small boats, and with two thousand men killed. Although we did them
damage, it was not so great as that which we received. Accordingly they
regarded it as a victory and entered their kingdom in triumph--where
they feasted the captains, whom they treated courteously, and then
loosed them and gave them liberty.

On December 7 of the same year of 1615, the Dutch reached the bay of
Malaca with seven ships and one patache, coming to join the king of
Achen. They found our three galleons, which, for greater security,
had been anchored between a sandbank made by the sea and a small
island near Malaca. There they said that they were invincible, for
entrance could be had only by a channel near the rampart, which,
by means of its pieces of artillery, would refuse entrance. On the
sea side they were defended by the sandbank and shoals. But the enemy
sounded the port that night with its lanchas and found a new channel,
where they entered without being hindered by the rampart. This was
attributed to the fault and negligence of those who could and ought
to have prevented the lanchas from making soundings, because of the
many galliots in the port.

The enemy having entered and coming within cannon range, opened
a fierce bombardment, which lasted two and one-half days. At this
time our vessels defended themselves with three pieces that could
be fired, and no more, because they were anchored, and the current
threw them in a line toward the Dutch; although had the people on
shore been diligent, they could have brought the vessels about with
cables. The enemy tacked at will and played the majority of their
pieces. We discovered that our galleons were stronger than their
ships, for their balls did not pass through the sides of the galleons,
especially of the almiranta and flagship. The damage inflicted by them