or to
that played by his cousin Francisco de Albuquerque, the son of John
II's Lord High Admiral. His chief act of importance at that time was
his commencing to build a fort at Cochin to defend the local
Portuguese factory; but he also visited Quilon and appointed a factor
in that city. Nevertheless, though he did not do much in 1503, he
learnt much that was useful to him in subsequent years. He saw for
the first time the Indian coast, and was enabled to study on the spot
the problems presented by the establishment of the Portuguese.

He also experienced the difficulties of a divided command. He
quarrelled seriously with his cousin, and eventually, in spite of the
king's direct orders to the contrary, he left the Malabar coast
without waiting for his colleague. On leaving Cochin he took the bold
step of shaping his course for Mozambique. Hitherto the Portuguese
fleets had always struck the African coast higher up in order to make
the passage across the Indian Ocean as short as possible.
Nevertheless, guided by a Muhammadan pilot, Albuquerque reached
Mozambique in safety, and after a perilous voyage along the West
Coast of Africa, arrived at Lisbon in July, 1504. His cousin, who had
delayed his departure, was lost at sea with his squadron {48} without
anyone ever knowing where or how they perished.

On his return to Portugal Affonso de Albuquerque was very favourably
received by King Emmanuel. He encouraged the king's idea of securing
the monopoly of the Indian trade, and insisted that the only way by
which this could be done was to close the previous routes by the Red
Sea and the Persian Gulf. Modern ideas of commercial freedom were
unknown even in the last century, when the River Scheldt was closed
by treaties assented to by the chief European powers; and it was
hardly to be expected that in the sixteenth century the general good
of humanity should be preferred to national considerations. King
Emmanuel therefore entered into Albuquerque's schemes for destroying
the commerce carried on by the Muhammadans with India, and resolved
to despatch the chief author of this policy to the East.

Accordingly, in 1506, when Tristao da Cunha was ordered to the East
with a fleet of eleven ships, Albuquerque accompanied him with a
separate squadron of five ships destined to operate on the coasts of
Arabia. Albuquerque was placed under the command of Da Cunha until
the island of Socotra should be conquered and garrisoned by the
Por