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



327 



The captain had provided for everything very methodically ; 

 and although he considered the part on the bay secure, never- 

 theless he had swift messengers who brought him full parti- 

 culars of what took place there. 



The enemy passed over on the top of the dead and wounded 

 to attack the bastions and posts, striving to get up to them, 

 and from all sides raining upon our people deluges of bullets 

 and arrows, which they always overshot in order not to hurt 

 their own people, who were attempting an entrance of the 

 walls and bastions, which were not idle, because with their 

 artillery, which never ceased, they had caused a great de- 

 struction in the army. Very well did the master gunner 

 Pero Gonsalves fulfil his office this day, who, not staying 

 in any part, went the round of all the posts and levelled and 

 aimed the most necessary pieces, and stirred up the bom- 

 bardiers ; and being in the bastion of Sao Sebastiao aiming 

 a piece, a ball struck him on one arm and broke it to pieces, 

 which was a great loss, owing to the permanent deficiency 

 that it made. 



As the moon kept rising so it went on giving more light, 

 by means of which our people now could make out the whole 

 field, and fought more at their will, and with less anxiety 

 because they saw the enemy very well, who with all their 

 strength and spirit strove to enter the bastions, in which the 

 confusion was so great that Raju thought that his people 

 were already in possession of them. His armada, which was 

 fighting with ours in the bay, was so fustigated by the artillery , 

 that they could no longer endure it, being shattered, and 

 with so many killed that now the light of the moon revealed 

 them entirely, so that our people could bestow their shots 

 better, and making the signal to retire, they did so much cut 

 up and scathed. Those that were attacking the posts, on 

 hearing the signal from the armada to retire, did so likewise, 

 having been so ordered, and leaving the foot of the posts 

 and bastions strewn with dead bodies, which they could not 

 carry off in the hurry. Of our people there were some 

 wounded, but not dangerously, only the gunner, who died 

 of the bombard shot. Raju continued raging at his people, 

 because he had been certain that in that way the city could 

 not escape him, laying the blame on the armada for going 

 out later than it had been ordered, and commanded to 

 go on with the fortification so as to reach and come close to 

 our walls. 



This attack having passed, presently, on the 23rd of August, 

 there arrived the armada of Nuno Alvares Datouguia, who 

 crossed that gulf with much trouble and personal risk, except 

 the ship of Adriao Nunes, who not being able to endure 



