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Conquest, Navigation, and Commerce of Ethiopia, Arabia, Persia, and India."
Then Cabral, flying a banner with the royal arms of Portugal, started on a voyage which was to secure for
Portugal "an empire destined to be richer and greater than all her dominions in Asia." Sailing far to the west,
he fell in with the South American continent and was carried to a new land. The men went on shore and
brought word that "it was a fruitful country, full of trees and well inhabited. The people were swarthy and
used bows and arrows." That night a storm arose and they ran along the coast to seek a port. Here Mass was
said and parrots exchanged for paper and cloth. Then Cabral erected a cross (which was still shown when
Lindley visited Brazil three hundred years later) and named the country the "Land of the Holy Cross." This
name was, however, discarded later when the new-found land was identified with Brazil already sighted by
Pinzon in one of the ships of Christopher Columbus.
Meanwhile, unconscious of the importance of this discovery, Cabral sailed on towards the Cape of Good
Hope. There is no time to tell of the great comet that appeared, heralding a terrific storm that suddenly burst
upon the little fleet. In the darkness and tempest four ships went down with all hands--amongst them old
Bartholomew Diaz, the discoverer of the Cape of Good Hope, who thus perished in the waters he had been the
first to navigate.
September found Cabral at last at anchor off Calicut. He found the King yet more resplendent than Vasco da
Gama the year before. The old historians revel in their descriptions of him. "On his Head was a Cap of Cloth
of Gold, at his Ears hung Jewels, composed of Diamonds, Sapphires, and Pearls, two of which were larger
than Walnuts. His Arms, from the Elbow to the Wrist and from the knees downwards, were loaded with
bracelets set with infinite Precious Stones of great Value. His Fingers and Toes were covered with Rings. In
that on his great Toe was a large Rubie of a surprising Lustre. Among the rest there was a Diamond bigger
than a large Bean. But all this was nothing, in comparison to the Richness of his Girdle, made with precious
stones set in Gold, which cast a Lustre that dazzled every Body's Eyes."
He allowed Cabral to establish a depot at Calicut for European goods, so a house was selected by the
waterside and a flag bearing the arms of Portugal erected on the top. For a time all went well, but the
Mohammedans proved to be difficult customers, and disputes soon arose. A riot took place; the infuriated
native traders stormed the depot and killed the Portuguese within. Cabral in revenge bombarded the city, and,
leaving the wooden houses in flames, he sailed away to Cochin and Cananor on the coast of Malabar. Soon
after this he returned home with only six out of the thirteen ships, and from this time he disappears from the
pages of history.
Just before his return, the King of Portugal, thinking trade was well established between India and his own
country, dispatched a "valiant gentleman" in command of four ships to carry merchandise to the newly
discovered country. But his voyage and adventures are only important inasmuch as he discovered the island of
CHAPTER XXV 95
Ascension when outward bound and the island of St. Helena on the way home. So favourable was the account
of this island that all Portugal admirals were ordered for the future to touch there for refreshments.
The news of Cabral's adventures at Calicut inspired a yet larger expedition to the East, and Vasco da Gama,
now Admiral of the Eastern seas, was given command of some fifteen ships which sailed from the Tagus in
February 1502. The expedition, though avowedly Christian, was characterised by injustice and cruelty. Near
the coast of Malabar the Portuguese fleet met with a large ship full of Mohammedan pilgrims from Mecca.
The wealth on board was known to be enormous, and Don Vasco commanded the owners to yield up their
riches to the King of Portugal. This they somewhat naturally refused to do. Whereupon the Portuguese fired,
standing calmly to watch the blazing ships with their human freight of men, women, and children. True, one
historian declares that all the children were removed to the Portuguese ship to be converted into good little
Catholics. Another is more nearly concerned with the money. "We took a Mecca ship on board of which were
three hundred and eighty men and many women and children, and we took from it fully twelve thousand
ducats, with goods worth at least another ten thousand. And we burned the ship and all the people on board
with gunpowder on the first day of October."
[Illustration: THE MALABAR COAST. From Fra Mauro's map.]
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