No. 60.— 1908.] cottto : history of ceylotc. 



347 



Raj u was greatly incensed at the defeat of his people ; and 

 such was his rage, that he ordered the captains that had escaped 

 to be beheaded, and went on like a madman over the ill 

 successes that he had had in all his affairs, and did not give 

 over seeking methods and stratagems to injure the fortress, 

 even to having dealings with a lascarim, Joane by name, well 

 known to him, and who was now there, to whom he sent persons 

 in secret to sound him with great promises ; and they came to 

 an agreement with him, that on a certain day on which Raji'i 

 would give a signal to him he should join with several friends 

 and set fire to the city, in order that whilst our people were 

 occupied in extinguishing it they should assault the bastions 

 with the whole force, and thus it would not escape him : and 

 besides this he ordered a Christian 1 Chingala, Marcos by name, 

 who was a runaway there , to feign to return to the fortress for 

 fear of him, and in the city to cast poison into all the wells, 

 which he gave him so subtle and of such strength., that all 

 those that drank of it would not live more than six days. 

 This Marcos having come fleeing to the fortress was captured 

 by some peons in Mapano, and at once he changed colour in 

 such fashion that he well showed that he had come with evil 

 intent : wherefore he was questioned, and the poison being 

 found upon him, he was taken to the captain, who com- 

 manded him to be put to the torture, and during this he 

 confessed his crime, and revealed the dealings of Joanne 2 with 

 Raju, who likewise confessed all, and they were executed 3 . 

 Thenceforward great caution was observed with regard to 

 those that fled to the fortress, and they were ordered to be 

 secured, because they did not know against whom they had 

 to guard. 



Dec. X., Bk. x. , Chap. ix. 



Of the dealings that Raju had with the naiques of the coast of 

 Negapatad, in order to prevent the sending of provisions to 

 Geilao : and of the succours that arrived from without : and of 

 some assaults that our people delivered upon the camp : and 

 of the great attack that Raju made upon the fortress. 



Of all these things the tyrant Raju was informed, and they 

 were to him insufferable ; and he became such, that none of his 



1 The manuscript omits this word, but before "Marcos" inserts 

 " Christovao." 



2 The manuscript has " Joao." 



3 The foregoing appears to be an amplification of the bare statement 

 to the same effect made by Couto in X. x. v. supra (see p. 330, note 1 ). 



