DRAKE'S GREAT ARMADA by Captain Walter Biggs PREPARER'S NOTE This text was prepared from a 1910 edition, published by P. F. Collier &Son Company, New York. INTRODUCTION Nearly five years elapsed between Drake's return from his FamousVoyage and the despatch of the formidable armament commemorated in thefollowing pages. During the last of these years the march of events hadbeen remarkably rapid. Gilbert, who had been empowered by Elizabeth, inthe year of Frobisher's last expedition, to found colonies in America, had sailed for that purpose to Newfoundland (1583), and had perishedat sea on his way homeward. Raleigh, who had succeeded to hishalf-brother's enterprises, had despatched his exploring expedition to'Virginia, ' under Amadas and Barlow, in 1584, and had followed it upin the next year (1585) by an actual colony. In April Sir RichardGreenville sailed from Plymouth, and at Raleigh's expense establishedabove a hundred colonists on the island of Roanoak. Drake's Great Armadaleft Plymouth in September of the same year. It marked a turning-pointin the relations between the English and Spanish monarchs. Elizabeth, knowing that the suppression of the insurrection in the Netherlandswould be followed by an attack upon England, was treating with theinsurgents. Philip deemed it prudent to lay an embargo on all hersubjects, together with their ships and goods, that might be found inhis dominions. Elizabeth at once authorized general reprisals on theships and goods of Spaniards. A company of adventurers was quicklyformed for taking advantage of this permission on a scale commensuratewith the national resources. They equipped an armada of twenty-fivevessels, manned by 2, 300 men, and despatched it under the command ofDrake to plunder Spanish America. Frobisher was second in command. Two-thirds of the booty were to belong to the adventurers; the remainingthird was to be divided among the men employed in the expedition. Drake's armament of 1585 was the greatest that had ever crossed theAtlantic. After plundering some vessels at the Vigo river, he sailed forthe West Indies by way of the Canaries and Cape Verde Islands, hoistedthe English flag over Santiago and burnt the town, crossed the Atlanticin eighteen days, and arrived at Dominica. At daybreak, on New Year'sDay, 1586, Drake's soldiers landed in Espanola, a few miles to the westof the capital, and before evening Carlile and Powell had entered thecity, which the colonists only saved from destruction by the payment ofa heavy ransom. Drake's plan was to do exactly the same at Carthagenaand Nombre de Dios, and thence to strike across the isthmus and securethe treasure that lay waiting for transport at Panama. Drake held St. Domingo for a month, and Carthagena for six weeks. He was compelled toforego the further prosecution of his enterprise. A deadly fever, whichhad attacked the men during the sojourn at Santiago, still continuedits ravages. In existing circumstances, even had Nombre de Dios beensuccessfully attacked, the march to Panama was out of the question;and after consultation with the military commanders, Drake resolved onsailing home at once by way of Florida. He brought back with him allthe colonists who had been left by Sir Richard Greenville in 'Virginia. 'Drake had offered either to furnish them with stores, and to leave thema ship, or to take them home. The former was accepted: but a furiousstorm which ensued caused them to change their minds. They recognizedin it the hand of God, whose will it evidently was that they should nolonger be sojourners in the American wilderness; and the first Englishsettlement of 'Virginia' was abandoned accordingly. Ten years afterwards (1595) Drake was again at the head of a similarexpedition. The second command was given to his old associate Hawkins, Frobisher, his Vice-Admiral in 1585, having recently died of the woundreceived at Crozon. This time Nombre de Dios was taken and burnt, and750 soldiers set out under Sir Thomas Baskerville to march to Panama:but at the first of the three forts which the Spaniards had by this timeconstructed, the march had to be abandoned. Drake did not long survivethis second failure of his favourite scheme. He was attacked bydysentery a fortnight afterwards, and in a month he died. When he feltthe hand of death upon him, he rose, dressed himself, and endeavoured tomake a farewell speech to those around him. Exhausted by the effort, hewas lifted to his berth, and within an hour breathed his last. Hawkinshad died off Puerto Rico six weeks previously. The following narrative is in the main the composition of Walter Biggs, who commanded a company of musketeers under Carlile. Biggs was one ofthe five hundred and odd men who succumbed to the fever. He died shortlyafter the fleet sailed from Carthagena; and the narrative was completedby some comrade. The story of this expedition, which had inflicted suchdamaging blows on the Spaniards in America, was eminently calculated toinspire courage among those who were resisting them in Europe. Cates, one of Carlile's lieutenants, obtained the manuscript and preparedit for the press, accompanied by illustrative maps and plans. Thepublication was delayed by the Spanish Armada; but a copy found its wayto Holland, where it was translated into Latin, and appeared at Leyden, in a slightly abridged form, in 1588. The original English narrativeduly appeared in London in the next year. The document called the'Resolution of the Land-Captains' was inserted by Hakluyt when hereprinted the narrative in 1600. DRAKE'S GREAT ARMADA NARRATIVE MAINLY BY CAPTAIN WALTER BIGGS _A Summary and True Discourse of Sir Francis Drake's West Indian Voyage, begun in the year 1585. Wherein were taken the cities of Santiago, Santo Domingo, Carthagena, and the town of St. Augustine, in Florida. Published by Master Thomas Cates. _ This worthy knight, for the service of his prince and country, having prepared his whole fleet, and gotten them down to Plymouth, inDevonshire, to the number of five and twenty sail of ships and pinnaces, and having assembled of soldiers and mariners to the number of 2, 300 inthe whole, embarked them and himself at Plymouth aforesaid, the 12th dayof September, 1585, being accompanied with these men of name and chargewhich hereafter follow: Master Christopher Carlile, Lieutenant-General, a man of long experience in the wars as well by sea as land, who hadformerly carried high offices in both kinds in many fights, which hedischarged always very happily, and with great good reputation; AnthonyPowell, Sergeant-Major; Captain Matthew Morgan, and Captain JohnSampson, Corporals of the Field. These officers had commandment over therest of the land-captains, whose names hereafter follow: Captain AnthonyPlatt, Captain Edward Winter, Captain John Goring, Captain Robert Pew, Captain George Barton, Captain John Merchant, Captain William Cecil, Captain Walter Biggs [The writer of the first part of the narrative. ], Captain John Hannam, Captain Richard Stanton. Captain Martin Frobisher, Vice-Admiral, a man of great experience in seafaring actions, whohad carried the chief charge of many ships himself, in sundry voyagesbefore, being now shipped in the Primrose; Captain Francis Knolles, Rear-Admiral in the galleon Leicester; Master Thomas Venner, captainin the Elizabeth Bonadventure, under the General; Master Edward Winter, captain in the Aid; Master Christopher Carlile, the Lieutenant-General, captain of the Tiger; Henry White, captain of the Sea-Dragon; ThomasDrake [Francis Drake's brother. ], captain of the Thomas; Thomas Seeley, captain of the Minion; Baily, captain of the Talbot; Robert Cross, captain of the bark Bond; George Fortescue, captain of the bark Bonner;Edward Careless, captain of the Hope; James Erizo, captain of the WhiteLion; Thomas Moon, captain of the Francis; John Rivers, captain of theVantage; John Vaughan, captain of the Drake; John Varney, captain of theGeorge; John Martin, captain of the Benjamin; Edward Gilman, captainof the Scout; Richard Hawkins, captain of the galliot called the Duck;Bitfield, captain of the Swallow. After our going hence, which was the 14th of September, in the year ofour Lord 1585, and taking our course towards Spain, we had the wind fora few days somewhat scant, and sometimes calm. And being arrivednear that part of Spain which is called the Moors [Muros, S. Of CapeFinisterre. ], we happened to espy divers sails, which kept their courseclose by the shore, the weather being fair and calm. The General causedthe Vice-Admiral to go with the pinnaces well manned to see what theywere; who upon sight of the said pinnaces approaching near unto them, abandoned for the most part all their ships, being Frenchmen, laden allwith salt, and bound homewards into France. Amongst which ships, beingall of small burthen, there was one so well liked, which also had no manin her, as being brought unto the General, he thought good to make stayof her for the service, meaning to pay for her, as also accordingly heperformed at our return; which bark was called the Drake. The rest ofthese ships, being eight or nine, were dismissed without anything at alltaken from them. Who being afterwards put somewhat farther off from theshore, by the contrariety of the wind, we happened to meet with someother French ships, full laden with Newland fish, being upon theirreturn homeward from the said Newfoundland; whom the General aftersome speech had with them, and seeing plainly that they were Frenchmen, dismissed, without once suffering any man to go