THE PORTUGUESE AND THEIR FOLLOWERS. 39 
continued, a close surveillance being kept over the Arab 
pilots, whom Gama was obliged to cause to be flogged. 
On the 4th of April the coast was seen, and on the 
8th Mombasa or Mombaz was reached, a town, accord¬ 
ing to the pilots, inhabited by Christians and Mussulmen. 
The fleet dropped anchor outside the harbour, and did 
not enter it, notwithstanding the enthusiastic reception 
given to them. Already the Portuguese were reckoning 
upon meeting at mass the next day with the Christians 
of the Island, when, during the night, the flag-ship was 
approached by a zavra, having on board a hundred 
armed men, who endeavoured to enter the ships in a 
body, which was refused them. The king of Mombaz 
was informed of all that had occurred at Mozambique, 
but, pretending ignorance, he sent presents to Gama, 
proposing to him to establish a factory in his capital, and 
assuring him that so soon as he should have entered 
the port, he might take on board a cargo of spices and 
aromatics. The Capitam mor, suspecting nothing, im¬ 
mediately sent two men to announce his entry for the 
morrow ; already they were weighing anchor when, the 
flag-ship refusing to tack, the anchor was let fall again. 
In graceful and poetic fiction, Camoens affirms that it 
was the Nereids led by Venus, the protectress of the 
Portuguese, who stayed their ships when on the point 
of entering the port. At this moment all the Moors on 
board the fleet quitted it simultaneously, whilst the 
Mozambique pilots threw themselves into the sea. 
Two Moors who were put to the question with a drop 
of hot oil, confessed that the intention was to take 
all the Portuguese prisoners as soon as they should 
be inside the harbour. During the night the Moors 
endeavoured several times to climb on board and to cut 
the cables in order to run the ships aground, but each 
time they were discovered. Under these circumstances 
no prolonged stay was possible at Mombaz, but it had 
been long enough for all those ill of scurvy to recover 
their health. 
At the distance of four-and-twenty miles from land, 
the fleet captured a barque richly laden with gold. 
