How Crisnarao, on the arrival of Salvatinia, determined to attack
Rachol, a city of the Ydalcao, and to break the peace that had lasted
so long; and the reason why.
After Salvatinia had arrived and had been well received by the King,
and after the lapse of some days, the King told him that he desired
to fulfil all the wishes expressed in the testament of King Narsynga,
one of which was to capture Rachol, which was a very strong city and
amongst the principal ones of the Ydallcao, who had taken it from
the kings his ancestors; and because there was now peace between
both parties, and had been so for forty years, he knew not how he
could manage to break it. But Salvatinia said that since the peace
had been made under certain conditions -- one of which was that if
on either one side or the other any land-owners, captains in revolt,
or other evil-doers should be harboured and their surrender should
be demanded, they should forthwith be given up -- there was now great
reason for breaking the peace, since many land-owners and debtors to
His Highness had tied into the kingdom of the Ydallcao. He counselled
therefore that the King should send to demand the surrender of
these men, and that on refusal to give them up there would be good
ground for breaking the peace. Many, however, disagreed with this
advice. Now it happened at this time that the King (of Bisnaga)
sent Cide Mercar with forty thousand PARDAOS to Goa to buy horses,
which Cide Mercar was a Moor in whom the King of Bisnaga confided on
account of various affairs with which he had already been entrusted;
and this man, when he arrived at a place where the Moors lived which
was called, Pomdaa and is two leagues from Goa, fled from that place,
Pomdaa, to the Ydallcao, carrying with him all the treasure. Some say
that the Ydallcao wrote to him a letter as soon as he got there. As
soon as they gave to the King this news of the flight of Cide, and
how he had carried off all the money, he said that he would write to
the Ydallcao to send the man back to him with all the money, since he
was his friend. Then the King caused a letter to be written, in which
he spoke of the friendship that had existed for so many years so that
nothing could shake it, and that he hoped that a traitor would not
be the cause of breaking a peace of such long standing as had been
between them; and he begged that he would send Cide back at once.
As soon as the letter was read to the Ydallcao he sent to summon his
kazis and the men of his council, and he bade them read the letter
which had come from the King, as to which letter there were many
suggestions made. At the end of all they agreed that he should not
send him (Cide) to him (the King of Bisnaga), for they said that he
(Cide) was one learned in the law and related to Mafumdo.[529] And the
Ydallcao, as a cloak to his action, gave Dabull to that Cide, by way
of showing that he was not near his person nor knew he aught of him;
from which town of Dabull Cide fled, nor had they any further news
of him. When those who had come from the King returned bearing the
Ydallcao's answer, the King showed great indignation at it, and held
that the peace was broken; he at once ordered to appear before him the
great lords of his Council, and had the letter read aloud so that all
might hear. As soon as it was read he said that without more ado they
should make ready, since he was determined to take full vengeance. But
the councillors advised the King, saying that for such a small sum
of money as this it was not well so to act; that he should think of
what would be said and talked of throughout the world; and that if he
was bent on breaking so prolonged a peace for such a trifling cause,
he should call to mind that there never was any honesty in a Moor;
that others were to blame in that which Cide had done; and that if
Cide should dare to come to that war which was waged in order to
take vengeance on him,[530] then it would be well that those who
accompanied him should die, but that they knew that Cide would keep
well away from the army.[531]
The councillors, however, saw that the King remained unmoved from his
determination to make war, and they then counselled him, saying: --
"Sire, do not go to war by that route (Dabull), but go against Rachol,
which now belongs to the Ydallcao but of old was part of this kingdom;
then the Ydallcao will be forced to come to defend it, and thus thou
wilt take vengeance jointly both on one and the other." The King
held this advice to be good and prepared for his departure, sending
letters to Madre Maluco, and Demellyno, and Desturvirido,[532] and
other superior lords, giving them an account of what had taken place
in the matter of the Ydallcao, and how he had determined to make war
on him; from which lords he received answer that he was doing rightly,
and that they would assist him as far as they were able. As to the
Zemelluco, at the time when the messengers returned this answer he
could find no excuse for not sending some troops to the aid of his
sister who was wedded to the Ydallcao.