aboard of them. The day following, standing in with the shore again, we decried anothertall ship of twelve score tons or thereabouts, upon whom Master Carlile, the Lieutenant-General, being in the Tiger, undertook the chase; whomalso anon after the Admiral followed. And the Tiger having caused thesaid strange ship to strike her sails, kept her there without sufferinganybody to go aboard until the Admiral was come up; who forthwithsending for the master, and divers others of their principal men, andcausing them to be severally examined, found the ship and goods tobe belonging to the inhabitants of St. Sebastian, in Spain, but themariners to be for the most part belonging to St. John de Luz, and thePassage. In this ship was great store of dry Newland fish, commonlycalled with us Poor John; whereof afterwards, being thus found a lawfulprize, there was distribution made into all the ships of the fleet, thesame being so new and good, as it did very greatly bestead us in thewhole course of our voyage. A day or two after the taking of this shipwe put in within the Isles of Bayon [The Cies Islets, at the mouth ofthe Vigo River. ], for lack of favourable wind. Where we had no sooneranchored some part of the fleet, but the General commanded all thepinnaces with the shipboats to be manned, and every man to be furnishedwith such arms as were needful for that present service; which beingdone, the General put himself into his galley, which was also wellfurnished, and rowing towards the city of Bayon, with intent, and thefavour of the Almighty, to surprise it. Before we had advanced onehalf-league of our way there came a messenger, being an Englishmerchant, from the governor, to see what strange fleet we were; whocame to our General, conferred a while with him, and after a small timespent, our General called for Captain Sampson, and willed him to go tothe governor of the city, to resolve him of two points. The first toknow if there were any wars between Spain and England; the second, whyour merchants with their goods were embarged or arrested? Thus departedCaptain Sampson with the said messenger to the city, where he found thegovernor and people much amazed of such a sudden accident. The General, with the advice and counsel of Master Carlile, his Lieutenant-General, who was in the galley with him, thought not good to make any stand, tillsuch time as they were within the shot of the city, where they might beready upon the return of Captain Sampson, to make a sudden attempt, ifcause did require, before it were dark. Captain Sampson returned with his message in this sort:--First, touchingpeace or wars, the governor said he knew of no wars and that it lay notin him to make any, he being so mean a subject as he was. And as for thestay of the merchants with their goods, it was the king's pleasure, but not with intent to endamage any man. And that the king'scounter-commandment was (which had been received in that place someseven-night before) that English merchants with their goods should bedischarged. For the more verifying whereof, he sent such merchants aswere in the town of our nation, who trafficked those parts; which beingat large declared to our General by them, counsel was taken what mightbest be done. And for that the night approached, it was thought needfulto land our forces, which was done in the shutting up of the day; andhaving quartered ourselves to our most advantage, with sufficient guardupon every strait, we thought to rest ourselves for that night there. The Governor sent us some refreshing, as bread, wine, oil, apples, grapes, marmalade and such like. About midnight the weather began toovercast, insomuch that it was thought meeter to repair aboard, than tomake any longer abode on land. And before we could recover the fleet agreat tempest arose, which caused many of our ships to drive from theiranchorhold, and some were forced to sea in great peril, as the barkTalbot, the bark Hawkins, and the Speedwell; which Speedwell only wasdriven into England, the others recovered us again. The extremity of thestorm lasted three days; which no sooner began to assuage, but MasterCarlile, our Lieutenant-General, was sent with his own ship and threeothers, as also with the galley and with divers pinnaces, to see whathe might do above Vigo, where he took many boats and some carvels, diversely laden with things of small value, but chiefly with householdstuff, running into the high country. And amongst the rest he found oneboat laden with the principal church stuff of the high church of Vigo, where also was their great cross of silver, of very fair embossed workand double-gilt all over, having cost them a great mass of money. Theycomplained to have lost in all kinds of goods above thirty thousandducats in this place. The next day the General with his whole fleet went from up the Isles ofBayon to a very good harbour above Vigo, where Master Carlile stayed hiscoming, as well for the more quiet riding of his ships, as also for thegood commodity of fresh watering which the place there did afford fullwell. In the meantime the governor of Galicia had reared such forces ashe might (his numbers by estimate were some 2000 foot and 300 horse), and marched from Bayona to this part of the country, which lay in sightof our fleet; where, making a stand, he sent to parley with our General. Which was granted by our General, so it might be in boats upon thewater; and for safety of their persons there were pledges delivered onboth sides. Which done, the governor of Galicia put himself with twoothers into our Vice-Admiral's skiff, the same having been sent to theshore for him, and in like sort our General went in his own skiff. Whereby them it was agreed we should furnish ourselves with fresh water, tobe taken by our own people quietly on the land, and have all other suchnecessaries, paying for the same, as the place would afford. When all our business was ended we departed, and took our way by theIslands of Canaria, which are esteemed some 300 leagues from this partof Spain; and falling purposely with Palma, with intention to have takenour pleasure of that place, for the full digesting of many things intoorder, and the better furnishing our store with such several good thingsas it affordeth very abundantly, we were forced by the vile sea-gate, which at that present fell out, and by the naughtiness of thelanding-place, being but one, and that under the favour of manyplatforms well furnished with great ordnance, to depart with the receiptof many of their cannon-shot, some into our ships and some besides, some of them being in very deed full cannon high. But the only or chiefmischief was the dangerous sea-surge, which at shore all alongst plainlythreatened the overthrow of as many pinnaces and boats as for that timeshould have attempted any landing at all. Now seeing the expectation of this attempt frustrated by the causesaforesaid, we thought it meeter to fall with the Isle Ferro, to see ifwe could find any better fortune; and coming to the island we landed athousand men in a valley under a high mountain, where we stayed some twoor three hours. In which time the inhabitants, accompanied with a youngfellow born in England, who dwelt there with them, came unto us, shewingtheir state to be so poor that they were all ready to starve, which wasnot untrue; and therefore without anything gotten, we were all commandedpresently to embark, so as that night we put off to sea south-south-eastalong towards the coast of Barbary. Upon Saturday in the morning, being the 13th of November, we fell withCape Blank, which is a low land and shallow water, where we catchedstore of fish; and doubling the cape, we put into the bay, where wefound certain French ships of war, whom we entertained with greatcourtesy, and there left them. This afternoon the whole fleet assembled, which was a little scattered about their fishing, and put from thence tothe Isles of Cape Verde, sailing till the 16th of the same month in themorning; on which day we descried the Island of Santiago. And in theevening we anchored the fleet between the town called the Playa or Prayaand Santiago; where we put on shore 1000 men or more, under the leadingof Master Christopher Carlile, Lieutenant-General, who directed theservice most like a wise commander. The place where we had first tomarch did afford no good order, for the ground was mountainous and fullof dales, being a very stony and troublesome passage; but such was hisindustrious disposition, as he would never leave, until we had gotten upto a fair plain, where we made stand for the assembling of the army. Andwhen we were all gathered together upon the plain, some two miles fromthe town, the Lieutenant-General thought good not to make attempt tilldaylight, because there was not one that could serve for guide or givingknowledge at all of the place. And therefore after having well rested, even half an hour before day, he commanded the army to be divided intothree special parts, such as he appointed, whereas before we had marchedby several companies, being thereunto forced by the badness of the wayas is aforesaid. Now by the time we were thus ranged into a very braveorder, daylight began to appear. And being advanced hard to the wall, we saw no enemy to resist. Whereupon the Lieutenant-General appointedCaptain Sampson with thirty shot, and Captain Barton with other thirty, to go down into the town, which stood in the valley under us, and mightvery plainly be viewed all over from that place where the whole armywas now arrived; and