Reprinted by permission of the publishers and the Loeb Classi- cal Library from James B. McKenna, A Spaniard in the Portuguese Indies: The Narrative of Martín Fernández de Figueroa. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, © 1967.
Afonso de Albuquerque had set out for the Strait of Mecca as captain major of six ships. He then informed them of his arrival at a city on the mainland called Brava. The Portuguese entered it by force of arms, killed many Moors, and carried off great riches which their owners had not thought to save, thinking they could defend the city. Nor could they save their women, very rich and handsome with seven and eight bracelets on each arm, and just as many, thick and valuable, on their legs. This occasioned severe cruelty, for the men, blinded by avarice rather than enlight- ened by mercy, so as not to lose a moment’s time, cut off the arms, the legs, and the ears which bore the jewelry, without a trace of pity. Good men would never do such a thing, if only because women are “vessels of generation” and of tender, delicate flesh and gentle condition. What man would not have been moved to pity contemplating their beauty! What man would not have cast down his sword before bloodying it on a woman! Worthy of repri- mand are such cruel victors and their cruel deeds, but you may be sure that the ones who did such foul things were not the ordinary nor the best of men. The women all ran crying through the streets, covered with blood. Some went
fleeing with children in their arms but could find no haven. Quite a few of them were defended and sheltered by the virtuous men who were there.
The city was finally ordered burned, which was done, whereupon they set out for another city, Mogadishu, which was nearby. There, although the army was sore afraid, the ferocity of contrary winds kept the Christians from waiting and attacking, and thus hostile weather frustrated their good and worthy goal. They left that place and went to Socotra,1 whose inhabitants consider themselves Christians. They fast during Lent and Advent, eating neither meat nor fish. They have churches and altars with crosses on them. They observe most of the principal feast days, as well as those of the Apostles, whose names they take. They give alms. Every day they hear Matins, Vespers, and Compline. They hold the Cross in such veneration that he who wears it goes about without fear of harm from the enemies or the authorities. So states at length the King Manuel letter written in Portuguese that I had in hand.... This land is completely surrounded by water. They anchored opposite the castle, and as soon as it was realized that they were Portuguese, mortars were hauled out and a stout defense made ready. They did not want peace or even to let the Portuguese take on Socotran water. There the Christians killed a Socotran captain. The battle was very rough, and a captain named Leonel Coutinho proved himself unflinchingly courageous. With the fierce blows he dealt them, he sorely pressed the castle defenders. As he drove the Moors back from the walls, he put up scaling ladders. Thus, the first Christians who succeeded in entering opened the castle gates, and the Christians entered and captured the fort. No Moor survived, because, rather than surrender and live without their patri- mony, they chose to die. Then the conquerers consolidated
the land. Although these people were defeated, they died courageously. When winter passed, the men of Hispania attacked the city of Hormuz under the orders of Captain Afonso de Albuquerque. They conquered and took posses- sion of it. The Moors rose up against the Christians, so they went to Socotra again and from there to Cape Guardafui to lie in wait for infidel ships.
During their voyage, the captains came upon Mogadishu, of which we have already spoken. They sighted a Moorish ship and drove it ashore. When they reached it, they saw that everyone was gone, so they set it afire along with its entire rich cargo. Without stopping, they journeyed to Afonso de Albuquerque, by whom they were honorably welcomed. Cape Guardafui is called a cape because there the seacoast comes to an end. There is another cape there, called Fartak, and between these two enters the sea they call the Strait of Mecca. Arabia is a wretched land; the airs are torrid. Its inhabitants are Arabs, cattle-raisers. Fresh water is far away and is brought there in leather gourds to be sold. From there they went to Socotra to spend the winter.
The captains, and Martín Fernández de Figueroa with them, spent the entire winter (which out there runs from the month of April through the middle of August) on the island of Socotra. On this island one finds good-natured men. Their churches do not have statues of men or women saints, only crosses. They sound for Mass with wooden tablets. The men enter church by one door and the women by another, and this practice never varies. On solemn occa- sions they anoint the cross with lard. The women dearly love the Christians of Hispania. Some of these people know Arabic, but they have their own language. The men go about naked except for their shameful parts. The women wear Moorish tunics; they wear their hair long and comb it down their backs. Women are held in common, which is an abominable custom. Thus the husband will invite you to sleep with his wife, and fathers and mothers with their daughters. They are a libidinous people. In that land it rarely rains except for the dew. No wheat grows there, nor rice, millet, nor barley. There are lots of cattle and palm groves. A pitcher of wine there costs sixteen hundred maravedis, a needle twenty maravedis, and similar pieces must be paid for many other necessary things.
A knight from Captain Major Afonso de Albuquerque’s company scrupulously related to the captains of the other coast the conquest of Hormuz. He told how, after they had seized the fort from the Fartaks, who fight like Swiss mercenaries, they left it strongly garrisoned and set out in search of provisions. Sailing along the Arabian coast, they came to Kalhat, a rich port city, and the Captain Major was delighted to have come upon a land of good supplies. They entered the harbor, although with difficulty, for it was occu-
pied by many handsome ships and ringed by elegant build- ings along the shore. They gave a thunderous artillery display to frighten the inhabitants. They took the supplies the Moors had provided, and the Captain did not harm them, because he had given them a guarantee and one of his rings as token thereof. Kalhat, later destroyed when Hormuz revolted, was more populated outside the city than within. Afonso de Albuquerque departed the next day, and they went to a port named Quryat, which also belongs to the King of Hormuz. It is a very wealthy town located at the water’s edge, well stocked with mortars. The Captain Major requested provisions, but the Moors paid no atten- tion. So the next day Afonso de Albuquerque organized his men and the captains of the rear guard and commenced the attack. He destroyed the enemy, and, with Moors fleeing and Christians killing, the ships were well stocked with the riches and supplies they found ashore, namely an abun- dance of wheat, flour, rice, dates, fish, lard, and honey. They rested there for three days. In all this said encounter or battle no Christian was killed, only one of the Captain Major’s Negroes who had strayed off. After this victory, they boarded their ships. They had burned and razed the mosque, the land, and the ships; nothing remained. They sailed forth to Masqat, which belongs to the King of Hormuz. Larger than Kalhat, it had a good port and stout defenses. However, the Moors met with the Captain Major (who truly awed and terrified them) under a flag of truce, whereupon they did as he directed and became vassals of the King of Portugal. There the Christians secured very fresh and rich provisions, but first they had to fight a fierce and cruel battle, for the Moors broke their promise of peace. The city was sacked, the ruler killed, and one Chris- tian captain wounded. The city, its ships and riches were burned and reduced to ashes. With this victory they returned to the ships; the battle had taken place on a Sunday morning and lasted three hours. From there Afonso de Albuquerque and his men moved along the coast to a town called Suhar, where there was a fort garrisoned by a captain and men of the King of Hormuz. As soon as they saw the Christian ships, the captain and his men were terri- fied, so Suhar and its Moors became vassals of King Manuel of Portugal. Great celebrations were held, and the Portuguese banner was raised over the fort, with Moors and Christians shouting: “Portugal and Spain!”
Why does Figueroa seem to think it is normal enough for the Portuguese to attack the inhabitants of Brava and Mogadishu in Somalia? For what acts does he reproach them as exceeding acceptable limits in the behavior of victors?