How Crisnarao,on the arrival of Salvatinia,determined to attack Rachol,a city of the Ydalcao,and to break the peace that had lasted so long;and the reason why.
After Salvatinia had arrived and had been well received by the King,and after the lapse of some days,the King told him that he desired to fulfil all the wishes expressed in the testament of King Narsynga,one of which was to capture Rachol,which was a very strong city and amongst the principal ones of the Ydallcao,who had taken it from the kings his ancestors;and because there was now peace between both parties,and had been so for forty years,he knew not how he could manage to break it.But Salvatinia said that since the peace had been made under certain conditions --one of which was that if on either one side or the other any land-owners,captains in revolt,or other evil-doers should be harboured and their surrender should be demanded,they should forthwith be given up --there was now great reason for breaking the peace,since many land-owners and debtors to His Highness had tied into the kingdom of the Ydallcao.He counselled therefore that the King should send to demand the surrender of these men,and that on refusal to give them up there would be good ground for breaking the peace.Many,however,disagreed with this advice.Now it happened at this time that the King (of Bisnaga)sent Cide Mercar with forty thousand PARDAOS to Goa to buy horses,which Cide Mercar was a Moor in whom the King of Bisnaga confided on account of various affairs with which he had already been entrusted;and this man,when he arrived at a place where the Moors lived which was called,Pomdaa and is two leagues from Goa,fled from that place,Pomdaa,to the Ydallcao,carrying with him all the treasure.Some say that the Ydallcao wrote to him a letter as soon as he got there.As soon as they gave to the King this news of the flight of Cide,and how he had carried off all the money,he said that he would write to the Ydallcao to send the man back to him with all the money,since he was his friend.Then the King caused a letter to be written,in which he spoke of the friendship that had existed for so many years so that nothing could shake it,and that he hoped that a traitor would not be the cause of breaking a peace of such long standing as had been between them;and he begged that he would send Cide back at once.
As soon as the letter was read to the Ydallcao he sent to summon his kazis and the men of his council,and he bade them read the letter which had come from the King,as to which letter there were many suggestions made.At the end of all they agreed that he should not send him (Cide)to him (the King of Bisnaga),for they said that he (Cide)was one learned in the law and related to Mafumdo.[529]And the Ydallcao,as a cloak to his action,gave Dabull to that Cide,by way of showing that he was not near his person nor knew he aught of him;from which town of Dabull Cide fled,nor had they any further news of him.When those who had come from the King returned bearing the Ydallcao's answer,the King showed great indignation at it,and held that the peace was broken;he at once ordered to appear before him the great lords of his Council,and had the letter read aloud so that all might hear.As soon as it was read he said that without more ado they should make ready,since he was determined to take full vengeance.But the councillors advised the King,saying that for such a small sum of money as this it was not well so to act;that he should think of what would be said and talked of throughout the world;and that if he was bent on breaking so prolonged a peace for such a trifling cause,he should call to mind that there never was any honesty in a Moor;that others were to blame in that which Cide had done;and that if Cide should dare to come to that war which was waged in order to take vengeance on him,[530]then it would be well that those who accompanied him should die,but that they knew that Cide would keep well away from the army.[531]
The councillors,however,saw that the King remained unmoved from his determination to make war,and they then counselled him,saying:--"Sire,do not go to war by that route (Dabull),but go against Rachol,which now belongs to the Ydallcao but of old was part of this kingdom;then the Ydallcao will be forced to come to defend it,and thus thou wilt take vengeance jointly both on one and the other."The King held this advice to be good and prepared for his departure,sending letters to Madre Maluco,and Demellyno,and Desturvirido,[532]and other superior lords,giving them an account of what had taken place in the matter of the Ydallcao,and how he had determined to make war on him;from which lords he received answer that he was doing rightly,and that they would assist him as far as they were able.As to the Zemelluco,at the time when the messengers returned this answer he could find no excuse for not sending some troops to the aid of his sister who was wedded to the Ydallcao.
The King had sent the letters to those lords out of his great craftiness,for he told them of what he was about to do in order to seduce them to his side,--so far at least as concerned their goodwill,seeing that in the matter of troops he had no need of them --because if they had joined the Ydallcao he (the King)would never have conquered as he did;but because the Ydallcao was hated by them all as being a more powerful chief than they,(for there is little faith amongst the Moors,and they bite one another like dogs and like to see one after the other destroyed)he was conquered,as you will see hereafter,in the month of May,on the new moon day,in the year one thousand five hundred and twenty-two.[533]