presently after these captains was sent the greatensign, which had nothing in it but the plain English cross, to beplaced towards the sea, that our fleet might see St. George's crossflourish in the enemy's fortress. Order was given that all the ordnancethroughout the town and upon all the platforms, which were about fiftypieces all ready charged, should be shot off in honour of the Queen'sMajesty's coronation day, being the 17th of November, after the yearlycustom of England, which was so answered again by the ordnance out ofall the ships in the fleet, which now come near, as it was strange tohear such a thundering noise last so long together. In this mean whilethe Lieutenant-General held still the most part of his force on thehilltop, till such time as the town was quartered out for the lodgingof the whole army. Which being done, every captain took his own quarter;and in the evening was placed such a sufficient guard upon every partof the town that we had no cause to fear any present enemy. Thus wecontinued in the city the space of fourteen days, taking such spoils asthe place yielded, which were, for the most part, wine, oil, meal, andsome other such like things for victual as vinegar, olives, and someother trash, as merchandise for their Indian trades. But there was notfound any treasure at all, or anything else of worth besides. The situation of Santiago is somewhat strange; in form like a triangle, having on the east and west sides two mountains of rock and cliff, as itwere hanging over it; upon the top of which two mountains were buildedcertain fortifications to preserve the town from any harm that might beoffered, as in a plot is plainly shewed. From thence on the south sideof the town is the main sea; and on the north side, the valley lyingbetween the aforesaid mountains, wherein the town standeth. The saidvalley and town both do grow very narrow; insomuch that the spacebetween the two cliffs of this end of the town is estimated not tobe above ten or twelve score [yards] over. In the midst of the valleycometh down a riveret, rill, or brook of fresh water, which hard by theseaside maketh a pond or pool, whereout our ships were watered withvery great ease and pleasure. Somewhat above the town on the north side, between the two mountains, the valley waxeth somewhat larger than at thetown's end; which valley is wholly converted into gardens and orchards, well replenished with divers sorts of fruits, herbs, and trees, aslemons, oranges, sugar-canes, _cocars_ or cocos nuts, plantains, potato-roots, cucumbers, small and round onions, garlic, and some otherthings not now remembered. Amongst which the cocos nuts and plantainsare very pleasant fruits; the said cocos hath a hard shell and a greenhusk over it as hath our walnut, but it far exceedeth in greatness, forthis cocos in his green husk is bigger than any man's two fists. Ofthe hard shell many drinking cups are made here in England, and set insilver as I have often seen. Next within this hard shell is a white rindresembling in show very much, even as any thing may do, to the white ofan egg when it is hard boiled. And within this white of the nut lieth awater, which is whitish and very clear, to the quantity of half a pintor thereabouts; which water and white rind before spoken of are bothof a very cool fresh taste, and as pleasing as anything may be. Ihave heard some hold opinion that it is very restorative. The plantaingroweth in cods, somewhat like to beans, but is bigger and longer, andmuch more thick together on the stalk; and when it waxeth ripe, themeat which filleth the rind of the cod becometh yellow, and is exceedingsweet and pleasant. In this time of our being there happened to come a Portugal to thewestern fort, with a flag of truce. To whom Captain Sampson was sentwith Captain Goring; who coming to the said messenger, he first askedthem, What nation they were? they answered Englishmen. He then requiredto know if wars were between England and Spain; to which they answered, that they knew not, but if he would go to their General he could bestresolve him of such particulars. And for his assurance of passage andrepassage these captains made offer to engage their credits, which herefused for that he was not sent from his governor. Then they told himif his governor did desire to take a course for the common benefit ofthe people and country his best way were to come and present himselfunto our noble and merciful governor, Sir Francis Drake, whereby hemight be assured to find favour, both for himself and the inhabitants. Otherwise within three days we should march over the land, and consumewith fire all inhabited places, and put to the sword all such livingsouls as we should chance upon. So thus much he took for the conclusionof his answer. And departing, he promised to return the next day; but wenever heard more of him. Upon the 24th of November, the General, accompanied with theLieutenant-General and 600 men, marched forth to a village twelvemiles within the land, called Saint Domingo, where the governor and thebishop, with all the better sort, were lodged; and by eight of the clockwe came to it, finding the place abandoned, and the people fled into themountains. So we made stand a while to ease ourselves, and partly to seeif any would come to speak to us. After we had well rested ourselves, the General commanded the troops to march away homewards. In whichretreat the enemy shewed themselves, both horse and foot, though notsuch force as durst encounter us; and so in passing some time at thegaze with them, it waxed late and towards night before we could recoverhome to Santiago. On Monday, the 26th of November, the General commanded all the pinnaceswith the boats to use all diligence to embark the army into such shipsas every man belonged. The Lieutenant-General in like sort commandedCaptain Goring and Lieutenant Tucker, with one hundred shot, to makea stand in the marketplace until our forces were wholly embarked; theVice-Admiral making stay with his pinnace and certain boats in theharbour, to bring the said last company abroad the ships. Also theGeneral willed forthwith the galley with two pinnaces to take into themthe company of Captain Barton, and the company of Captain Biggs, underthe leading of Captain Sampson, to seek out such munition as was hiddenin the ground, at the town of Praya, or Playa, having been promised tobe shewed it by a prisoner which was taken the day before. The captains aforesaid coming to the Playa, landed their men; andhaving placed the troop in their best strength, Captain Sampson tookthe prisoner, and willed him to show that he had promised. The whichhe could not, or at least would not; but they searching all suspectedplaces, found two pieces of ordnance, one of iron, another of brass. Inthe afternoon the General anchored with the rest of the fleet before thePlaya, coming himself ashore, willing us to burn the town and make allhaste aboard; the which was done by six of the clock the same day, and ourselves embarked again the same night. And so we put off to seasouth-west. But before our departure from the town of Santiago, we establishedorders for the better government of the army. Every man mustered to hiscaptain, and oaths were ministered, to acknowledge her Majesty supremeGovernor, as also every man to do his utter-most endeavour to advancethe service of the action, and to yield due obedience unto thedirections of the General and his officers. By this provident counsel, and laying down this good foundation beforehand, all things went forwardin a due course, to the achieving of our happy enterprise. In all the time of our being here, neither the governor for the saidKing of Spain, which is a Portugal, neither the bishop, whose authorityis great, neither the inhabitants of the town, or island, ever came atus; which we expected they should have done, to entreat us to leavethem some part of their needful provisions, or at the least to sparethe ruining of their town at our going away. The cause of this theirunreasonable distrust, as I do take it, was the fresh remembrance ofthe great wrongs that they had done to old Master William Hawkins, ofPlymouth, in the voyage he made four or five years before, whenas theydid both break their promise, and murdered many of his men; whereof Ijudge you have understood, and therefore it is needless to be repeated. But since they came not at us, we left written in sundry places, as alsoin the Spital House (which building was only appointed to be spared), the great discontentment and scorn we took at this their refraining tocome unto us, as also at the rude manner of killing, and savage kind ofhandling the dead body of one of our boys found by them straggling allalone, from whom they had taken his head and heart, and had straggledthe other bowels about the place, in a most brutish and beastly manner. In revenge whereof at our departing we consumed with fire all thehouses, as well in the country which we saw, as in the town of Santiago. From hence putting off to the West Indies, we were not many days at seabut there began among our people such mortality as in a few days therewere dead above two or three hundred men. And until some seven or eightdays after our coming from Santiago, there had not died any one manof sickness in all the fleet. The sickness showed not his infection, wherewith so many were strucken, until we were departed thence; and thenseized our people with extreme hot burning and continual agues, whereofvery few escaped with life, and yet those for the