Chrisna-Rao Encamped His Vast Army Around The City,
To Which He Gave Many Fruitless Assaults During Three Months.
At length
Adel Khan approached to relieve the siege, having an army of 18,000
horse, 120,000 foot,
150 elephants, and many large pieces of cannon.
After many skirmishes, the two armies at last joined battle, in which at
the beginning Chrisna-rao received much damage; but rallying his
innumerable forces, made such havoc among the troops of Adel Khan, that
only those escaped from the sword or from captivity who at last moved
pity even in their enemies. Besides great riches in the camp of Adel
Khan, the victor got 100 elephants, 4000 horses, 400 large cannons, and
a great many small ones. Adel Khan made his escape on an elephant; but
forty Portuguese who served in his army were all slain after behaving
themselves with great valour.
After this great victory, Chrisna-rao resumed the siege of Rachol, but
was unable to make any impression on its walls. At this tine one
Christopher de Figueredo came to his camp, attended by twenty other
Portuguese, bringing some Arabian horses for sale to the king. In
discourse with Chrisna-rao respecting the siege, Figueredo asked
permission to view the place, and to try what he could do with his
Portuguese, which was granted. Figueredo gave two assaults, and being
seconded in the latter by the troops of Chrisna-rao, he gained
possession of the place. Soon afterwards, Adel Khan sent an embassy to
Chrisna-rao, begging the restoration of the prisoners and plunder which
had been taken in the late battle and in the captured city. Chrisna-rao
offered to restore the whole, on condition that Adel Khan would
acknowledge his supreme authority, as emperor of Canara, and come to
kiss, his foot in token of submission and vassalage. This degrading
condition was accepted, but its performance was prevented by several
accidents. In the mean while, however, Ruy de Melo, who commanded in
Goa, taking advantage of the declining situation of the affairs of Adel
Khan, possessed himself of those parts of the continent adjoining to the
Isle of Goa, with a force only of 250 horse and 800 Canara foot.
In the same year 1520, Lope de Brito went to succeed Juan de Sylveira in
the command of the fort of Columbo in Ceylon, and carried with him 400
soldiers and many workmen, by whose means he made the fort so strong
that it raised the jealousy of the natives of Columbo, who at the
instigation of the Moors gave over trade with the Portuguese, and
besieged the fort for five months, during which the garrison suffered
great hardships. At length Antonio de Lemos arrived with a reinforcement
of fifty men; with which small additional force Brito ventured to attack
the vast multitude of the enemy, whom he completely routed, and matters
were immediately restored to their former quiet.
On the change of the monsoon, Sequeira set sail from Ormuz and joined
Albuquerque at Muscat, where he found one ship from Lisbon of nine that
sailed together, but all the rest came safe afterwards. One of the ships
of this fleet, while sailing before the wind beyond the Cape of Good
Hope, was stopped all of a sudden. On examining into the cause, it
appeared that a sea monster bore the ship on its back, the tail
appearing about the rudder and the head at the boltsprit, spouting up
streams of water. It was removed by exorcisms, no human means being
thought sufficient. By the sailors it was called the Sambrero, or the
hat-fish, as the head has some resemblance to a hat. A similar fish,
though less, had been seen on the coast of Portugal near Atouguia,
where it did much harm.
As the king had sent orders to the governor to build forts at the
Moluccas, Sumatra, Maldive, Chaul, and Diu, Sequeira determined upon
attempting the last first. Having dispatched the homeward ships from
Cochin, he collected a fleet of 48 vessels of various kinds and sizes,
on board of which he embarked 3000 Portuguese and 800 Malabars and
Canarins. With this great force he appeared before Diu on the 9th of
February 1521. Malek Azz, being suspicious that this armament was
destined against him, had fortified and intrenched the city with great
care. At the arrival of the Portuguese, Malek Azz was at the court of
Cambaya, but had left his son Malek Saca with a strong garrison and
three experienced commanders. Observing the strength of the place,
Sequeira called a council of war to consult upon what was proper to be
done, when it was concluded to desist from the enterprise. The officers
of the fleet, though they had all concurred in this decision, and even
privately allowed its prudence and necessity, accused the governor of
cowardice on this occasion, though his valour was well known. Sequeira
accordingly retired to Ormuz for the winter, sending Alexius de Menezes
to Cochin with full power to conduct the government during his absence,
and several of the other captains went to different ports to trade.
Menezes dispatched the homeward trade from Cochin, and sent other ships
to various parts of India, some of which went to Sumatra.
The island of Sumatra extends in length from the north-west to the
south-east, for about 220 leagues, by 70 in its greatest breadth, and is
cut nearly in two equal parts by the equinoctial line. It is separated
from Malacca by a narrow strait, and its most southern point is parted
from Java by one still narrower. Java is above 100 leagues long by
twelve in breadth. To the east of Sumatra is the great island of Borneo,
through which likewise the equinoctial passes, leaving two-thirds of the
island on the north side of the line. The maritime parts of Sumatra are
flat, but the interior is full of mountains, pervaded by many large
rivers, and covered by impenetrable woods which even the rays of the sun
are unable to pierce.
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