God. Departing from thence, they were driven back by a westerly wind
right contrary; but Providence sent them a fair wind, by means of which
they doubled the Cape of Good Hope with infinite pleasure on the 20th of
March, all the remainder of the crews being now strong and in good health,
with the cheering prospect of speedily returning to Lisbon. They now had
a fair wind, which lasted them twenty days, and sped them on towards St
Jago. The fair wind now failed them and delayed their voyage. Trying the
lead on Thursday the 25th of April, they found twenty-five fathom; and
the least water they had all that day was twenty fathom, on which account
the pilots concluded they were on the shoals of the Rio Grande.

Of the rest of this voyage, till the arrival of the general at the island
of St Jago, I have found no account; except that, when, approaching that
place, Nicholas Coello parted company one night with the general, and
made direct for Portugal, that he might carry the first intelligence to
the king of the discovery of India; and arrived at _Cascais_ on the 10th
of July 1499[74]. He went immediately to the king, whom he informed of
all that had befallen the general in his discovery of the Indies, and of
the commodities which had been brought from thence; of which discovery,
and of the prospect which it held out of a direct trade with India by sea,
the king was as glad as when he had been proclaimed king of Portugal.

After the separation of Coello, De Gama pursued his voyage for the island
of St Jago, both because his brother Paulo was sick with consumptive
complaints, and because his ship was in very bad condition; all her seams
being open. At that island, he freighted a caravel, in hope of being able
to get his brother home to Portugal, and left John de Sala in charge of
his own ship, to have her repaired and new rigged before proceeding for
Lisbon. The general and his brother left St Jago in the hired caravel for
Lisbon; but the disease of Paulo de Gama increased so rapidly, that he
was forced to put in at the island of Tercera, where Paulo de Gama
departed this life like a good Christian and a worthy gentleman. When he
had buried his brother, Vasco de Gama set sail for Portugal, and arrived
at Belem in September 1499; having been two years and two months absent
on this voyage. Of 108 men whom he had taken with him, only fifty[75]
came home alive; which was a large proportion, considering the great and
numerous dang