The
Wall Rose 19 Feet Above The Surface Of The Water, And Was Terrassed On
The Inside.
On the top of the wall was a massy twist, on which was a
brass rail, having little columns
At regular distances, on which were
the statues of women having balls in their hands, all likewise of brass.
At some distance from these were figures of iron, of monstrous shapes,
that seemed to give each other their hands; and further on were several
curious arches of stones of various colours. On the inside there were
afterwards seen a delightful assemblage of small groves of orange trees,
among which were 366 chapels dedicated to the gods of the year. On one
side was a great building, not all of a piece, but divided into seven
parts, all over splendidly ornamented with gold.
In the evening Antonio entered the island by one of its eight gates,
accompanied by sixty men, four of whom were Portuguese. On entering one
of the chapels, they saw a man who seemed an hundred years of age, who
fell down with fear; but, on recovering, rebuked the soldiers for taking
the bars of silver from the tombs. Having received information of what
was in the other chapels, Antonio went on board with a considerable
quantity of silver taken from the first chapel, meaning to return next
day to plunder them all. About midnight, lights were seen on the top of
the great building, and numbers of bell were heard all over the island.
Antonio went again on shore, though advised to make off as the alarm was
given. He brought away two old men with some candlesticks and a silver
idol, and was informed that the island would soon be relieved, as the
first hermit had given the alarm; on which Antonio found that he had
erred in not bringing away that old man as he was advised. He departed
therefore from the island, much dissatisfied at having missed the
acquisition of so much treasure by his own fault. After sailing a month,
there arose so great a storm on the 5th of August, that his galliot was
swallowed up. The other galliot perished a few days afterwards, and only
fourteen of the crew escaped. Thus perished the brave Antonio de Faria;
a just judgment, doubtless, for the sacrilegious robbery he intended to
have committed.
No less unfortunate was the end of the city of Liampo, where Antonio
had been so nobly received, falling a sacrifice to the base and
insatiable avarice of its inhabitants. Lancelot Pereyra, judge of that
city, having lost a thousand ducats by some Chinese, went out with a
body of troops to rob and plunder others in satisfaction of the debt.
This unadvised and barbarous procedure brought the governor of the
province against the city with 80,000 men, and in four hours burnt it to
the ground, together with 80 ships that were in the port. Twelve
thousand men were slain, among whom were 1000 Portuguese, and three
millions of gold were lost.
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