And Being Called Unto By The Guard, He Told
Them Before He Put Foot Out Of The Boat What He
Was himself, and how
the Spaniards were gone from the fort; offering either to remain in
hands there, or else
To return to the place with them that would go.
[The 'Prince of Orange's Song' was a popular ditty in praise of
William Prince of Orange (assassinated 1584), the leader of the Dutch
Protestant insurgents.]
Upon this intelligence the General, the Lieutenant-General, with some
of the captains in one skiff and the Vice-Admiral with some others in
his skiff, and two or three pinnaces furnished of soldiers with them,
put presently over towards the fort, giving order for the rest of the
pinnaces to follow. And in our approach some of the enemy, bolder than
the rest, having stayed behind their company, shot off two pieces of
ordnance at us; but on shore we went, and entered the place without
finding any man there.
When the day appeared, we found it built all of timber, the walls
being none other than whole masts or bodies of trees set upright and
close together in manner of a pale, without any ditch as yet made, but
wholly intended with some more time. For they had not as yet finished
all their work, having begun the same some three or four months
before; so as, to say the truth, they had no reason to keep it, being
subject both to fire and easy assault.
The platform whereon the ordnance lay was whole bodies of long pine-
trees, whereof there is great plenty, laid across one on another and
some little earth amongst. There were in it thirteen or fourteen great
pieces of brass ordnance and a chest unbroken up, having in it the
value of some two thousand pounds sterling, by estimation, of the
king's treasure, to pay the soldiers of that place, who were a hundred
and fifty men.
The fort thus won, which they called St. John's Fort, and the day
opened, we assayed to go to the town, but could not by reason of some
rivers and broken ground which was between the two places. And
therefore being enforced to embark again into our pinnaces, we went
thither upon the great main river, which is called, as also the town,
by the name of St. Augustine. At our approaching to land, there were
some that began to shew themselves, and to bestow some few shot upon
us, but presently withdrew themselves. And in their running thus away,
the Sergeant-Major finding one of their horses ready saddled and
bridled, took the same to follow the chase; and so overgoing all his
company, was by one laid behind a bush shot through the head; and
falling down therewith, was by the same and two or three more, stabbed
in three or four places of his body with swords and daggers, before
any could come near to his rescue. His death was much lamented, being
in very deed an honest wise gentleman, and soldier of good experience,
and of as great courage as any man might be.
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