most part not withoutgreat alteration and decay of their wits and strength for a long timeafter. In some that died were plainly shown the small spots which areoften found upon those that be infected with the plague. We were notabove eighteen days in passage between the sight of Santiago aforesaid, and the island of Dominica, being the first island of the West Indiesthat we fell withal; the same being inhabited with savage people, whichgo all naked, their skin coloured with some painting of a reddishtawny, very personable and handsome strong men, who do admit littleconversation with the Spaniards; for, as some of our people mightunderstand them, they had a Spaniard or twain prisoners with them. Neither do I think that there is any safety for any of our nation, orany other, to be within the limits of their commandment; albeit theyused us very kindly for those few hours of time which we spent withthem, helping our folks to fill and carry on their bare shoulders freshwater from the river to our ships' boats, and fetching from their housesgreat store of tobacco, as also a kind of bread which they fed on, called cassavi, very white and savoury, made of the roots of cassavi. Inrecompense whereof we bestowed liberal rewards of glass, coloured beads, and other things, which we had found at Santiago; wherewith, as itseemed, they rested very greatly satisfied, and shewed some sorrowfulcountenance when they perceived that we would depart. From hence we went to another island westward of it, called SaintChristopher's Island; wherein we spent some days of Christmas, torefresh our sick people, and to cleanse and air our ships. In whichisland were not any people at all that we could hear of. In which time by the General it was advised and resolved, with theconsent of the Lieutenant-General, the Vice-Admiral, and all the rest ofthe captains, to proceed to the great island of Hispaniola, as wellfor that we knew ourselves then to be in our best strength, as alsothe rather allured thereunto by the glorious fame of the city of St. Domingo, being the ancientest and chief inhabited place in all the tractof country thereabouts. And so proceeding in this determination, bythe way we met a small frigate, bound for the same place, the which theVice-Admiral took; and having duly examined the men that were in her, there was one found by whom we were advertised the haven to be a barredhaven, and the shore or land thereof to be well fortified, having acastle thereupon furnished with great store of artillery, without thedanger whereof was no convenient landing-place within ten English milesof the city, to which the said pilot took upon him to conduct us. All things being thus considered on, the whole forces were commandedin the evening to embark themselves in pinnaces, boats, and other smallbarks appointed for this service. Our soldiers being thus embarked, theGeneral put himself into the bark Francis as Admiral; and all thisnight we lay on the sea, bearing small sail until our arrival to thelanding-place, which was about the breaking of the day. And so welanded, being New Year's Day, nine or ten miles to the westwards of thatbrave city of St. Domingo; for at that time nor yet is known to usany landing-place, where the sea-surge doth not threaten to overseta pinnace or boat. Our General having seen us all landed in safety, returned to his fleet, bequeathing us to God, and the good conduct ofMaster Carlile, our Lieutenant-General; at which time, being about eightof the clock, we began to march. And about noon-time, or towards one ofthe clock, we approached the town; where the gentleman and those of thebetter sort, being some hundred and fifty brave horses, or rather more, began to present themselves. But our small shot played upon them, whichwere so sustained with good proportion of pikes in all parts, as theyfinding no part of our troop unprepared to receive them (for you mustunderstand they viewed all round about) they were thus driven to give usleave to proceed towards the two gates of the town which were the nextto the seaward. They had manned them both, and planted their ordnancefor that present and sudden alarm without the gate, and also some troopsof small shot in _ambuscado_ upon the highway side. We divided our wholeforce, being some thousand or twelve hundred men, into two parts, toenterprise both the gates at one instant; the Lieutenant-General havingopenly vowed to Captain Powell, who led the troop that entered the othergate, that with God's good favour he would not rest until our meeting inthe market-place. Their ordnance had no sooner discharged upon our near approach, and madesome execution amongst us, though not much, but the Lieutenant-Generalbegan forthwith to advance both his voice of encouragement and pace ofmarching; the first man that was slain with the ordnance being very nearunto himself; and thereupon hasted all that he might, to keep them fromthe recharging of the ordnance. And notwithstanding their _ambuscados_, we marched or rather ran so roundly into them, as pell-mell we enteredthe gates, and gave them more care every man to save himself by flight, than reason to stand any longer to their broken fight. We forthwithrepaired to the market-place, but to be more truly understood, a placeof very spacious square ground; whither also came, as had been agreed, Captain Powell with the other troop. Which place with some part nextunto it, we strengthened with _barricados_, and there as the mostconvenient place assured ourselves, the city being far too spaciousfor so small and weary a troop to undertake to guard. Somewhat aftermidnight, they who had the guard of the castle, hearing us busy aboutthe gates of the said castle, abandoned the same; some being takenprisoners, and some fleeing away by the help of boats to the other sideof the haven, and so into the country. The next day we quartered a little more at large, but not into the halfpart of the town; and so making substantial trenches, and planting allthe ordnance, that each part was correspondent to other, we held thistown the space of one month. In the which time happened some accidents, more than are well rememberedfor the present. But amongst other things, it chanced that the Generalsent on his message to the Spaniards a negro boy with a flag of white, signifying truce, as is the Spanish ordinary manner to do there, whenthey approach to speak to us; which boy unhappily was first met withalby some of those who had been belonging as officers for the king in theSpanish galley, which with the town was lately fallen into our hands. Who, without all order or reason, and contrary to that good usagewherewith we had entertained their messengers, furiously struck the poorboy through the body with one of their horsemen's staves; with whichwound the boy returned to the General, and after he had declaredthe manner of this wrongful cruelty, died forthwith in his presence. Wherewith the General being greatly passioned, commanded theprovost-marshal to cause a couple of friars, then prisoners, to becarried to the same place where the boy was strucken, accompanied withsufficient guard of our soldiers, and there presently to be hanged, despatching at the same instant another poor prisoner, with this reasonwherefore this execution was done, and with this message further, thatuntil the party who had thus murdered the General's messenger weredelivered into our hands to receive condign punishment, there should noday pass wherein there should not two prisoners be hanged, until theywere all consumed which were in our hands. Whereupon the day following, he that had been captain of the king's galley brought the offenderto the town's end, offering to deliver him into our hands. But it wasthought to be a more honourable revenge to make them there, in oursight, to perform the execution themselves; which was done accordingly. During our being in this town, as formerly also at Santiago there hadpassed justice upon the life of one of our own company for an odiousmatter, so here likewise was there an Irishman hanged for the murderingof his corporal. In this time also passed many treaties between their commissioners andus, for ransom of their city; but upon disagreements we still spent theearly mornings in firing the outmost houses; but they being built verymagnificently of stone, with high lofts, gave us no small travail toruin them. And albeit for divers days together we ordained each morningby daybreak, until the heat began at nine of the clock, that two hundredmariners did naught else but labour to fire and burn the said houseswithout our trenches, whilst the soldiers in a like proportion stoodforth for their guard; yet did we not, or could not in this time consumeso much as one-third part of the town, which town is plainly describedand set forth in a certain map. And so in the end, what wearied withfiring, and what hastened by some other respects, we were contended toaccept of 25, 000 ducats of five shillings six-pence the piece, for theransom of the rest of the town. Amongst other things which happened and were found at St. Domingo, I maynot omit to let the world know one very notable mark and token of theunsatiable ambition of the Spanish king and his nation, which was foundin the king's house, wherein the chief governor of that city and countryis appointed always to lodge, which was this. In the coming to the hallor other rooms of this house, you must first ascend up by a fair largepair of stairs, at the head of which stairs is a handsome spaciousplace to walk in, somewhat