y instructed in the state of matters,
Nueva deemed it prudent to keep all the ships of his small squadron, and
sailed across from Melinda to Anchediva, where he came to anchor in
November, intending to take in a supply of water at that place. While
here, seven large ships belonging to Cambaya, which were bound for the
Red Sea, appeared off the anchoring ground, and seemed at first disposed
to attack our ships; but being afraid of the Portuguese ordnance, they
continued their voyage. From Anchediva Nueva proceeded for Cananor, where
he had an audience of the rajah, from whom he received particular notice
of all that had happened in Calicut to Cabral, and of the offer which the
rajah had made to load all his ships at Cananor. The rajah assured him of
his earnest desire of doing every thing in his power to serve the king of
Portugal, and pressed him to take in his loading at that port; but Nueva
declined this offer for the present, until he had consulted with the
factor at Cochin, for which port he took his departure from Cananor. On
his way between Cananor and Cochin, Nueva took a ship belonging to some
of the Moorish merchants at Calicut, after a vigorous resistance, and set
it on fire.

On his arrival at Cochin, the factor who had been left there by Cabral
came on board with the rest of his company, and acquainted him that the
rajah was greatly offended with Cabral for leaving the port without
seeing him, and for carrying away the hostages; yet had always kindly
entertained and the other members, of the factory, lodging them every
night in the palace for security, and always sending a guard of nayres
along with any of them who had occasion to go out during the day, on
purpose to defend them from the Moors who sought their destruction, and
who had one night set fire to the house in which they lodged before their
removal to the palace. He also informed Nueva that the Moors had
persuaded the native merchants to depreciate the price of the Portuguese
merchandize, and not to take these in exchange for pepper, so that unless
he had brought money for his purchases he would have little chance of
procuring a loading. On this intelligence, and considering that he had
not brought money, Nueva immediately returned from Cochin to Cananor,
expecting to procure his loading at that port, in consequence of the
friendly dispositions of the rajah towards the king of Portugal[6]. On
his return to Cananor, he found that money was as necessar