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



231 



it was finished, as the people were many, they began again to 

 suffer torments of hunger, for which reason several soldiers 

 determined to desert to Raju, because hunger and cold, says 

 the old adage, will bring you into the house of your enemy. 



This was at the end of January 1565 1 , when our people 

 found themselves in the extremity of want ; and one Francisco 

 de Macedo 2 passing along a street met another soldier named 

 Luis Carvalho, of the household of the Conde do Prado, who 

 was going along deep in thought ; and coming up to him 

 Macedo asked him what he was thinking of as he went along. 

 Carvalho, turning very pale, looked at him and replied, that it 

 was either God or the devil that was speaking in him. Macedo 

 responded, that he might confide in him, as he well knew 

 the thoughts that he had. Carvalho answered, that already 

 he had determined to confess everything to him : and he 

 then told * mi how a soldier born in India, named Fernao 

 Caldeira, was going about trying to get some soldiers to desert 

 to Raju : and that already there were forty who had resolved 

 one night to desert through the pass of Antonio Cardoso 

 Sueyro, by which they would have to wade, and that they 

 were to carry off a brass camelete 3 that was in the pass ; 

 and that he had resolved to go with them ; because Raju had 

 ordered to be thrown into that pass and others olas, according 

 to which he would receive anyone that chose to come over to 

 him, and would treat him very kindly ; and that those who 

 wished to proceed to the fortress of Manar he would allow 

 to go freely and would provide them with necessaries : and 

 these wiles this tyrant always made use of, and by their 

 means got the whole of the king's people to desert to his 

 army. 



Francisco de Macedo, who was a very good man, took Luis 

 Carvalho, and carried him off with him, and on the way 

 dissuaded him from that purpose, giving him many reasons 

 why so honourable a man should not undertake an action so 

 abominable and diabolical : because, if he were to go forward 

 with his purpose, that fortress would straightway be lost, 

 and for such a great evil he would have to give a full account 

 bo God 4 ; because heaven would not fail to chastise rigorously 



1 In the manuscript the year is written on the margin. 



2 See supra, p. 225, note 6 , Evidently what follows is taken almost 

 verbatim from this man's narrative, furnished to Couto, as stated further 

 on (p. 23G). 



3 A kind of cannon. 



4 The printed edition omits all that follows of Macedo's arguments : 

 it is a pity Couto did not do likewise, as the matter is scarcely of his- 

 torical value. 



