D I U 



759 



Diu. would give splendour to the brightest page of history. 



""V"*' The following account of this event is too interesting 

 to require any apology : — " Hearing that the Turkish 

 fleet was approaching, Sylveira sent immediate notice of 

 it to Nuno de Cuna, who prepared with great diligence 

 to go in person to relieve Diu. Michael Vas was sent 

 to sea by Sylveira to look out for the enemy, and fall- 

 ing in with their fleet, came so near, on purpose to ex- 

 amine their force, that several of their shot reached his 

 Vessel. He got off however, and carried the news to 

 the governor of Goa. The Turkish fleet came at length 

 to anchor in the port of Diu, where it was formidable 

 not only to the small Portuguese garrison in the fort, 

 but to the Moors even who had long expected their ar- 

 rival. Next day Solyman landed 600 well armed jani- 

 zaries, who immediately entered the city and behaved 

 with much insolence. Drawing near the fort, they kil- 

 led six Portuguese ; but 300 musqueteers attacked them 

 from the fort, and drove them away with the loss of 50 

 men. In consequence of a storm, Solyman was obli- 

 ged to remove his fleet to Madrefavat, as a safer harbour, 

 where he remained 20 days, during which time Sylveira 

 was diligently occupied in strengthening the fortifica- 

 tions of the castle, planting his artillery on the ram- 

 parts, and assigning every one his proper post for the 

 ensuing siege. At the same time, the Turks assisted 

 by Zofar, (one of the retinue of Badur who escaped from 

 the affray of 1537,) commenced operations against the 

 fort, by constructing batteries, and endeavouring to 

 ruin the defences of a bulwark at the entrance of the 

 harbour, which they battered with their cannon. With 

 this view, likewise, they built a wooden castle on a 

 large bark, which they filled with combustibles, mean- 

 ing to send it against the bulwark to set it on fire. 

 But Francisco de Gouvea, who commanded the small 

 naval force then at Diu, went against this floating cas- 

 tle under night, and contrived to destroy it by fire. At 

 this time, likewise, some relief was sent to the fort by 

 Nuno de Cuna, and the garrison was much elated by 

 the assurance of his intention of coming speedily in 

 person to raise the siege. 



Returning from Madrefavat, Solyman commenced a 

 heavy fire from his ships against the sea bulwark in 

 which Francisco de Gouvea commanded, but was so well 

 answered, both from that work and the tower of St 

 Thomas, that one of his gallies was sunk and most of 

 her men drowned. The greatest harm suffered at this 

 time by the Portuguese was from the bursting of some 

 of their own cannon, by which several men were kil- 

 led. Two brothers only were slain by the fire of the 

 Turks. Zofar now so furiously battered the bulwark 

 in which Pacheco commanded, that it became altoge- 

 ther indefensible, on which 700 janizaries assaulted it, 

 and set up their colours on its ruined walls ; but the 

 Portuguese rallied and dislodged them, killing an hun- 

 dred and fifty of the enemy. The assault of this bul- 

 wark was continued a whole day, and at night the ene- 

 my were forced to retreat with much loss. Next day 

 Pacheco deeming it impossible to resist, surrendered 

 upon promise of life and liberty to himself and his men. 

 Solyman did not perform the latter stipulation, but he 

 granted their lives for the present, and cjothed them in 

 Turkish habits. By one of these prisoners, Solyman 

 sent a summons to Sylveira to surrender, but the pro- 

 posal was treated with contempt. Solyman now plant- 

 ed his artillery against the fort, having, among other 

 cannon, nine pieces of vast size, which carried balls of 

 ninety pounds weight. Hi3 artillery in all exceeded 

 1 30 pieces of different sizes, and his batteries were con- 



tinually guarded by 2000 Turks. This formidable 

 train began to play against the castle on the 4th of Oc- 

 tober 1538, and continued without cessation for 20 days, 

 doing great injury to the defences of the fort, which 

 could hardly Jo any mischief in return to the besiegers, 

 neither could the garrison repair sufficiently the most 

 dangerous breaches, though they used every possible 

 exertion for that purpose. On the sixth day after the 

 commencement of this violent cannonade, perceiving 

 that the bulwark commanded by Gaspar de Sousa was 

 much damaged, the Turks endeavoured to carry it by 

 assault, but were repulsed with much slaughter, two 

 only of the defenders being slain. Every day there 

 were assaults by the besiegers, or sallies by the garrison. 

 In one of these, Gonzalo Falcam lost his head; and Juan 

 de Fonseca, being disabled by a severe wound of his 

 right arm, continued to wield his lance with his left as 

 if he had received no hurt. A youth of only nineteen 

 years old, named Joam Gallego, pursued a Moor into 

 the sea and slew him, and afterwards walked back de- 

 liberately to the fort through showers of balls and bul- 

 lets. Many singular acts of valour were performed du- 

 ring this memorable siege. 



At length many brave officers and men of the besie- 

 gers were slain, powder began to wax short, and provi- 

 sions shorter. The relief expected from Non Garcia 

 Noronha, now come out as viceroy of India, was long 

 in making its appearance. The remaining garrison 

 was much weakened by a swelling in their gums, ac- 

 companied by their teeth becoming so loose that they 

 were unable to eat what little food remained in the 

 stores. Yet the brave garrison continued to fight in 

 defence of their post, as if even misery and famine were 

 unable to conquer them. Even the women in the fort 

 exerted themselves like heroines. Donna Isabella de 

 Vega, the wife of Manuel de Vasconcelles, had been 

 urged by her husband to go to her father Francisco 

 Ferram at Goa, lest the fort might be taken and she 

 might fall into the hands of the Turks ,• but she refused 

 to leave him. During the distress of the garrison, as 

 many of the men were obliged to work in repairing the 

 works, this bold-spirited lady called together all the wo- 

 men who were in the fort, and exhorted them to un- 

 dertake this labour, as by that means all the men would 

 be enabled to stand to their arms. The women con- 

 sented to this proposal, and continued for the remain- 

 der of the siege to perform this duty. She was even 

 outdone by Ann Fernandez, the wife of a physician, 

 who used to visit the most dangerous posts by night, 

 and even appeared at the assault to encourage the sol- 

 diers. Her son happening to be slain in one of the at- 

 tacks, she immediately drew away his body, and re- 

 turned to the place of danger, and when the fight end- 

 ed she went and buried her son. 



Perceiving that the Turks were undermining the 

 bulwark which he commanded, Gasper de Sousa made 

 a sally with seventy men to prevent that work, and 

 made a great slaughter of the enemy. When retreat- 

 ing he missed two of his men, and returned to rescue 

 them ; but, being surrounded by the enemy, they cut 

 the tendons of his hams, after whicli he fought upon 

 his knees till he was overpowered and slain. The 

 mine was countermined ; but the continual labour to 

 which the besieged were subjected became insupport- 

 able, and they were utterly unable to repair the many 

 breaches in their works. At this conjuncture, four 

 vessels arrived from the viceroy Don Garcia, and land- 

 ed only a reinforcement of twenty men. Solyman was 

 much concerned at this relief though small, and was 



Diu. 



