432 



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



[Vol. XX 



doing such great destruction, that they killed more than two 

 hundred ; and in this pursuit they came upon the main body 

 of the army, where was the king of Huva, and setting upon 

 one another, our firelock-men did their duty well, whereupon 

 the enemy halted until they once more joined their main body. 

 Those of the vanguard, who were fleeing closely, turned round 

 with such astonishing fury, that our men looked upon them- 

 selves as lost ; but understanding that the salvation of their 

 lives lay in the valour and strength of their arms, they exerted 

 the utmost of their strength, and like desperate men threw 

 themselves amongst the enemy, among whom they wrought 

 such cruelties, that they turned their backs on them and took 

 to flight, and our men went charging them, like those that had 

 already conquered them, doing great havoc amongst them. In 

 this encounter the enemy lost two hundred, and many 

 modeliares, and our people captured many arms and other 

 spoils, and retired to the site of Adegalitota, where they 

 erected their tranqueiras and fortifications at their will and 

 without impediment. This took place at the end of the past 

 January of 1599. 



Dec. XII., Bk. in., Chap. ii. 



Of a disturbance that there was amongst the soldiers of the con- 

 quest over their pay : and of the succour that the count sent 

 to it by Dom Francisco de Noronha : and of what befel him 

 on the voyage. 



The victories that we have related above being past, with 

 so much danger to the soldiers, they entered upon another 

 greater and more to be feared and dreaded, which was hunger 

 and lack of pay : because the soldiers that serve and take part 

 in this conquest (whom I consider as the most practised and 

 daring that there are in India), when they are full fed, will 

 undertake without fear alljhe dangers in the world, and will 

 fight like wild elephants 1 . And this lack of pay, which the 

 general was expecting from India, they bore so badly, 

 that many of them mutinied, and went off to the mountains, 

 whore they fortified themselves, and sallied forth in bands to 

 seek food in the villages 2 . Of this the count viceroy soon had 

 advice by letters from Ceilao : and seeing that it was necessary 



1 Cf. what Couto says above on p. 356. 



2 We have heard several times already of the soldiers in Ceylon 

 mutinying (see p. 257, note 4 , p. 394, p. 408, note 7 ), but never of their 

 behaving as stated here. T have found no reference elsewhere to this 

 outbreak. 



