which caused him any fear. He was very virtuous, very godfearing,
and very truthful. He was found side by side with Affonso de
Albuquerque in every one of the troubles which up to the hour of
his death had come upon him. He died at the age of twenty-four {81}
years, four having elapsed since he set out from Portugal with his
uncle in the fleet of Tristao da Cunha.'[10]

[Footnote 10: Albuquerque's _Commentaries_, vol. ii. pp. 180, 181.]

At no time indeed was Albuquerque more in need of help and advice;
his fleet was blockaded in the harbour and stricken with famine; his
men deserted in numbers and became renegades; and his captains were
in almost open mutiny. It was at this time that he ordered the
execution of one of his soldiers, a young Portuguese fidalgo named
Ruy Dias, which is treated by the poet Camoens as the chief blot upon
the great commander's fame. It was reported to Albuquerque that Ruy
Dias had been in the habit of visiting the Muhammadan women whom he
had brought with him as hostages from Goa. There is no doubt that
through these women information was conveyed to the enemy of the
state of affairs in the Portuguese fleet, and Albuquerque therefore
directed Pedro de Alpoem, the _Ouvidor_--that is, the Auditor of
Portuguese India, who performed the duties of Chief Magistrate--to
try Ruy Dias, and he was condemned to be hanged. While the execution
was being carried out, certain of the captains rowed up and down
among the ships crying 'Murder,' and one of them, Francisco de Sa,
went so far as to cut through the rope with which Ruy Dias was being
hanged, with his sword. Albuquerque at once determined to maintain
discipline. The execution of Ruy Dias was completed, and Francisco de
Sa, with three captains, Jorge Fogaca, Fernao Peres de Andrade and
Simao de Andrade, were put in irons.

{82} The extent of the suffering from sickness and starvation in the
fleet was made known to Yusaf Adil Shah by deserters, and that
monarch, with true chivalry, offered to send provisions to the
Portuguese, stating that he wished to conquer them not by starvation
but by the sword. Albuquerque resolved to receive no such assistance
from his enemies. He collected on board his own ship all the wine and
food that was left, which was being kept for the use of the sick, and
displayed it to the messengers of the King of Bijapur. Throughout
this difficult period the two generals vied with each other in
generosity. One fact