Both parties were gradually
increased till the enemy amounted to 6000 men, and the Portuguese to
200; but notwithstanding this disparity of force, the Portuguese drove
that vast multitude to flight and slew 180 of them, only losing two of
their own number.

In the beginning of January 1571, Nizam al Mulk came before Chaul with
his whole army, now consisting of 34,000 horse, 100,000 infantry, 16,000
pioneers, 4000 smiths, masons, carpenters, and other trades, and of
sundry different nations, as Turks, Chorassans, Persians, and
Ethiopians, with 360 elephants, an infinite number of buffaloes and
bullocks, and 40 pieces of cannon, mostly of prodigious size, some of
which carried balls of 100, some of 200, and some even of 300 pounds
weight. These cannon had all appropriate names, as the cruel, the
butcher, the devourer, the furious, and the like[378]. Thus an army of
150,000 men sat down to besiege a town that was defended merely by a
single wall, a fort not much larger than a house, and a handful of men.
Farete Khan took up his quarters near the church of Madre de Dios with
7000 horse and 20 elephants; Agalas Khan in, the house of Juan Lopez
with 6000 horse; Ximiri Khan between that and upper Chaul with 2000
horse; so that the city was beset from sea to sea. The Nizam encamped
with the main body, of the army at the farther end of the town, where
the ground was covered with tents for the space of two leagues; and 5000
horse were detached to ravage the district of Basseen.

[Footnote 378: These names are of course to be considered as
translations of the native or Persian names. That named _the furious_ in
the text, is called the _Orlando furioso_ in the translation of De Faria
by Stevens; but it is not easy to guess how the subjects of the Nizam
should have known any thing of that hero of Christian romance.--E.]

At the commencement of the siege the Portuguese garrison was a mere
handful of men, and the works being very slight no particular posts were
assigned, all acting wherever their services were most wanted. Soon
afterwards, the news of the siege having spread abroad, many officers
and gentlemen flocked thither with reinforcements, so that in a short
time the garrison was augmented to 2000 men. It was then resolved to
maintain particular points besides the general circuit of the walls. The
monastery of St Francis was committed to the charge of Alexander de
Sousa; Nunno Alvarez Pereyra was entrusted to defend some hous