Now, while the relations between the King of Cochim and the great Afonso Dalboquerque were in the condition recounted above, each one endeavouring to improve his position as best he could, there arrived a despatch from D. Garcia for Afonso Dalboquerque, wherein was set forth that on his reaching Calicut he had laid the appointed conditions before the Çamorim, but up to the latest hour no reply to it had been received; and, indeed, he did not think that the Çamorim intended to take the necessary steps to bring the matter to conclusion, for delays were continually brought forward, and every day showed a new aspect of the affairs, so that he had no name to give to these procrastinations.

Afonso Dalboquerque knew very well from which quarter all this proceeded, and determined to cut short this malice as well as he could; and because the Çamorim was encouraged by the native Moorish merchants to continue to delay this business, he thought it wise to make use of the Prince, brother of the Çamorim, who was a devoted servant of the King of Portugal, and consequently wrote to him privately a letter, in which he said that if he really desired the friendship of the King of Portugal (as he had oftentimes declared that he did), now was the time to give effect to this desire by ordering the Çamorim to be poisoned; and when he was dead, then they would take counsel together in the manner which he liked best.