This Attack Was So Sudden And Well Concerted, That Above 120
Of The Portuguese Were Slain On That Night, And One Ruy Boto Was Put
To The Torture By The Moors In Defence Of The Faith.
The Portuguese at
Ormuz, where Don Garcia Coutino then commanded, exerted themselves as
well as they could to defend themselves, and secured the ships which
happened to be at that place under the protection of the fort, which was
immediately besieged.
Of these events immediate intelligence was sent by
Don Garcia to Cochin and other places for relief, fearing he might be
constrained to surrender for want of provisions and water; and in fact
two of the Portuguese vessels were burnt by the Moors under the guns of
the fort.
[Footnote 165: These three last mentioned places are all on the
north-eastern point of Arabia, near Cape Rasaigat, and appear to have
been then dependent on the kingdom of Ormuz. - E.]
Tristan Vaz de Vega and Manuel de Souza happened to be then at Muscat in
their ships, and immediately made sail to the relief of Ormuz. Tristan
Vaz arrived first, and made his way to the fort through 160 sail of
Moorish vessels by which it was blockaded. Two days afterwards the ship
commanded by Manuel de Souza was seen at anchor at the distance of two
leagues. It was very dangerous for those at the fort to assist him, and
yet it was absolutely necessary for the common safety that he should be
relieved; wherefore Tristan Vaz adventured with his ship to his aid,
forcing his way as before through the vast Moorish fleet, eighty of
which pursued him in full sail, and even De Souza, thinking him at first
an enemy did him some harm.
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