Chapter 135 - Why the Portuguese fleet did not fight further with the Castilian fleet, and how the king ordered that Almada be attacked

Summary

Just as the Master had seen the need and taken care to man his fleet in the best way possible to fight with the Castilian fleet, for the reasons already noted, he began to arrange with the men of the city for its defence and protection, considering everything that was necessary for so great an undertaking, and to leave whatever contrary things might happen in the hands of fortune. As he was waiting for a good time to put all this into effect, there arrived for the King of Castile an increase to his fleet: twenty-one naos and three armed galleys, when a week had not yet passed since the battle with the other [Portuguese] naos.

Thus the king had in total in his fleet sixty-one naos besides the carracks, sixteen galleys and a galliot, which he ordered to lie at anchor all along the city from Cata-que-Farás to the Cruz Gate according to the formation that you have heard about. When the Master saw how unevenly matched the fleets were, and the great advantage that the king had in that regard, he decided to abandon what he had intended to do.

At this point, the town of Almada having been besieged, as we have said, for about two months, since that day when Diogo Lopes was taken prisoner, the town was hard pressed by the attacks of its enemies from the landward side, where they were encamped. On the seaward side, nothing could trouble them because of the great height of the hill, except depriving them of water. This was more dangerous to them than arms or mines, or even a powerful bombard, with which several shots were fired at them. Thus those who were within, who remained loyal to the Master, began to experience things which were very hard to endure, which it is well that you should be told about briefly, since they have not yet been mentioned.

So it was that when the Castilian fleet descended upon Lisbon, the inhabitants of Almada all took refuge in the castle. As for two balingers that they had, in which at times provisions were taken to the city, the galleys attempted to capture them on land beneath the castle where they were pulled up on shore. In their defence at that time many were wounded, but the enemy were unable to seize those balingers.