The King had sent the letters to those lords out of his great
craftiness, for he told them of what he was about to do in order
to seduce them to his side, -- so far at least as concerned their
goodwill, seeing that in the matter of troops he had no need of
them -- because if they had joined the Ydallcao he (the King) would
never have conquered as he did; but because the Ydallcao was hated
by them all as being a more powerful chief than they, (for there is
little faith amongst the Moors, and they bite one another like dogs
and like to see one after the other destroyed) he was conquered,
as you will see hereafter, in the month of May, on the new moon day,
in the year one thousand five hundred and twenty-two.[533]
After the King had made his offerings and performed sacrifices to
his idols he left the city of Bisnaga with all his troops; and they
marched in the following order. The chief of the guard (O PORTEIRO
MOOR)[534] led the advance with thirty thousand infantry -- archers,
men with shields, and musqueteers, and spearmen -- and a thousand
horse and his[535] elephants. After him went Trimbicara with fifty
thousand foot and two thousand horse and twenty elephants. After him
went Timapanayque; he had with him sixty thousand foot and three
thousand five hundred horse and thirty elephants; and after him
went Adapanayque with one hundred thousand foot and five thousand
horse and fifty elephants. After him came Comdamara,[536] and he had
one hundred and twenty thousand foot six thousand horse and sixty
elephants; after him went Comara, and he had eighty thousand foot and
of horse two thousand five hundred, and forty elephants; after him the
forces of Ogemdraho,[537] the governor of the city of Bisnaga, with
one of his captains, who had one thousand horse and thirty thousand
foot and ten elephants. After him went three eunuchs, favourites of
the King, who had forty thousand foot and one thousand horse and
fifteen elephants. The page who served the King with betel[538]
had fifteen thousand foot and two hundred horse, but he had no
elephants. Comarberca[539] had eight thousand foot and four hundred
horse and twenty elephants. The people of the chief of Bengapor[540]
went by another route with the people of Domar, who were very numerous;
and in the same way went other captains of ten or twelve thousand men,
of whom I make no mention, not knowing their names. The King took of
his guard six thousand horse and forty thousand foot, the pick of all
his kingdom, men with shields, archers, and three hundred elephants.
All were equally well armed, each after his own fashion, the archers
and musqueteers with their quilted tunics,[541] and the shieldmen
with their swords and poignards[542] in their girdles; the shields
are so large that there is no need for armour to protect the body,
which is completely covered; the horses in full clothing, and the
men with doublets,[543] and weapons in their hands, and on their
heads headpieces after the manner of their doublets, quilted with
cotton. The war-elephants go with their howdahs (CASTELLOS) from
which four men fight on each side of them, and the elephants are
completely clothed, and on their tusks they have knives fastened,
much ground and sharpened, with which they do great harm. Several
cannon were also taken. I do not speak here of the washermen, who are
numberless here -- they wash clothes -- nor of the public women who
accompanied the army; there were twenty thousand of them with the king
during his journey. Any one can imagine the amount of baggage that
such a large number of people would take. In the rear with the king,
but always on the road in front of him, some ten or twelve thousand
men with water-skins who go seeking water, and place themselves along
the road to give water to those who have no one to bring it to them;
this is done so that none of the people should die of thirst. Three
or four leagues in front of all this multitude go some fifty thousand
men who are like scouts; they have to spy out the country in front,
and always keep that distance; and on their flanks there are two
thousand horse of the cavalry of that country. These are all bowmen,
and they always advance on the flanks of the scouts.
In this order, as I have stated, they left the city of Bisnaga, and
with them a great number of merchants, besides many others who were
already in advance with all supplies; so that wherever you may be you
will at once find all you want. Every captain has his merchants who
are compelled to give him all supplies requisite for all his people,
and in the same way they carry all other necessaries
According to the King's custom, when he wishes to lie down and sleep,
they make for him a hedge of brush-wood and of thorns behind which
his tent is pitched, which was done for him all along this route;
on which route was seen a wonderful thing, namely that on passing
a river which, when they reached it, came half-way up to the knee,
before half the people had passed it was totally dry without a drop
of water; and they went about in the sand of it making pits to find
some water. In this order the King proceeded till he arrived at the
town of Mollabamdym,[544] which is a league from the city of Rachol,
where he pitched his camp so as to give a rest to the people after
the fatigues of the march.
