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



381 



At this juncture, before they had replied to them, there 

 arrived some spies that our people had sent among the enemy , 

 and said that Raju was shifting his quarters, as in fact was the 

 case : because as soon as the ambassadors were inside, it 

 being now near nightfall, he commanded his baggage to be 

 removed, and gave orders to his modeliares to raise the camp, 

 he commencing to march, leaving the rearguard in charge of 

 Vijacon modeliar, the captain-general of his camp 1 , with the 

 men of his guard. Upon this news there began to be such a 

 great commotion amongst our people, that the ambassadors 

 became as if dumbfoundered, since they had not known 

 Raj u's determination. Without coming to a conclusion, the 

 captains, in order to secure the ambassadors from the soldiers, 

 so as not to break the faith that ought to be observed towards 

 all, ordered them to embark in a tone, that they might set 

 them down in the direction of Calapete 2 , because if they sent 

 them out by the gates they ran great risk by reason of the 

 concourse that there now was. 



Having dispatched them, all the captains assembled in 

 council in order to determine what they should do, and all 

 agreed that spies should be sent out ; and if Raju were moving, 

 they should at once attack him, that he might not go off with- 

 out the chastisement that he deserved ; and having all armed, 

 they put themselves in battle array, in order, if necessary, to 

 sally forth and attack the enemy, and they arranged their 

 companies and captains after this manner. Manoel de 

 Sousa Coutinho with all the men of his armada and those of 

 Nuno Alvres Datouguia, which would be a thousand Portu- 

 guese, and all the ar aches and modeliares with their lascarins, 

 and as their captain Francisco Gomes Leitao, to go forth in 

 the van by the field of Sam Thome, and at once proceed to 

 occupy the Quarry ; Bernardim de Carvalho with the men of 

 his armada, and others that were added to them, whereby were 

 made up three hundred men, to seize the lake road, in order 

 to go and take up a position on the point of the island ; and 

 the captain of the city Joao Correa de Brito with the banner 

 of Christ, with all the men of his round and those that came in 

 succour fromManar and San Thome, and those of Joao Caiado 

 de Gamboa, and all the armada of Dom Paulo (its captains 

 wishing to go with him), who exceeded five hundred men, had 

 to go in the rearguard. The alcaide mor Francisco da Silva 

 had to remain in guard of the city with three hundred men, 



1 See supra, p. 292, note A . 



2 This lopks as if " Calapete " actually represents Kollupitiya (c/. 

 supra, p. 283, note 7 ). 



