From Thence They Stood Over To The Island
Of _Cambalan_, The Caymal Of Which Was An Enemy Of The Cochin Rajah, Where
They Destroyed A Large Town.
From that place, Pacheco went with five armed
paraws of Cochin to burn another town, where he met with considerable
resistance, and slew a great number of the enemy, seven of his own people
being wounded.
After setting the town on fire, he retired towards Cochin,
and was forced to fight with thirteen armed paraws of Calicut, which he
defeated with the assistance of Pedro de Tayde and Antonio del Campo, who
fortunately joined him in this emergency. On their defeat, the Calient
paraws retired into a creek, where one of them ran aground and was taken
by Pacheco; but our men being worn out with hard rowing, were unable to
pursue the rest, and returned to Cochin. On receiving an account of these
transactions, the rajah was much satisfied with the revenge which had been
taken of his enemies, and requested of our generals to discontinue the war,
to which, however, they were by no means inclined.
On account of the war, no pepper was brought from the country to sell at
the factory in Cochin, neither dared the merchants to go out in search of
that commodity, insomuch that the factory had only been able to procure
300 _bahars_[6], and the factor requested the generals to go in quest of
some which was to be procured at a place about nine leagues from Cochin.
For this purpose the two generals and all their captains set out from
Cochin under night, that their intentions might not be discovered by the
enemy. On the way Pacheco destroyed a whole island, in which he fought
against six thousand of the enemy with his own company only, and the two
generals put thirty-four paraws to flight. After this Pacheco and del
Campo destroyed a town on the continent, where they defeated two thousand
nayres, many of whom were slain, without any loss on their side. After
this, the generals sent on the _tony_[7] for the pepper, which carried
such merchandize as was meant to be given in exchange; and for its
protection Pacheco and three other captains accompanied it with two
hundred men, and five hundred Cochin paraws[8]. In passing a narrow strait
or river, our people were assailed from the banks by a vast number of the
natives armed with bows and arrows, but were defended by their targets,
which were fixed on the gunwales of their boats. Leaving one of his
captains with fifty Portuguese t protect the tony, Pacheco with the other
two captains and the troops belonging to the rajah, made towards the shore,
firing off his falcons against the enemy, whom he forced to quit the
shore with much loss; after which he landed with his troops, most of whom
were armed with hand-guns. The enemy, who were full two thousand strong,
resisted for a quarter of an hour, but at length took to flight after
having many slain.
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