Howbeit, As The Sequel Showed, The Spaniards
Meant Nothing Less Upon Their Parts.
For the Viceroy and the governor
thereabout had secretly on land assembled to the number of one thousand
chosen men, and well appointed, meaning the next Thursday, being the
24th of September, at dinner time to assault us, and set upon us on all
sides.
But before I go any further, I think it not amiss briefly to
describe the manner of the island as it then was, and the force and
strength that it is now of. For the Spaniards, since the time of our
General's being there, for the better fortifying of the same place,
have upon the same island built a fair castle and bulwark very well
fortified; this port was then, at our being there, a little island of
stones, not past three foot above water in the highest place, and not
past a bow's shot over any way at the most, and it standeth from the
mainland two bow-shots or more, and there is not in all this coast any
other place for ships safely to arrive at; also the north winds in this
coast are of great violence and force, and unless the ships be safely
moored in, with their anchors fastened in this island, there is no
remedy, but present destruction and shipwreck. All this our General,
wisely foreseeing, did provide that he would have the said island in
his custody, or else the Spaniards might at their pleasure have but cut
our cables, and so with the first north wind that blew we had had our
passport, for our ships had gone ashore. But to return to the matter.
The time approaching that their treason must be put in practice, the
same Thursday morning, some appearance thereof began to show itself, as
shifting of weapons from ship to ship, and planting and bending their
ordnance against our men that warded upon the land with great repair of
people; which apparent shows of breach of the Viceroy's faith caused
our General to send one to the Viceroy to inquire of him what was meant
thereby, who presently sent and gave order that the ordnance aforesaid
and other things of suspicion should be removed, returning answer to
our General in the faith of a Viceroy that he would be our defence and
safety from all villainous treachery. This was upon Thursday, in the
morning. Our General not being therewith satisfied, seeing they had
secretly conveyed a great number of men aboard a great hulk or ship of
theirs of nine hundred tons, which ship rode hard by the Minion, he
sent again to the Viceroy Robert Barret, the master of the Jesus - a man
that could speak the Spanish tongue very well, and required that those
men might be unshipped again which were in that great hulk. The
Viceroy then perceiving that their treason was thoroughly espied,
stayed our master and sounded the trumpet, and gave order that his
people should upon all sides charge upon our men which warded on shore
and elsewhere, which struck such a maze and sudden fear among us, that
many gave place and sought to recover our ships for the safety of
themselves. The Spaniards, which secretly were hid in ambush on land,
were quickly conveyed over to the island in their long boats, and so
coming to the island they slew all our men that they could meet with
without any mercy. The Minion - which had somewhat before prepared
herself to avoid the danger - hailed away, and abode the first brunt of
the three hundred men that were in the great hulk; then they sought to
fall aboard the Jesus, where was a cruel fight, and many of our men
slain; but yet our men defended themselves, and kept them out: so the
Jesus also got loose, and, joining with the Minion, the fight waxed hot
upon all sides; but they having won and got our ordnance on shore, did
greatly annoy us. In this fight there were two great ships of the
Spaniards sunk and one burnt, so that with their ships they were not
able to harm us; but from the shore they beat us cruelly with our own
ordnance in such sort that the Jesus was very sore spoiled, and
suddenly the Spaniards, having fired two great ships of their own, came
directly against us; which bred among our men a marvellous fear.
Howbeit, the Minion, which had made her sails ready, shifted for
herself without consent of the General, captain, or master, so that
very hardly our General could be received into the Minion; the most of
our men that were in the Jesus shifted for themselves, and followed the
Minion in the boat, and those which that small boat was not able to
receive were most cruelly slain by the Spaniards. Of our ships none
escaped save the Minion and the Judith, and all such of our men as were
not in them were enforced to abide the tyrannous cruelty of the
Spaniards. For it is a certain truth, that whereas they had taken
certain of our men at shore, they took and hung them up by the arms
upon high posts until the blood burst out of their fingers' ends; of
which men so used there is one Copstowe and certain others yet alive,
who, through the merciful Providence of the Almighty, were long since
arrived here at home in England, carrying still about with them (and
shall to their graves) the marks and tokens of those their inhuman and
more than barbarous cruel dealing.
THE THIRD CHAPTER.
WHEREIN IS SHOWED HOW THAT, AFTER WE WERE ESCAPED FROM THE SPANIARDS,
WE WERE LIKE TO PERISH WITH FAMINE AT THE SEA, AND HOW OUR GENERAL, FOR
THE AVOIDING THEREOF, WAS CONSTRAINED TO PUT HALF OF HIS MEN ON LAND,
AND WHAT MISERIES WE AFTER THAT SUSTAINED AMONGST THE SAVAGE PEOPLE,
AND HOW WE FELL AGAIN INTO THE HANDS OF THE SPANIARDS.
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