At This Place The Wife Of
Arel Was Taken, With A Great Spoil In Gold, Silver, Jewels, Silks, And
Other Valuables, And Thirteen Considerable Vessels.
On his return to
Cochin, as his successor was not yet arrived, Sampayo went back to
Cananor, whence he dispatched his nephew Simon de Melo against Marabia
and Mount Dely, both of which places were taken, plundered, and,
destroyed, with many piratical paraos.
About this time, the king of
Cambaya fitted out a fleet of eighty barks, under the command of a
valiant Moor named Alexiath, who did much injury to the subjects of
Nizam-al-mulk, and to the Portuguese trade at Chaul, in consequence of
which aid was demanded from Sampayo by both. Sampayo accordingly set
sail with forty vessels of different kinds, in which were 1000
Portuguese soldiers, besides a considerable force of armed natives. In
this expedition Hector de Sylveira commanded the small vessels that
rowed[178], while Sampayo took charge of the sailing vessels. On
arriving at Chaul, Sampayo sent eighty Portuguese to the assistance of
Nizam-al-Mulk, under the command of Juan de Avelar, and then sailed for
Diu, as he understood the eighty barks of Cambaya were gone thither. Off
Bombay that fleet belonging to Cambaya of which he was in search was
descried, on which part of the ships were detached to secure the
entrance of the river Bandora, to prevent the enemy from escaping, while
Sylveira with his brigantines or row-boats bore down upon Alexiath.
After a furious cannonade, the Portuguese gallantly boarded the enemy,
and Alexiath fled with seven only of his barks, all the rest being
taken. Of the 73 vessels captured on this occasion, 33 were found
serviceable and were retained, all the rest being set on fire. In this
glorious exploit, a vast number of prisoners, much artillery, and
abundance of ammunition were taken, and the Portuguese did not lose one
man.
[Footnote 178: Such is the expression in the translation of the
Portuguese Asia by Stevens. They were probably Malabar vessels, which in
the early writers are named paraos, tonys, and caturs, and might perhaps
be called row-boats. - E]
Juan de Avelar, who had been detached with eighty Portuguese to the
assistance of Nizam-al-Mulk against the king of Cambaya, acquired great
honour in that service by his gallantry. Assisted by 1000 of the native
subjects of Nizam-al-Mulk, he scaled a fort belonging to the king of
Cambaya, till then thought impregnable, being the first who entered; and
having slain all the defendants, he delivered it up to the Nizam.
It was now about the beginning of the year 1529. Lope Vaz de Sampayo was
much elated by the last-mentioned success against the fleet of Cambaya,
and believed that in the present state of dismay Diu would surrender on
the first summons: He was therefore eager to have gone against that
place, but as all his captains except Sylveira were of a contrary
opinion, he was obliged to lay aside that intention and to return to
Goa, leaving the valiant Hector with twenty-two row-boats to cruise
against the pirates in the north.
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