382 



JOURNAL, R.A.S. ( CEYLON"). 



[Vol. XX. 



veteran casados, and others that were chosen for that purpose : 

 and they immediately distributed to everyone munitions in 

 abundance, intrusting the pots of powder and fire-lances to 

 strong and courageous soldiers, for them to undertake the 

 encounter with the elephants, giving orders to the alcaide mor 

 to have ready many munitions to be sent a little at a time, ves- 

 sels of water and things necessary for the aid of the exhausted, 

 and to have cloths, eggs, and other necessary things for 

 the dressing of the wounded that might come back, so that 

 nothing should be wanting. The prelates and monks distri- 

 buted themselves amongst all the embrasures with crucifixes 

 to encourage those that fought, and to confess those that had 

 need thereof. 



And having given orders regarding everything, it being 

 Saturday, the 21st of February, at nine o'clock at night, they 

 saw in the camp of the enemy great fires : and the cause 

 was, that as soon as he shifted his quarters he ordered it to 

 be put to all the tranqueiras, which burnt with great fury. 

 Many were of opinion that they should at once sally forth ; 

 but the captains, fearing that just as that might mean a flight 

 it might also be an ambush to entrap our men when in disorder, 

 ordered the gates to be shut, sending out some spies, in order 

 to learn what was going on in the field : and the captain 

 Joao Correa went with the men of his battalion to the gate of 

 Sao Joao, whence he dispatched the modeliar Diogo da Silva 

 with his lascarins and thirty picked soldiers well armed, to go 

 and occupy the tranqueira of the mount 1 , and if they found 

 there any of the enemy's soldiers they were to give him a 

 signal with three firelock shots ; and he ordered Dom Joao 

 Pereira to place himself with his soldiers and those of his 

 brother Dom Nuno Alvres, with his guidon, in the plain 

 outside in order to support them. The modeliar Diogo da 

 Silva went marching to the tranqueira of the mount ; and 

 finding it still occupied by the enemy, gave the signal that the 

 captain had ordered, which being, heard by Dom Joao Pereira, 

 in accordance with the orders that he had he went marching 

 towards them : and Diogo da Silva with his lascarins attacked 

 the tranqueira with great boldness, knowing of the support of 

 Dom Joao Pereira, who soon arrived, and with a few blows 

 it was entered, because the enemy vacated it. Our captains, 

 who were ready, at the signal of the firelock shots sallied 

 forth from the city in the order that had been arranged, the 

 van being led by Manoel de Sousa, who reached the tranqueira 

 of the first ditch, where there was still a large body of the 



1 See supra, X. ix. v. (p. 298). 



