VALENTYN's DESCRIPTION OF MALACCA. 73 



straggling in the town, were murdered unmercifully. Twenty of 

 them fled to the house of Hodrigo Arange (i) and Francisco Ser- 

 rano, and having got a boat in time escaped the massacre. 



Whilst Sequeira and his officers were still deliberating with 

 each other about this wicked deed, the King and the Bandahara 

 ( Chancellor of the Exchequer ) sent an Ambassador to the 

 vessels to apologize for what had happened, offering to pun- 

 ish all the culprits and to deliver unhurt all the Portuguese 

 who were still in Arange's house. The very first thing that Se- 

 qcjeira did, was to claim, that those Portuguese should be surren- 

 dered at once, but seeing that the King was continually using 

 subterfuges and that his ships got gradually surrounded by a great 

 many native crafts, blocking him up imperceptibly, he thought it 

 more advisable not to stop any longer, but to weigh anchor, not 

 only to avoid a flagrant breach of peace, but also not to miss his 

 return to India through the Ganges, bytthe passing of the mon- 

 soon. But when he received the intelligence, that d'Almeida 

 (together with whom he had been dispatched ) had returned home, 

 he too went back to Portugal. The famous Alfonsus Albukirk, 

 who had been appointed Vice-Roy in 1509, had resolved in the 

 meantime to conquer Aden, in compliance with the orders 

 of his Sovereign ; he consequently first sailed with 23 vessels, 

 manned with 800 Portuguese and 600 Natives of Malabar to 

 Ormus, intending to take the usual way, but, prevented by contrary 

 winds, he had to put it off an to take another resolution. He then 

 conquered Goa and made peace at Ormus. 



Jacob Mendes Vasconsel, backed by several other ship-masters, 

 wanted then to go to Malakka against the advice of Albukirk and 

 actually started to realize that plan; but Albukirk had him brought 

 back by main force, imprisoned him and dismissed several of his 

 advisers. 



He made at the same time a treaty with the King of Pacem 

 (Pasi) and insisted upon the extradition of Nakhoda Begua ; but 

 this one having escaped before he could be surrendered, the 

 Portuguese at once pursued him and succeeded in overtaking his 

 ship, he was killed after having defended himself very bravely. 



The following curious fact occurred at his death, viz., that no 

 blood. was to be seen first, though he had been stabbed through ; 

 but it was discovered then, that he wore a blood-stanching stone 



(i) Seenote(l)p.71. 



