They Were At Length Driven
From The Water By Our Ordnance, But Rallied Again On The Shore, And
Bravely Resisted Our People In Landing For A Long Time.
They were at
length driven to take shelter in a grove of palm trees, in which they
defended themselves
For a short space, and were at the last driven to seek
for safety in a disorderly flight, in which they were pursued by our men.
In the pursuit, Pedro de Lares, who was constable to Francisco de
Albuquerque, being separated from the rest, was attacked by three nayres
all at once. One of these let fly an arrow which hit Pedro on his breast-
plate but without hurting him; on which Pedro levelled his piece and shot
him dead. The second nayre he likewise slew by another shot. The third
nayre wounded him in the leg with a weapon called a _gomya_, and then
endeavoured to run away, but Pedro killed him, with his sword. On the
enemy being put to flight, Francisco divided his forces into three bodies,
two of them Portuguese, and the third composed of nayres in the service of
the rajah of Cochin, and marched all over the island plundering and
burning the towns and villages without resistance.
While thus employed, a considerable number of paraws arrived with
reinforcements from Calicut, from which a powerful body of nayres landed
in that part of the island where Duarte Pacheco happened to be posted with
a very inferior force, and had assuredly destroyed him and his men, but
that Francisco de Albuquerque came very opportunely to his aid. Finding
greater resistance than he expected, and fearing lest the caymal might
attack him in the rear, while engaged in front with the nayres of Calicut,
Francisco detached a part of his troops under Nicholas Coello, assisted by
Antonio del Campo and Pedro de Tayde, to assault the residence of the
caymal, who was slain bravely fighting in its defence. At this place one
of our men was slain and eighteen wounded. In the mean time, Francisco de
Albuquerque and Duarte Pacheco defeated the reinforcements from Calicut,
and forced them to take refuge on board their paraws, leaving many of
their men slain and wounded on the shore. After this signal victory, by
which the greater part of the three thousand nayres belonging to the
caymal and many of those from Calicut were slain, Francisco de Albuquerque
conferred the honour of knighthood on several of his officers who had
signalized themselves on the occasion. He then wasted the whole island
with fire and sword.
Francisco determined in the next place, to attack the country of the lord
of Repelim, for which purpose he departed with his troops by water from
Cochin, and reached a town in that territory, four leagues from Cochin,
about eight o'clock next morning. Near two thousand nayres, five hundred
of whom were armed with bows and arrows, were stationed, on the beach of
the isle of Repelim to repel this attack; but were soon forced by our
ordnance to retire into a grove of palms, on which Francisco landed with
his troops, the van being led by Nicholas Coello.
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