Miguel de Castanhoso

“ Of how the Preste began to march with the Portuguese and found the King of Zeila encamped on the Lake of the Nile; and of the method the King of Zeila adopted to kill the Captain of the Preste's Camp. Forming our ranks, we began our march on Shrove Tues-day, February 6th, 1543, with eight thousand footmen with bows and bucklers, and five hundred horse, all very fine and well-found men, and one hundred and twenty Portuguese, – some maimed, with wounds still open, who refused [76] to stay behind, as they were bent on vengeance or on death in the attempt. ”

“ All this while our men were pursuing the Moors, chiefly the Portuguese, as they could not glut their revenge; they mainly followed the Turks, as against them they were most enraged; of the two hundred not more than forty escaped, who returned to the King's wife. When she heard that her husband was dead, she fled with the three hundred horse of her guard and these forty Turks, taking with her all the treasure that her husband had captured from the Preste, which was not small. ”

“ By early morning we were all in our ranks, and we said a prayer before the banner of the Holy Compassion (Sancta Misericordia) , begging our Lord to have it [compassion] on [80] us, and give us vengeance on, and victory over, our enemies. After a general confession by a Mass priest, who absolved us, we arose and advanced against the enemy, we leading the van and that banner, or we following it [? e esta bandeyra ou nós com ella] . ”