By This
Abandonment Of Their Post, The Portuguese Lost More Reputation With The
Natives Of Sumatra Than They Had Gained
By their former valiant defence.
They were fully sensible of this, as they met a powerful reinforcement
at sea under
Azevedo; and learnt that the king of Aru was marching by
land to their assistance with 4000 men. The king of Achem followed up
his good fortune, and rendered himself all-powerful in Sumatra, beyond
even his hopes.
About this time[175] Malacca was much straitened by the king of Bintang,
who sent a powerful armament against it, to oppose which. George
Albuquerque sent a naval force under Don Sancho Enriquez; but in a
violent storm 70 out of 200 Portuguese were lost. Till now the king of
Pahang had sided with the Portuguese; but seeing the tide of fortune had
turned against them, he too became their enemy. Ignorant of this change,
Albuquerque sent three-ships to his port for provisions, where two of
his captains and thirty men were killed: The third made his escape, but
was slain with all his men at Java. Simon de Abreu and his crew were
slain on another occasion; and two vessels sent to prevent provisions
from getting into Bintang were lost.
[Footnote 175: De Faria is often defective in dates, and always
confused. The events about this time are only vaguely stated as having
happened during the government of Duarte Menezes, between the years 1522
and 1524, both inclusive. Among the confused mass of ill-digested and
often indistinctly related events, many of which possess hardly any
interest, we have now deemed it proper, in the farther prosecution of
this History of the Portuguese transactions in India, to omit many
trivial and uninteresting events, confining our attention to those of
some importance, and which appear worth recording. The Portuguese Asia
of DeFaria minutely relates every consecutive squadron sent to or from
India, and every trifling commercial adventure; the insertion of which
in our collection would be needlessly tedious. - E.]
In 1524, the memorable DON VASCO DE GAMA, now count of Vidugueyra, went
out to India as viceroy with 14 ships and 8000 soldiers. During the
voyage, two caravels were lost with all their men, and a third was lost
but the men saved. Gaspar Mossem, one of the captains, was basely killed
by his crew, merely because he was not a Portuguese. While at sea near
Cambaya in a dead calm, the sea tossed so violently all of a sudden that
all the people thought they were lost: But the viceroy perceiving it was
caused by an earthquake, called out, "Courage my friends, the sea
trembles for fear of you." One great ship of Mecca, worth 60,000 crowns,
was taken, and the fleet arrived at Goa. Having visited some of the
forts, and issued the necessary orders, Gama sent three gallies from
Cochin to Calicut, as the subjects of the zamorin began to be
troublesome. One of these fought for three hours with fifty large
paraos and lost three men; but on the coming up of the others, the
enemy were put to flight.
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