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 192 HISTORY OF INDIA. [B mount it with cannon, which

Zofar's kept up an incessant and crushinf; fire on the fort. One of the nieces of ordnance

efforts to * "^ '

takb uia was of extraordinary size, and bein^ managed by an expert French renegade, did con.siderable damage. Every shot from it is said Uj have shook the island, and made pieces of the fort to fly. Happily for the besieged, one of their shot killed the Frenchman, and the gunner who succeeded him managed so awk wardly that his great gun did more harm to his own party than to the Portu- guese. While the siege was thus proceeding, the King of Gujerat arrived. It seems that Zofar had become so confident of success, that he hafl invited him to come and witness it. It proved hotter work than he had anticipated ; and the I)usillanimous prince was so terrified by a chance ball which lighted on his tent and killed one of his attendants, that he fled, and never looked behind him till lie was far on the way back to his capital. A still more fortunate shot killed

neiskiiie.i Zofar himself This gave the exhausted garrison some respite; but it was of short duration, for Roumi Khan, Zofar's .son, succeeded him, and, not satisfied with the slow process which had hitherto been pursued, made a general assault. It failed, but scarcely a day passed without some new attempt to force an entrance into the place.

The siege had now lasted several months, while the preparations at Goa proved so dilatory, that the only relief sent to the garrison consisted of two insignificant detachments, the one commanded by Fernando de Castro, the

progiess of govcmors son, and the other by Don Alvaro. The latter consisted of 400 men,

the siege

and brought supplies of ammunition and provision, when they were just on the point of being exhausted. The Portuguese were so elated that they disdained to be cooped up any longer in the fort, and almost compelled Mascarenhas against his better judgment to lead them out. They paid dearly for their rash- ness, and retreated with such precipitation, that they had the greatest difficulty in preventing the enemy fi'om entering the fort along with them. Among the slain was the governor's own son.

This domestic misfortune seems to have had the effect of hastenincr De Castro's departvu-e from Goa. What the cause of delay was is not exjDlained ; but it gives a poor idea of his energy and resources to learn, that at the end of eight months, while one of the most important stations which the Portuguese possessed in the East, and the acquisition of which had cost them more than any other, was in the most imminent danger, Ms prepai-ations were for the Dill finally first time considered to be complete. His fleet, which consisted of ninet}'

relieved l)y _ _ ^ ..

De L'astro tlirce Sail, lost some time in committing barbarities at various localities on the coast, but at last, in loio, was observed from Diu. The result was not long doul)tful. After relieving the garrison, De Castro marched out at the head of his troops and gained a signal victory. The fall of the town followed of course, and the Portuguese acted, as they almost invariably did on such occa-