Page 94 - English Expedition Class 4

and riches. However, the pilot clarified that the town in sight was not Calicut but
Cananor. ‘I know the country well. Be not discouraged, Captain. Calicut, the great
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city, is only twelve leagues away, southwards,’ he said.
That evening, Vasco called a meeting with a few experienced members of the crew.
He consulted with them about how to deal with the king of Calicut. The king of
Calicut was known as the Zamorin in the trading world. He was the owner of the
port of Calicut, that was a very important trading port in the east. The Arabs used this

port to export goods to Persia and Europe. The Chinese also used this port regularly.
At first, Vasco da Gama proposed to go on shore himself the next morning, present
himself before the king and frankly state the purpose of his visit. But he was warned
not to do so. He was told that if the king was hostile no one could tell what he would

13
do. The best way was to first demand hostages for his safety, as this was the custom
of the East.
Then Vasco and the other captains decided that they would tell the king of Calicut
14
that the king of Portugal had sent out a great fleet of fifty ships and that two ships
had separated from the rest of the fleet in a storm. They would say that they had come
to Calicut to await the arrival of the other ships.
The next morning, a number of boats surrounded the two ships. In them were
15
natives that seemed very curious to know who the Portuguese were and where they

12 league: a unit formerly used to measure distance 14 fl eet: a collection of ships
13 hostage: a person held as security for fulfi lment of a 15 native: a person born in a specifi c place
condition
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