On Receiving Orders From De
Sousa To March Against The Enemy, The Discontented Troops Exclaimed,
"That The Rich Gentry Might
March if they would; but that they only came
to make up by plunder for the pay of which they
Had been unjustly
deprived." Gracia de Sa went out against the enemy with a few lances;
but after several charges, almost the whole of the Portuguese shamefully
took to flight, endeavouring in such haste to reimbark that several were
drowned in the confusion. Indignant at this cowardice, the governor
reproached them as not being the same brave men he had left in India
only two years before. To this they answered, thinking he meant it as a
reflection on his predecessor, "That the men were the same, but the
governor was changed; and that this was the fruit of lessening their
pay, to enable him to give gratuities to those who knew better how to
beg favours than to deserve them." De Sousa retired to the ships for the
night, but landed next day, when he utterly destroyed the city and
surrounding country with fire and sword, and made all the woods be cut
down[363]. Unable any longer to resist, the queen purchased peace by
submitting to a heavier subjection than before.
[Footnote 363: The cutting down of the woods mentioned in the text,
probably refers to cocoa nut trees, on which the natives of the coast of
India appear to have greatly depended for food. - E.]
The king of Ormuz had fallen into arrears of life tribute, and was due
500,000 ducats, which he was unable to pay; for the tribute had been
successively raised from 12,000 ducats originally imposed by
Albuquerque, to 100,000, so that from a tributary he became a slave, not
having even a competent maintenance remaining.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 619 of 809
Words from 168709 to 169013
of 221361
