Storia do Mogor 122.3

122.3

During this advance and retreat there was with our army the Father Damiao Vieira, a Portuguese expelled by the Jesuit fathers. The cause of his appearance was that during our stay below the fortress of Punagar (? Puna-garh) the Hindus of Chawal came to complain to Rajah Jai Singh that the Portuguese were seizing forcibly the sons of the Hindus and making them Christians. This made the rajah angry, for he was zealous in the Hindu faith, and he made preparations to send a force against Chawal. On becoming aware of this I gave notice, there and then, to Ignacio Sermento at Bassain [108]. He was chief of the northern territory of the Portuguese, which extends to Damao (Daman). I requested him to send someone as envoy with some presents, and I would arrange matters. He sent this padre, with a young Mahomedan in his suite. He brought this youth expressly to get from him half of what he might acquire, as being well acquainted with the territories of Chawal. He was clever enough to secure the rajah's taking this young man into his service, and thus they shared the pay in a brotherly manner. I spoke to the rajah, and pointed out to him that there was no occasion for the Hindus of Chawal to complain, since what the Portuguese were doing had gone on certainly for a hundred years; nor did they make Christians of anyone but orphans who had no relations forthcoming.