On July x 1499 the vessel of 50 tons came back to this city.[292] The captain, Vasco da Gama, remained at the Cape Verde islands with one of the vessels of 90 tons in order to land there his brother Paulo da Gama, who was very ill.[293] The other vessel of 90 tons was burnt because there were not people enough to navigate and steer her. The store-ship also was burnt, for it was not intended she should return. In the course of the voyage there died 55 men from a disease which first attacked the mouth, and thence descended to the throat; they also suffered great pain in the legs from the knee downwards. They discovered 1800 leagues[294] (each league being equal to 4¼ of our miles) of new land beyond the cape of Good Hope, which cape was first discovered in the time of King John. Beyond that cape they followed the coast for about 600 leagues[295] and met with a dense population of black people. And when they had made these 600 leagues they discovered a large river,[296] and at the mouth of that river a great village inhabited by black people, who are, as it were, subject to the Moors. These Moors live in the interior of the country, and continually make war upon the blacks. And in this river, according to these blacks, are found immense quantities (infinite) of gold; and they told the captain that if he would tarry a moon,[297] that is a month, they would give him gold in plenty. But the captain would not wait, and went about 350 leagues[298] further, and discovered a great walled city, with very good stone houses in the Moorish style, inhabited by Moors of the colour of Indians. There the captain landed, and the Moorish king of this city received him with much feasting (chon gran festa), and gave him a pilot for crossing the gulf. This city is called Melinde, and lies at the entrance of a gulf, the whole of which is peopled by Moors. This pilot spoke Italian.[299] [_The Arabian Sea._] This gulf is above 700 leagues across,[300] and they crossed it from side to side, and came to a very large city, larger than Lisbon, inhabited by Christians, and called Chalichut. On both sides of this gulf there is a dense population of Moors, with great towns and castles.[301] At the termination of this gulf there is a strait[302] like that of Romania,[303] and having passed through this strait there is another and greater gulf, which is the Red Sea. And from the right hand of this to the house of Mecca, where is the tomb of Mohammed, is 3 days’ journey by land. At the said house of Mecca is a very great town of Moors. I am of opinion that this is the Gulf of Arabia,[304] concerning which Pliny wrote that Alexander the Great went there, to make war, as also did the Romans, who took all by war. [_Chalichut._] Let us return to the above-named city of Chalichut, which is bigger than Lisbon, and peopled by Christian Indians, as said.[305]