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534

his fleet, and gave orders to his admiral to treat him with the highest respect, and to take his advice in every affair of importance.

Zichmni had a fleet consisting of thirteen vessels, two of which only were galleys, the rest being small barks, and only one of the whole was a ship[4]. With all these they sailed to the westward, and without much difficulty made themselves masters of Ledovo and _Ilofe_[5], and several other smaller islands and turning into a bay called Sudero, in the haven of the town of _Sanestol_[6] they took several small barks laden with fish[7]; and here they found Zichmni who came by land with his army, conquering all the country as he went. They stayed here but a short time, and then shaped their course to the westwards, till they came to the other cape of the gulf or bay, and here turning again, they found certain islands and broken lands, all of which they brought under subjection to Zichmni, or Sinclair. These seas were all full of shoals and rocks, insomuch that if Nicolo Zeno and the Venetian mariners had not acted as pilots, the whole feet, in the opinion of all who were in it, must have been lost; so small was the skill of their people in comparison with ours, who had been trained up in the art and practice of navigation from their childhood. After the proceedings already mentioned, the admiral, by the advice of Nicolo Zeno, determined to make for the shore, at a town called _Bondendon_[8], with a view to get intelligence of the success which Zichmni had met with in the prosecution of the war on land. They here learned, to their great satisfaction, that he had fought a great battle, in which he had put the army of the enemy to flight; and in consequence of this intelligence, the inhabitants sent ambassadors from all parts of the island, agreeing to yield the country to his pleasure, and took down their flags and ensigns in every town and castle. It was therefore thought advisable to remain at Bondendan for his arr

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