Page:Further India; (IA furtherindia00clif).pdf/110
superiority such as had never before been enjoyed by any single kingdom of Malaya.
One other thing was done by the great Alfonso ere he turned back to India and to the warfare which awaited him at Goa. He despatched a fleet of three ships, under the command of Antonio Dabreu, who had received wounds and earned distinction in the assault upon the bridge at Malacca, upon a voyage of discovery in the Malayan Archipelago. "And the instructions which Alfonso Dalboquerque gave to Antonio Dabreu, were, on no account whatever on that voyage to take any prizes, and to go on board of no vessel whatever, nor to consent to any of his men going on shore, but in all the harbours and in all the islands at which he might touch to give presents and gifts to the kings and lords of the country, and for this purpose he ordered there should be given out many pieces of scarlet and velvets of Méca, and many other kinds of merchandise; and, further, he gave orders that the captains should not interfere with a single ship of Malacca or of the other ports (whether they belonged to the Moors or to the Hindoos) which he might meet with in these Clove islands (i. e., the Moluccas) or Apple islands taking in cargo, but rather show them favour and give them as much assistance as he possibly could; and in the same way that such ships as these ne- gotiated for their cargo, so also in like manner was he to act for his cargo, observing all the customs of the re- spective countries." From which it will be seen that the great Alfonso added the wisdom of a statesman to the reckless daring of a filibuster, and that on occasion even