Goncalo Pereira. At first, he declared that he
came there only to see us and to inquire whether we needed anything
that he could supply us; but after he had entered the port with fine
words, offers, and promises both general and specific, he tried to
persuade us to go with him to India, saying that he was surprised at
our remaining so long in this land, when we knew that it belonged
to the king of Portugal. I answered him that I had believed myself
to be on land of his Majesty, but that, not being a cosmographer,
and not possessing a commission from his Majesty in regard to it, I
did not wish to contradict him or quarrel with him on that subject. I
assured him that, on arriving in this land, I was obliged to go into
winter-quarters here; and that I had despatched a ship to his Majesty
with a relation of what had occurred on the voyage. I added that I
had been expecting and still expected an answer to that report; and
that for lack of ships I had postponed my departure from the country
until they should be sent from Nueva Espana. To this he answered that,
on the contrary, it seemed to him that we wished to take possession
of the land of his king, with the intention of passing over into
China and other regions which were likewise his, thus breaking the
compact made between the kings of Castilla and Portugal. That was
satisfactorily answered by me, in the above manner, and I assured him
that my intention was not to injure his king in anything whatever, or
to seize anything belonging to him, because such was the injunction
imposed upon me by his Majesty. All this did not prove sufficient,
and he said that he could not go away from here unless either he
took us away, or we left the country immediately. He began to issue
some written injunctions, which, together with our answer to them,
accompany the present letter, so that your Excellency may know what
occurred. My intention was always to avoid giving him occasion for
commencing hostilities; but it availed little, for without any cause
whatever he started the war, and began to demolish with his artillery
some gabions we had built on the coast for our defense. He blockaded
both entrances to this port with his ships, to prevent us from bringing
in provisions or anything else, as will be confirmed by the testimony
accompanying this letter; and declared that, if they could not capture
us by any other means, they would do so by hunger. Thus he besieged
us for nearly three months,