Since the Portuguese were capturing and pillaging Arab ships, the Sultan ordered that the captured spy should be immediately hanged. In vain did the clever impersonator plead that he was an Italian globe - trotter seeking knowledge of men and countries. His appeal was contemptuously rejected as he had committed the greatest offence of intruding into the mausoleum of the Prophet. Yet his personality and his faultless fluency in Egyptian and Arabic deterred the execution for a day, during which he discovered that one of the wives of the Sultan was seriously ill and in bed. Behind the bars, Varthema declared that if could live a day more he could cure anyone pronounced incurable by the eminent hakims of the country. The Sultan gave him a trial. The Queen was attracted more by the pleasing manners and language spoken by the physician than by his skill in medicine.

The curative procedure was procrastinated for days and the queen was not only cured but she expressed her willingness to go anywhere with her new physician-cum- lover. The Sultan pardoned the adventurer and appointed him as his durbar physician. Bu the historian in him and his ambition to become world - famous, compelled him to steal out of Aden. He got out into a ship ready to set sail for the Gulf and he visited Doha, Muscat and also Ormuz which was then the most important sea - port of Persia.

In 1504 he spent a few months in southern Persia where in Bandar Abbas and Shiraz he did some research work to discover the ancient glories of Cyrus and Xerxes. A Persian who had been one of the pilgrims and who was deeply attached to Yunus, met him and took him to his residence at Shiraz. Here he was allowed to marry the niece of his friend. After staying for a month or two with his wife, Varthema expressed his desire to go to India. His Persian friend was at this moment ready to set sail to the east.

Varthema travelled with him in his cargo ship and avoiding Aden, the ship very soon, in favourable weather, reached Goa which was then under the King of Bijapur. Allowing his friend to go to Cannanore with his cargo, Varthema trekked on to Bijapur. The splendor of the city of Bijapur attracted him. He then travelled to Cannanore still disguised as Yunus. Here he came across Portuguese merchants, but he did not reveal his identity. He came to know that his Persian friend who he wanted to avoid, had left for Persia with spices. Eager to visit Vijayanagar he joined a company of merchants who were taking horses and rode on with others who were Arabs speaking all the way on Quran and the Prophet, in Arabic. At Vijayanagar he says he was surprised to find a city more splendid than any in Europe.

From Vijayanagar Varthema, now in his true colour, rode on through hills and forests to Cochin. The Governor of Cochin, Francisco Almeida was really in need of a spy as two of his Italian gun - makers had been abducted by the Zamorin's spies and they were manufacturing huge guns of iron and brass for the Zamorin to be used against the Portuguese. The news was really alarming and disgraceful to the Italian. After listening to the marvelous breath - taking adventures of Varthema, the governor hit upon the impersonator as the proper person to beguile the two gun - makers from Calicut. The knight - errant was only too willing to visit the famous city of the Zamorin of which he had heard in Egypt, Arabia and Persia.

Varthema once again donned the habit of an Egyptian fakir cum hakim and reached Calicut. He was welcomed by the Arab Chiefs who introduced him to the Zamorin as a great scholar, a learned linguist and a renowned Egyptian Physician. The Zamorin being a patron of culture, welcomed him with due deference. There were skilled ayurvedics at the Zamorin's court, but Varthema superseded the rest and was all in all at the several mosques and at the Court.