Page:George McCall Theal, History of Africa south of the Zambesi from 1505 to 1795, Volume 1 (3rd ed, 1916).djvu/146

116 one ships, of which eleven were to return with cargoes, and the others to remain in the Indian sea. The materials for constructing several caravels were also on board. Well fitted out as the ships were, the crews were largely composed of landsmen, and in one in particular there was not a sailor who on leaving knew how to manage the helm.

On the 6th of April the fleet arrived at Cape Verde, and after taking in water at some harbours on that coast, left on the 15th. As some of the ships were very slow sailers, seven of them were here formed into a separate squadron, the command of which was given to Manuel Paçanha, and with the remaining fourteen Dom Francisco tried to push on more quickly. On the 5th of May in a heavy sea the ship commanded by Pedro Ferreira Fogaça was observed to be sinking, and her crew were hardly rescued when she went down with nearly everything on board. The Cape of Good Hope was doubled on the 26th of June, but the fleet had gone so far south to avoid danger that the cold was very severe and the decks of the ships were covered with snow. Turning now to the north-eastward, without touching anywhere on the way himself, but sending two ships under Gonçalo de Paiva and Fernão Bermudes to Mozambique for information, Dom Francisco d'Almeida reached Kilwa on the 22nd of July. His squadron was intact, except the vessels detached and one, of which João Serrão was captain, that had parted from him in a gale.

João da Nova, who was going out to command the fleet of war that was to guard the sea from the gulf of Cambay to Cape Comorin, was at once sent ashore to arrange with the emir Abraham for a meeting. Some fruit was taken on board the flag ship as a present when she dropped anchor, but no other show of welcome was made, nor was the Portuguese flag that the admiral Dom Vasco da Gama had left there exhibited as a sign of dependency. The emir promised João da Nova to meet Dom Francisco on the water the following morning, but when the time came and the gaily decorated Portuguese boats were there in readiness,