SECOND EXPEDITION OF SEIDI ALI, AGAINST THE CAPUDAN OF GOA.
On the morning of the 26th of Ramazan the captain of Goa, the son of the governor, left the harbour of Muscat, and with his barges, guard-ships, and galleons, with their mainsails spread and colours flying, sailed against the Moslems, who, still trusting in God, remained near the shore prepared for battle.
The enemy’s barges first came up, and attacked the galleys, when a sharp fire was opened on both sides, and a furious engagement ensued. The infidels then began to shower down their hand-grenades from the maintops upon the galleys, one of which and a barge which was near it they burnt by throwing a bomb into the galley. Five barges and as many galleys were driven ashore and lost. Another barge was driven ashore by the violence with which the wind beat against it, and was lost. At length the sailors and the troops on both sides were exhausted, the former being unable to pull at the oars, and the latter to work the guns any longer; they were therefore obliged to cast anchor: but even in this position they fought for some time with springs to their cables. They were finally obliged to abandon their boats. Elmshah Reis, Kara Mustaffa, and Kalfat Mumi, the commanders of the lost galleys, and Durzi Mustaffa Beg, the Commander of the volunteers, with about two hundred Egyptian soldiers, reached the shore in safety, and afterwards returned to the fleet, bringing with them many Arabs to the assistance of the Moslems. The infidels also recovered the men who were in their barges which had been driven ashore. This battle was even greater than that between Khair-ad-din and Andrea Doria. Few soldiers are known to have ever been engaged in such a fight. At last, when night approached, a strong gale began to blow, and each of the barges threw out two stream anchors; but the men on board were so overcome with fatigue, that they were obliged to stand out from the shore, and sail before the wind. In this way they came to the coast of Barjash, where, finding plenty of sea, they succeeded in reaching Bender Shehbar in Mekran. Here they took in water, and by the direction of a pilot, reached Bender Goader; the governor of which, Malek Dinar Oghli Jelal-ad-din, came to examine the state of their fleet, and represented to the sultan the necessity of sending supplies: in consequence of which, fifty or sixty vessels with provisions were sent out, and joined them before they reached Ormuz.