By This Time A Considerable Number Of Men Were Collected By The Enemy In
The City Of Diu, Among Whom
Were 500 Turks sent from Mokha by the king
of Zabid, and Khojah Zofar came on with all his power,
Resolving to
attack the sea bastion by means of three castles well stored with cannon
and ammunition, which were built upon a ship of vast size; within the
castles were 200 Turks, who were intended to distract the attention of
the defendants by continually pouring in all sorts of artificial
fireworks. This device was however abortive, as Jacome Leite went by
night in two small vessels with twenty men, and though discovered he
succeeded in setting the floating castle on fire, a great part of which
blew up with all the Turks, and the remainder of the ship burnt with so
great a flame that the enemy was seen in whole battalions running to
quench the fire. Seeing the enemy in clusters, Jacome pointed his cannon
among them and killed many: After this exploit, he proceeded to the
mouth of the river, where he took some vessels loaded with provisions
belonging to the enemy, with which he returned to the fort to the great
admiration of the whole garrison, having seven of his men wounded in
this gallant and successful exploit.
Though frustrated in this design, Khojah Zofar persisted in his
intentions of besieging the castle, for which purpose he began to
rebuild the wall which had been destroyed by De Sousa.[365] This could
not be prevented, though many of the workmen were killed by the cannon
of the fort, and being at last brought to perfection Zofar planted upon
it sixty pieces of large cannon, besides many of a small size. One of
these cannons was of such extraordinary magnitude that it shook the
whole island every time it was discharged, and it was managed with much
expertness by a renegade Frenchman in the service of Zofar. At this time
Don Ferdinand de Castro, son to the governor arrived with a
reinforcement. Mascarenhas having expressed a desire of acquiring some
intelligence from the enemys camp, one Diego de Anaya Coutinno, a
gentleman of note and of great strength, put on a helmet with a sword by
his side and a spear in his hand, and let himself down from the wall
under night. He soon discovered two Moors at some distance from the
fort, one of whom he slew with his spear, and taking up the other in his
arms ran with him to the gate of the fort, calling out for admission,
and threw him in, to the great surprise and admiration of his
companions. Coutinno had borrowed a helmet, which he had engaged his
word to restore or die in its defence. It happened to fall off in the
scuffle, and he did not miss it till demanded, by its owner. He
immediately let himself down again from the wall to look for the helmet,
which he found and restored.
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