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



337 



(as we have said) for intrenchinents, under cover of which 

 they were approaching the bastion with other contrivances and 

 bulwarks of wood, which they went on constructing, as the 

 work went on increasing. Our men, who were already in the 

 mine, seeing the enemy coming to the work, contrary to the 

 orders that they bore showed themselves, and they had 

 inside a tolerable fight, in which they killed some of the enemy; 

 and as the latter were reinforced, they went out, leaving dead 

 a good soldier of ours named Andre de Queiros, whose head 

 the enemy cut off and carried to Raju, which was the first 

 present that they made him from that fort, from the beginning 

 of the siege until then. The enemy had already arrived at the 

 ditch with the mine, and were in possession of it, whereby the 

 captain feared much that they would undermine the bastion or 

 set fire to it, which he wished to prevent, though he might have 

 to run great risk : wherefore he sent the men of his round into 

 the ditch to attack the mine with many fire-lances and pots 

 of powder, and workmen to destroy it, and ordered to go out 

 into the field a body of troops and the ar aches with their 

 lascurins supported by our men, in order to assault the tran- 

 queira where the opening of the mine had been begun, all 

 remaining under arms to succour them should this be necessary. 

 Those that had to attack the mine from the direction of the 

 ditch an hour before sunset entered it with fire-lances, with 

 which they cleared a way, throwing on the enemy many pots 

 of powder, which burnt them, and thus they had a fine fight 

 inside which lasted a good while. Those that went to attack 

 in the other direction fell upon the enemy suddenly, and 

 killed several, and by this means the others had time to 

 throw into the mouth of the mine some pots of powder, 

 whereby the enemy who were fighting in this other part of 

 the ditch with our men, thinking that an entrance had been 

 made in the other direction, turned round to retreat, and our 

 men after them killing them at their pleasure ; and so great 

 was the slaughter, that the mine was filled with their corpses, 

 and thus the workmen had time to dismantle the mine and 

 carry off the timber from it. During this time there was pro- 

 ceeding throughout the field carried on on both sides a perilous 

 engagement of harquebusery, a fearful and horrible affair, be- 

 cause almost the whole force of the enemy was in action, and 

 the bastions did their duty, belching forth their thundering 

 discharge, which caused great destruction among the enemy. 

 And it being now an hour after dark, our men retired, having 

 made a terrible havoc. 



Our men having returned advised the captain that at that 

 part where they found the ponds of water the mine divided into 

 two, and that the other one took its way towards the quarters 

 z 36-08 



