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Chap. VII.] THIRD PORTUGUESE EXPEDITION. 1C7

tiieir relative positions — the former considering himself strong enough to make ad looi his will law, and, if so disposed, to play the tyrant, while the latter, writhing under a galling yoke, was convinced that his best chance of escaping it was to tlu-ow himself into the hands of tiie Portuguese. Tiiis feeling of a common interest and a common danger naturally smoothed down many tlifficulties, and made friendship, when once established, firm and lasting.

The impression which the Portuguese had produced, both by the terror of Fnendiy

/. 1 . .1 • ., ., overtures

their arms and the extent of their commercial transactions, was strikingly from other evinced by the anxiety which several native states now manifested to secure ^'^^'^ "* their alliance. From the chiefs of two of these — Cananore, situated consider- ably^ north of Calicut, and Coulan, or rather Quilon, situated considerably south of Cochin, in the state of Travancore — mes.sengers amved to invite the Portu- gne.se to their harbours, promising them .spices on cheaper terms than they could be obtained at Cochin. Cabral was, of course, inchned to open communications in as many quarters as possible, with a view to subsequent traffic; but at the time it was impossible to do more than promise a future visit, as he had more serious work on hand. Just as he was completing his cargo, a formidable fleet, com- y)osed of twenty-tive large ships, and many smaller vessels, appeared off the coast. It wjxs said to have 15,000 soldiers on boai'd, and to be destined to avenge the injuries inflicted on Cabcut. This information was furnisiied by the Rajah of Cochin, who proved his fidelity to his new allies by offering them all the assi.stance in his power ; but Cabral, thanking him for the offer, felt confident that he would prove more than a match for them single-handed. It would seem, however, that tiiis confidence v/as somewhat shaken, for after some manoeuvring with the view of bruiging the enemy to action, he suddenly changed his mind, and saileil away in such haste, that he did not even take time to restore the cabrai ho.stages whom he had received from the rajah. To increase the ignominy of the by the flight, he was pursued a whole day by the Calicut fleet. When it left him ^^t""' * at night he appears to have availed hhnself of the darkness to regain the Mala- bar coast, and anchored in front of Cananore, where he took in 400 quintals of cinnamon. The rajah was so friendly that, supposing the want of money to be the reason why he did not take more, he offered him any additional quantity on credit ; and showed how anxious he was to cultivate the Portuguese alliance, 1>- actually sending an amba.ssador with Cabral to Europe for that purjiose. Nothing of much interest occun-ed on the homeward voyage, and Cabral an-ived in Lisbon on the 31st of July, 1501. Of the ships which originallv formed the expedition only six returned.

Before Cabral s ari'ival a third Portuguese expedition was on its way to India. TUini It had sailed in IMarch, and consisted only of three sliips and a caravel, with expedition. +00 men, under the command of an experienced seaman of the name of Juan de Nueva. His instructions, proceeding on the assumption that Cabral had estab- lished factories at Sotala and at Calicut, were to leave two of the vessels with