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. Even under all the difficulties of his situation, the
viceroy sent succours to Onor to oppose this new enemy, to the great
astonishment of Adel Khan, who thought the force in Goa had been already
too small for defence against his numerous army.
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