim Affonso resolved to leave for the Not long after the departure of Martim Affonso’s fleet,
Persian Gulf. First, however, he dispatched a vessel with news reached Goa (at the end of March, 1587), from
letters for the Viceroy, and the salted head of the late king Malacca, of the desperate condition to which that city had
of Ampaza1 as a present for him. been reduced by the action of “ Rajale,” the king of Johor,
Just as Martim Affonso de Mello was about to set sail who had blockaded the Straits of Malacca, thus preventing
with his fleet for Hormuz, there arrived at Mombasa, in a the Portuguese ships from passing between India and
sorely storm-shattered condition, the ship Salvador, which China, and also causing the unfortunate inhabitants of
had left Cochin for Europe at the end of 1586, or early in Malacca to suffer the horrors of famine by the stoppage of
1587, laden with pepper and other commodities. Owing supplies. On receipt of these tidings the Viceroy sum
to the valuable cargo that the Salvador had on board, moned his Council, and it was resolved that loans should
Martim Affonso resolved to take the ship along with him be raised from the citizens of Goa, Bassein, and Chaul, to
to Hormuz, where she was broken up, and the cargo tran provide succour for the distressed city. This was done ;
shipped to another vessel. On the way to Hormuz the and on 28th April, a fleet of three galleons, two galleys, r
fleet called at Malindi, where the king supplied it with four galliots and seven foists, with five hundred men and
provisions ; at Socotra, where it watered ; at the agnada abundant munitions, under the command of D. Paulo de
(watering-place) of Teive (Taiwa), south of Maskat; and ■
then, according to Teixeira’s statement (p. 223 infra), at 1 This man was valuer of the Hormuz custom-house, and had for i
many years acted as vedor da fazenda (comptroller of revenue) of
Maskat itself, where our traveller was astonished at the that place. There are several references to him in the Arch. Port.-
Or., fasc. iii. :
1 Linschoten (vol. ii, p. 195) says (erroneously) that it was the head * See Couto, Dec. X, Liv. vm, cap. x, Liv. IX, caps, i, iii; Archivo :
of the king of Pate, and describes what was done with the gruesome Portuguez-Oriental, fasc. iii, pp. 170-171. Cf. also Linschoten, vol. 11,
object pp. 194-196.
