148 THE PORTUGUESE POLICY IN THE EAST porcupine of with fiery darts and " assegais " heroic self-sacrifices, and deaths worthy of Sir Philip Sidney. But the Portuguese did not trust alone to strategy or valour to secure their supremacy along the Asiatic trade-route. They boldly struck into the wars and intrigues of the native princes from Africa to the Moluccas, securing substantial returns for their sup- port, and finding in each dynastic claimant a stepping- stone to power. In 1505 Almeida drove out the ruler of Quiloa on the African coast and set up his own nom- inee. In the same year the Portuguese killed the King of Sofala on that coast and controlled the succession. In 1510 Cochin on the Malabar coast became the arena of intrigues between Albuquerque on the one hand and the Zamorin of Calicut on the other; Albuquerque expelling the Zamorin 's candidate and re-establishing the titular raja of Cochin. In that year also, Albu- querque successfully supported one brother against another for the chiefdom of Onor, the price being sub- mission to the King of Portugal. In 1511 he agreed to aid the King of Pacem in Sumatra against a rebel- lious governor, on the king's offering to become a vassal of Portugal. Albuquerque not only entered into the family intrigues of native states, but he adopted their methods. In 1513 the Zamorin of Calicut was hostile, his brother friendly, to Portugal. Albuquerque offered, if the brother would poison the Zamorin, to secure for him the throne; and the compact was duly carried out.