like unto a gallery. Wherein, upon one of thewalls, right over against you as you enter the said place, so as youreye cannot escape the sight of it, there is described and painted ina very large scutcheon the arms of the King of Spain; and in thelower part of the said scutcheon there is likewise described a globe, containing in it the whole circuit of the sea and the earth, whereuponis a horse standing on his hinder part within the globe, and the otherforepart without the globe, lifted up as it were to leap, with a scrollpainted in his mouth, wherein was written these words in Latin, _NONSUFFICIT ORBIS_, which is as much to say as, _The world sufficeth not_. Whereof the meaning was required to be known of some of those of thebetter sort that came in commission to treat upon the ransom of thetown; who would shake their heads and turn aside their countenance, in some smiling sort, without answering anything, as greatly ashamedthereof. For by some of our company it was told them, that if the Queenof England would resolutely prosecute the wars against the King ofSpain, he should be forced to lay aside that proud and unreasonablereaching vein of his; for he should find more than enough to do to keepthat which he had already, as by the present example of their lost townthey might for a beginning perceive well enough. Now to the satisfying of some men, who marvel greatly that such a famousand goodly-builded city, so well inhabited of gallant people, verybrave in their apparel (whereof our soldiers found good store for theirrelief), should afford no greater riches than was found there. Hereinit is to be understood that the Indian people, which were the nativesof this whole island of Hispaniola (the same being near hand as greatas England), were many years since clean consumed by the tyranny of theSpaniards; which was the cause that, for lack of people to work in themines, the gold and silver mines of this island are wholly given over. And thereby they are fain in this island to use copper money, whereofwas found very great quantity. The chief trade of this place consistethof sugar and ginger, which groweth in the island, and of hides of oxenand kine, which in this waste country of the island are bred in infinitenumbers, the soil being very fertile. And the said beasts are fed upto a very large growth, and so killed for nothing so much as for theirhides aforesaid. We found here great store of strong wine, sweet oil, vinegar, olives, and other such-like provisions, as excellent wheat-mealpacked up in wine-pipes and other cask, and other commodities likewise, as woollen and linen cloth and some silks; all which provisions arebrought out of Spain, and served us for great relief. There was but alittle plate or vessel of silver, in comparison of the great pride inother things of this town, because in these hot countries they use muchof those earthen dishes finely painted or varnished, which they call_porcellana_, which is had out of the East India; and for their drinkingthey use glasses altogether, whereof they make excellent good and fairin the same place. But yet some plate we found, and many other goodthings, as their household garniture, very gallant and rich, which hadcost them dear, although unto us they were of small importance. From St. Domingo we put over to the main or firm land, and, going allalong the coast, we came at last in sight of Carthagena, standing uponthe seaside, so near as some of our barks in passing alongst approachedwithin the reach of their culverin shot, which they had planted uponcertain platforms. The harbour-mouth lay some three miles toward thewestward of the town, whereinto we entered at about three or four ofthe clock in the afternoon without any resistance of ordnance or otherimpeachment planted upon the same. In the evening we put ourselves onland towards the harbour-mouth, under the leading of Master Carlile, ourLieutenant-General. Who, after he had digested us to march forward aboutmidnight, as easily as foot might fall, expressly commanded us to keepclose by the sea-wash of the shore for our best and surest way; wherebywe were like to go through, and not to miss any more of the way, whichonce we had lost within an hour after our first beginning to march, through the slender knowledge of him that took upon him to be our guide, whereby the night spent on, which otherwise must have been done byresting. But as we came within some two miles of the town, theirhorsemen, which were some hundred, met us, and, taking the alarm, retired to their townward again upon the first volley of our shot thatwas given them; for the place where we encountered being woody andbushy, even to the waterside, was unmeet for their service. At this instant we might hear some pieces of artillery discharged, withdivers small shot, towards the harbour; which gave us to understand, according to the order set down in the evening before by our General, that the Vice-Admiral, accompanied with Captain Venner, Captain White, and Captain Cross, with other sea captains, and with divers pinnacesand boats, should give some attempt unto the little fort standing on theentry of the inner haven, near adjoining to the town, though to smallpurpose, for that the place was strong, and the entry, very narrow, waschained over; so as there could be nothing gotten by the attempt morethan the giving of them an alarm on that other side of the haven, beinga mile and a-half from the place we now were at. In which attempt theVice-Admiral had the rudder of his skiff strucken through with a sakershot, and a little or no harm received elsewhere. The troops being now in their march, half-a-mile behither the town orless, the ground we were on grew to be strait, and not above fifty pacesover, having the main sea on the one side of it and the harbour-water orinner sea (as you may term it) on the other side, which in the plot isplainly shewed. This strait was fortified clean over with a stone walland a ditch without it, the said wall being as orderly built, withflanking in every part, as can be set down. There was only so much ofthis strait unwalled as might serve for the issuing of the horsemen orthe passing of carriage in time of need. But this unwalled part wasnot without a very good _barricado_ of wine-butts or pipes, filled withearth, full and thick as they might stand on end one by another, somepart of them standing even within the main sea. This place of strengthwas furnished with six great pieces, demiculverins and sakers, whichshot directly in front upon us as we approached. Now without this wall, upon the inner side of the strait, they had brought likewise two greatgalleys with their prows to the shore, having planted in them elevenpieces of ordnance, which did beat all cross the strait, and flanked ourcoming on. In these two galleys were planted three or four hundred smallshot, and on the land, in the guard only of this place, three hundredshot and pikes. They, in this their full readiness to receive us, spared not their shotboth great and small. But our Lieutenant-General, taking the advantageof the dark (the daylight as yet not broken out) approached by thelowest ground, according to the express direction which himself hadformerly given, the same being the sea-wash shore, where the waterwas somewhat fallen, so as most of all their shot was in vain. OurLieutenant-General commanded our shot to forbear shooting until we werecome to the wall-side. And so with pikes roundly together we approachedthe place, where we soon found out the _barricados_ of pipes or butts tobe the meetest place for our assault; which, notwithstanding it was wellfurnished with pikes and shots, was without staying attempted by us. Down went the butts of earth, and pell-mell came our swords and pikestogether, after our shot had first given their volley, even at theenemy's nose. Our pikes were somewhat longer than theirs, and our bodiesbetter armed; for very few of them were armed. With which advantage ourswords and pikes grew too hard for them, and they driven to give place. In this furious entry the Lieutenant-General slew with his own hands thechief ensign-bearer of the Spaniards, who fought very manfully to hislife's end. We followed into the town with them, and, giving them no leisure tobreathe, we won the market-place, albeit they made head and foughtawhile before we got it. And so we being once seized and assured ofthat, they were content to suffer us to lodge within their town, andthemselves to go to their wives, whom they had carried into other placesof the country before our coming thither. At every street's end they hadraised very fine _barricados_ of earthworks, with trenches without them, as well made as ever we saw any work done; at the entering whereof wassome little resistance, but soon overcome it was, with few slain orhurt. They had joined with them many Indians, whom they had placed incorners of advantage, all bowmen, with their arrows most villainouslyempoisoned, so as if they did but break the skin, the party so toucheddied without great marvel. Some they slew of our people with theirarrows; some they likewise mischiefed to death with certain pricks ofsmall sticks sharply pointed, of a foot and a-half long, the one end putinto the ground, the other empoisoned, sticking fast up, right againstour coming in the way as we should approach from our landing towards thetown, whereof they had planted a wonderful number in the ordinary way;but our keeping the sea-wash shore missed the greatest part of them veryhappily. I overpass many