He discovered it as commander of a fleet of 14 ships that that King sent to Calicut, and on the way to India, he came across this land here, which he took to be terra firma [mainland] in which there are many people, described as going about, men and women, as naked as their mothers bore them; they are lighter-skinned."
As the commander of a fleet of 14 ships dispatched by King to Calicut, he discovered this land during his journey to India. He believed it was the mainland inhabited by numerous people, including both men and women who were unclothed, born naked; they had fairer skin.