CHAPTER XIII

Voyage to Constantinople.—Shipwreck.—Tafur is almoSI drowned.—
A fight between Catalans and Genoese.—Two embassies arrive for
the Emperor of the EaSl,—Chios,—Troy.—The Dardanelles.—
Pera,

There was a ship from Ancona at Rhodes, and I
contrafted with the captain to carry me to Conftanti¬
nople, and we sailed and came to the island of Samos,
whidh is in the Archipelago, leaving on the right hand
the caftle of S. Pedro, which is on the mainland of
Turkey, and on the left, the island of Cos, which
belongs to the Order of Rhodes. We continued our
course towards Chios, where we came upon a ship of
that place, and they told us that the ships and galleys,
which had come from the Council to take the Emperor
of Greece to Europe, were anchored in the harbour of
Chios, and we set sail and passed, leaving the island on
the left, but the wind did not favour us, and when it
failed we had to anchor beside the island and remain
there that night. The next morning we saw approach¬
ing us two great galleys, and two lighter ones, and they
came alongside and ordered us to return to Chios,
otherwise they would fight us, and we had to do this,
as we could not resift them. This was so that we
should not know what they were about, for the Genoese
had taken those galleys and armed them, intending to
go to the harbour of Alexandria, and to capture two
Catalan galleys, the En-Casa-Sages^ and the En Sirviente^
which were there. We were forced to return with the
galleys and to anchor in the harbour, and we remained
there all day. At midnight a great ftorm arose,
and as we were insecurely grappled, our anchor broke
away and caught a carack,  which had been  burnt

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