332 JOURNAL, R.A.S. (CEYLON). [VOL. XVII. 



That the aforesaid Cingalese were daily importuning us to 

 send out from here parties against the enemy, now this way 

 now that, promising to do great things with them, bat in 

 reality — as we well know — nowise intending to give us 

 real support, but only feigning great zeal in our cause in 

 order to make us believe that on their part they were willing 

 to help us in every possible way, and in order to ascertain 

 how far our affection to them would go ; 



That if we should now refuse to comply with their request 

 they might easily take it in great dudgeon and afterwards 

 belittle us to the king, and tell him that we had refused to 

 accede to their request, that we had been cowards, and more 

 charges of the like kind, as in accordance with their perfidious 

 character they are wont to fabricate ; 



It has been unanimously approved of and resolved to send 

 out a body of 130 of our soldiers under command of Captain 

 Jan van der Laen and Lieutenant Burchard Cocqx, in 

 conjunction with the aforesaid Cingalese, on the errand 

 specified higher up ; with orders to keep closely together, 

 that they may meet with no contretemps ; and not to remain 

 away after next night, seeing that they are not provisioned 

 for any longer period. 



It has furthermore been resolved, forasmuch as Telk 

 Harmensz, soldier of this garrison, has for some time past 

 been keeping the exterior earthworks of our town, thrown 

 up some time ago, in excellent order, by working at them 

 every day, 



MS. page 92. 



and has, besides, assisted in throwing up certain new works, 

 always evincing the greatest zeal and diligence in the per- 

 formance of this task, 



and forasmuch as we had promised to give him an extra 

 gratification as soon as his work should be done ; 

 to allow the said Telk Harmensz the sum of 25 Spanish reals, 

 over and above what he has already received ; 



