No. 42.— 1891.] 



SIEGE OF COLOMBO. 



85 



where the enemy was, in a very short time he was at that 

 part p ollowed also by several inhabitants and a company of 

 Topazes, and he came upon a squalron of three hundred 

 who did not know whither they were to march, and only a 

 monk 17 was opposing them.] They were at once surround- 

 ed by our men, and [of the three hundred, sixty-two were 

 spared ;] the rest were put to the sword. 18 ^These 

 three hundred had entered by means of a low wall which 

 enclosed the city near the lake, a quarter which neither 

 had nor required a garrison, and they reached it in the 

 boats which they had brought for that purpose. 19 At 

 all the posts they were beaten back by our men with great 

 valour ; and the enemy, seeing the large number of men that 

 they had lost, and at all points strong resistance, began to 

 retire at midday, leaving the foot of the walls and the 

 bastions covered with corpses. The ship 20 that had entered 

 the bay set to work to batter the couraga of Santa Cruz, and 

 was in a short time sent to the bottom by the latter, and 

 several who had not lost their lives therein, thinking that 

 they would escape in the pinnace ; it was however sunk by 

 a ball ; and of all who were therein only the captain and 

 two others were able to escape by swimming ; the others 

 came on shore. These were of service to us, as we got from 

 them thirty-eight pieces of artillery, which were of use to us 

 at several posts, and three casks of Canary wine, some barrels 

 of meat, and a quantity of rigging of which we availed our- 

 selves in the form of match-cord, so that our posts might 

 have fire at all times.] 



The enemy lost in this assault more than two thousand 21 

 of the best men that they had, and if our soldiers had not 

 been newcomers £to the Island and consequently little versed 

 in such occasions], not a Hollander would have been able 

 to retire. [When i n the midst of the combat a married 

 woman heard that the couraga was entered by the enemy, 

 isuch was her anguish that it forced her to seize a halberd, 

 and resolutely she went to that post, and remained there as 

 long as the enemy did not retire ; and without doubt if they 



