THE FLEET RETURNS. 215 



formed of the summary vengeance wreaked by the fleet upon 

 his brother of Calicut, and at once offered the strangers hospi- 

 tality and protection. The admiral sent him a silver basin full 

 of saffron and a silver vial filled with rose-water. Trade and 

 barter rapidly loaded the ships with the fragrant commodities 

 of the country. A fleet of twenty-five sail now appeared in the 

 offing, and Trimumpara told Cabral that their object was to 

 attack him, and that they were sent by the zamorin of Calicut. 

 Cabral, having been separated from his most efficient ship, de- 

 termined not to venture a combat, and made for the north, cast- 

 ing anchor before Cananor, a town a little above Calicut. Here 

 he found a commodious roadstead, an independent prince, and 

 a soil abounding in ginger, cardamom-seeds, tamarinds, and 

 cinnamon. Of the latter article he took four hundred quintals. 

 The king, judging, from the insignificance of this purchase, that 

 he was short of money, offered him a further supply upon credit. 

 Cabral expressed his sense of appreciation of this generosity, 

 but declined the proposition. The fleet now sailed homewards : 

 one of the vessels was lost upon the African coast, and, taking 

 fire, was destroyed with its contents. The six ships remaining 

 of the twelve which had left Brazil, arrived at Lisbon on the 

 31st of July, 1501. Cabral was received with coldness by the 

 king, partly on account of the loss of ships and men he had met 

 with, and partly on account of his failure at Calicut, to which 

 place he, — the king, — relying on Cabral' s success, had sent out, 

 three months previous to his return, a fleet of four vessels under 

 Juan de Nueva. This expedition was singularly happy in its re- 

 sults, — Nueva lading his vessels to great advantage at Cananor, and 

 discovering the island of St. Helena upon his homeward voyage. 



It was now evident to the Portuguese that without the em- 

 ployment of force it would be impossible to obtain a permanent 

 foothold in the Indies. After listening to a deliberation as to 

 whether it were not best to abandon the attempt altogether, 

 Emmanuel ordered the equipment of a grand fleet of twenty 



