[14] According to De Faria, this messenger was a bramin, who left his son
    and nephew at Cochin as hostages, and accompanied De Gama to Calicut,
    where he carried various messages between the zamorin and the admiral. 
    —­Astl.  I. 53. b.

[15] De Faria says he was accompanied by a caravel.—­Astl. 1.53. b.

[16] The son and nephew of the messenger, according to De Faria.—­Astl.  I.
    53. c.

[17] In addition to the narrative of Castaneda, De Barros, Maffi, and De
    Faria relate, that ambassadors came to De Gama while at Cochin from
    the Christian inhabitants in Cranganore and that neighbourhood, who
    they said amounted to 30,000.  They represented, that they knew he was
    an officer of the most Catholic king in Europe, to whom they submitted
    themselves; in testimony of which, they delivered into his hands the
    rod of justice, of a red colour, tipped with silver at both ends, and
    about the length of a sceptre, having three bells at the top.  They
    complained of being much oppressed by the idolaters; and were
    dismissed by De Gama with promises of a powerful and speedy
    assistance.—­Astl.  I. 53. d.

[18] De Faria alleges that the persons who were appointed to settle
    matters relative to trade at this port, differed much upon the price
    of spices:  on which occasion many threatening messages were sent to
    the rajah, who at length through fear complied with all the demands of
    the Portuguese.  He says that the rajahs of Cochin and Cananor were as
    refractory and adverse at first as the zamorin; and that when De Gama
    arrived at Cochin, the three princes combined to make him winter there
    by fraud, and joined their fleets to destroy him.  That on the failure
    of this combination, a durable peace was made with Trimumpara; and the
    rajah of Cananor, fearing the Portuguese might not return to his port,
    sent word to De Gama that he was ready to comply with all his demands,
    —­Astl.  I. 54, a.

[19] In Castaneda this date is made 1503; but from an attentive
    consideration of other dates and circumstances in that author, this
    must have been a typographical error.—­E.

SECTION VI.

Transactions of the Portuguese in India, from the departure of De Gama in December 1502, to the arrival of Alonzo de Albuquerque in 1503.

As soon as the zamorin was assured of the departure of De Gama for Europe, he determined on putting his threats in execution against the rajah of Cochin, for which purpose he gathered an army at the village of Panani, not far from Cochin[1].  This was soon known to the inhabitants of Cochin, who were exceedingly afraid of the great power of the zamorin, and were much dissatisfied with their sovereign for incurring the displeasure of that prince out of respect to the