Of how Lançarote held a council at Cape Branco.
Those nine caravels being thus met together, for they had yet no news of
that of Laurence Diaz, Lançarote bade all the other captains go on shore
that he might speak with them about the course that might seem good for
them to take; and these captains were very quickly ready. And when they
were all together joined in council, Lançarote said: "My noble friends,
although it pleased the lord Infant my lord, to give me charge of your
captaincies, you being of such honourable estate as you are, yet I fail
not to know, as is right, how to treat you with the honour that I ought,
and in this wise give you that authority which your honourable persons
merit; and putting aside Sueiro da Costa, whom I regard as a father by
reason of his daughter who is my wife, I hold nearly all of you[Y] as
brothers, some by our having been brought up together, and some by
ancient friendship, and others by long acquaintance. Therefore I hope
that you will counsel and aid me as a friend and brother, beyond what
you are bound in reason to do, in such wise that I may be a worthy
captain of such honourable personages as you, for I do not purpose to do
anything, either great or small, without your counsel. And for God's
sake, let each one imagine that the charge[Z] is principally his own,
and so, as if it were a private matter, let him labour to discover
proper remedies for our case. And in truth I am right glad when I
consider that I am consulting such discreet personages, who have seen
and experienced such great and honourable matters, and whose experience
will be a very great help in our undertaking, since the government and
direction of the matters which are to come depend chiefly upon the good
understanding of things past." "Now," said he, "we here assembled are
nine caravels, as you see, and you know that in all we set out fourteen
from Portugal. I desire therefore to know of you what it seemeth to you
that we should do. Whether perchance we ought to start at once as we
are, or whether it would be better to await the others who have to
come."
[Footnote Y: Lit., you others.]
[Footnote Z: Of this expedition.]
"We thank you for your good purpose," said Alvaro de Freitas (speaking
for himself and the others, for being a knight as he was, and moreover
of high and noble rank, as we have said already, it pleased all the
other captains to give him that authority). "We thank you," said he,
"and you may be sure that there is not any one here who will not aid and
counsel you, not only as captain and friend, but as if you were his own
self; and the reasons for this are many, and therefore I now forbear to
touch upon them. Let it suffice that all of us know you for a brave and
valiant man, so much so that not only are you deserving of the captaincy
of these few men and ships, but of many more besides. And as to the
counsel that you ask, it seemeth to me that although all the fourteen
caravels must meet together for the invasion of the Island of Tider, as
was agreed at our outcoming, yet I think it would be well if we who have
arrived here already were to go at once to the Ilha das Garças,[N129]
and there wait two or three days, according to the arrangement that we
have. For that is a place where we cannot be seen by the other side, but
if we remain near this Cape we shall readily be discovered, in which
case we shall not escape one of two things: either the Moors will leave
that Island, or so many will enter it that when we wish to attack it we
shall be in very great danger. And if peradventure those other five
caravels do not arrive at the Ilha das Garças within a few days, my
determination would be not to wait any longer for them, but simply to
carry out what we have[N130] been ordered. And if it be the will of God
to aid us, as I hope in Him, since it is in His service before all else
that we are come here, that aid which will be ours when we are all met
together will likewise be the portion of those of us who are here, or
peradventure in greater measure, since just as we feel our necessity to
be the greater, so we shall have recourse to His aid with greater
devotion; and whereas when we were all joined together, we should place
our hope in the strength of men, now, seeing ourselves to be few in
number, we shall rest our chief succour on His aid. And now, from
henceforth, said he, you will be able to ordain that which seemeth to
you to have the advantage over my counsel." "In good sooth," replied
they all, "your counsel is so good and so profitable that anything we
should say over and above would be superfluous, or perchance even
mischievous, as distracting us from the true path in which your good
words have set us."