much spent with continual watching
and fatigue. The enemy advanced in profound silence and applied seven
hundred scaling ladders to the walls, on which they immediately mounted
with loud shouts. The dispute was hotly maintained on both sides for
some time; but some ships being set on fire enabled the Portuguese to
point their cannon with such accuracy, that many of the enemy were
slain, and the rest obliged to desist from the assault. Next morning
above two thousand of the enemy were found slain around the walls, with
two elephants; while on the Portuguese side only one woman was slain in
her chamber by an arrow. The remaining six thousand of the enemy
immediately retired, leaving half their ladders and large quantities of
fireworks. Yet taking into consideration the difficulty and expence of
maintaining this port, it was resolved to ship off all the men and
goods, and to set it on fire, leaving the large cannons filled with
powder, that they might burst when the fire reached them. Greater part
of the fort was destroyed; but the enemy saved some of the cannon, which
were afterwards employed with considerable effect against the
Portuguese. Some goods were lost in shipping, as the Portuguese were in
a great fright, and embarked up to the neck in water. By this
abandonment of their post, the Portuguese lost more reputation with the
natives of Sumatra than they had gained by their former valiant defence.
They were fully sensible of this, as they met a powerful reinforcement
at sea under Azevedo; and learnt that the king of Aru was marching by
land to their assistance with 4000 men. The king of Achem followed up
his good fortune, and rendered himself all-powerful in Sumatra, beyond
even his hopes.

About this time[175] Malacca was much straitened by the king of Bintang,
who sent a powerful armament against it, to oppose which. George
Albuquerque sent a naval force under Don Sancho Enriquez; but in a
violent storm 70 out of 200 Portuguese were lost. Till now the king of
Pahang had sided with the Portuguese; but seeing the tide of fortune had
turned against them, he too became their enemy. Ignorant of this change,
Albuquerque sent three-ships to his port for provisions, where two of
his captains and thirty men were killed: The third made his escape, but
was slain with all his men at Java. Simon de Abreu and his crew were
slain on another occasion; and two vessels sent to prevent provisions
from getting into Bintang were lost.