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



219 



Dec. VII., Bk. x., Chap. xv. 



Of the great strait to which Raju brought our people, and of 

 how Diogo de Mello, captain of Manar, came to the rescue : 

 and of other reliefs that joined them. 



Thus Raju continued to carry on the siege with greater 

 forces and with more bloodthirstiness each day, seeking by 

 every means to enter the city, both by water with boats and 

 jangddas 1 and by Prea Cota. And many times our people 

 gave themselves up for lost ; but God our Lord, whose eyes 

 were upon them and upon that island, gave courage to our 

 people, so that they always drove the enemy back with great 

 destruction to them, and with no little loss on our side. The 

 king with some of his men was always to be found in the most 

 dangerous places, like one who had most at stake on the issue, 

 since his kingdom was at stake. The enemy captured another 

 road to the pass of the ambolao, by which there came to them 

 from Cota some provisions and messages, and thus only with 

 difficulty and great risk could our people send messages to one 

 another. The news of this siege, and of our people's being in 

 great peril, reached Manar at the beginning of August [1563], 

 on hearing which, Diogo de Mello Coutinho, captain of that 

 fortress 2 , immediately hired some vessels, in which he set out 

 to their help, himself in one, and in the others Pero Luzarte 

 Ticao and Gaspar Pereira the Long 3 , who was afterwards 

 appointed to the fortress of Chaul, but did not wish to go to 

 assume that command. 



These vessels having set out full of men, munitions, and 

 provisions, as it was not the season for getting to Columbo by 

 going along the coast, they went to the opposite coast of 

 Tutocori, in order from there to cross over with the wind, 

 which was then a monsoon one. Meanwhile Raju kept on 

 pressing the siege closer, because he saw that the winter was 

 drawing to a close, and that soon many reliefs could come ; 

 and so he determined to get possession of Cota, and with that 



1 Rafts (see supra, p. 75, note 3 ). 



2 There seems to be an error here. In VII. ix. vi. we were told that 

 in 1559 (?) the captain of Manar was Jorge de Mello the Fist (o Punho), 

 and in VIII. iii. we read of his still occupying that post in 1565. On the 

 other hand, in VII. ix. v. we were informed that, by command of the 

 viceroy, Manoel Rodrigues Coutinho went from the Fishery Coast to 

 Manar in 1561, apparently to take command of the newly -built fortress 

 of Manar. (Of. p. 205, note 2 .) Of Diogo de Mello Coutinho we have 

 read in connection with Ceylon in VI. ix. xvi. and xix. and VI x. vii., 

 and we shall hear of him as captain of Columbo in VIII. xxxii. 



3 See supra, p. 205. 



