The Dutch besiege Colombo
King Rajasinghe, who was over-joyed made plans to come to Colombo. Before he came, he sent a government agent to Colombo, to help the Dutch. However, he had some suspicions that the Dutch would do the same thing they did after capturing Batticaloa, Negombo and Galle.
That was because the Dutch started claiming ownership to the fortresses they captured. That is the reason the king wanted to stay in Colombo. He sent several reminders to the Dutch – to the effect that once Colombo was captured, the fortress should be completely demolished.
Meanwhile, the Dutch broke down half of the foundation of the St. John entrance. They were planning to besiege the city, both from land and sea, by November 12th. They managed to take four ships into the bay. Then they attacked the St. Crusze front.
Once that was done they started jumping into all the fronts that belonged to the Portuguese. They divided themselves into three groups. One big group of soldiers took ladders and marched towards the city. Another group tried to enter from behind the St. Francis Xavier wall.
By Halaliye Karunathilake
Edited and translated by Kamala Silva
Illustrated by Saman Kalubowila