No. 60 — 1908.] couTO : history of ceylon. 



141 



began to press those kings for the things that they were under 

 obligation to give him. Madune at once complied with the 

 hundred thousand pagodes that he owed, with which Dom 

 Jorge de Crasto made two payments to the soldiers, and he 

 also furnished him with the provisions and servants that he 

 needed. 



The king of Cota, as he was a great friend of the Portuguese, 

 because of the many obligations he was under to them, under- 

 standing and knowing the malice of the king of Candea, and 

 that all the things he had said were inventions caused by the 

 fear that he was in, wished to dissuade Dom Jorge de Crasto 

 from that expedition, putting before him the many obstacles, 

 and assuring him that the expedition was one of great risk and 

 peril, because of the difficult passes that lay in the road. And 

 that although that king was his first cousin 1 , he was under far 

 greater obligations to the Portuguese than to him ; that he 

 assured him that he did not consider it safe to trust him, and 

 that on every occasion that he found time and opportunity 

 he was certain to plan against him all the treachery that he 

 could. Dom Jorge de Crasto thanked him for that counsel ; 

 but as he was bound by the governor's order he did not like 

 to be induced to do anything outside of it, and he therefore 

 asked him for the troops that he had promised, which he at 

 once gave him. 



And when all was ready he set out at the beginning of April 

 [1550], taking leave of those kings : and the king of Cota at the 

 same time left for his kingdom. Dom Jorge went making his 

 daily marches, of which the king of Candea was advised each 

 day. And fearing that Dom J orge de Crasto having entered his 

 kingdom with that force would seize and chastise him, not 

 wishing to be at his mercy, he collected forty thousand men, 

 and fortified his city, with the intention of preventing his 

 entry, keeping strict watch therein. And one night there was 

 an alarm that our people were already within a league of the 

 city ; and the king having hastened at that report with all his 

 troops to await him at the entrance to it, it pleased our Lord 

 that the French captain (who, with his soldiers, was, as it were, 

 under detention) had opportunity to escape, and in the dark- 

 ness of the night went walking along, until he reached Dom 

 Jorge de Crasto, who with his army was encamped at a league 

 from the city, in order to enter it next day ; and having re- 

 ported to him the manner in which the king was waiting for 

 him, and of the large force that he had, and of how all his pro- 

 fessions were inventions, Dom Jorge was dumbfoundered, and 



1 See supra, p. 124. 



