s force in all
amounting to 1600 men; besides several small armed vessels, which were
directed to guard the river, and to relieve the several posts as
occasion offered or required[377]. The enemy spent their first efforts
against the fort at the pass of Benastarim, where they did considerable
damage by the constant fire of their heavy guns; but whatever injury
they did during the day was repaired in the ensuing night. Such was the
extent of their cannonade, that only in one small post, occupied by
Alvaro de Mendoza with ten men, 600 bullets were picked up, some of
which were two spans diameter. The Portuguese were unable to answer with
any thing like a correspondent fire, but, being well directed, their
shot did great execution, and the small armed vessels plied from place
to place with much diligence, doing great injury with their small guns.
One night an officer of the enemy was seen with a great number of
torches passing a height opposite the fort of Benastarim, having a
number of young women dancing before him. On this occasion, Ferdinand de
Sousa caused a cannon to be so exactly pointed among them, that the
officer, with several of his torch-bearers and two couple of the dancers
were seen to fly into the air. As this was the time for dispatching the
homeward-bound trade to Portugal, the governor was anxiously advised to
stop that fleet, as it would deprive him of 400 men, who might be of
great use in defending Goa; but ambitions of acquiring greater glory by
conquering every difficulty, he ordered the ships to sail at their usual
time, alleging that their cargoes were much wanted in Portugal, and that
he trusted he should have a sufficient force remaining to defend the
seat of government.

[Footnote 377: In the original, there is along enumeration of
twenty-four several posts, with the names of the officers commanding
each, and the numbers in their respective detachments; all here omitted
as uninteresting.--E.]

The Portuguese had often the boldness to cross over and attack the enemy
in their posts in the main-land, whence they brought away many prisoners
and many heads of those they slew, with various arms and standards. On
one occasion, Don George de Menezes who commanded the armed vessels, and
Don Pedro de Castro who landed with 200 Portuguese, made so great
slaughter that the viceroy sent two carts loaded with heads to the city,
to animate the inhabitants with this barbarous proof of the energy of
the defence