J44 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER 



there pui*pofely for his fervice, fo that they might return, 

 whenever they fhould pleafe, in perfect fafety. 



The next day, came down to the fhore the governor of 

 Arkeeko, accompanied with thirty horfemen, and above 

 two hundred foot. He was mounted on a fine horfe, and 

 drefled in a kind of fliirt refembhng that of the Moors. 

 The governor brought down four oxen, and received in re- 

 turn certain pieces of filk, with which he was well pleafed, 

 A very familiar converfation followed ; the governor kindly 

 inviting the Portuguefe general afliore, afluring him that 

 the Baharnagafli, under whofe command h€ was, had al- 

 ready intelligence of his arrival. 



In anfwer to his inquiries about the religion of the coun- 

 try, the governor told him, that in a mountain, then in fight, 

 twenty-four miles dillant, there was a convent called the 

 Monajlery of B'ifa?i^ (which Matthew had often defcribed in 

 the voyage) whofe monks, being informed of his arrival, 

 had deputed feven of their number to wait upon him, whom, 

 the Portuguefe general went to meet accordingly, and re- 

 ceived them in the kind ell manner. 



These monks, as foon as they faw Matthew, broke out 

 into the warmell exprelTionsof friendfhip and eftecm, congra- 

 tulating him with tears in their eyes upon his long voyage 

 and abfence. The Portuguefe general then invited the 

 monks on board his vefTel, where he regaled them, and gave 

 to eachprefents that were moftfuitable to their aullere life. On 

 his fide, Segueyra chofe feven Portuguefe, with Peter Gomez 

 Teflfera, auditor of the Eaft Indies, who underfl;ood Arabic 

 very well, to return the vifit of the monks, and fee the mo- 



jiafterv 



