THE PORTUGUESE AND THEIR FOLLOWERS. 33 
of age, so that this discovery would appear to carry 
back the birth of the celebrated voyager to an earlier 
date. 
It seems that from an early period of his life, Yasco 
da Gama was destined to follow the career of a sailor, in 
which his father had distinguished himself. The first 
historian of the Indies, Lopez de Castaneda, delights in 
recalling the fact that he had signalised himself upon 
the African seas. At one time he was ordered to seize 
all the French ships lying in the Portuguese ports, in 
revenge for the capture by French pirates during a time 
of peace of a rich Portuguese galleon returning from 
Mina. Such a mission would only have been confided 
to an active, energetic, and well-tried captain, a clear 
proof that Gama’s valour and cleverness were highly 
appreciated by the king. 
About this time he married Dona Caterina de Ataicle, 
one of the highest ladies about the court, and by her 
he had several children, amongst others Estevam da 
Gama, who became governor of the Indies, and Dom 
Chistovam, who, says Gaucher, by his struggle with 
Ahmed Guerad in Abyssinia, and by his romantic death, 
deserves to be reckoned amongst the famous adven¬ 
turers of the sixteenth century. 
All doubt as to the precise date of Gama’s first 
voyage is now at an end, thanks to the document in the 
public library at Oporto, a paper with which Castaneda 
must have been acquainted, and of which M. Ferdinand 
Denis has published a translation in the £ Ancient and 
Modern Travellers’ of M. E. Charton. The date may 
be fixed with certainty for Saturday, the 8th of July, 
1497. 
This expedition had been long ago determined upon, 
and all its details were minutely arranged. It was to 
be composed of four vessels of medium size, “ in order,” 
says Pacheco, “ that they may enter everywhere and 
again issue forth rapidly.” They were solidly con¬ 
structed, and provided with a triple supply of sails and 
hawsers; all the barrels destined to contain water, oil, 
or wine had been strengthened with iron hoops; large 
n 
