n, and to weaken his force by obliging
him to send detachments for their defence. But that brave prince provided
against every emergency, and made so judicious a disposition of his
forces, that he repulsed every effort of the enemy, and slew many of
their men.

Foiled in every attempt with severe loss, by the bravery and excellent
dispositions of Prince Naramuhin, the zamorin corrupted the paymaster of
the troops of Cochin, who changed the usual order of payment which had
been daily made in the camp, and obliged the soldiers to come up to
Cochin for that purpose. Naramuhin was obliged to submit to this
arrangement, by giving leave to the naires to go for their wages, yet
charged them punctually to return to the camp before day. But the
treacherous paymaster kept them waiting till after day-light, by which
means the prince was left with very few troops to defend the ford. Taking
advantage of this concerted stratagem, the zamorin made an assault upon
the ford with his whole force by sea and land, and constrained Naramuhin
to retire with his small band into a grove of palm trees, where he was
surrounded by the whole army of Calicut, yet fought the whole day against
such terrible odds with the utmost resolution, several times throwing his
enemies into disorder, of whom many were slain. But at length,
overpowered by numbers, he and two of his cousins who fought along with
him were slain, together with most of his faithful followers.

When this melancholy event was announced to the rajah of Cochin, he
fainted from extreme grief, and was for some time thought to have
actually expired. At this time, the naires were much exasperated against
our men, to whom they attributed the overthrow and death of prince
Naramuhin, and the desperate situation of their country, and seemed much
inclined to have put the Portuguese to death, or to have delivered them
up to the zamorin. On the recovery of the rajah, and learning the designs
of his people against our men, he called the Portuguese into his presence;
he gave them assurance that even this reverse of his affairs should not
alter his resolution of protecting them, both against the zamorin and his
own subjects. He then addressed his assembled naires, urging them not to
stain his honour and their own by injuring the Portuguese, whom he and
they had sworn to protect. He exhorted them to persevere honourably and
bravely in defending their country and preserving their honour inviolate
to the