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



363 



into the fortress with arrows, in which he begged the captain to 

 send him Hieronymo Bayao, as he had a matter of importance 

 to treat of with him 1 . He conducted this business in 

 this secrecy, in order, if the captain sent this man, to make 

 the ambassadors believe that he had sent him to ask for peace, 

 and that he begged him for mercy ; and if the captain desired 

 to make, it 2 , a way would thereby be opened up for that. 

 These olas were found and carried to Joao Correa, who did not 

 fail to see through the subterfuge of Raju, and in order to 

 humiliate him did not reply to him to the purpose : affronted 

 by which, he determined to deliver a general assault upon the 

 fortress, for which purpose he got ready his whole force, and 

 used every expedient that he could, and on the 10th of January 

 of this year 1588, upon which by the divine favour we enter, 

 in the daylight watch 3 he appeared in great silence before our 

 fortress, and completely surrounded it, having divided the 

 bastions and posts amongst his modeliares, who already knew 

 the parts that they had to attack : and so at one and the 

 same time they came and set up the ladders against them, 

 because Raju's intention was to see if his men could find some 

 post so unprepared that by it they could enter the fortress. 

 And this was done with so little noise, that they were not 

 perceived until they had already ascended the ladders, and 

 the first part where they showed themselves was the post of 

 Joao Caiado on the bastion of Santo Estevao, and in the 

 couraga, where was Dom Luis Mascarenhas. These awakening 

 seized their arms, and hastened to the defence at the moment 

 when the enemy had just thrown inside some pots of powder ; 

 and well they paid for it, for these captains harried them, and 

 made many of them lose their lives, and the remainder their 

 pride. In the other parts where they also appeared they 

 found our meri already with their arms in their hands to 

 impede them. The turmoil was soon heard throughout the 

 whole fortress, and the captain hastened to the bastion of 

 Madre de Deus in order thence to provide for everything ; 

 and Bernardim de Carvalho with his soldiers went hastening to 

 the parts that seemed to them most in need, and the same did 

 Nuno Alvres Datouguia: and in such manner did our men 

 make the enemy experience that boldness, that with a few 

 blows they threw them down from the ladders cut to pieces, and 

 all so harried that they did not dare to attempt the ascent, 



1 Cf. supra, pp. 321, 358. 



2 The printed edition has " if the captain failed to make it," which 

 appears incorrect. 



3 By a stupid error the printed edition has " in the watch (or quarter) 

 of the moon." 



