the Portuguese.

The Egyptian admiral in 1508 sailed from the Red Sea for the coast of
Gujarat, where the Muhammadan King of Ahmadabad and the Muhammadan
Nawab of Diu, Malik Ayaz, had promised to receive and assist him. Dom
Lourenco de Almeida was unable to prevent the junction of the
Egyptian and the Diu fleets, and on their approach to his station in
the port of Chaul he boldly sailed out and attacked them. His numbers
were totally inadequate, but he had received express orders from his
father to endeavour to prevent the allies from coming south to
Calicut to join the Zamorin. For two days the Portuguese maintained a
running fight, but Dom Lourenco de Almeida soon found that he had to
deal with more experienced and warlike foes than the merchant
captains he had so often defeated. His ship was surrounded on every
side; his leg was broken by a cannon-ball at the commencement of the
action; nevertheless he had himself placed upon a chair at the foot
of the mainmast and gave his orders as coolly as ever. Shortly
afterwards a second cannon-ball struck him in the breast, and the
young hero, who was not yet twenty-one, expired, in the words of
Camoens, without knowing what the word surrender meant. Malik Ayaz
treated the Portuguese prisoners whom he took kindly. He {38} wrote
to the Viceroy regretting that he was unable to find Dom Lourenco's
body to give it honourable burial, and congratulated the father on
the glory the son had acquired in his last combat.

At this juncture Affonso de Albuquerque, who had been sent from
Lisbon with a commission to succeed Dom Francisco de Almeida, at the
close of the latter's three years tenure of office, made his claims
known. The Viceroy, however, refused to surrender his office or to
abandon the government until he had avenged his son's death.
Albuquerque told the Viceroy that it was his privilege to fight the
Egyptian fleet, but he felt for the father's feelings and allowed
Francisco de Almeida to sail northwards without further pressing his
rights. The Viceroy first relieved the fortress of Cannanore, which
was being besieged by the Moplas and gallantly defended by Lourenco
de Brito, and he then attacked Dabhol with a fleet of nineteen ships.
He stormed Dabhol and wreaked a horrible vengeance, which passed into
a proverb, on the inhabitants in December, 1508. On February 2, 1509,
Dom Francisco de Almeida came up with the united fleet of the
Muhammadans under Emir Husain and Malik Ay