NO. 42.— 1891.] SIEGE OF COLOMBO. 



97 



captured that place, the small garrison that we had at the 

 other posts was collected, and altogether we numbered one 

 hundred and fifty, and in a body we advanced three times 

 that day to dislodge them from the bastion with a large 

 quantity of pots and goglets of powder, some of us occupying 

 the counter-bastion which we had made of wood, and with 

 the two cannon ; and we threw among them many pots and 

 goglets of powder, without any of them setting fire, and at 

 last one set fire and did them great damage ; for when 

 that powder came amongst them without their being fore- 

 warned, they were set on fire in such a manner that we saw 

 hats and pieces of banners flying burning through the air. 

 Towards the evening, the enemy, not being able any longer 

 to bear the many shots and the large quantity of fire, by 

 which they had lost the greater part of the men whom they 

 had in their force, left the interior space of the bastion, and 

 set themselves to defend it from without, the same parapets 

 serving them ; which, as it was so scarped, they were well 

 able to do. With the large quantity of powder that we used 

 to make up for want of men, it could not but happen that 

 someone was set on fire, which caused a great conflagration, 

 several persons of note amongst us being killed, and the fire 

 attacked the wood of the counter-bastion, which having the 

 rubbish as a foundation, the cannon came tumbling to the 

 ground. We lost on that day more than eighty soldiers and 

 captains, in which all displayed great valour and zeal in 

 defending the place : nor was that small which was displayed 

 by the Captain-Major Antonio de Mello de Castro, Gaspar 

 Figueira de Cerpe, Diogo de Sousa de Castro, Ruy Lopes 

 Coutinho, D. Diogo de Vasconcellos, and other gentlemen 

 and captains, who with valour lost their lives in this siege : 

 and to name them and recount in detail the great amount that 

 each one performed is not possible for me ; nor less deserv- 

 ing was] Father Damiao Vieira, a monk of the Company of 

 Jesus, for he worked ^during the whole siege] more like a 

 careful and watchful captain than might have been expected 

 from a monk by profession, for there was not an assault in 

 98—91 H 



