which were borne
by a page, had handles of pure gold. Two lackeys preceded him in
splendid attire and six trumpeters with silk flags. He was also
accompanied by a band of wind instruments, in a small boat In another
boat were the presents which he carried for the rajah from the king of
Portugal. There were, six beds of fine Holland, with their pillows of the
same, all wrought with gold embroidery. Two coverlets or carpets of
unshorn crimson velvet, quilted all over, having three guards of cloth of
gold, that in the middle a span in width, and the others two fingers
broad. The bedstead was gilded all over, having curtains of crimson satin,
fringed with cold thread. On putting off from his ship, all the fleet
saluted him with their cannon; then the trumpets and drums sounded for a
long time; after which the organs never ceased to play till the boats
reached the shore, where vast numbers of Moors and Gentiles waited to
receive the admiral.

On his landing, the admiral Was conducted into a _sarame_ or house
appointed for his reception and audience of the rajah, in which he
ordered the bed and all its rich furniture to be set up, close to which
was placed a chair for the admiral to sit upon. Soon afterwards, the
rajah was brought to the house, carried in a rich chair of state,
preceded by three armed elephants, three thousand nayres, armed with
swords, spears, and targets, and two thousand armed with bows and arrows.
The admiral, apprized of the rajah's approach by the fleet saluting him
with all their guns, went to the door to receive him, where they embraced.
Then going together into the apartment, the admiral presented him with
the bed already described, on which the rajah immediately lay down, and
the admiral sat down beside him in the place appointed. They here
conferred together for two hours, when they were interrupted by the
barking of a greyhound belonging to the admiral, which wanted to attack
one of the elephants.

Soon afterwards a Moor from Calicut waited upon the admiral, having along
with him a Portuguese boy, who brought a letter from some of our men who
were captives at Calicut ever since the time of Cabral being there. This
boy informed the admiral, that the zamorin was so humbled by the defeats
he had sustained from Pacheco, that he had gone into religious seclusion.
That many of the Moorish merchants had gone from Calicut to other places,
as they could carry on no trade there owing to the war, and that e