The Chronicle of the Discovery and Conquest of Guinea. Vol. IZurara, Gomes Eannes de
History
The Chronicle of the Discovery and Conquest of Guinea. Vol. I
Zurara, Gomes Eannes de
Guinea (Region) -- Discovery and exploration -- Early works to 1800
Yet, although this counsel of Antam Gonçalvez was good, according to the
circumstances of the affair; and although Nuno Tristam was not unwilling
to fall in with it; there were there two squires, in whom these reasons
did not suffice to oppose their desire of doing brave deeds. Gonçallo de
Sintra was the name of one of these--and of his valour you will know
more fully in the progress of this history; the other was Diego Añes de
Valladares, a squire, valiant in body, well proved in many great perils.
And these two persuaded the Council to depart from the advice which
Antam Gonçalvez had given, in this way, that as soon as it was night,
they set out according to the order that Nuno Tristam gave at first. And
so it chanced that in the night they came to where the natives lay
scattered in two encampments, either the same that Antam Gonçalvez had
found before or other like it. The distance between the encampments was
but small, and our men divided themselves into three parties, in order
that they might the better hit upon them. For they had not yet any
certain knowledge of the place where they lay, but only a perception of
them; as you see the like things are perceived much more readily by
night than by day. And when our men had come nigh to them, they
attacked them very lustily, shouting at the top of their voices,
"Portugal" and "Santiago";[N62] the fright of which so abashed the
enemy, that it threw them all into disorder. And so, all in confusion,
they began to fly without any order or carefulness. Except indeed that
the men made some show of defending themselves with their assegais (for
they knew not the use of any other weapon), especially one of them, who
fought face to face with Nuno Tristam, defending himself till he
received his death. And besides this one, whom Nuno Tristam slew by
himself, the others killed three and took ten prisoners, what of men,
women and boys. And it is not to be doubted that they would have slain
and taken many more, if they had all fallen on together at the first
onslaught. But among those who were taken there was one greater than the
rest, who was called Adahu, and was said to be a noble; and he shewed in
his countenance right well that he held the pre-eminence of nobility
over the others. Now, among those ten who I said were with Nuno Tristam,
was one Gomez Vinagre, a youth of good family, brought up in the
Infant's household, who showed in this battle what his valour was like
to be in after time, for which in the result he was honourably advanced.
When the action was thus accomplished, as we have described, all met
together, even as they were in the fight, and began to request of Antam
Gonçalvez, that he should be made a knight. But he, appraising his toil
at far less than they did, answered that it was not right that he for so
small a service should receive so great an honour, and one too that was
more than his age did warrant. Of his own free will he said he would
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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