particular matters, as the hurting of Captain Sampson atsword blows in the first entering, unto whom was committed the charge ofthe pikes of the vant-guard by his lot and turn; as also of the takingof Alonzo Bravo, the chief commander of that place, by Captain Goring, after the said captain had first hurt him with his sword; unto whichcaptain was committed the charge of the shot of the said vant-guard. Captain Winter was likewise by his turn of the vant-guard in thisattempt, where also the Lieutenant-General marched himself; the saidCaptain Winter, through a great desire to serve by land, having nowexchanged his charge at sea with Captain Cecil for his band of footmen. Captain Powell, the Sergeant-Major, had by his turn the charge of thefour companies which made the battle. Captain Morgan, who at St. Domingowas of the vant-guard, had now by turn his charge upon the companiesof the rearward. Every man, as well of one part as of another, came sowillingly on to the service, as the enemy was not able to endure thefury of such hot assault. We stayed here six weeks, and the sickness with mortality before spokenof still continued among us, though not with the same fury as at thefirst; and such as were touched with the said sickness, escaping death, very few or almost none could recover their strength. Yea, many ofthem were much decayed in their memory, insomuch that it was grown anordinary judgment, when one was heard to speak foolishly, to say he hadbeen sick of the _calentura_, which is the Spanish name of their burningague; for, as I told you before, it is a very burning and pestilentague. The original cause thereof is imputed to the evening or firstnight air, which they term _la serena_; wherein they say and hold veryfirm opinion that whoso is then abroad in the open air shall certainlybe infected to the death, not being of the Indian or natural race ofthose country people. By holding their watch our men were thus subjectedto the infectious air, which at Santiago was most dangerous and deadlyof all other places. With the inconvenience of continual mortality we were forced to giveover our intended enterprise to go with Nombre de Dios, and so overlandto Panama, where we should have strucken the stroke for the treasure, and full recompense of our tedious travails. And thus at Carthagenawe took our first resolution to return homewards, the form of whichresolution I thought good here to put down under the principal captains'hands as followeth:-- A Resolution of the Land-Captains, what course they think most expedientto be taken. Given at Carthagena, the 27th of February, 1585. WHEREAS it hath pleased the General to demand the opinions of hiscaptains what course they think most expedient to be now undertaken, theland-captains being assembled by themselves together, and having advisedhereupon, do in three points deliver the same. THE FIRST, touching the keeping of the town against the force of theenemy, either that which is present, or that which may come out ofSpain, is answered thus:-- 'We hold opinion, that with this troop of men which we have presentlywith us in land service, being victualled and munitioned, we may wellkeep the town, albeit that of men able to answer present service we havenot above 700. The residue, being some 150 men, by reason of their hurtsand sickness, are altogether unable to stand us in any stead: whereforehereupon the sea-captains are likewise to give their resolution, howthey will undertake the safety and service of the ships upon the arrivalof any Spanish fleet. ' THE SECOND point we make to be this, whether it be meet to gopresently homeward, or else to continue further trial of our fortune inundertaking such like enterprises as we have done already, and therebyto seek after that bountiful mass of treasure for recompense of ourtravails, which was generally expected at our coming forth of England:wherein we answer:-- 'That it is well known how both we and the soldiers are entered intothis action as voluntary men, without any impress or gage from herMajesty or anybody else. And forasmuch as we have hitherto dischargedthe parts of honest men, so that now by the great blessing and favour ofour good God there have been taken three such notable towns, whereinby the estimation of all men would have been found some very greattreasures, knowing that Santiago was the chief city of all the islandsand traffics thereabouts, St. Domingo the chief city of Hispaniola, andthe head government not only of that island, but also of Cuba, and ofall the islands about it, as also of such inhabitations of the firmland, as were next unto it, and a place that is both magnificently builtand entertaineth great trades of merchandise; and now lastly the city ofCarthagena, which cannot be denied to be one of the chief places of mostespecial importance to the Spaniard of all the cities which be on thisside of the West India: we do therefore consider, that since all thesecities, with their goods and prisoners taken in them, and the ransoms ofthe said cities, being all put together, are found far short to satisfythat expectation which by the generality of the enterprisers was firstconceived; and being further advised of the slenderness of our strength, whereunto we be now reduced, as well in respect of the small number ofable bodies, as also not a little in regard of the slack disposition ofthe greater part of those which remain, very many of the better mindsand men being either consumed by death or weakened by sickness andhurts; and lastly, since that as yet there is not laid down to ourknowledge any such enterprise as may seem convenient to be undertakenwith such few as we are presently able to make, and withal of suchcertain likelihood, as with God's good success which it may pleasehim to bestow upon us, the same may promise to yield us any sufficientcontentment: we do therefore conclude hereupon, that it is better tohold sure as we may the honour already gotten, and with the same toreturn towards our gracious sovereign and country, from whence, if itshall please her Majesty to set us forth again with her orderly meansand entertainment, we are most ready and willing to go through withanything that the uttermost of our strength and endeavour shall be ableto reach unto. But therewithal we do advise and protest that it is farfrom our thoughts, either to refuse, or so much as to seem to be wearyof anything which for the present shall be further required or directedto be done by us from our General. ' THE THIRD and last point is concerning the ransom of this city ofCarthagena, for the which, before it was touched with any fire, therewas made an offer of some 27, 000 or 28, 000 pounds sterling:-- 'Thus much we utter herein as our opinions, agreeing, so it be done ingood sort, to accept this offer aforesaid, rather than to break off bystanding still upon our demands of 100, 000 pounds; which seems a matterimpossible to be performed for the present by them. And to say truth, we may now with much honour and reputation better be satisfied with thatsum offered by them at the first, if they will now be contented to giveit, than we might at that time with a great deal more; inasmuch as wehave taken our full pleasure, both in the uttermost sacking and spoilingof all their household goods and merchandise, as also in that we haveconsumed and ruined a great part of their town with fire. And thus muchfurther is considered herein by us; that as there be in the voyagea great many poor men, who have willingly adventured their lives andtravails, and divers amongst them having spent their apparel and suchother little provisions as their small means might have given them leaveto prepare, which being done upon such good and allowable intention asthis action hath always carried with it (meaning, against the Spaniard, our greatest and most dangerous enemy), so surely we cannot but have aninward regard, so far as may lie in us, to help them in all good sorttowards the satisfaction of this their expectation; and by procuringthem some little benefit to encourage them, and to nourish this readyand willing disposition of theirs, both in them and in others by theirexample, against any other time of like occasion. But because it may besupposed that herein we forget not the private benefit of ourselves, andare thereby the rather moved to incline ourselves to this composition, we do therefore think good for the clearing ourselves of all suchsuspicion, to declare hereby, that what part or portion soever it be ofthis ransom or composition for Carthagena which should come unto us, we do freely give and bestow the same wholly upon the poor men whohave remained with us in the voyage (meaning as well the sailor as thesoldier), wishing with all our hearts it were such or so much as mightsee a sufficient reward for their painful endeavour. And for the firmconfirmation thereof, we have thought meet to subsign these presentswith our own hands in the place and time aforesaid. 