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



333 



fire on the windward side, which caught alight with such fury 

 and 1 fierceness, that immediately it began to blaze in all parts, 

 and so gained the mastery of it, that it was not possible for 

 those inside to quench it, who came out into the field and 

 engaged our people in a great fight. And as the enemy were 

 reinforced they retired, leaving thirty of them dead, and 

 without losing one ; but as luck would have it, while Fernao 

 de Lima was standing on the top of the cavalier of the bastion 

 of Sao Sebastiao watching the fight, there came a random 

 bullet and struck him in the jaws, from which he straightway 

 fell dead, he having escaped so many times from very great 

 dangers in many excursions in which he took part, both on 

 sea and on land, in this and in other wars ; and now behind 

 the walls and on the top of the highest bastion of all the bullet 

 came to hit him, not one of those that were on the field coming 

 wounded at the hands of the enemy : such are the judgments 

 of God, of whom we cannot ask a reason for these things. His 

 death was much felt, as he was a very worthy knight, and 

 the manner thereof did not fail to cause astonishment to all. 



The tranqueira to which they set fire burnt four days , being 

 of very thick wood 2 ; and of these and other assaults there 

 were many and very frequent, in which our people always got 

 the better, which we pass over on account of being very 

 trifling ; and so for a little we shall leave these things, as it is 

 necessary to continue with others. 



Dec. X., BK. x., Chap. vi. 



Of how the viceroy sent Bernardim de Carvalho to 

 , ' Ceilao : 



After Belchior Nogueira had given in Cochim the news of the 

 siege of Columbo he left for Goa 3 , and gave the viceroy the 

 letters from Joao Correa de Brito, in which he related to him 

 the siege and gave him an account of the state in which those 

 things were. The viceroy seeing that need at once proceeded 

 to the dockyard 4 , and commanded to launch a galley and six 

 ships, and paid men, and ordered munitions to be r m barked, 

 and chose for this expedition Bernardim de Carvalho, and on 



1 The manuscript omits these two words. 



2 The printed edition has " thick woodwork " (madeiramento grosso) 

 in place of the " very thick wood " {madeira muito grossa) of the manu- 

 script. 



3 See supra, p. 323. 



4 In original ribeira, regarding which see Teix. Introd xiv. , note 3. 



