r felt was the losing
one of the ships from his company, so that the seamen would put back to
Portugal by force, as, indeed, they had very much such a desire in their
hearts.

But the captains took very great care of this, because Vasco da Gama,
before going out to Lisbon, when conversing alone with the Jew Zacuto
in the monastery, had received from him much information as to what he
should do during his voyage, and especially recommendations of great
watchfulness never to let the ships part company, because if they
separated it would be the certain destruction of all of them.

Vasco da Gama took great care of this, personally, and by means of his
servants and relations in whom he trusted; and this they attended to with
much greater solicitude after they heard the sailors say that they were
many, and the captains only a few single men, and in fact they had in
their minds such an intention of rising up against the captains, and
by force putting back to Portugal, and they thought that, if it became
necessary to arrest them for this and bring them before the King, he
would have mercy upon them, and, should they not find mercy, they
preferred rather to die there where their wives and children and fathers
were, and in their native country, and not in the sea to be eat by the
fishes. With such thoughts they all spoke to one another secretly,
determining to carry it out, and trusting that the King would not hang
them all for the good reasons which they would give him; or else to
secure their lives they would go to Castile until they were pardoned.
This was the greatest insolence they were guilty of; and so they decided
upon executing their plan. In taking this decision they did not perceive
the danger of death, into which they were going more than ever.

In the ship of Nicolas Coelho there was a sailor who had a brother who
lived with Nicolas Coelho, and was foster-brother of a son of his; and
the sailor brother told this boy of what they had all determined to do.
This boy, being very discreet, said to his brother that they should all
preserve great secrecy, so as not to be found out, for it was a case
of treason, and he warned his brother not to tell anyone that he had
mentioned such a thing to him. The boy, on account of the affection which
he had for his master Nicolas Coelho, discovered the matter to him in
secret, and he at once gave the boy a serious warning to be very discreet
in this matter, that they should not perc