Chapter 137 - How the people of Almada surrendered the town to the King of Castile

Summary

Finding themselves so hard-pressed because of the scarcity of water, which they could not obtain, the men of Almada agreed to send a message to the Master, but they knew of no expedient or plan by which they could get it to him. The Master likewise, who had a good sense of the tribulations which they were suffering, was very keen to learn at what point their affairs had reached, but he had no means and knew of no way in which he could arrive at any certainty about it. Then a man from Almada who had come in the fleet from Oporto said that he would take the message by swimming over, if the Master wished to send him.

The Master was very pleased at this, and told him by word of mouth the things he should say; moreover, he wrote to them in a letter what he considered to be apt for his purposes. One night the man reached the shore by the hill and climbed up the cliff called Meijão Frio by the hidden path, which he knew well. He called to the men of the castle who were on watch, and they were startled when they heard him; but, on recognising him, they opened the door, delighted to see him. When they realised that he had swum his way there, they considered it a great achievement. After the message had been delivered orally and in writing, they concluded that the Master wanted to receive word on what their plight was, and tell them that they should hold out as long as they could. They informed the man of all that they had endured up to that point and told him that they had no water at all, nor did they know of any way of saving their lives. With this message, the man swam back at once by night.

The Master, in view of their sufferings which could not be remedied, after three days sent the man there again with a message, to tell them that he was deeply grieved by what they had suffered and, since things were as they were, they should surrender to the King of Castile on the best terms they could, and give him the town.