To This Pacheco Made Answer, That He Hoped To Do The Same Thing With The Zamorin, In Honour Of The Day Which Was A Solemn Festival Among The Christians, And That The Zamorin Was Much Deceived By His Sorcerers When They Promised Him The Victory On Such A Day.

Then one of the naires who accompanied the messenger, said smiling as if in contempt, that he had few men to perform so great an exploit; whereas the forces of the zamorin covered both the land and the water, and could not possibly be overcome by such a handful.

Pacheco ordered this man to be well bastinadoed for his insolence, and bid him desire the zamorin to revenge his quarrel if he could.

That same evening, the rajah of Cochin sent a farther reinforcement to Pacheco of 500 naires, of whom he made no account, neither of these who were with him before, believing they would all run away; his sole reliance, under God, was on his own men, who feasted themselves that night, that the zamorin might learn how much they despised all his threats, and how eager they were for battle. Early next morning, Pacheco made a short speech to his men, exhorting them, to behave valiantly for the glory of the Christian name and the honour of their country, and promising them an assured victory with the assistance of God; by which their fame would be so established among the natives that they would be feared and respected ever after.

Enter page number Go  Previous Next
Page 739 of 812
Words from 204531 to 204782 of 224388