Of the caravel that went to Meça, and of the Moors that it found.
In the following year, which was 1447 from the birth of Christ, the
Infant considering that the Moors would not enter into trafficking at
the Rio do Ouro, and that even though they had been minded to do it
aforetime, yet now their good will would be altogether lacking on
account of the Moors who had been captured by Gomez Pirez, as you have
heard at length, wished to make trial if perchance the matter might
better be accomplished by trafficking at that place which is called
Meça.[N215] And that he might also obtain a better knowledge of that
land, he straightway ordered them to make ready a caravel of an esquire
of his called Diego Gil, the which was a man who had right well served
him in the wars of the Moors both by land and by sea. And after he had
taken order for these things, he had tidings that a merchant of Castile,
named Marcos Cisfontes, was possessed of twenty-six Moors, from that
place, who were already ransomed in exchange for certain Guineas. And in
order that his ship might have some cargo on its outward voyage, he let
the said merchant know that, if it pleased him, his Moors should be
transported to that place in the caravel which he had made ready, if
only he would give him a certain part of his profits in the said ransom.
And to say truth, it was not so much the hope of gain from those men, as
for two other reasons, that the Infant was content to do this--in the
first place that he might have a better opportunity of seeing the land
and knowing in what manner they would enter into the traffic of
merchandise; and in the second place, that he might bring from thence
those Guineas,[N216] for he believed they would receive the faith of
Christ. That merchant was right well pleased with the terms the Infant
sent to offer him, and so the caravel was immediately got ready and the
cargo embarked, and the ship made its voyage straight to Meça, where
they talked much about the trafficking, but could not bring anything to
an agreement. Wherefore John Fernandez, that esquire who had remained
for those seven months among the Moors of the Sahara, as you have
already heard, spake to Diego Gil and to Rodrigueannes, another esquire
whom the Infant was sending there to carry out the trafficking, and also
to a Castilian merchant who was there to ransom the Moors. And he said:
"If you are willing, I will go on land to arrange this ransom." And
taking his sureties, he went amongst them, and bargained in such wise
that he had fifty-one Guineas brought to the caravel, in exchange for
whom eighteen Moors[N217] were given. And then it came to pass that the
wind arose with such force from the side of the South that he was
obliged to raise sail and return to the Kingdom. Then there was brought
to the Infant a lion, which he afterwards sent to a place in Ireland
which is called Galway, to a servitor of his who dwelt in that land, for
they knew that never had such a beast been seen in that part. And so
John Fernandez remained until another ship returned for him. And in this
same year Antam Gonçalvez returned to the Rio do Ouro to see if he could
persuade the Moors to come to traffick, but his going there turned out
to be very dangerous. For as he was lying on his anchors up the river,
the Moors straightway came down to the beach. And among them was one who
clearly showed that he held lordship over them, and of him Antam
Gonçalvez received sureties; but he warned him that he was not to trust
the others except when he himself was present. And it was so, that when
that Moor was distant from there, because the other Moors showed signs
of confidence to the Christians, Antam Gonçalvez willed to go on land,
thinking moreover that the Moor who had given him security would be
there. And as soon as he came near the shore, and saw not that captain
or lord of the enemy, he would not land. But as he could not well speak
with them, being at a distance, he had the boat pulled very near the
beach, and there the foemen clearly discovered the hidden guile that was
in them, for they hurled their assegais like men who would fain display
the mortal enmity they felt for our people. And had it not been for the
great hardihood of Antam Gonçalvez, he had there met his end in a brief
space with all his company. But as it was, he had the boat rowed off
very lustily, though this could not be accomplished except with much
labour, for the multitude of assegais that fell upon them. But it
pleased God that they escaped out of that place and left some of those
Moors wounded; and of the Christians one was wounded in such wise that
within a few days he made his end, whenas the ship was already at sea.
And in this same year there went another caravel of a servitor of the
Infant, whose name was George Gonçalvez, in which voyaged the said
Gonçalvez and another; and they brought back from the Rio do Ouro much
oil and many skins of sea-calves. And in this chapter the affairs of
this year come to an end, for we find no other deeds in it that are
worthy of being recounted.