On The Death Of The King Becoming Public, The People Rose In
Commotion, More For The Purpose Of Plunder Than Revenge.
In this tumult
about 4000 men were slain, and the Portuguese factors were robbed, and
some of their companions slain.
They made their escape to Patane,
where they and other Portuguese asked leave of the king to make
reprisals on three vessels belonging to merchants of Pam, which were
then riding at anchor in the river Calantam 18 leagues off, richly
laden from China. Getting the kings permission, they set out to the
number of 80 persons in three vessels, and after a sharp engagement took
and brought in these ships to Patane, where their cargoes were valued at
300,000 ducats. The people of Patane urged the king to take these ships
from the Portuguese; but he decided that the 50,000 crowns should be
made good to them of which they had been plundered at Pam; on which the
merchants paid that sum and were allowed to continue their voyage.
About the same period, Pedro de Faria y Sousa sent his kinsman Antonio
de Faria y Sousa to treat of important affairs with the king of
Patane, and in particular to preserve peace with that prince. Antonio
carried goods with him to the value of 12,000 ducats, and finding no
sale for them at that place, he sent them to the port of Lugor in the
kingdom of Siam, a place of great trade, where he was informed they
would sell to great advantage. He intrusted the charge of this valuable
cargo to Christopher Borallo, who was surprised while at anchor in the
mouth of the Lugor river by, Khodjah Husseyn, a Moor of Guzerat, who
commanded a vessel well stored with artillery, and manned with 80 Turks
and Moors. Borallo thought himself happy in escaping from these pirates
by swimming on shore, and brought the news of this disaster to Antonio
de Faria at Patane, who vowed that he would never desist till he had
destroyed Husseyn, in revenge for this loss. Husseyn was equally
inveterate against the Portuguese, ever since Hector de Silveyra had
taken a ship belonging to him in the sea of Guzerat, killing his father
and two brothers, and had continually exerted himself in robbing and
murdering the Portuguese. Owing to this loss and his determination of
revenge, Antonio de Faria was led to the performance of those brave
actions which I now mean to relate with all my usual sincerity, without
affection for my kindred.
Antonio accordingly fitted out a small vessel with 50 men, in which he
sailed from Patane on Saturday the 8th May 1540, and steered north-east
towards the kingdom of Champa or Tsiompa, to examine that coast. He
here saw the island of Pulo Condor, in lat. 3 deg. 20' N[355]. and then to
the eastwards rounded one six leagues from the coast of Cambodia.
Entering the port of Bralapisam, he found there a vessel of the
Lequii, having on board an ambassador from the prince of the island of
Lossa[356] in 36 deg. of north latitude, for the king of Siam. As soon as
this vessel espied the Portuguese ship, it weighed anchor and sailed
away. Faria sent after them a Chinese pilot with a civil message, who
brought back this remarkable answer, "We return thanks: The time will
come when our nation shall have commerce with that captain in real
friendship, through the law of the supreme God, whose clemency is
boundless, since by his death he gave life to all mankind, and remains
an everlasting faith in the house of the good. We confidently hold that
this will be when half the times are past[357]." The pilot also brought
back a rich cymeter in a scabbard of beaten gold, with a handle of the
same, splendidly ornamented with pearls of great value. Antonio would
have made a return, but the vessel could not be overtaken. From thence
Antonio proceeded to the river Pulo Cambier, which divides the
kingdoms of Cambodia and Tsiompa. At the town of Catimparu, he was
informed that great river took its rise in the lake of Pinator, 260
leagues westwards in the kingdom of Quitirvam, encompassed with high
mountains, around which lake there are 38 towns, 13 of which are
considerable, where was a gold mine that yielded 22 millions of crowns
yearly. It belonged to four lords, who were engaged in continual wars
for its possession. At Bauquerim likewise there is a mine of the
finest diamonds: and from the disposition of the people they might
easily be conquered by the Portuguese.
[Footnote 355: Pulo Condor, off the mouths of the Japanese river, is in
lat. 8 deg. 40' N. perhaps the figure 3 in the text is a typographical
error. - E.]
[Footnote 356: Possibly Luzon in lat. 16 deg. N. may be here meant. Unless
we can suppose some part of Japan may be intended, which is in the
latitude of the text - E.]
[Footnote 357: This strange oracular message, and indeed most of the
wonderful deeds of Antonio de Faria, smells strongly of Mendez de
Pinto, the factor of Pedro de Faria, who has been characterised as the
prince of liars. Indeed the editor of Astleys Collection says that his
name ought to be Mendax de Pinto. - E.]
Coasting along, Antonio came to anchor in the mouth of the river
Toobasoy, fearing to go up. At this place he espied a large vessel to
which he made signs of peace, but received a rude answer. As night drew
on, it was thought proper to wait for day; but in the dark first one
vessel and then three more were descried coming towards them, and forty
men from the first vessel boarded them, but were all slain, their vessel
taken and the others burnt. A black, who was taken on this occasion,
declared himself a Christian, saying he had been slave to Gaspar de
Melo, who had been taken by the pirate Similau along with 26 other
Portuguese, all of whom he had barbarously put to death.
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