he has often heard of that Adamastor, a Titan transformed into a rock
but still possessing supernatural powers.

Resuming his narrative, Da Gama next describes their landing to clean
their foul ships, their sufferings from scurvy, their treacherous
welcome at Mozambic, their narrow escape at Quiloa and Mombaça, and
ends his account with his joy at arriving at last at Melinda.

_Book VI._ In return for the hospitality enjoyed on board of the
Portuguese ships, the king of Melinda supplies Da Gama with an able
pilot, who, steering straight for India, brings the Portuguese safely
to their goal, in spite of the fact that Bacchus induces Neptune to
stir up sundry tempests to check them. But, the prayers of the
Christian crew and the aid of Venus counteract Bacchus' spells, so Da
Gama's fleet enters Calicut, in 1497, and the Lusitanians thus achieve
the glory of discovering a maritime road to India!

_Book VII._ We now hear how a Moor, Monçaide, detained a prisoner in
Calicut, serves as interpreter for Da Gama, explaining to him how this
port is governed by the Zamorin, or monarch, and by his prime
minister. The interpreter, at Da Gama's request, then procures an
audience from the Zamorin for his new master.

_Book VIII._ The poet describes how on the way to the palace Da Gama
passes a heathen temple, where he and his companions are shocked to
behold countless idols, but where they can but admire the wonderful
carvings adorning the walls on three sides. In reply to their query
why the fourth wall is bare, they learn it has been predicted India
shall be conquered by strangers, whose doings are to be depicted on
the fourth side of their temple.