He Likewise
Dispatched De La Cocta, Aguilar, Cotinho, And Abreu, To Go To Coulan To
Take In Their Loading, Being Informed That Spices Were To Be Had There In
Abundance.
He likewise sent Tristan de la Silva with four armed boats up
the rivers towards Cranganor, against some armed paraws of Calicut which
were stationed in that quarter.
In this expedition, Silva had a skirmish
with these paraws and some nayres on the shores of the rivers; but
falling in with a Moorish ship laden with pepper, he captured her and
brought her to Cochin, where he and the other captains loaded their ships,
as spices were now procured in great abundance.
Duarte Pacheco happened to be off Coulan when he learnt the arrival of
Suarez; and knowing that his own command was ended so soon as the new
captain-general should arrive at Cochin, determined to attempt some
exploits while he remained master of his own conduct. With this view, he
put to sea on the 22d of October, and soon after got sight of a ship at a
great distance, to which he gave chase all that day and part of the night.
The chase was driven into Coulan, when Pacheco learnt that she _belonged
to the confederates[3]_, and was bound from Coromandel. He immediately
afterwards descried three ships of Calicut, to which he gave chase,
keeping as near the coast a possible to take the advantage of a land
breeze. In the morning he put off to sea in chase of the vessel, which he
was unable to get up with till towards evening close to the land; after a
brave defence, as the ship had many men, she at length yielded; and not
chusing to encumber himself with so many prisoners, he landed a part of
her company, and made the rest prisoners in irons in his own ship.
Learning that this was one of the three ships belonging to Calicut of
which he was in search, he put two of his men on board the prize, with
orders to keep him company. Being arrived directly abreast of Cape
Comorin, he met with a sudden whirlwind, by which he was nearly cast away,
and when this subsided, he came to anchor within a league of the shore,
where he remained all night. While at anchor thirty of his Moorish
prisoners made their escape, twelve of whom were retaken by means of his
boat. Pacheco remained for some time off the Cape in expectation of the
other ships of the Moors coming round from Coromandel, but none making
their appearance, he went to Coulan with the ship he had captured, which
he delivered to the factor at that city with all its rich merchandize. He
then went to Cochin, where he put himself under the command of Suarez.
The zamorin had now resumed the government, having withdrawn from the
_torcul_ or religious seclusion. He had dispatched one of his generals
with a fleet of eighty paraws and fifty ships[4] to defend the passages
of the rivers, and to obstruct the trade of Cochin with the interior; and
had likewise set on foot a considerable land army under the prince Naubea
Daring.
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