four of which were taken and the rest driven on shore.  These four were brought in barbarous triumph to Goa, having many of the enemies hung upon the shrouds.  The Canarin rowers carried thirty heads, in token of the victory, and twelve prisoners alive, who were given up to the boys to be stoned to death.  Zelo had similar success afterwards against a ship and nine paraos.  He sailed after that to Cochin with his uncle, who, being accidentally joined by George de Menezes, defeated 36 paraos belonging to Diu, 17 of which were taken.  When at Cananor be hanged a Moor of quality, on which many of his relations left the city and took to robbing on the river.  But, with consent of the king of Cananor, Don Enrique sent Hector de Sylveira against them with two gallies and a brigantine, who destroyed four towns[176] and took all their cannon, not without considerable difficulty.  About the same time Christopher de Brito went with fourteen row-boats and about an hundred men to scour the coast of Canara, where he destroyed some of the Moors; but those of Dabul sent two galliots and seven other vessels against him, with above three hundred men.  In the commencement of the engagement Brito was slain; but his people exerted themselves so valiantly to revenge the death of their commander, that after four hours hard fighting most of the Moors were slain, and their commander and all the rest taken.  The Moorish captain died afterwards of his wounds at Goa, being first converted to the Christian faith.

[Footnote 176:  Perhaps instead of towns we ought to read tonys, a species of vessel then need by the inhabitants of the Malabar coast.—­E.]

The fort at Calicut was at this time much straitened by the Nayres, yet the small garrison of fifty Portuguese maintained their post with much honour.  Don Enrique, to punish the hostilities of the Moors of Calicut, fitted out fifty sail of vessels from Cochin, to which were added other fifty belonging to the inhabitants of that city, twenty-seven of which belonged to one individual named Arel de Porca[177].  With these vessels, carrying 2000 soldiers, the governor arrived at Paniani, one of the principal towns in the territory of Calicut, which was well fortified and stored with cannon under the command of a Portuguese renegado.  Besides these fortifications on the land, the river was defended by a number of armed vessels drawn up in order of battle.  After a severe contest, the fortifications of Paniani were carried, and the enemy fled into the woods.  The town and all the vessels in the fort were burnt.  Next day twelve ships were burnt in the port of Calicut, and several more in some creeks near the town.  The armament proceeded in the next place to Coulete, which was fortified in a similar manner to Paniani, with a prodigious number of artillery, an hundred and fifty armed ships, and a garrison of 20,000 men.  The Portuguese proceeded to the attack, and after a long and obstinate contest, drove the enemy from their works with great slaughter, and took fifty-three vessels, most of which were laden with pepper, with the loss of fifty-four Portuguese killed and many wounded.  The other vessels belonging to the enemy, being much shattered in the engagement, were all burnt, and the town was destroyed.