When all the people of the fleet were gathered together—a fleet of twenty ships of war all told, besides paráos which were taken for use in disembarking, carrying two thousand Portuguese—they set out from Cochim on the last day of the month of December; and on the third day of January came to an anchorage in front of the port of Calicut. And, on their arrival, Afonso Dalboquerque with all the captains went on board the Marshal's ship and stayed to discuss the method to be pursued in landing the troops; and when they had inspected the position and the nature of the sea, it was considered best to land in front of the houses of the Macuas, for there the water was smoothest, and all could land with least trouble.

When this agreement had been arrived at, the Marshal declared he suspected, among so many captains and young men whom the fleet contained, there might be some one who imagined he would acquire honour in being the first to set foot on land [before he himself should do so], but he would swear to such an one, were he a captain or any one in his fleet, he would order his head to be struck off, but if such an one should be of the people of India and the Captain-General would not give a similar order, he would never speak to him again; and he said he would desire them earnestly not to disembark on the land before he himself should, but allow the boats to reach all together at the same time.