But On Learning That It
Belonged To The King Of Cambaya, He Permitted It To Proceed On Its Voyage
Uninjured;
Sending word to that sovereign, that the Portuguese did not
come to the Indies to make war on any one,
Excepting indeed with the
zamorin of Calicut, who had scandalously broken the peace which had been
made between them. He therefore only took a pilot out of this ship, to
conduct him through the gulf between India and Africa. While continuing
their voyage, and approaching the African shore, a great storm arose on
the 12th of February, by which in the night the ship of Sancho de Toar
was driven on shore, and taking fire was entirely burnt, the men only
being saved. As the tempest still continued, they were unable to stop at
Melinda, or any other place till they came to Mozambique, where they cast
anchor, in order to take in water and to refit their ships, the seams of
which were all open. From this place, the general dispatched Sancho de
Toar to discover Sofala, with orders to make the best of his way from
that place to Portugal, with an account of its productions.
The ships being refitted, Cabral resumed the voyage to the Cape of Good
Hope, near which they again experienced a violent storm, in which one of
the ships was separated from the fleet, after firing signals of distress,
and was never seen again during the voyage. At length, after many great
storms and dangers, which it were tedious to recount, Cabral doubled the
Cape on Whitsunday the 22d of May; whence continuing his voyage with a
fair wind, he came to anchor at Cape Verd, where he found Diego Diaz, who
had separated from the fleet on the outward bound voyage. Diaz had been
driven into the Red Sea, where he wintered and lost his boat, and as most
of his men died from sickness, his pilot could not venture to carry him
to India. He endeavoured therefore to find his way back to Portugal; but
after leaving the Red Sea, his men were so consumed with hunger, thirst,
and sickness, that only seven of his crew remained. After remaining some
time at Cape Verd waiting in vain for the missing ships, Cabral proceeded
on his voyage, and arrived safe at Lisbon on the last day of July, in the
year 1501. Soon after his arrival, the ship which had separated in a
storm off the Cape of Good Hope, came in; and shortly after that, Sancho
de Toar arrived from Sofala. He described Sofala as a small island
close on the continent of Africa, inhabited by a black people called
Caffres; and reported that much gold is brought to this place from
certain mines on the adjacent continent; on which account Sofala is much
frequented by Moors from India, who barter merchandize of small value for
gold. He brought along with him to Lisbon a Moor whom he had received as
an hostage or pledge for the safety of one of his own men, whom he had
left there to acquire a knowledge of the country and its language; and
from this Moor they got ample information respecting the people and trade
of those parts of Africa, which I shall afterwards communicate.
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