factors from the ships what the prices were to be, and these "should last for ever." A factory was to be established where goods were to be bought and sold; and all these things were written down by the scribes, so as to constitute an agreement, which both parties signed. When completed, De Gama took counsel with his captains, and settled that two divisions of the fleet should cruise along the coast, "making war on all navigators, except those of Cananore, Cochym, and Coulam,"[1] while the factors should remain on shore, with a sufficient number of men to buy and gather into their warehouse at Cananore, "for the voyage to the kingdom, much rice, sugar, honey, butter, oil, dried fish, and cocoa-nuts, to make cables of coir and cordage."
Departure for Calicut.
Bombards the city.
Having arranged all these matters to the satisfaction
of everybody at the place, except the Moorish
merchants, who were "very sad" when they saw their
ancient trade by the Red Sea passing into the hands
of strangers, Dom Gama sailed with his combined
fleet for Calicut, where, on arrival, he found the
port deserted of its shipping, the news of his doings
at Onor and Baticala having reached the ears of
the people of Calicut; the king, however, sent one of
the chief Brahmins of the place, with a white flag of
truce, in the vain hope that some terms of peace
might be agreed upon. But the captain-major rejected
every condition, and ordering the Indian boat
to return to the shore, and the Brahmin to be safely
secured on board of his ship, he bombarded the city,
"by which he made a great destruction." Nor was
his vengeance satisfied by this wanton destruction of
- ↑ Correa, p. 324.
