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



339 



Some years before 1 there was lost on the coast of Ceilao a 

 champana belonging to one Diogo Gonsalves 2 , a Portuguese 

 man, who was canying with him a young nephew, called 

 Custodio da Ronda 3 , who were immediately taken captive 

 and brought to Raju ; and as for the Custodio da Ronda, 

 who was a youth, Raju commanded his ears to be bored 4 , 

 and that he be taught the customs of the Chingalas , and kept 

 him in his house in his service. And the youth growing up, 

 and becoming a favourite of Rajii's, received from him the 

 favour of ransoming his uncle, which he did contrary to his 

 religion and laws, who came to Columbo, where in all the past 

 sieges he served the king right well, doing great harm to Raju. 

 And because in this siege he had done many actions of a valiant 

 man to the hurt of his people , in order to be revenged on him, he 

 commanded the nephew Custodio da Ronda to be conveyed to 

 Adam's Peak, and that he should be taught the work of a 

 husbandman, so that at no time should he be able to get out 

 thence, nor the uncle have hopes of seeing him. Of this youth 

 one Miguel Ferreira Raracho, who at the beginning of the siege 

 had escaped to us 5 , gave an account, upon which news the 

 uncle laboured to see if there were any means of getting him 

 thence : and conversing with some spies, men of much experi- 

 ence, and who knew the country very well, regarding this 

 matter, having made them his promises, the captain taking a 

 great interest therein , he gave them stratagems that they were 

 to use, namely, a forged letter in the name of Raju, which 

 commanded the men to whom Ronda had been intrusted that 

 as soon as they saw it they were to give him forthwith to the 

 person who presented it to them, copying the style and 



1 This vague statement leaves us ignorant of the year when the event 

 occurred. 



2 See supra, p. 294, note 1 . 



3 This sounds more like an appellative than a real name. 



4 This was done to all renegade Portuguese. The anonymous 

 writer of Primor e Hour a, in describing the condition of the Portuguese 

 deserters to Raja Sinha, says (i. vi.) : — " They bore their ears with very 

 large holes, because it is a custom of the country, the more respect- 

 able, the longer their ears " (c/. on this Barb, and Cast, in G. Lit. Reg. 

 iv. 211, 190). Knox {Hist. Rel. 89-90) tells us that this custom fell 

 into desuetude in the reign of Raja Sinha II., owing to that king's not 

 complying with the fashion. The diarist of Spilbergen's voyage seems 

 to have fallen into an error when he speaks of the Portuguese in Kandy 

 having their ears cut or clipped (see G. Lit. Reg. vi. 325, 334, where in 

 the first passage " cut off " should be " cut open " or " slit "). 



5 See supra, p. 302, note 3 . He is probably the " Miguel Ferreira " 

 mentioned in chap. xv. below (c/. pp. 370, 371 . with p. 375). 



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