OF THE ARCHIPELAGO. §97 pretended object was to be revenged on the king for his perfidy towards Sequeira, but it was the spirit of rapine and conquest that, in truth, propelled him to the undertaking. Ma- homed was still on the throne, and at war with the king of Siam, who had marched forty thousand men against him. From this formidable invasion, Mahomed had the dexterity to extricate himself by stratagem. Fearing the revenge of the Portu- guese for his conduct towards Sequeira, he had called in the aid of the king of the neighbouring state of Fahang, who came to his assistance with a large iorce ; so that, when he was attacked by Albuquerque, he had a garrison of thirty thousand men to manitain his independence. Notwithstanding this, he made an attempt to negociate which failed. Albuquerque demanded the Portuguese prisoners, and Mahomed com- phed. i he viceroy rose m his claims, demanding ground to build a ibrt, and reimbursement for the expences incurred on account of his own expedi- tion, and that of Sequeira. Ihe king rejected these insolent and unreasonable propositions, and prepared himself for the worst. 1 our-and-twenty days appear to have been .>pent in this fruitless negociation, for it was not until the ^4th of July that the Portuguese force ellected a landing. The plan of attack was to htorui the town in two divi- sions, which^ marching along the banks of the river.
