This Being Noticed By The Besieged Early In The
Morning, Before The Turks Put Themselves In Order For The Assault,
Sixty
of the Portuguese made a sally from the castle, forty of whom fought the
enemy with great gallantry, while
The other twenty remained in the
ditch, each of whom carried a small leather bag full of powder and a
lighted match. These men cut open the cotton bales, into each of which
they put a handful of powder, which they fired, so that in a short time
several of the bags were set on fire; and the whole continued burning
for two days. Those who sallied out upon the enemy maintained the fight
for more than three hours, during which time they killed 190 Turks and
wounded as many more, losing only two of their own number.
SECTION VI.
Farther particulars of the siege, to the retreat of the Turks, and the
commencement of their Voyage back to Suez.
On the 27th of October five Portuguese foists arrived at Diu, which
took a Turkish vessel of the same kind, and landed succours for the
besieged, but were unable to get into the harbour, as some of the cannon
formerly mentioned commanded its entrance, by ranging past the end of
the castle. The 29th the Pacha ordered out forty boats filled with
Turks, having some small cannon in each, in order to assault a small
fort or bulwark on the water side in the harbour at some distance from
the castle, the whole defences of which had been mined by the Turkish
artillery, and in which there were only five or six men, who were
relieved daily from the castle by water, the distance being less than a
falcon shot. On the approach of the Turkish boats, the men in this small
fort or bulwark lay down that they might not be seen. On coming to the
place, the Turks ran the bows of their boats on shore, where every thing
lay in ruins to the very edge of the water, and instantly leapt on
shore. The small but gallant party of defenders immediately met them
with two fire-horns, and the cannon from the castle played against the
assailants so furiously, that the Turks soon fled. Several of their
boats were sunk, many of the men were drowned, and the garrison of the
castle took a considerable number of prisoners, coming out in one of
their barks and killing or taking them while in confusion on the water.
All those who were taken were hanged next day on the battlements of the
castle.
The whole Turkish forces were drawn out in order of battle on the 30th,
and advanced to that side of the castle next the harbour to make a
general assault, for which purpose they carried a great number of
scaling-ladders. Another party of the Turks mounted the breach on the
land side of the castle, which they could do at pleasure as the place
was entirely opened by the fire of the batteries.
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