e went on shore, and, surrounded by the people, proceeded to the
palace. He, however, was not received that evening, and was compelled
to take up his abode in the house of one of the natives, where he was
but meanly entertained.

During the night the Castilian came and warned him not to grow angry
with these delays, as he was thus treated in order to make him lose his
temper. Following this advice, he the next morning pretended to be
quite at his ease.

At length, when the overseer appeared, Nicolas Coelho requested that a
boat might be prepared to take him back to the ship. Seeing that he was
not to be put out of temper, the overseer at last consented to introduce
him to the King, whom he found seated in a summer-house on a low couch
covered with white cloth, one of his priests attending near him.

Coelho kept silence until the King bade him speak. He then, Joab Nunez
acting as interpreter, delivered the message he had brought from the
Captain-Major.

After hearing it, the King bade him retire, saying that the overseer of
the treasury would bring him an answer; but Nicolas replied that he
could receive no answer but from the King himself. After he had waited
for some time, the priest brought him out an agreement signed on the dry
leaf of a palm-tree, granting all the requests of the Captain-Major, the
priest swearing that it was the King's signature.

When Nicolas Coelho returned on board and gave an account of his
interview with the King, Vasco da Gama was highly pleased, and ordered
flags to be hoisted, trumpets to be sounded, and salutes to be fired.

Having appointed Digo Diaz to act as factor, and Pedro da Braga as
clerk, to be assisted by Joao Nunez, Davane, and one of the pilots from
Melinda, he sent on shore for the purpose of trading, a chest of
unwrought branch coral, the same quantity of vermilion, a barrel of
quicksilver, fifty pigs of copper, twenty strings of large cut coral,
and as many of amber, five Portugueses of gold, fifty cruzados, and a
hundred testoons in silver; as also a table with a green cloth, and a
pair of wooden scales. He directed his people to accept the prices
offered, and to verify the weight of everything with the scales. The
clerk was ordered likewise to write down in a book which he carried the
particulars of all transactions.

On arriving on shore, the factor hired a large house in two
compartments, one for trade and the other for living in.

The overseer of the tre