that dazzled every Body's Eyes."

He allowed Cabral to establish a depot at Calicut for European goods,
so a house was selected by the waterside and a flag bearing the arms
of Portugal erected on the top. For a time all went well, but the
Mohammedans proved to be difficult customers, and disputes soon arose.
A riot took place; the infuriated native traders stormed the depot
and killed the Portuguese within. Cabral in revenge bombarded the city,
and, leaving the wooden houses in flames, he sailed away to Cochin
and Cananor on the coast of Malabar. Soon after this he returned home
with only six out of the thirteen ships, and from this time he
disappears from the pages of history.

Just before his return, the King of Portugal, thinking trade was well
established between India and his own country, dispatched a "valiant
gentleman" in command of four ships to carry merchandise to the newly
discovered country. But his voyage and adventures are only important
inasmuch as he discovered the island of Ascension when outward bound
and the island of St. Helena on the way home. So favourable was the
account of this island that all Portugal admirals were ordered for
the future to touch there for refreshments.

The news of Cabral's adventures at Calicut inspired a yet larger
expedition to the East, and Vasco da Gama, now Admiral of the Eastern
seas, was given command of some fifteen ships which sailed from the
Tagus in February 1502. The expedition, though avowedly Christian,
was characterised by injustice and cruelty. Near the coast of Malabar
the Portuguese fleet met with a large ship full of Mohammedan pilgrims
from Mecca. The wealth on board was known to be enormous, and Don Vasco
commanded the owners to yield up their riches to the King of Portugal.
This they somewhat naturally refused to do. Whereupon the Portuguese
fired, standing calmly to watch the blazing ships with their human
freight of men, women, and children. True, one historian declares that
all the children were removed to the Portuguese ship to be converted
into good little Catholics. Another is more nearly concerned with the
money. "We took a Mecca ship on board of which were three hundred and
eighty men and many women and children, and we took from it fully twelve
thousand ducats, with goods worth at least another ten thousand. And
we burned the ship and all the people on board with gunpowder on the
first day of October."

[Illustration: THE MALABAR COAST. From