Charges were laid against Albuquerque that he was mentally and morally unfit to govern. ‘In my opinion’, one of his enemies testified, ‘India is now in greater peril from Afonso de Albuquerque than ever from the Turks!’ Men threatened to leave India rather than serve under him; an indictment was got up against him for misgovernance. In September Almeida ordered him out of Cochin; the fortress elephant demolished his house and the ship carrying him to Cannanore was so worm-eaten that Albuquerque thought they were trying to kill him.