And the King being in the city of Mollabamdyn, settling all that was
necessary for the siege of Rachol, there came to him people of the King
of Bisnaga, and the people of Domaar, and also many other captains with
an infinitude of people. As soon as they had joined and everything was
put in order, and after his Brahmans had finished their ceremonies
and sacrifices, they told the King that it was now time, that the
pagodas had given sign of conquest, and that he should advance.
Then he sent the Moors in the royal service to lead the van, and
Camanayque, the chief of the guard, pitched the camp very near the
ditches of the city of Rachol, and every captain halted his people
according to the commands given. The people of the City received
them with many shots from heavy cannon that they had, and from many
firelocks, and many arrows and musket-shots, so that those of the
besiegers who arrived close to the ditches suffered heavily and wanted
to retreat. But the King would not permit this, saying that he would
not have sent them there were it not that he would soon effect an
entry into the city, and if not, that they should all die; wherefore
his men were compelled to attack the city, and did so in many brave
and severe fights. In these many of them lost their lives, since
those of the city were in very strong position and well acquainted
with everything that was necessary for their defence, while the
King's troops never ceased their attacks on the city. The captains,
seeing how badly the attack was going in consequence of the number
of soldiers killed, had recourse to lavish gifts and stratagems,
as thus: -- They began to buy (from the soldiers) the stones which
they took from the walls and towers, and they paid them according to
the value of the stone; so that the stones were worth ten, twenty,
thirty, forty, and fifty FANAMS.[545] By this device they contrived
to dismantle the wall in many places, and laid the city open; but
since the city was in itself so strong, and the soldiers who were
in it were such chosen men and so used to warfare, they killed many
of the King's people. Yet not for that did they cease fighting, but
every day and at every attack they became bolder, in consequence of
their greed for what the captains gave them, for the money had the
power of taking from them the terror of death which had inspired them
before. They also gave them something for dragging away a dead man
from the foot of the wall. So the fight dragged on for a space of
three months till the Ydallcao came up with reinforcements.
Now I wish you to know more of the situation, and of the city, and
the people which it held. This city of Rachol lies between two great
rivers, and in the midst of a great plain where there are no trees
except very small ones, and there are great boulders there; from
each river to the city is three leagues. One of these rivers is the
northern boundary, and beyond it the country belongs to the Ydallcao,
and the other is the boundary to the south which is the boundary of
Narsymga. This plain lies in the middle of these two rivers, and there
are large lakes therein and wells and some little streams where the
city is situated, and a hill which looks like a woman's breast and
is of natural formation. The city has three lines of strong walls
of heavy masonry made without lime; the walls are packed with earth
inside, and it has on the highest point a fortress like a tower, very
high and strong; at the top where the fortress stands is a spring
of water which runs all the year round. It is held to be a holy and
mysterious thing that a spring which is in a lofty situation should
in some way never be without water. Besides this spring there are
several tanks of water and wells, so that the citizens had no fear
of being ever taken for lack of water; and there were in the city
supplies for five years. There were eight thousand men as garrison
and four hundred horse and twenty elephants, and thirty catapults
(TRABUCOS) which hurled heavy stones and did great damage. The towers
which are on the walls are so close together that one can hear words
spoken from one to the other. Between these and all around they
posted their artillery, which consisted of two hundred heavy pieces,
not to mention small ones. As soon as the people of the city knew
of the arrival of the King's troops, and after they had received a
captain of the Ydallcao who came with some soldiers to the city, they
closed the gates with stone and mortar. The chief fight which takes
place is on the east side, because on the north and south sides it
stands on huge rocks which make it very strong; and, the city being
besieged on all sides, the camp of the King was on the east side,
and so was the strength of the attack.