, with 2200 elephants, 40,000 oxen,
150 pieces of cannon, and 50,000 intrenching tools, axes, shovels,
spades, and mattocks, with an innumerable quantity of spare arms and
ammunition; among which were two wooden castles built upon enormous
carriages, each of which had nine wheels. Added to all which he had
nearly 500 craft of different kinds. Before proceeding upon this
expedition, he deemed it proper to consult the idols respecting its
success; and on this occasion he secretly placed men behind the idols,
who answered to his supplications for a favourable termination to his
great design, _If you, would take Columbo you must shed innocent blood!_
The people were astonished at this familiar and direct intercourse
between their idols and their prince; and he, pretending obedience to
the divine commands which they had all heard, caused 500 children to be
taken from the arms of their mothers, all of whom were sacrificed, and
the idols sprinkled with their blood.

After all his preparations were completed, he marched with his
prodigious army and invested Columbo, choosing the ground which he
deemed most advantageous, as the garrison was not sufficiently strong to
contend with him in the field. Joam de Britto, who then commanded in
Columbo, had sent intimation of his danger to the other Portuguese
possessions, and had arranged every thing for defence as well as he
could. To defend the place against the vast army by which he was now
assailed, he had only 300 Portuguese, a third of whom were useless, as
being old men or children; besides whom he had 700 armed natives and
slaves. This incompetent force he posted to the best advantage around
the walls, which were far too extensive, reserving 50 picked men to
attend upon himself to give relief wherever it was most needed. After
the commencement of the siege, Raju spent a whole month in draining a
lake which secured one side of Columbo from being assailed, and as the
Portuguese had several boats on the lake, there were frequent skirmishes
in which the enemy suffered considerable loss. The side of the fort
which had been covered by the lake was much weakened by the drawing off
its water, which had been its chief defence on that side. In
consequence of the advices sent by Brito to the commanders of the
neighbouring forts, reinforcements were prepared at different quarters.
The first relief, consisting of 40 men, was sent by Juan de Melo the
commander of Manaar, under the command of h