The condition of these islanders sensibly afflicted Father Xavier; yet he despaired not of reducing them to a right understanding of the faith, because, as barbarous as they were, they still preserved some footsteps of Christianity amongst them.  Having no knowledge of their tongue, which bears not the least resemblance to any of our European languages, and is also wholly different from the Ethiopian and Arabic, at the first he was constrained to testify his sorrow to them by dumb signs, for their ignorance and errors.  Afterwards, whether it were that some one amongst them understood the Portuguese, and served as interpreter to all the rest, or that counting from this very time he began to receive from above, the first fruits of the gift of tongues, which was so abundantly bestowed on him in the Indies on sundry occasions, he spoke to them concerning the necessity of baptism, and let them know, that there was no possibility of salvation without a sincere belief in Jesus Christ:  but that the faith allowed of no mixture, and that to become Christians, they must of necessity cease to be Jews or Mahometans.

His words made a wonderful impression on the souls and hearts of those barbarians:  some of them made him presents of their wild fruits, in token of their good will; others offered him their children to be baptised; all promised him to receive baptism themselves, and to lead the life of true Christians, on condition he would remain with them.  But when they beheld the Portuguese galleon ready to depart, they ran in crowds to the water-side, and besought the holy man, with tears in their eyes, not to forsake them.

So moving a spectacle wrought compassion in Xavier; he was earnest with the viceroy for leave to stay upon the isle, at least till the arrival of the vessels, which he had left at Mozambique, But he could obtain no part of his request:  and Sosa told him, that heaven having designed him for the Indies, it was to be wanting to his vocation if he endeavoured this exchange, and stopped in the beginning of his race; that his zeal would find a more ample field, wherein to exercise itself, than in Socotora, and people of better inclination than those islanders, naturally inconstant, and as ready to forsake the faith, as they were easy to receive it.

Xavier submitted to these reasons of the viceroy, which on this occasion seemed to interpret to him the good pleasure of Almighty God.  Instantly they hoisted sail; but the saint was pierced with sorrow to behold those poor creatures, who followed him with their eyes, and held up their hands from afar to him; while the vessel was removing into the deep, he turned his head towards them, breathing out profound sighs, and looking mournfully upon them.  But that he might leave nothing upon his conscience to upbraid him concerning the Socotorins, he engaged himself solemnly before Almighty God to return to them, so soon as possibly he could; or in case he could not, to procure for them some preachers of the gospel, to instruct them in the way of their salvation.