A Svmmarie and Trve Discovrse of Sir Frances Drakes VVest Indian Voyage | Page 6

to take a course for the common benefite of the people and countrie, his best way vvere to come and present him selfe vnto our Noble and mercifull Gouernor Sir Frances Drake; vvhereby he might be assured to finde fauor, both for him selfe and the inhabitantes. Othervvise within three dayes vve should march ouer the land, and consume vvith fire all inhabited places, and put to the svvord all such liuing soules as vve should chaunce vpon: so thus much he tooke for the conclusion of his answere, and departing, he promised to returne the next day, but vve neuer heard more of him.
Vpon the foure and twentieth of Nouember, the Generall accompanied vvith the Lieutenant generall and sixe hundred men, marched foorth to a village tvvelue miles vvithin the lande, called S. DOMINGO, vvhere the Gouernor and the Bishop vvith all the better sort vvere lodged, and by eight of the clocke vve came to it, finding the place abandoned, and the people fled into the mountaines: so vve made stand a vvhile to ease ourselues, and partly to see if any vvould come to speake to vs.
After vve had vvell rested our selues, the Generall commaunded the troupes to march away homewardes, in vvhich retreat the enemie shewed them selues, both horse and foote, though not such force as durst encounter vs: and so in passing some time at the gase vvith them, it vvaxed late and towards night, before vve could recouer home to Saint IAGO.
On Monday the six and twentieth of Nouember, the Generall commaunded all the Pinnaces vvith the boates, to vse all diligence to imbarke the Armie into such ships as euery man belonged. The Lieutenant generall in like sort commaunded Captaine Goring and Lieutenant Tucker, with one hundred shot to make a stand in the market place, vntill our forces were wholly imbarked, the Vize-Admiral making stay vvith his Pinnace and certaine boats in the harbour, to bring the said last companie aboord the ships. Also the Generall willed forthwith the Gallie with two Pinnaces to take into them the companie of Captaine Barton, and the companie of Captaine Bigs, vnder the leading of Captaine Sampson, to seeke out such munition as vvas hidden in the ground, at the towne of PRAY or PLAY, hauing beene promised to be shewed it by a prisoner, vvhich was taken the day before.
The Captaines aforesaid comming to the PLAY, landed their men, and hauing placed the troupe in their best strength, Captaine Sampson tooke the prisoner, and willed him to shevve that he had promised, the vvhich he could not, or at least vvould not: but they searching all suspected places, found two peeces of ordinance, one of yron, an other of brasse. In the after noone the Generall anckered the rest of the Fleete before the PLAIE comming him selfe a shore, vvilling vs to burne the Tovvne and make all hast a boorde, the which was done by sixe of the clocke the same day, and our selues imbarked againe the same night, and so we put off to sea Southwest.
But before our departurre from the towne of Saint IAGO, we established orders for the better gouernment of the Armie, euery man mustered to his Captaine, and othes ministred to acknowledge her Maiestie supreame Gouernour, as also euery man to doe his vttermost endeuour to aduaunce the seruice of the action, and to yeeld due obedience vnto the directions of the General and his officers. By this prouident counsell, and laying downe this good foundation before hand, all thinges went forward in a due course, to the achieuing of our happie enterprise.
In all the time of our being here, neither the Gouernour for the King of Spaine, (which is a Portugall) neither the Bishop, whose authoritie is great, neither any of the inhabitantes of the towne, or Island euer came at vs (which we expected they should have done) to intreate vs to leaue them some part of their needfull prouisions, or at the least, to spare the ruining of their towne at our going away. The cause of this their vnreasonable distrust (as I doe take it) vvas the fresh remembrance of the great wronges they had done to olde Maister William Havvkins of Plimmouth, in the voyage he made foure or fiue yeares before, when as they did both breake their promise, and murthered many of his men, whereof I iudge you haue vnderstood, and therfore needlesse to be repeated. But since they came not at vs, vve left written in sundrie places, as also in the Spitle house, (vhich building was onely appointed to be spared) the great discontentment and scorne we tooke at this their refraining to come vnto vs, as also at the rude maner of killing, and