'Captain Christopher Charlie, Lieutenant-General; Captain Goring, Captain Sampson, Captain Powell, etc. ' But while we were yet there, it happened one day that our watch calledthe sentinel, upon the church-steeple, had discovered in the seaa couple of small barks or boats, making in with the harbour ofCarthagena. Whereupon Captain Moon and Captain Varney, with John Grant, the master of the Tiger, and some other seamen, embarked themselves in acouple of small pinnaces, to take them before they should come nigh theshore, at the mouth of the harbour, lest by some straggling Spaniardsfrom the land, they might be warned by signs from coming in. Which fellout accordingly, notwithstanding all the diligence that our men coulduse: for the Spanish boats, upon the sight of our pinnaces comingtowards them, ran themselves ashore, and so their men presently hidthemselves in bushes hard by the sea-side, amongst some others that hadcalled them by signs thither. Our men presently without any due regardhad to the quality of the place, and seeing no man of the Spaniards toshew themselves, boarded the Spanish barks or boats, and so standing allopen in them, were suddenly shot at by a troop of Spaniards out of thebushes; by which volley of shot there were slain Captain Varney, whichdied presently, and Captain Moon, who died some few days after, besidessome four or five others that were hurt: and so our folks returnedwithout their purpose, not having any sufficient number of soldiers withthem to fight on shore. For those men they carried were all mariners torow, few of them armed, because they made account with their ordnanceto have taken the barks well enough at sea; which they might full easilyhave done, without any loss at all, if they had come in time to theharbour mouth, before the Spaniards' boats had gotten so near the shore. During our abode in this place, as also at St. Domingo, there passeddivers courtesies between us and the Spaniards, as feasting, and usingthem with all kindness and favour; so as amongst others there came tosee the General the governor of Carthagena, with the bishop of the same, and divers other gentlemen of the better sort. This town of Carthagenawe touched in the out parts, and consumed much with fire, as we had doneSt. Domingo, upon discontentments, and for want of agreeing with usin their first treaties touching their ransom; which at the last wasconcluded between us should be 110, 000 ducats for that which was yetstanding, the ducat valued at five shillings sixpence sterling. This town, though not half so big as St. Domingo, gives, as you see, afar greater ransom, being in very deed of far more importance, by reasonof the excellency of the harbour, and the situation thereof to serve thetrade of Nombre de Dios and other places, and is inhabited with far morericher merchants. The other is chiefly inhabited with lawyers and bravegentlemen, being the chief or highest appeal of their suits in law ofall the islands about it and of the mainland coast next unto it. Andit is of no such account as Carthagena, for these and some like reasonswhich I could give you, over long to be now written. The warning which this town received of our coming towards them from St. Domingo, by the space of 20 days before our arrival here, was cause thatthey had both fortified and every way prepared for their best defence. As also that they had carried and conveyed away all their treasure andprincipal substance. The ransom of 110, 000 ducats thus concluded on, as is aforesaid, thesame being written, and expressing for nothing more than the town ofCarthagena, upon the payment of the said ransom we left the said townand drew some part of our soldiers into the priory or abbey, standing aquarter of an English mile below the town upon the harbour water-side, the same being walled with a wall of stone; which we told the Spaniardswas yet ours, and not redeemed by their composition. Whereupon they, finding the defect of their contract, were contented to enter intoanother ransom for all places, but specially for the said house, as alsothe blockhouse or castle, which is upon the mouth of the inner harbour. And when we asked as much for the one as for the other, they yielded togive a thousand crowns for the abbey, leaving us to take our pleasureupon the blockhouse, which they said they were not able to ransom, having stretched themselves to the uttermost of their powers; andtherefore the said blockhouse was by us undermined, and so withgunpowder blown up in pieces. While this latter contract was in making, our whole fleet of ships fell down towards the harbour-mouth, wherethey anchored the third time and employed their men in fetching of freshwater aboard the ships for our voyage homewards, which water was had ina great well that is in the island by the harbour-mouth. Which islandis a very pleasant place as hath been seen, having in it many sorts ofgoodly and very pleasant fruits, as the orange-trees and others, beingset orderly in walks of great length together. Insomuch as the wholeisland, being some two or three miles about, is cast into grounds ofgardening and orchards. After six weeks' abode in this place, we put to sea the last of March;where, after two or three days, a great Ship which we had taken at St. Domingo, and thereupon was called The New Year's Gift, fell into a greatleak, being laden with ordnance, hides, and other spoils, and in thenight she lost the company of our fleet. Which being missed the nextmorning by the General, he cast about with the whole fleet, fearing somegreat mischance to be happened unto her, as in very deed it so fell out;for her leak was so great that her men were all tired with pumping. Butat the last, having found her, and the bark Talbot in her company, whichstayed by great hap with her, they were ready to take their men out ofher for the saving of them. And so the General, being fully advertisedof their great extremity, made sail directly back again to Carthagenawith the whole fleet; where, having staid eight or ten days more aboutthe unlading of this ship and the bestowing thereof and her men intoother ships, we departed once again to sea, directing our course towardthe Cape St. Anthony, being the westermost part of Cuba, where wearrived the 27th of April. But because fresh water could not presentlybe found, we weighed anchor and departed, thinking in few days torecover the Matanzas, a place to the eastward of Havana. After we had sailed some fourteen days we were brought to Cape St. Anthony again through lack of favourable wind; but then our scarcitywas grown such as need make us look a little better for water, which wefound in sufficient quantity, being indeed, as I judge, none other thanrain-water newly fallen and gathered up by making pits in a plot ofmarish ground some three hundred paces from the seaside. I do wrong if I should forget the good example of the General at thisplace, who, to encourage others, and to hasten the getting of freshwater aboard the ships, took no less pain himself than the meanest; asalso at St. Domingo, Carthagena, and all other places, having alwaysso vigilant a care and foresight in the good ordering of his fleet, accompanying them, as it is said, with such wonderful travail of body, as doubtless had he been the meanest person, as he was the chiefest, he had yet deserved the first place of honour; and no less happy dowe account him for being associated with Master Carlile, hisLieutenant-General, by whose experience, prudent counsel, and gallantperformance he achieved so many and happy enterprises of the war, bywhom also he was very greatly assisted in setting down the needfulorders, laws, and course of justice, and the due administration of thesame upon all occasions. After three days spent in watering our ships, we departed now the secondtime from this Cape of St. Anthony the 13th of May. And proceeding aboutthe Cape of Florida, we never touched anywhere; but coasting alongstFlorida, and keeping the shore still in sight, the 28th of May, early inthe morning, we descried on the shore a place built like a beacon, whichwas indeed a scaffold upon four long masts raised on end for men todiscover to the seaward, being in the latitude of thirty degrees, orvery near thereunto. Our pinnaces manned and coming to the shore, wemarched up alongst the river-side to see what place the enemy heldthere; for none amongst us had any knowledge thereof at all. Here the General took occasion to march with the companies himself inperson, the Lieutenant-General having the vant-guard; and, going a mileup, or somewhat more, by the river-side, we might discern on the otherside of the river over against us a fort which newly had been built bythe Spaniards; and some mile, or thereabout, above the fort was a littletown or village without walls, built of wooden houses, as the plot dothplainly shew. We forthwith prepared to have ordnance for the battery;and one piece was a little before the evening planted, and the firstshot being made by the Lieutenant-General himself at their ensign, strake through the ensign, as we afterwards understood by a Frenchmanwhich came unto us from them. One shot more was then made, which struckthe foot of the fort wall, which was all massive timber of great treeslike masts. The Lieutenant-General was determined to pass the river thisnight with four companies, and there to lodge himself entrenched as nearthe fort as that he might play with his muskets and smallest shot uponany that should appear, and so afterwards to bring and plant the batterywith him; but the help of mariners for that sudden to make trenchescould not be had, which was the cause that this determination wasremitted until the next night. In the night the Lieutenant-General took a little rowing skiff and halfa dozen well armed, as Captain Morgan and Captain Sampson, with someothers, beside the rowers, and went to view what guard the enemy kept, as also to take knowledge of the ground. And albeit he went as covertlyas might be, yet the enemy, taking the alarm, grew fearful that thewhole force was approaching to the assault, and therefore with