384 



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



[Vol. XX. 



be no disorder : to which he sent reply that he was performing 

 the office of a soldier, but that he would do what he could 

 therein. Manoel de Sousa Coutinho forthwith dispatched 

 Dom Hieronimo de Azevedo to go and support those that 

 were engaged in fighting with the enemy. Bras Daguiar and 

 his brother Ambrosio Leitao and other soldiers and knights 

 that went in advance, following in the track of our men who 

 were pursuing the enemy, arrived at a place where the road 

 divided into two, and it seemed to them better to halt in 

 that spot, so that the enemy should not burst forth by one of 

 those roads and make an attack upon the rear of our people 

 who had gone ahead, which was very discreet : and thus 

 there continued to be added all the soldiers that came there, 

 until they formed a respectable body of them. 



During this time there arrived at the port of Columbo 

 Thome de Sousa de Arronches with his armada, and Diogo 

 Soares de Albergaria, who coming along the coast, and seeing 

 fire in Raju's camp, and guessing what it was, made such 

 haste, that they arrived at that instant with their men under 

 arms, and there arrived the captains who had been with all 

 the force at the bridge, having sent word to Francisco Gomes 

 Leitao, field captain, not to go beyond the meadows of Vagore 1 , 

 as they had done, there being now no enemies with whom to 

 fight, they having entirely withdrawn: this would be at 

 three hours after midnight, and they remained there until 

 the morning. Those that had gone in advance came returning 

 and 2 picking up all along the road many arms that the enemy 

 had abandoned in their flight ; and having reached the bridge 

 where the captains were they related how Raju was totally 

 routed : upon which all gave many thanks to God our Lord 

 for so great a favour as he had done them. From there 

 they returned to the arrayal, which was between the two 

 ditches that Raju had commanded to be dug in order to 

 drain the lake, where they went about examining the forts, 

 bastions, traverses, trenches, tranqueiras, streets, and roads 

 that he had made for his defence, which was a thing of marvel, 

 because the work seemed to exceed human industry. There 

 they remained until midday, ordering to set fire to the tran- 

 queiras ; and as they had need of rest, they returned to the 

 city victorious. 



Raju came off very badly from this siege, as it cost him 

 dear, and he lost in the course of the war more than five 



1 Weragoda ? » 



2 The printed edition omits (by an evident oversight) the words 

 " until returning and." 



