190 



JOURNAL, R.A.S. (CEYLON)* 



[Vol. XX. 



still 1 lives, married in this city of Goa, rich and honoured), and 

 he chanced to descry a person ; and on going to approach him, 

 the spy when he saw him, for greater pretence, squatted on 

 his hams, as if he were easing himself, in order that he might 

 think from the confidence that he displayed that he was a 

 servant of the company. Francisco da Costa coming to him 

 asked him who he was, and also put his hand on his arm ; upon 

 which the black tried to sneak away, but could not, because 

 Francisco da Costa seized him in his arms and carried him to 

 Dom Antonio de Noronha, and gave him an account of the 

 circumstances under which he found him ; and he told him to 

 take him to the viceroy, since he had captured him, that he 

 might thank him for it : and so he did. The viceroy ordered 

 him to be bound and put to the torture, and at once he con- 

 fessed that the prince had sent him to spy out the manner in 

 which he lay, because he had determined to attack him in the 

 daylight watch, that he had sent out other eight or ten spies, 

 and that the king was fortified in his palace, and that the 

 prince was waiting with two or three thousand men for word 

 from the spies to attack our people. 



The viceroy after getting the information that he desired 

 sent to warn all the captains to hold themselves in readiness 

 and to allow no negligence. Whereupon all got up, and stood 

 with their arms in their hands waiting for the hour, and thus 

 they remained until dawn without there being any alarm : 

 because it seems that on the return of the spies that the prince 

 had sent out this one was missing ; and surmising that he 

 might have been captured, and that our people would be on 

 the alert, he abandoned his intention and went to the king, 

 who on the news that he gave him resolved not to await the 

 viceroy there. Therefore ordering to be taken from there 

 the things of most importance, as soon as the daylight watch 

 came he set fire to the palace, and retired to a fortress that lay 

 a league and a half from there, built entirely of unburnt bricks, 

 with its bastions and round turrets, very well made and pretty 

 strong 2 . 



The viceroy on seeing that fire at once guessed what it 

 might be, but he did not wish that any steps should be taken 

 until it was full daylight, when he saw that the palace was on 

 fire, and then he had information of all that had happened ; 



1 Circa 1604. No doubt Couto got these details from this man. 



2 This may have been at Nallur, a few miles north-east of the present 

 Jaffna fort, where, according to Casie Chitty, the royal palace stood 

 (see C. As. Soc. Jl. No. 3, 1847-8, p. 72, n.). The map of Petrus 

 Plancius (? 1585) shows it slightly south-east of the city, but this is 

 probably a mere guess. 



