On Being
Brought Before Him, He Ordered Them To Be All Cruelly Whipt And Then To
Be Hanged.
The Cochin naires remonstrated against this punishment,
because they were naires whose customs did not allow of this mode of
execution; but he would not listen to their arguments, saying that their
treachery richly merited to be so punished.
The Portuguese officers
represented to him the great troubles which the _rajah_ of Cochin had
endured for giving protection to their nation, and how much this action
might displease him, when he was informed of naires having been put to
death in his dominions without his authority. Besides, that this might
give occasion to some of those about the rajah, who were known to be
already unfriendly to the Portuguese, to insinuate that the captain-
general had usurped the authority from the rajah, and might in that way
wean his affections from them. Pacheco was convinced by these arguments
that he had acted wrong, and immediately sent to countermand the
execution. Two of them were already _half-dead_; but _those who were
still living_, he sent to the rajah, informing him that they had deserved
death, but that from respect to him he had spared their lives. The rajah
was singularly gratified by this mark of respect, and the more so because
there happened to be then present several of his principal nobles and
some chiefs from other places, besides sundry of the chief of the Moors
of Cochin, who had endeavoured to impress on his mind that the Portuguese
were willing to assume the command in his dominions[8]. Henceforwards
Pacheco had such good intelligence, that all the subtle devices of the
zamorin were counteracted.
The month of June was now ended and the rainy season, or winter, began to
come on, from which Pacheco naturally concluded that the zomorin would
soon break up his encampment, on which occasion he was fully resolved to
give them an assault, having sufficient experience of the pusillanimity
of the enemy. But the zamorin, being afraid that Pacheco might attack him
at his departure, gave out that he intended to make another assault on
the ford with a greater fleet than ever, and even directed the floating
castles to be repaired. He even gave out that he meant to assail the
passage of _Palurte_ and the ford both at once; that Pacheco might occupy
himself in preparing to defend both places, and he might have the better
opportunity to steal away unperceived. Accordingly, on the evening of
Saturday, which was the eve of St John[9], the whole army of the enemy
appeared as usual, and Pacheco fully expected to have been attacked that
night. Next morning, however, he learnt from two bramins that the zamorin
had withdrawn with all his army into the island of Repelim. Pacheco was
much disappointed at this news, yet he made a descent that very day into
Repelim, where he fought with many of the enemy, killing and wounding a
great number of them, and then returned to the ford, where he remained
several days, because the rajah was still afraid lest the zamorin might
return and get across the ford into the island of Cochin.
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