Page:Journal of the Straits Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society (IA journalofstra17181886roya).pdf/242

 At this time Malacca was in a miserable condition, excess- ively poor, having very few men, and these unhealthy and dispirited, having suffered much by shipwreck, sickness, and scarcity of provisions; not without deserving these calami- ties, for Malacca was then the Portuguese Nineveh in India; I know not if it be so now. In this deplorable situation, incessantly battered by the enemy, cut off from all supplies of provisions, Malacca had no adequate means and hardly any hopes of defence. In this extremity, TRISTAN VAZ accident- ally entered the port with a single ship, in which he had been to Sunda for a cargo of pepper. Being earnestly entreated by the besieged to assist them, he agreed to do everything in his power, though it seemed a rash attempt to engage a fleet of 100 sail with only ten vessels, nine of which were almost rotten and destitute of rigging. Among these he distributed 300 naked and hungry wretches; and though confident in his own valour, he trusted only in the mercy of God, and caused all his men to prepare for battle by confession, of which he set them the example. He sailed from Malacca with this armament about the end of November 1571, and soon dis- covered the formidable fleet of the enemy in the river Fermoso. Giving the command of his own ship to EMANUEL FER- RAGRA, TRISTAN VAZ DE VEGA went sword in hand into a galliot, to encourage his men to behave valiantly by expos- ing himself to the brunt of battle along with them. On the signal being given by a furious discharge of cannon, TRISTAN instantly boarded the admiral ship of the enemy, making great havoc in her crew of 200 men, and even carried away her ensign. FERDINANDO PEREZ, with only 13 men in a small vessel, took a galley of the enemy's. FERDINAND DE LEMOS ran down and sank one of the enemy's ships. FRANCISCO DE SIMA having taken another, set her on fire, that he might be at liberty to continue the fight. EMANUEL FERRAGRA sank three vessels, unrigged others, and slew great numbers of the enemy. In short, every one fought admirably, and the whole hostile fleet fled, except four galleys and seven small