34 



pitfalls avoided them by passing to the rear of 

 the town until he gained a mosque in wnich he 

 established hk head quarters the enemy having 

 betaken themselves to flight, after a desultory 

 resistance of a few hours. In tim action Albu- 

 querque empbyed 800 Portuguese and 200 native 

 soldiery. The town was ghm up to pillage for 

 three successiive days, and only a few of the Ma- 

 lays eventually permitted to return, amongst whom 

 was a thief of the name of Utimuti R ijab, who 

 had crossed over with his fullowers to the side of 

 the Portuguese when he f\>und the Malay cause 

 desperate. The Arabs, or Moors as they are call, 

 ed by De Faria, were not allowed to setlte again. 

 The unfortunate Mahomed Shah fled to the is* 

 land of Bintang, which lies about forty leagues 

 to the S, W. of Malacca, being accompanied by his 

 son, Prince Ala-eddin. The island is about 120 

 miles in circumference, and the fugitive sovereign 

 erected a mud fort at either point of the principal 

 river, whilst the mouth was obstructed by stakes 

 firmly driven into the ground. 



Albuquerque, conceiving that the proximity of 

 this post endangered the security of his infant 

 conquest, despatched four hundred Portuguese, 

 a tike number of Utimuti Rajah's Malays, and 

 three hundred soldiers belonging to the Pegue 

 merchants resident in Malacca, to dislodge the 

 fugitives; the king and prince Ala-ed-din, al- 

 ready disheartened, abandoned their fortifications 

 at the approach of the dreaded Portu^^uese, and 

 imk refuge in the internal fastnesses of the island, 

 Mahomed reproached his son for having given 

 him that warlike counsel, by following which he 



