NO. 41.-1890.] REBELION DE CEYLAN. 



439 



had the advantage of them with their bows and arrows. 

 The General now seeing that all was lost took his stand 

 with a couple of retainers, who kept loading and handing 

 him their arquebusses, which he continued to fire as long as 

 the ammunition lasted. At last these two men were killed, 

 and " raising his sword like a brave lion he rushed into the 

 thick of the enemy with the courage of despair, and with 

 his own arm killed seventeen of them before they managed 

 to wound him ; and such was the havoc he made that they 

 declared that he sent sixty of them to hell before he had 

 done." Seeing this slaughter, the King of Kandy gave 

 permission to his followers to kill the hero ; whereupon 

 " they rained shot and arrows upon the General, and one 

 having traversed his breast and another his back, leaning 

 upon his confessor, and whilst on his knees receiving his 

 last absolution, came an arrow, which clave through both 

 their heads, when their united spirits fled to Him who 

 created them." The enemy then wreaked their vengeance 

 on the General's body, hacking it to pieces, and bringing 

 the head in triumph to the King of Kandy, after which it 

 was carried throughout the whole kingdom, and then nailed 

 to a high tree in the Seven Korales, surrounded by the heads 

 of other Portuguese captains who had perished in the fight. 

 Our author adds that he had been told by persons of credit 

 that six months afterwards the General's head was still fresh 

 and pure, with a beautiful colour, while the others were 

 dried up and fieshless ; and also that from the day that it 

 was nailed on the tree it shed blood which could not be 

 dried up. These wonders so impressed the Sinhalese that 

 they refused to give up the head to the Portuguese, though 

 a large ransom was offered for it. 



Thus died Constantino de Sa on the 20th August, 1630, at 

 the early age of forty- four ; and the Portuguese power in 

 Ceylon received a blow from which it never recovered. 



Our author concludes with a eulogy of his father, whose 

 body lay in no tomb, but to whose memory he had with his 

 pen erected this monument. His final words are Laus Deo. 



