IcSl HISTORY OF INDIA. [Book I.
A D. 1513. Miihomcd, whu liad trcacherou.sly iiiij)risoii(;il a number of" Portugues*.', commanded by an officer called Diego Lo[)ez de Siqueira. To avenge tliis outrage was the ('ai>tureof osteiisible object of Albu({uer(jue's expedition. It waH one of tlie boldest he had ever undertaken, as the city itself is said to have contained 100,000 inhabi- tants, and was now defended by 30,000 soldiers, and 8000 cannon. With all these means of defence, Mahomed, aware of the kind of enemy he had t^> deal with, did not feel secure, and sent a messenger to the viceroy to intimate that, if he came for merchandise, it was ready at his command Albuquerque replied that the merchandise he required was some Portuguese left there by Siqueira, and that on the delivery of them he would be prepared to say what more lie wanted. After some parleying, the captives were delivered, and Albuquerque sent his ultimatum. It demanded compensation for the outrage, and for the expenses incurred in obtaining redress, and a site for the erection of a Portu- guese fort. This last proposal the king refused to entertain, and Albuquerque immediately prepared to compel him. The Malays are said to have fought well, but it is difficult to believe it ; for with all the aid which they could derive from artillery, poisoned aiTows, poisoned thorns, and mines of gunpowder laid in the streets, their tens of thousands gave way before a mere handful of Portuguese, and the viceroy took triumphant possession of the city. While here he both received and sent several embassies ; among the latter, one to Siam, and another to Pegu. He also sent out several navigators on exploring expeditions. One of these is said to have been commanded by Magalhaens, to whom it suggested the idea of his subsequent celebrated circmnnavigation.
•i'"i- ^ On the voyage home, Albuquerque lost his finest ship, which was nearl}' cut
iieroisraaud across the kccl on a sharp rock otf the coast of Sumatra. In this perilous position he was obliged to pass the night ; and when the morning dawned, was seen peiforming an act of humanity and heroism, by sheltering with his arms a young girl whom he had saved in the midst of the confusion. When he arrived in India, he found that advantage had been taken of his absence. Adel Khan had resumed the siege of Goa with an army of 20,000 men, and the zamorin was again in arms. Goa was easily relieved ; and the zamorin, despairing of success, retired from the contest. The subversion of the Mameluke djTiasty in Egypt had deprived him of any fui-ther assistance from Ameer Hoossein, and on looking round he saw no quarter to which he could appeal for new aid. According to Ferishta, tiiis humbling conviction so completely overwhelmed him, that his health gave way, and he died of a broken heart.
Hisexpedi fhe attack on Aden, which Albuquerque meditated, had been postponed to
tion against ^ ,
Aden. that of Malacca, but by no means abandoned. Accordingly, on the 18th of February, 1513, he appeared before it with a fleet of twenty sail, having on board 1 700 Portuguese, and 800 natives of India. He lost no time in landing, and hastened forward, in the hope that, by applying scaling-ladders to the w^alls, he might gain possession of the place. He had underrated its strength, and the
