The Same Evening He Descried Two Or Three Of
The Earl Of Cumberlands Ships, Whereof One Mr Norton Was Captain,
Which
had descried the carak and pursued in the track she was following for
the islands, but no way could
Be made by either party, as it was almost
a dead calm. In this dilemma, on purpose to discover her force, burden,
and countenance, Sir John took his boat and rowed three miles towards
her, to make her out exactly; and on his return, having consulted with
his officers, it was resolved to board her in the morning. A heavy storm
arose in the night, which forced them to weigh anchor, yet did they bear
up amain against the weather, not to lose the carak. In the morning,
being very near the shore, our men could perceive the carak close to the
land, and the Portuguese using their utmost endeavour to convey whatever
they could from her on shore. Seeing our men making all haste to come
upon her, the Portuguese forsook her, but first, that nothing might be
left for our men, they set her on fire, that neither the glory of
victory nor the benefit of the ship and cargo might remain to the
English. And, lest the English might find means to extinguish the fire,
and thereby to preserve a part of the cargo, being in number 400 well
armed men, they entrenched themselves on shore as near as possible to
the carak, to keep our men aloof till the fire might consume the carak
and all her contents.
Seeing this, Sir John landed with an hundred of his men, many of whom
had to swim on shore or wade more than breast high; and having easily
dispersed those who guarded the shore, he no sooner approached the
entrenchment but the Portuguese fled, leaving as much as the fire had
spared to reward the pains of our men. Among others taken at the
entrenchment, were a Portuguese called Vincent Fonseca, purser of the
carak, with two of her cannoneers, one a German, and the other a
Hollander; who, refusing to give any account voluntarily of what was
asked, were threatened with torture, and then confessed that within
fifteen days three other caraks would certainly arrive at the same
island, there being five caraks in the fleet at their departure from
Goa, the Buen Jesus admiral, Madre de Dios, San Bernardo, San
Christophoro, and Santa Cruz, that now on fire. They had especial orders
from the king of Spain, not in any case to touch at St. Helena, where
the Portuguese caraks used always till now to refresh on their way from
the East Indies, procuring water and fresh, provisions. The reason of
this order was, that the king was informed the English men of war meant
to lie there in wait for them. If therefore, their necessities should
drive them to seek supply any where, they were commanded to put in at
Angola on the coast of Africa, and only to remain there so long as was
necessary to take in water, that they might avoid the inconvenience of
infections, to which that hot country is dangerously liable.
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