No. 60. — 1.908.] couto : history of oeylon. 



307 



hold them in play ; but nevertheless the affair came to a 

 hand-to-hand conflict, and there ensued a very stiff battle, 

 in which our people wrought great havoc among the enemy. 

 And the matter went in such fashion that Raju beat the 

 retreat, and contended with his men, and insulted them, 

 and put them to shame, telling them that the Moor did 

 more than all of them together : and so great was his passion, 

 that he commanded to issue* proclamations throughout the 

 whole army that on the person who in that war brought 

 him the head of the Moor Diogo da Silva he would confer 

 honours and favours above all bestowed on those who in that 

 expedition performed famous feats. And in order to com- 

 pensate himself for that loss, he commanded to make the 

 first 1 assault very soon with all his forces, thinking that by 

 it he would conclude that business ; and he ordered to be 

 prepared for that purpose the things necessary, and dividing 

 amongst his modeliares and araches the posts and bastions 

 that each one had to attack, so that they should not embarrass 

 one another, whereupon they all got ready with whatever 

 seemed to them necessary for that purpose, and he also 

 served out to the army munitions of war and materials 

 prepared for the assault. 



The captain Joao Correa was soon informed by spies of 

 all that was being arranged, and of how they had determined 

 to attack by night : wherefore he at once ordered to get 

 ready everything necessary for the defence, and to provide 

 the posts and bastions with powder and munitions and other 

 military requisites, so that all might have everything at hand 

 at that time ; and because that part near the lake that was 

 drained, at which he had placed Fernao de Mello, was weak, 

 he distributed amongst the most necessitous parts the soldiers 

 on duty on the counter-rounds, and charged upon them the 

 guard and defence of that part. The captains of the bastions 

 ordered many pointed stakes to be prepared, and planted 

 them around the walls, and hung out a fine array of flags. 

 Domingos Marques, captain of the bastion of Sao Miguel, 

 as soon as it was night placed around it many cressets, and 

 Pero Toscano did the same on his bastion of Sao Gonsalo, 

 who, on account of its being very low, watched with all his 

 soldiers outside, going out and entering by the embrasures, 

 in order, when the assault should take place, to prevent 

 them from coming to it with ladders ; and the same pre- 

 parations were made all round the fortress, everyone getting 

 ready in advance whatever was necessary, since Raju 



1 The manuscript omits " the first." 



x2 



