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



189 



people turned about down the street which led to the Elephants' 

 Quay, where the king was with all his army ; and firing upon 

 them, they caused great destruction amongst them. 



The king, seeing how badly things had fallen out, and that 

 the city had been entered by our people, retired with all his 

 army to his palace (which was a fair-sized fortress) with the 

 intention of defending himself therein. Luis de Mello da 

 Sylva entered into a very wide street that led to the parade- 

 ground of the palace, and at the top of it halted, and sent a 

 message to the viceroy to know what he wished him to do, 

 and the latter galloped off on his horse until he reached Luis 

 Mello da Sylva, to whom he spoke in very flattering terms. 

 And as it was already near nightfall he agreed with the captains 

 that they should pass that night there, and on the following 

 day attack the houses of the king, where he already knew that 

 he had fortified himself. And then he arranged the manner in 

 which the guard should be kept of the street, and at night, 

 and divided the streets that led to the parade-ground amongst 

 the captains of the companies, for them to fortify themselves 

 at the entrances to them., which they set to work to do, 

 for this purpose pulling down several houses ; and all the rest 

 that were in these streets, which were covered with thatch 1 , 

 they ordered to be unroofed, so that the enemy should not set 

 fire to them in order to embarrass them. The viceroy remained 

 at the entrance to the great street on a gallery, where they 

 laid for him a carpet with some pillows, in which he passed 

 the whole night armed, and from there he dispatched a captain 

 to the armada to bring them food and munitions : which was 

 done with great speed, without anyone's being encountered to 

 hinder it. There our people passed the whole night with great 

 vigilance, and with their arms constantly in their hands, and 

 the viceroy sent out some spies to learn what the king was 

 doing, and if there were any stir where he was. 



The prince did not care to go with his father into the 

 fortress, but remained outside with all his troops ; and as 

 soon as he saw our people fortified at the entrances to the 

 streets, determined forthwith to attack them in the rear in the 

 daylight watch, to which end he also sent out some spies, to 

 see the manner in which our people lay. One of these went 

 along a street where Dom Antonio de Noronha was with his 

 company ; and along the walls very secretly he went approach- 

 ing the encampments ; and it pleased God that there went 

 watching in the same street, and walking at some distance 

 from the troops, a soldier, named Francisco da Costa (who 



1 The original has pallia = straw ; but it is more likely that the houses 

 were covered with palmyra leaves. 



