The
Admiral Therefore Requested These Three Men To Repair To The Town And
Cause A Chaplain To Come To The Hermitage To Say Mass For Them.
To this
these men consented, and went on shore in the caravels boat with half the
crew, that they
Might perform their vow, meaning on their return that the
other half of the ships company should then go on shore in their turn.
They accordingly landed, and proceeded according to their vow barefooted
and in their shirts towards the hermitage; but the governor and many
people from the town, who lay in ambush, suddenly rushed out upon them and
made them all prisoners, taking away their boat at the same time, without
which they believed it impossible for the admiral to get away from thence.
It being now noon, and thinking that the people staid too long on shore as
they went off before day-break, the admiral began to suspect that some
misfortune had befallen them either by land or sea; but not being able to
see the hermitage from the place where he then lay, he sailed round a
point which intervened, and then saw a multitude of people on horseback,
who dismounted and went into the boat to attack the caravel. Suspecting
what had really happened, the admiral ordered all his remaining hands to
quarters well armed, but made no shew of resistance that the Portuguese
might come near. When they were near the admiral, the chief man among them
stood up and demanded a parley, which the admiral agreed to in hope that
he might come on board and might be secured without any breach of faith,
considering that he had seized the Spaniards without any just cause. But
the Portuguese would not venture nearer than was sufficient for being
heard; whereupon the admiral told him that he was surprised at his
irregular proceedings, and that none of his men had come off in the boat,
since they had gone ashore upon assurance of safety and offers of
assistance, and more especially as the governor of the island had sent to
welcome him. He desired him to consider that their conduct was contrary to
the laws of honour, such as even enemies would, not have been guilty of,
and at which the king of Portugal would be highly offended; since when any
of his subjects landed in the dominions of their Catholic majesties or
resided there, even without any safe conduct, they were perfectly safe and
were treated with all manner of civility. Besides, he declared that their
Catholic majesties had given him letters of recommendation to all princes
potentates and other persons in the world, which he was ready to shew if
he would come on board; and as such letters were received in all places
with respect, and he and the subjects of their Catholic majesties always
well treated on their account, much more ought they to be so in the
dominions of Portugal, their sovereigns being such near neighbours and
allies; and as he was their great admiral of the ocean and viceroy of the
Indies which he had discovered, he was ready to shew him all this under
their highnesses hands and seals. Accordingly at that distance he
exhibited his commissions, and told him he might draw near without any
apprehension, as he was commanded to pay the utmost civility to such
Portuguese ships as he might fall in with. He added, that even if they
should persist in detaining his men, this should not prevent his return to
Spain, as he still had a sufficient number, not only to return to Seville,
but if need were to punish his treacherous conduct which he well deserved;
besides that he would be assuredly punished by his own king, for giving a
cause of war between Spain and Portugal.
The Portuguese captain and his men made answer, that they neither knew
their Catholic majesties or their letters, neither did they fear them, and
would make him to know what Portugal was. From this answer, the admiral
suspected that some breach had occurred between the crowns since his
departure, and therefore gave him such an answer as his folly deserved.
At last when about to depart, the captain stood up and said that the
admiral might go with his caravel to the harbour, as all he had done was
by order of the king his master. The admiral desired all his ships company
to bear witness to this, and then calling out to the Portuguese, declared
he would not leave his caravel till he had taken an hundred Portuguese to
carry prisoners to Castile, and that he would utterly destroy the whole
island. This said, the Portuguese went away to the land, and the admiral
came to anchor in the port where he had first arrived, being obliged by
the wind to do so. But the wind increasing next day and the place being
unsafe, he lost his anchors and was obliged to stand out to sea towards
the island of St Michael; resolving, in case he might be unable to come to
anchor there, to stand out to sea notwithstanding the danger, and that he
now had only three able seamen left and some grummets, all the rest of
the crew being landsmen and Indians who knew nothing of sea affairs.
Supplying the want of the absent hands by his own continual personal
attention, he passed the whole of that night in much danger and anxiety,
and when day appeared he perceived that the had lost sight of the island
of St Michael. The weather being now calmer, he resolved to return to St
Mary that he might endeavour to recover his men, anchors, and boat.
On Thursday the twenty-first of February in the afternoon he got back to
the island of St Mary, and a boat soon afterwards came off with five men
and a notary, who all came on board upon assurance of safety, and staid
all night, it being then too late to return safely to the shore.
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