Then Calling In The Aid
Of The King Of Pram, Xilimixa Beset The Fort With 1200 Vessels By
Water, While
40,000 men surrounded it by land; but as Ribeyra learnt
that the enemy observed no order or discipline, he
Boldly fell upon them
with his handful of men, and having slain their general put that army to
flight. Bannadala rallied 8000 of the fugitives, with which be again
besieged the fort, lodging his men in good order, and having battered
the place for some days, he ventured to make a fierce assault in the
dead of night; but he was bravely repelled by the Portuguese, and above
1000 of his men were found dead next morning in the ditch. The enemy
continued the siege however for eight months, and though some of the
garrison deserted, Ribeyra defended the place with great resolution; and
to take away all hopes of escape from his men, burnt all the vessels
that were in the port. Hearing of these proceedings, Ayres de Saldanna
the viceroy, sent a considerable reinforcement, along with which came so
many volunteers, ambitions either of honour or profit, that Ribeyra
found himself at the head of 800 men. With these he attacked the enemy,
whom he drove from their works with great slaughter, and Bannadala had
the mortification to see the works which he had been constructing for
almost a year destroyed in a day. After this success, the Portuguese
volunteers withdrew, only 200 that had been sent by the viceroy
remaining in the fort with Ribeyra.
The enemy returned a fourth time against the fort, which they now
assailed with many moving castles and various kinds of fire works, and
soon reduced the fort to great extremity; but were so terrified by a
fiery meteor, that they fled leaving their castles behind, which were
soon reduced to ashes by the garrison. Soon afterwards the Portuguese
obtained a great victory over king Massinga in the province of
Camelan; after which the natives flocked to their standard to the
number of above 20,000 men, and proclaimed Nicote king of Pegu, calling
him Changa, which signifies good man. Nicote was at this time absent,
but Ribeyra accepted the proffered crown in his name, on which account
it was reported in Spain that Ribeyra had been proclaimed king. Nicote
afterwards, as a loyal subject, received the kingdom in the name of his
sovereign, and was the first of the Portuguese that rose to such high
fortune in Asia. Rodrigo Alvarez de Sequeyra succeeded Ribeyra in
command of the fort of Siriam, and defended it bravely till it took fire
by accident, only the bare walls being left standing.
In the mean time Nicote solicited succours at Goa, where the viceroy
married him to a niece he had born in Goa of a woman of Java; after
which he gave him powerful succours, and sent him to Siriam with six
ships, with the title of Commander of Siriam, and General for the
conquest of Pegu.
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