The Admiral Refused To Accept Of
Any Present Until Such Time As Peace Were Restored; But Sent Word That
Cosebequin
Might repair on board without fear, as a servant of the king
of Portugal; he sent a private message at
The same time to the Portuguese
prisoners, advising them to use their best endeavours to escape. On
receiving this message, Cosebequin was sent on board by the governors of
Calicut, to treat of peace, carrying with him two of the Portuguese
captives. They requested he would wait three or four days, by which time
they believed the zamorin would come out from his seclusion, and that
they were convinced he would agree to all that should be required. The
admiral answered, that unless they would deliver up the two Italian
deserters he would agree to no terms; but he sent no message for the
liberation of our captives, as he thought they might easily escape. As
soon as the Italians learnt that the admiral had demanded them, they
suspected the captives would run away of which circumstance they gave
notice to the governors, requiring them to secure the Portuguese captives,
as they were men of consideration, and that a peace might be procured in
exchange for them almost on any terms the zamorin pleased to prescribe.
On this advice, the governors took care to prevent the captives from
escaping, and became less urgent in their desire of peace. Owing to this,
they remained in captivity till Don Francisco de Almeida became viceroy
of India, though some made their escape in the interim, and others of
them fell victims to the diseases of the climate.
After waiting some days, and finding no friendly steps taken by the
governors of Calicut towards a peace; and being likewise without hope of
recovering the captives, Suarez resolved to take revenge by cannonading
the city of Calicut, which he did for a whole day and a night, during
which time he did prodigious damage, destroying the palace of the zamorin,
several of their pagodas or idol temples, and many of the houses, and
slew a great number of the inhabitants. For this service, he brought
seven of his smallest ships as near the shore as possible, and advanced
all the boats of the fleet, likewise carrying ordnance, close almost to
the beach. After this he departed for Cochin, where he arrived on
Saturday the 13th of September. He landed next day near the Portuguese
castle, in as great state as he had done before at Cananor, and was
received with many marks of satisfaction by Trimumpara. After embracing,
they went hand in hand into the hall, in which a chair of state was
placed for the admiral. As the rajah sat on the cushions on the floor,
according to the custom of the country, and was therefore much lower than
the admiral, he commanded his chair to be removed somewhat farther from
the rajah, by which he greatly offended the native chiefs who were
present at the interview. He now delivered to Trimumpara a letter from
the king of Portugal, in which great compliments and many thanks were
given, for the favour and protection the rajah had vouchsafed to the
Portuguese. To this the rajah answered, that he had been amply repaid, by
the good service which Duarte Pacheco had rendered him in the war with
the zamorin. Next day, the admiral sent a large sum of money to
Trimumpara, as a present from the king of Portugal, who knew that his
finances had been greatly injured ill consequence of the war with Calicut.
Soon after, Suarez sent Pedro de Mendoza and Vasco Carvallo with their
ships to guard the coast of Calicut, with orders to capture all ships
belonging to the Moors that were laden with spices. He likewise
dispatched De la Cocta, Aguilar, Cotinho, and Abreu, to go to Coulan to
take in their loading, being informed that spices were to be had there in
abundance. He likewise sent Tristan de la Silva with four armed boats up
the rivers towards Cranganor, against some armed paraws of Calicut which
were stationed in that quarter. In this expedition, Silva had a skirmish
with these paraws and some nayres on the shores of the rivers; but
falling in with a Moorish ship laden with pepper, he captured her and
brought her to Cochin, where he and the other captains loaded their ships,
as spices were now procured in great abundance.
Duarte Pacheco happened to be off Coulan when he learnt the arrival of
Suarez; and knowing that his own command was ended so soon as the new
captain-general should arrive at Cochin, determined to attempt some
exploits while he remained master of his own conduct. With this view, he
put to sea on the 22d of October, and soon after got sight of a ship at a
great distance, to which he gave chase all that day and part of the night.
The chase was driven into Coulan, when Pacheco learnt that she _belonged
to the confederates[3]_, and was bound from Coromandel. He immediately
afterwards descried three ships of Calicut, to which he gave chase,
keeping as near the coast a possible to take the advantage of a land
breeze. In the morning he put off to sea in chase of the vessel, which he
was unable to get up with till towards evening close to the land; after a
brave defence, as the ship had many men, she at length yielded; and not
chusing to encumber himself with so many prisoners, he landed a part of
her company, and made the rest prisoners in irons in his own ship.
Learning that this was one of the three ships belonging to Calicut of
which he was in search, he put two of his men on board the prize, with
orders to keep him company. Being arrived directly abreast of Cape
Comorin, he met with a sudden whirlwind, by which he was nearly cast away,
and when this subsided, he came to anchor within a league of the shore,
where he remained all night.
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