Early In The Morning Of The 7th, Before Day Began To Dawn, We Prepared
For A New Assault, First Recommending Ourselves To God In Prayer.
When
morning came, we found the carack so close to the shore, and the nearest
of our other ships
At least a league from us, that we held our hands for
that day, waiting till the carack might weigh and stand out to sea, as
fitter there to deal with her. In the afternoon, we chested our slain
commander, and committed him to the deep, over against the isle of
Moelia, omitting any ceremony of firing funeral-guns usual on such
occasions, that the enemy might not know our loss.
A little before night the carack put to sea, when we also weighed and
made sail after her. The day now left us, and our proud enemy,
unwilling, as it seems, to have the appearance of escaping by flight,
put forth a light on his poop as before, as if for us to follow him,
which we did to some purpose. The night being well spent, we again
commended ourselves and our cause to God in prayer. Soon afterwards, the
day began to dawn, and appeared as if covered by a red mantle, which
proved a bloody one to many who now beheld the light for the last time.
It was now resolved that our four ships were to take their turns in
succession, to endeavour to force this proud Portuguese either to bend
or break.
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