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.
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