Their Encampment Was So Extensive And Regularly
Arranged That It Resembled A Regularly Built City.
Adel Khan took up his
quarters at Ponda with 4000 horse, 6000 musqueteers, 300 elephants, and
220 pieces of cannon.
Rumer Khan, Coger Khan, and Mortaz Khan were
stationed near the mouth of the Ganja channel, with 3000 horse, 130
elephants, and nine cannon. Nori Khan commanded opposite the island of
Juan Lopez with 7000 horse, 130 elephants, and eight large cannon.
Camil Khan and Deliren Khan faced the pass of Benastarim with 9000
horse, 200 elephants, and 32 pieces of battering artillery. Solyman Aga
took post on a hill above Benastarim with 1500 horse and two
field-pieces. Anjoz Khan, opposite the island of Juan Rangel, with
2500 horse, 50 elephants, and six cannon. Xatiaryiatan in sight of
Sapal, with 1500 horse, six elephants, and six cannon. Daulate Khan,
Xetiatimanaique, Chiti Khan, and Codemena Khan faced the pass of Agazaim
with 9000, 200 elephants, and 26 cannon. The rest of the army, with
innumerable followers, covered the mountains to a vast extent,
sufficient to strike terror into the boldest spirits.
Having carefully examined the dispositions of the enemy, and naturally
considering the means he possessed for defence, now somewhat increased
by the arrival of reinforcements from different quarters, the viceroy
made a new distribution of his force to various posts, his force in all
amounting to 1600 men; besides several small armed vessels, which were
directed to guard the river, and to relieve the several posts as
occasion offered or required[377]. The enemy spent their first efforts
against the fort at the pass of Benastarim, where they did considerable
damage by the constant fire of their heavy guns; but whatever injury
they did during the day was repaired in the ensuing night. Such was the
extent of their cannonade, that only in one small post, occupied by
Alvaro de Mendoza with ten men, 600 bullets were picked up, some of
which were two spans diameter. The Portuguese were unable to answer with
any thing like a correspondent fire, but, being well directed, their
shot did great execution, and the small armed vessels plied from place
to place with much diligence, doing great injury with their small guns.
One night an officer of the enemy was seen with a great number of
torches passing a height opposite the fort of Benastarim, having a
number of young women dancing before him. On this occasion, Ferdinand de
Sousa caused a cannon to be so exactly pointed among them, that the
officer, with several of his torch-bearers and two couple of the dancers
were seen to fly into the air. As this was the time for dispatching the
homeward-bound trade to Portugal, the governor was anxiously advised to
stop that fleet, as it would deprive him of 400 men, who might be of
great use in defending Goa; but ambitions of acquiring greater glory by
conquering every difficulty, he ordered the ships to sail at their usual
time, alleging that their cargoes were much wanted in Portugal, and that
he trusted he should have a sufficient force remaining to defend the
seat of government.
[Footnote 377: In the original, there is along enumeration of
twenty-four several posts, with the names of the officers commanding
each, and the numbers in their respective detachments; all here omitted
as uninteresting. - E.]
The Portuguese had often the boldness to cross over and attack the enemy
in their posts in the main-land, whence they brought away many prisoners
and many heads of those they slew, with various arms and standards. On
one occasion, Don George de Menezes who commanded the armed vessels, and
Don Pedro de Castro who landed with 200 Portuguese, made so great
slaughter that the viceroy sent two carts loaded with heads to the city,
to animate the inhabitants with this barbarous proof of the energy of
the defence. One night Gaspar and Lancelot Diaz penetrated four or five
miles up the country with eighty men, burnt two villages with many
detached houses, and brought away many prisoners, many heads of the
slain enemy, and much cattle. At another time these two brothers, with
one hundred and thirty men, attacked the quarters of Coger Khan and
Rumer Khan, where they made great havock, and destroyed all the
preparations they had made for passing over into the island of Juan
Lopez. The enemy were astonished at the exploits performed by such small
numbers, and still more so when they learnt that the viceroy had sent
off Don Diego de Menezes with his squadron to the Malabar coast, and Don
Ferdinand de Vasconcellos with four gallies and two small vessels, on an
expedition to destroy Dabul.
Don Ferdinand burnt two large ships belonging to Mecca at that place,
where he likewise landed and destroyed several villages, and would even
have done the same to Dabul if he had not been opposed by his officers.
On his return to Goa he attacked the quarters of Anjoz Khan, which were
three miles from the post of the viceroy. He forced an entrance with
great slaughter of the enemy; but his men falling into confusion for the
sake of plunder, the enemy rallied and fell upon them, so that they were
constrained to seek their safety in flight, with some loss, while Don
Ferdinand was weakened with loss of blood and wearied by the weight of
his armour, so that he was surrounded and slain. On this occasion 40 of
the Portuguese were slain, and the ship of Don Ferdinand was taken by
the enemy; but the viceroy sent Don George de Menezes with 100 men, who
set the ship on fire, and brought away her guns.
At this time the zamorin made proposals for renewing the peace, either
in hopes of deriving some advantage during the present state of affairs,
or of covering his real designs of hostility; but the viceroy replied,
that he would not yield a single point of difference, and even
persisted in that resolution, although the queen of Quarcopa declared
war at Onor.
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