S' tf' M A T R A, 
«f his country at a certain price; and defray the charges of a fortrefs 
which they then prepared to ere<£t in his kingdom, and of which Mi- 
randa d'Azeuedo was appointed captain, with a garrifon of an hundred 
foldiers. The materials were moftly timber, which the ruins of Gcinal's 
intrenchment fupplied them with. After Alboquerque*s departure, the 
works had nearly fallen into the hands of an enemy named Melique 
Ladil, who called himfelf fukan of Pafay, and made feveral defultory 
attacks upon them; but he vvas at length totally routed, and the for- 
tifications were complcated without further moleftation. 
A fleet which failed from the weft of India a fhort time after that of 
Alboquerque, under the command of Jorge de Brito, ftopt in the road 
of Acheen, in their way to the Molucca iflands. There was at this 
time at Achcen a man of the name of Joano Borba, who fpoke the lan- 
guage of the countr^% having formerly fled thither from Fafay, at the time' 
Dlogo Vaz was aflailJnarcd. Being afterwards entrufted with the command 
of a trading vcifel from Goa, which foundered at fea, he again efcaped 
to this place, with nine men in a fmall boat, and was hofpitably received 
by the king, "when he learned that the ihip had been deflined to his port, 
Eorba came off along with a mellenger fent by the king to welcome the 
commantJeri and offer him refrefhments for his fleet, and being a man of 
extraordinary loquacity, he gave a defcription to Brito of a temple m 
the country in which was depofited a large quantity of gold : he men- 
tioned likewife that 'the king was in pofTe/lion of the artillery and mer- 
chandize of Gafpar d'Acofta's veffel, fome time iince wrecked there; 
and aifo of the goods faved from a brigantlne driven on fliore at Daya^ 
m Pacheco's expedition; as well as of Joano de Lima's £hip, which 
he had caufed to be cut off. * Brito being tempted by the golden prize, 
which he conceived already in his power, and inflamed by Borba's repre- 
fentation of the king*s iniquities, fent a mcffage ill return, to demand 
the reClitotion of the artillery, fhlp, and goods, which had been unlaw- 
fully fcizcd. ^ The king replied/ that if he wanted tbofe articles to be 
itfunded, he muft make his demand to the fea which had fwallowed 
theni upl Brito and his captains now'rcfolvcd to'proceed to an attack upon ■ 
the 
