The land army of the enemy now brought their ordnance to the point, where they began a furious cannonade upon; the caravels, yet without doing us any harm, as our people were all effectually secured by means of high wooden defences on the gunwales of their vessels; whereas every shot of ours made prodigious havoc among the enemy, who were quite unsheltered.  The zamorin sent orders to his fleet to come on with all expedition, to deliver him and his men from this imminent danger.  The Calicut fleet now approached in most formidable order, having several fire rafts in front, intended for setting our caravels on fire.  After them came 110 paraws, full of men, and every one of them having ordnance, many of these being fastened together by means of chains.  After these came 100 catures and eighty tonys, each of which had a piece of ordnance and thirty men.  In the rear of all came the eight castles, which kept close by the point of Arraul, as the ebb was not yet altogether entered.[7] The enemy came on with loud shouts and the sound of many instruments, as if to an assured victory, and immediately began a furious cannonade.  Their fire rafts advanced burning in a most alarming manner, but were stopped by the canizos, or rafts of defence, formerly mentioned.  By these likewise, the paraws and other vessels of the enemy were prevented from closing with our caravels and boats, which they seem to have intended.  In this part of the battle many of the paraws and other vessels of the enemy were torn to pieces and sunk, and a great number of their men were killed and wounded.  On the turn of the tide, the floating castles put off from the point, and were towed by boats towards the caravels.  In the largest of these castles there were forty men, in others thirty-five, and the smallest had thirty, all armed with bows or matchlocks, besides ordnance; and they seemed quite an irresistible force in comparison of ours, which consisted only of two caravels and two armed boats.

When the largest castle came up to our floating defence, it immediately commenced a tremendous fire of all its ordnance upon our caravels; and at this time Pacheco ordered a saker to be shot off, which seemed to do very little harm even at a second discharge.  The remainder of the castles now came into their stations, and the battle raged with the utmost fury.  What with incessant flights of arrows, and the smoke of so many guns, our people could seldom see the vessels of the enemy.  In this extremity, the saker was discharged a third time against the largest castle, which had been somewhat shaken by the two former discharges.  By this shot its iron work was broken, some of its beams were forced from their places, and several of the men on board were slain.  By two other discharges of the saker this castle was all torn in pieces, and was forced to retire out of the battle.  Still however the rest of the castles, and the numerous fleet of small craft kept up the fight.  Towards evening