That On The Failure
Of This Combination, A Durable Peace Was Made With Trimumpara; And The
Rajah Of Cananor, Fearing The Portuguese Might Not Return To His Port,
Sent Word To De Gama That He Was Ready To Comply With All His Demands,
- Astl.
I. 54, a.
[19] In Castaneda this date is made 1503; but from an attentive
consideration of other dates and circumstances in that author, this
must have been a typographical error. - E.
SECTION VI.
_Transactions of the Portuguese in India, from the departure of De Gama
in December 1502, to the arrival of Alonzo de Albuquerque in 1503._
As soon as the zamorin was assured of the departure of De Gama for Europe,
he determined on putting his threats in execution against the rajah of
Cochin, for which purpose he gathered an army at the village of Panani,
not far from Cochin[1]. This was soon known to the inhabitants of Cochin,
who were exceedingly afraid of the great power of the zamorin, and were
much dissatisfied with their sovereign for incurring the displeasure of
that prince out of respect to the Christians, whom they inveighed against
with much bitterness on all occasions, and openly insulted wherever they
were seen. Some that were in high credit with the rajah said openly, that
as the zamorin was much more powerful than their state, our men ought to
be delivered up to him, as the war was entirely on our account, for whom
the kingdom ought not to be put in hazard. But the rajah, much offended
at these people, declared that he was resolved to defend the Portuguese
against the zamorin, trusting that God would favour him in so just a
cause. Yet many of his subjects were much inclined to have seized the
Portuguese belonging to the factory, but durst not, as the rajah gave
them a place of considerable strength to dwell in, and appointed a guard
for their security.
At this time Vincente Sodre arrived with his squadron in the bay of
Cochin, after having done much damage on the coast of Calicut, both by
land and sea. The Portuguese head factor sent Laurenzo Moreno to inform
Sodre of the preparations which were making by the zamorin for the attack
of Cochin, and requiring him in the name of the king of Portugal to land
with his men for its defence. But Sodre answered, that his orders were to
defend the sea and not the land; for which reason, if the zamorin had
prepared to attack Cochin by sea, he would certainly have defended it;
but as the war was to be carried on by land, he could not interfere, and
the rajah must defend himself. The factor sent a second message,
entreating him, in the name of God and on his allegiance to the king of
Portugal, not to abandon the factory in this state of danger, as the
power of the rajah was inadequate to defend Cochin against the zamorin;
and as the sole object of the war was for the destruction of the factory
and the ruin of the Portuguese trade, it certainly was his duty, as
captain-general for the king of Portugal in these seas, both to defend
the factory and to give every assistance in his power to the rajah.
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