command, declared himself on Albuquerque's side, and in a few
hours all the captains

'begged him very earnestly to do them the favour to forget it all,
for their passion had blinded them, and all were {57} ready to
serve him in the war and to perform all that he might require of
them.'[3]

[Footnote 3: Albuquerque's _Commentaries_, vol. i. p. 172.]

Albuquerque accordingly attacked Ormuz and defeated the troops who
had assembled to prevent his landing; but Cogeatar knew of the
discontent of the captains, and steadfastly refused to surrender the
deserters. With Joao da Nova the situation soon became still more
strained. This captain was undoubtedly the leader of the malcontents,
and at last, after a disgraceful scene, Albuquerque ordered him under
arrest. An enquiry was made into his conduct and that of his ship's
crew, and in the words of the _Commentaries_,

'the captain and all the men were found to be so guilty that it was
thought to be better counsel to forgive them, considering the times
they had fallen upon, and the necessity there was of them, than to
punish them as they deserved; ... and he [Albuquerque] ordered them
to return to the ship, and released Joao da Nova from custody and
returned him his captaincy, not caring to hear any more of his
guilt, but leaving the punishment of it for the King to settle,
although he had, in the instructions given to him, granted him
power for all.'[4]

[Footnote 4: Albuquerque's _Commentaries_, vol. i. p. 189.]

These troubles in his fleet caused Albuquerque to abandon his project
of building a castle at Ormuz, and he therefore sailed away, in April
1508, to intercept the Muhammadan merchant-ships on their way from
India. The disputes with his captains still continued, and three of
them--Antonio do Campo, Affonso {58} Lopes da Costa, and Manoel
Telles--deserted him and went to India. Their desertion was soon
followed by that of Joao da Nova, whose departure deprived him of the
finest ship in his squadron. With his diminished force of only two
ships Albuquerque sailed to Socotra, where he found the garrison
suffering from want of provisions, having nothing to eat but
palm-leaves and wild fruit. He then cruised for some time in the Gulf
of Aden, and eventually he finally disgraced Francisco de Tavora, his
sole remaining captain, who disgusted him by further mutinous
behaviour.

After cruising for four months in the Gulf of Aden, during which