With the city thus surrounded in the way that you have already heard, the provisions were being used up more and more because of the many people dwelling there, including the men from the surrounding villages with their wives and children who had gathered within the city limits, as well as those who came in the fleet from Oporto. Every so often, some of them made for the creeks on the Ribatejo bank in boats, setting out at night and in secret. There, they loaded on board various quantities of wheat that they found there, all of it ready in response to messages they had sent beforehand. They would go out at night, rowing hard, and when one or other of the galleys heard the sound of oars they would speedily row after them. Both sides were put to much hard work: the boats to make their escape and the galleys to try and capture them.

Those waiting for the wheat walked along the shore near Xabregas, watching for its arrival. If those on the lookout saw the galleys rowing towards them, they immediately sounded the bell to summon help. When those in the city heard the bell, they left off their sleep, and many people took their weapons and went out to defend the boats with crossbows if necessary, wounds sometimes being inflicted on both sides. However, they were never caught, except once when a few boats were on the Ribatejo side with wheat and were betrayed by an Almada man and captured by the Castilians. He was later seized, bound, dragged through the streets, mutilated and hanged. Although this wheat was of some help, it was so little and so infrequent that it would have been necessary to multiply it as did Jesus Christ with the loaves, with which He fed the 5,000.

The city exhausted its reserves and was in great straits, so that public alms began to fail, and none of the poor found anyone to give them bread. In this manner, the common loss overcame all compassion and, in view of the great lack of provisions, it was decided that destitute people, unfit to defend the city, should be expelled. This was done two or three times, until all the prostitutes and Jews, and others like them, were thrown out.