e boats which he had ordered to hover about the shore.

But the Moors were vigilant. His escape was immediately known, and the
catual, by the king's order, pursued and brought him back by force. The
catual, however (for it was necessary for their schemes to have the
ships in their power), behaved with politeness to the admiral, and
promised to use all his interest in his behalf.

The eagerness of the Moors now contributed to the safety of Gama. Their
principal merchants were admitted to a formal audience, when one of
their orators accused the Portuguese as a nation of faithless
plunderers: Gama, he said, was an exiled pirate, who had marked his
course with blood and depredation. If he were not a pirate, still there
was no excuse for giving such warlike foreigners any footing in a
country already supplied with all that nature and commerce could give.
He expatiated on the great services which the Moorish traders had
rendered to Calicut; and ended with a threat, that all the Moors would
leave the zamorim's ports and find some other settlement, if he
permitted these foreigners any share in the commerce of his dominions.

However staggered with these arguments and threats, the zamorim was not
blind to the self-interest and malice of the Moors. He therefore
ordered, that the admiral should once more be brought before him. In the
meanwhile the catual tried many stratagems to get the fleet into the
harbour; and at last, in the name of his master, made an absolute demand
that the sails and rudders should be delivered up, as the pledge of
Gama's honesty. But these demands were as absolutely refused by Gama,
who sent a letter to his brother by Monzaida, enforcing his former
orders in the strongest manner, declaring that his fate gave him no
concern, that he was only unhappy lest the fruits of all their fatigue
and dangers should be lost. After two days spent in vain altercation
with the catual, Gama was brought as a prisoner before the king. The
king repeated his accusation; upbraided him with non-compliance to the
requests of his minister; urged him, if he were an exile or a pirate, to
confess freely, in which case he promised to take him into his service,
and highly promote him on account of his abilities. But Gama, who with
great spirit had baffled all the stratagems of the catual, behaved with
the same undaunted bravery before the king. He asserted his innocence,
pointed out the malice of the Moors, and the improbability of h