Seeing
This Attack, Our Ships Discharged Four Pieces Of Cannon, At Them, And
They Were So Stupified By The Report, That They Threw Down Their Bows,
And Stared About In Amazement, At The Effect Which The Stones From The
Cannon Made On The Water Around Them.
They continued in this astonishment
for some time; but seeing that the cannon ceased to fire, they plucked up
courage, and renewed the fight, advancing within a stones throw of the
ship.
On this our sailors began to use their cross-bows; and the first
shot, which was made by the natural son of the Genoese gentleman, hit a
negro on the breast, who instantly fell down dead. Those in the almadia
where he fell, took up the dart and gazed at it with wonder; yet they
continued the attack with great vigour, and were courageously opposed by
our caravels, insomuch that many of the Negroes were soon killed, without
the loss of one man on our side. The Negroes now changed their mode of
attack, and made a furious united attack on the stern of our smallest
caravel, which was both ill manned, and insufficiently armed. On
observing this, I brought up my ship to her assistance, and the other
large caravel doing the same, we placed the small one between us, and we
all vigorously plied our cannon and cross-bows against the almadias,
which were at last forced to retire. We now linked all the three caravels
together, and dropped one anchor, which was sufficient for us all, as it
was calm weather, and the current by no means strong.
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