At This Time Vincente Sodre Arrived With His Squadron In The Bay Of
Cochin, After Having Done Much Damage On The Coast Of Calicut, Both By
Land And Sea.
The Portuguese head factor sent Laurenzo Moreno to inform
Sodre of the preparations which were making by the zamorin for the attack
of Cochin, and requiring him in the name of the king of Portugal to land
with his men for its defence.
But Sodre answered, that his orders were to
defend the sea and not the land; for which reason, if the zamorin had
prepared to attack Cochin by sea, he would certainly have defended it;
but as the war was to be carried on by land, he could not interfere, and
the rajah must defend himself. The factor sent a second message,
entreating him, in the name of God and on his allegiance to the king of
Portugal, not to abandon the factory in this state of danger, as the
power of the rajah was inadequate to defend Cochin against the zamorin;
and as the sole object of the war was for the destruction of the factory
and the ruin of the Portuguese trade, it certainly was his duty, as
captain-general for the king of Portugal in these seas, both to defend
the factory and to give every assistance in his power to the rajah. But
Sodre was immoveable, pretending that he had been ordered to discover the
Red Sea, where he expected to make many rich prizes, and set sail from
Cochin for Cape Guardafui, preferring the hope of riches to his duty in
defending the factory of Cochin.
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