following April,
intelligence reached the Council at Bombay that Kyffin had had dealings
with the Ostenders, and had been 'very assisting' to them; so, a
peremptory order went down from Bombay, dismissing him from the Company's
service, if the report of his assisting the Ostenders was true. If the
report was not true, no change was to be made. A commission to Gyfford to
assume the chiefship was sent at the same time. Interlopers and Ostenders,
he was told, were not to receive even provisions or water. So Kyffin
departed, and Gyfford reigned at Anjengo in his stead.

But the follies of Kyffin had roused a feeling against the English that
was not likely to be allayed by Gyfford, who exceeded Kyffin in dishonesty
and imprudence. He threw himself into the pepper trade, using the
Company's money for his own purposes, and joined hands with the Portuguese
interpreter, Ignatio Malheiros, who appears to have been a consummate
rogue. Before long, religious feeling was aroused by the interpreter
obtaining possession of some pagoda land in a money-lending transaction.
Gyfford also aroused resentment, by trying to cheat the native traders
over the price of pepper, by showing fictitious entries in the factory
books, and by the use of false weights. The only thing wanting for an
explosion was the alienation of the Mahommedan section, which, before long,
was produced by chance and by Gyfford's folly. It happened that some
Mahommedan traders came to the fort to transact business with Cowse, who
had resumed business as a private merchant; but he was not at leisure, so
they went to the interpreter's house, to sit down and wait. While there,
the interpreter's 'strumpet' threw some _hooli_ powder on one of the
merchants. Stung by the insult, the man drew his sword, wounded the woman,
and would have killed her, if he and his companions had not been disarmed.
Gyfford, when they were brought before him, allowed himself to be
influenced by the interpreter, and ordered them to be turned out of the
fort, after their swords had been insultingly broken over their heads. The
people of Attinga flew to arms, and threatened the fort. For some months
there were constant skirmishes. The English had no difficulty in defeating
all attacks, but, none the less, trade was brought to a standstill; so
Mr. Walter Brown was sent down from Bombay to put matters straight. Poola
Venjamutta, who had all the time kept himself in the background, was quite
ready to help