When The Storm Abated, The General Found That, With Only Two Other Ships
In Company, He Had Doubled The Cape
Of Good Hope without having seen it.
On the 16th of July they fell close in with the coast of
Africa, in lat.
27 deg.S. but the pilots did not know the coast, and the general would not
allow any one to go on shore. They could see great numbers of people on
the land, yet none came down to the shore to view the ships. Having no
hope of procuring provisions from the natives, the seamen caught great
plenty of fish at this place; after which the general pursued his course
close along shore, where he constantly saw many people, and great numbers
of cattle feeding along the banks of a river which fell into the sea in
that neighbourhood.[10] Proceeding in this manner, the general came to
Sofala, with which the pilots were unacquainted, near which lay two
islands,[11] close by one of which two vessels lay at anchor. These
immediately made for the shore on seeing the Portuguese ships, and being
pursued were taken without resistance. The principal person belonging to
these vessels was a near relation[12] of the king of Melinda, and was
going from Sofala to Melinda with gold. The people were so much afraid on
seeing our ships, that they threw a great part of the gold into the sea,
and most of them escaped on shore. The general was much concerned at his
loss, especially that it should have fallen on the subject and relation
of a prince who was in friendship with the king his master; and after
shewing him every civility, restored the two vessels with all the
remaining gold. The Moor asked Cabral if he had any witches on board, who
could conjure up his gold from the bottom of the sea? Cabral answered,
that the Christians believe in the true God, and do not practice or give
credit to witchcraft.
Learning from this Moor that he had overshot Sofala, and not being
inclined to turn back, the general continued his voyage to Mozambique;
where he arrived on the 20th of July and took in a supply of water, and
procured a pilot to carry him to the island of Quiloa, towards which he
directed his course. In this part of the voyage he saw several fertile
islands, belonging to the king of Quiloa, who is a powerful prince; his
dominions extending from Cape Corientes almost to Mombaza, along nearly
400 leagues of coast, including the two islands near Sofala, that city
itself and several others to Mozambique, many more all the way to Mombaza,
with a great number of islands; from all which he derives large
revenues.[13] Yet he has few soldiers, and lives in no great state. His
constant residence is in an island named Quiloa, near the continent of
Ethiopia, an hundred leagues from Mozambique. This island is full of
gardens and orchards, with plenty of various kinds of fruits, and
excellent water, and the country produces abundance of _miso_[14] and
other grain, and breeds great numbers of small cattle; and the sea affords
great plenty of excellent fish.
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