Being Thus To Leeward,
The French Admiral Kept On Towards The Shore And Left Us.
We hoisted
our topsails and gave chase to the enemy, but both the other French
ships kept their wind and would not come near us, and our own consort
was so much astern that she could not get up to our assistance.
When we
had followed them to seaward about two hours, the enemy put about
towards the land, thinking to pay us as they went past, and to gain the
wind of the French admiral which had gone in shore; but we put about
likewise keeping still the weather gage, expecting our consort and the
rest to have followed our example. But when the Portuguese had passed
our consort and the two French ships, firing as they went along, all of
these ships and our own pinnace continued to seawards, leaving us in the
_laps_, (lurch.) We continued our course after the enemy, keeping the
weather gage, that we might succour the French admiral who was to
leeward of them all; and on coming up with him, all the enemies ships
bore down and gave him their broadsides, after which they put about
again, but durst not board him as we were still to wind-wind of them,
otherwise they had certainly taken or sunk him. Three of their smallest
vessels were such prime sailors that it was quite impossible for any of
our ships to have boarded them, and they carried such ordnance that they
would have sore troubled any three of our ships; if they had been able
to gain the weather-gage. Their other ships, the admiral and
vice-admiral, were both notably appointed.
[Footnote 265: Bore down upon them. - E.]
[Footnote 266: Meaning apparently that she lay too much over to
leeward. - E.]
When the French admiral was clear of them, he lay as near the wind as
possible and ran to seaward after the rest, while we followed the enemy
to leeward. Then seeing us alone and in chase, they put about, which we
did likewise to keep the wind of them, and in this situation we sailed
within _base_ shot of them, but they shot not at us, because we had the
weather gage and they could not therefore harm us. We continued in this
course till night, when we lost sight of them. All the rest of our ships
made to seawards with all the sail they could carry; and, as they
confessed themselves afterwards, they gave us their prayers, and no
other help had we at their hands.
Next day, the 28th, we rejoined our own consort and pinnace, and two of
the French ships, but the third, which was a ship of 80 tons belonging
to Rouen, had fled. I took my skiff and went to them to know why they,
had deserted me. John Kire said his ship would neither rear nor
stear[267]. John Davis said the pinnace had broke her rudder, so that
she could sail no farther, and had been taken in tow by the Hart.
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