_ 285 _ The Turks continued their bombardment without doing any damage to the fortress. They received many volleys in return, because the petty officer, a native of Navarre, was so skillful in the job that he often put the cannon balls through the mouths of their mortars, thereby causing many of them to explode and kill large numbers of their men. He also demolished their bastions, which they promptly rebuilt, but with great difficulty. The Portuguese soldiers, who were very independent and audacious in India, were annoyed at being penned in and clamored publicly for battle, appealing to the captain to have the gates opened for them, as they wanted to go and take the enemy’s positions and seize all their artillery. The captain patiently calmed them down, stating that “when the time was right he would do so, but that it was not convenient for the moment, as he had no reliable information about how many enemy there were, but if they were to be judged by the number of galleys, they must have at least 3,000 men. Thus they should quieten down, because he was trying to see if he could get hold of a spy to act as a lookout, and if the truth was confirmed, he would let them all have their wish”. This did not satisfy the soldiers and they acted almost like mutineers. Moreover, the Turks annoyed them
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