bound, and what they were laden with. In case
of their containing any pepper, more especially if bound for Calicut, he
used to take that commodity from them; and carried his command with so
high a hand, that he became the terror of these seas. One night while
thus at anchor, a fleet of twenty-five ships came suddenly to the
anchoring-ground where he lay, which he suspected to have been sent from
Calicut on purpose to attack him. Considering himself in imminent danger,
he immediately slipped his cables, not having time to weigh anchor, and
made sail to gain the windward of this fleet, upon which he directly
commenced firing. They were mostly small ships laden with rice, and made
off with all the haste in their power, though some of them ran aground.
One of the vessels of this fleet was a large ship belonging to the Moors
of Cananor, having nearly 400 men on board, who resisted for some time,
shooting off their arrows, and even endeavoured to take our ship. When
day was near at hand, and after having nine men slain in the action, the
Moorish captain at length submitted, and told Pacheco that he belonged to
Cananor.

After some time spent in this manner, Pacheco made sail for Cochin, and
in the passage fell in with several ships belonging to the Moors, taking
some, and burning or sinking others. On landing at the fort of Cochin, he
learnt from the factor that the reports of the zamorin making
preparations for the renewal of the war, were perfectly true, and even
that the Moorish inhabitants of Cochin were adverse to the rajah for
having taken part with the Portuguese against the zamorin. Being informed
likewise that the Cochin rajah was in great fear of this new war, he went
next day to visit him, carrying all his boats well manned, and fenced
with raised sides of boards to defend his men from the missile weapons of
the enemy. They were likewise furnished with ordnance, and all decorated
with flags and streamers in a gallant manner, hoping thereby to inspire
confidence in Trimumpara, who was much dejected at the small force which
had been left for his defence. In a conference between them, the rajah
said to Pacheco, that the Moors asserted he was left in the Indies for
the sole purpose of removing the merchandize belonging to the Portuguese
in the factory at Cochin to Cananor and Coulan, and not to defend him
against the power of the zamorin; which he was even disposed to think
were true, in consideration of the smallness o