all speedabandoned the place after the shooting of some of their pieces. Theythus gone, and he being returned unto us again, but nothing knowingof their flight from their fort, forthwith came a Frenchman, [NicolasBorgoignon] being a fifer (who had been prisoner with them) in a littleboat, playing on his fife the tune of the Prince of Orange his song. Andbeing called unto by the guard, he told them before he put foot out ofthe boat what he was himself, and how the Spaniards were gone from thefort; offering either to remain in hands there, or else to return tothe place with them that would go. [The 'Prince of Orange's Song' was apopular ditty in praise of William Prince of Orange (assassinated 1584), the leader of the Dutch Protestant insurgents. ] Upon this intelligence the General, the Lieutenant-General, with some ofthe captains in one skiff and the Vice-Admiral with some others in hisskiff, and two or three pinnaces furnished of soldiers with them, put presently over towards the fort, giving order for the rest of thepinnaces to follow. And in our approach some of the enemy, bolder thanthe rest, having stayed behind their company, shot off two pieces ofordnance at us; but on shore we went, and entered the place withoutfinding any man there. When the day appeared, we found it built all of timber, the walls beingnone other than whole masts or bodies of trees set upright and closetogether in manner of a pale, without any ditch as yet made, but whollyintended with some more time. For they had not as yet finished all theirwork, having begun the same some three or four months before; so as, tosay the truth, they had no reason to keep it, being subject both to fireand easy assault. The platform whereon the ordnance lay was whole bodies of longpine-trees, whereof there is great plenty, laid across one on anotherand some little earth amongst. There were in it thirteen or fourteengreat pieces of brass ordnance and a chest unbroken up, having in it thevalue of some two thousand pounds sterling, by estimation, of the king'streasure, to pay the soldiers of that place, who were a hundred andfifty men. The fort thus won, which they called St. John's Fort, and the dayopened, we assayed to go to the town, but could not by reason of somerivers and broken ground which was between the two places. And thereforebeing enforced to embark again into our pinnaces, we went thither uponthe great main river, which is called, as also the town, by the name ofSt. Augustine. At our approaching to land, there were some that beganto shew themselves, and to bestow some few shot upon us, but presentlywithdrew themselves. And in their running thus away, the Sergeant-Majorfinding one of their horses ready saddled and bridled, took the sameto follow the chase; and so overgoing all his company, was by one laidbehind a bush shot through the head; and falling down therewith, was bythe same and two or three more, stabbed in three or four places of hisbody with swords and daggers, before any could come near to hisrescue. His death was much lamented, being in very deed an honest wisegentleman, and soldier of good experience, and of as great courage asany man might be. In this place called St. Augustine we understood the king did keep, asis before said, 150 soldiers, and at another place some dozen leaguesbeyond to the northwards, called St. Helena, he did there likewise keep150 more, serving there for no other purpose than to keep all othernations from inhabiting any part of all that coast; the governmentwhereof was committed to one Pedro Melendez, marquis, nephew to thatMelendez the Admiral, who had overthrown Master John Hawkins in theBay of Mexico some 17 or 18 years ago. This governor had charge of bothplaces, but was at this time in this place, and one of the first thatleft the same. Here it was resolved in full assembly of captains, to undertake theenterprise of St. Helena, and from thence to seek out the inhabitationof our English countrymen in Virginia, distant from thence some sixdegrees northward. When we came thwart of St. Helena, the shoalsappearing dangerous, and we having no pilot to undertake the entry, itwas thought meetest to go hence alongst. For the Admiral had been thesame night in four fathom and a half, three leagues from the shore; andyet we understood, by the help of a known pilot, there may and do goin ships of greater burden and draught than any we had in our fleet. Wepassed thus along the coast hard aboard the shore, which is shallow fora league or two from the shore, and the same is low and broken land forthe most part. The ninth of June upon sight of one special great fire(which are very ordinary all alongst this coast, even from the Capeof Florida hither) the General sent his skiff to the shore, where theyfound some of our English countrymen that had been sent thither theyear before by Sir Walter Raleigh, and brought them aboard; by whosedirection we proceeded along to the place which they make their port. But some of our ships being of great draught, unable to enter, anchoredwithout the harbour in a wild road at sea, about two miles from shore. From whence the General wrote letters to Master Ralph Lane, beinggovernor of those English in Virginia, and then at his fort about sixleagues from the road in an island which they called Roanoac; whereinespecially he shewed how ready he was to supply his necessities andwants, which he understood of by those he had first talked withal. The morrow after, Master Lane himself and some of his company comingunto him, with the consent of his captains he gave them the choice oftwo offers, that is to say: either he would leave a ship, a pinnace, andcertain boats with sufficient masters and mariners, together furnishedwith a month's victual, to stay and make further discovery of thecountry and coasts, and so much victual likewise as might be sufficientfor the bringing of them all (being an hundred and three persons) intoEngland, if they thought good after such time, with any other thingthey would desire, and that he might be able to spare: or else, if theythought they had made sufficient discovery already, and did desire toreturn into England, he would give them passage. But they, as it seemed, being desirous to stay, accepted very thankfully and with great gladnessthat which was offered first. Whereupon the ship being appointed andreceived into charge by some of their own company sent into her byMaster Lane, before they had received from the rest of the fleet theprovision appointed them, there arose a great storm (which they said wasextraordinary and very strange) that lasted three days together, and putall our fleet in great danger to be driven from their anchoring upon thecoast; for we brake many cables, and lost many anchors; and some of ourfleet which had lost all, of which number was the ship appointed forMaster Lane and his company, were driven to put to sea in great danger, in avoiding the coast, and could never see us again until we met inEngland. Many also of our small pinnaces and boats were lost in thisstorm. Notwithstanding, after all this, the General offered them, with consentof his captains, another ship with some provisions, although not sucha one for their turns as might have been spared them before, this beingunable to be brought into their harbour: or else, if they would, to givethem passage into England, although he knew he should perform it withgreater difficulty than he might have done before. But Master Lane, with those of the chiefest of his company which he had then with him, considering what should be best for them to do, made request unto theGeneral under their hands, that they might have passage for England:the which being granted, and the rest sent for out of the country andshipped, we departed from that coast the 18th of June. And so, God bethanked, both they and we in good safety arrived at Portsmouth the 28thof July, 1586, to the great glory of God, and to no small honour to ourPrince, our country, and ourselves. The total value of that which wasgot in this voyage is esteemed at three score thousand pounds, whereofthe companies which have travailed in the voyage were to have twentythousand pounds, the adventurers the other forty. Of which twentythousand pounds (as I can judge) will redound some six pounds to thesingle share. We lost some 750 men in the voyage; above three parts ofthem only by sickness. The men of name that died and were slain in thisvoyage, which I can presently call to remembrance, are these:--CaptainPowell, Captain Varney, Captain Moon, Captain Fortescue, Captain Biggs, Captain Cecil, Captain Hannam, Captain Greenfield; Thomas Tucker, alieutenant; Alexander Starkey, a lieutenant; Master Escot, a lieutenant;Master Waterhouse, a lieutenant; Master George Candish, Master NicholasWinter, Master Alexander Carlile, Master Robert Alexander, MasterScroope, Master James Dyer, Master Peter Duke. With some other, whom forhaste I cannot suddenly think on. The ordnance gotten of all sorts, brass and iron, were about two hundredand forty pieces, whereof the two hundred and some more were brass, andwere thus found and gotten:--At Santiago some two or three and fiftypieces. In St. Domingo about four score, whereof was very much greatordnance, as whole cannon, demi-cannon, culverins, and such like. InCarthagena some sixty and three pieces, and good store likewise of thegreater sort. In the Fort of St. Augustine were fourteen pieces. The rest was iron ordnance, of which the most part was gotten at St. Domingo, the rest at Carthagena.