But As The Moorish Ships Were All Aground, The
Victors Were Under The Necessity To Burn Them, With All The Rich
Merchandize They Contained.
Owing to this severe loss, the Moors deserted
the city of Calicut, which by the cessation of trade became much
distressed for provisions, insomuch that most of its inhabitants withdrew
to other places.
The zamorin was so much humbled by this succession of
disastrous events, that he remained quiet for a long time afterwards[10].
The particular incidents of this engagement are so confusedly related in
Lichefilds translation of Castaneda as to baffle every attempt to reduce
them into intelligible order. Among these, the two following are more
distinctly told. Tristan de la Silva endeavoured to board a ship which
appeared to be the admiral, of which the captain and a numerous crew were
Turks. A little before De Silva got up to this ship, the crew had fired
off a piece of ordnance which lay on the upper deck, and which by its
recoil broke a large hole in the side of the ship. The Turks were so
intent on defending themselves against the Portuguese boats, that they
neglected to barricade this hole, of which the people in De Silvas boat
took advantage to get on board; Alonzo Lopez the master, and Alvaro Lopez
one of the kings servants, now town-clerk of Santarem, being the first
who entered by the hole. A desperate conflict ensued on deck, in which
many of the Turks were slain, others hid themselves below the hatches,
and others leapt into the water, most of whom were drowned, as they were
covered with shirts of mail.
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