He Was Of So Hardy A
Complexion, That, While Among The Spanish Officers, While At Dinner Or
Supper With Them,
He would swallow three or four bumpers of wine, and
then by way of bravado, crush the glasses between his
Teeth and swallow
them, so that the blood ran out of his mouth, yet without any apparent
harm to him. This was told me by several credible persons, who had often
stood by and beheld him.
The Englishmen who remained alive in the Revenge, as the captain of the
soldiers, the master, and others, were distributed among the different
ships by which she was taken. On taking possession of her, a fight had
almost taken place between the Biscaineers and Portuguese who boarded
her, both claiming the honour of having boarded first, so that there
grew a great noise and quarrel among them, one seizing the chief ensign,
and the other the flag, the captains and every one holding their own.
The ships which had laid her on board were altogether out of order, and
sore shattered, having many of their men hurt, so that they had to come
to Tercera to be repaired. On their arrival, I and my chamber companion,
desirous to hear the news, went on board one of the twelve apostles, or
great ships of Biscay, whose captain was _Bartandono_[387], who had been
general of the Biscaineers in the great armada that went against
England. On seeing us, he called us into his gallery, where he received
us courteously, being then at dinner along with the English captain, who
was dressed in a suit of black velvet, but could not tell us any thing,
as he could speak no other language but English and Latin, which last
Bartandono could speak a little. The English captain was permitted by
the governor of Tercera to land with his sword by his side, and was in
our lodging visiting the Englishman who belonged to the ship of which
the sailors escaped, as I related before. This captain wrote a letter,
in which he related all the particulars of the fight, and left it with
that English merchant who resided in the lodging with us, to forward it
to the lord admiral of England. The captain went afterwards to Lisbon,
where he was honourably received, and sent, to Setubal, whence he sailed
for England with the other prisoners. The master likewise of the Revenge
came on shore, with licence from Bartandono, and lived in the same
lodgings with us. He had at the least 10 or 12 wounds, in his head and
body, of which he afterwards died on his voyage from the islands to
Lisbon.
[Footnote 387: Named Britandona in the foregoing section. - E.]
The Spanish navy remained at the Azores till the end of September, to
assemble all the fleet together, which in the end amounted to the number
of 140 sail in all, including the ships of war and those of the Indies.
When all ready to sail, there arose suddenly so violent a storm, that
the islanders declared nothing like it had been seen in the memory of
man.
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