A Svmmarie and Trve Discovrse of Sir Frances Drakes VVest Indian Voyage | Page 8

being about eight of the clocke, we began to march, and about noone time, or towards one of the clocke we approched the towne, where the Gentlemen and those of the better sort, being some hundred and fiftie braue horses or rather more, began to present themselues, but our small shot plaied vpon them, which were so sustained with good proportion of pikes in all partes, as they finding no part of our troope vnprepared to receiue them (for you must vnderstande they viewed all round about) they were thus driuen to giue vs leaue to proceed towardes the tvvo gates of the tovvne, vvhich vvere the next to the seavvard. They had manned them both, and planted their ordinance for that present, and sudden alarum vvithout the gate, and also some troopes of small shot in Ambuscado vpon the hievvay side. We deuided our vvhole force, being some thousand or tvvelue hundred men into tvvo partes, to enterprise both the gates at one instant, the Lieftenant Generall hauing openly vovved to Captaine Povvell (vvho led the troope that entered the other gate) that vvith Gods good fauour he vvould not rest vntill our meeting in the market place.
Their ordinance had no sooner discharged vpon our near approch, & made some execution amongst vs, though not much, but the Lieftenant generall began foorthvvith to aduaunce both his voice of encouragement, and pace of marching, the first man that vvas slaine vvith the ordinance being verie neere vnto himselfe, and thereupon hasted all that he might to keepe them from the recharging of the ordinance. And notvvithstanding their Ambuscadoes, vve marched or rather ranne so roundly into them as pell mell vve entered the gates, and gaue them more care euery man to saue himselfe by flight, then reason to stand any longer to their broken fight, we foorthwith repaired to the market place, but to be more truely vnderstood a place of verye faire spatious square grounde before the great Church, vvhether also came as had bene agreed Captaine Povvell with the other troope, which place vvith some part next vnto it, we strengthened with Barricados, and there as the most conuenient place assured our selues, the Citie being farre to spacious for so small and weary a troope to vndertake to garde. Somevvhat after midnight they vvho had the garde of the Castle, hearing vs busie about the gates of the saide Castle, abandoned the same: some being taken prisoners, and some flying away by the help of boates, to the other side of the hauen, & so into the country.
The next day vve quartered a little more at large, but not into the halfe part of the tovvne, and so making substantiall trenches, and planting all the ordinance that ech part vvas correspondent to other, we held this towne the space of one moneth.
In the vvhich time happened some accidents more then are vvell remembred for the present, but amongst other thinges it chanced that the Generall sent on his message to the Spaniardes a negro boy with a flagge of vvhite, signifiing truce, as is the Spaniardes ordinarie manner to doe there, vvhen they approch to speak to vs, vvhich boy vnhappily vvas first met withall, by some of those who had bene belonging as officers for the King in the Spanish Galley, vvhich vvith the Tovvne vvas lately fallen into our hands, vvho vvithout all order or reason, and contrary to that good vsage vvherevvith vvee had entertained their messengers, furiouslie stroke the poore boy through the bodie vvith one of their horsemens staues, with vvich vvound the boy returned to the Generall, and after he had declared the maner of this wrongfull crueltie, died forthvvith in his presence, vvherewith the Generall beeing greatly passioned, commaunded the Prouost martiall, to cause a couple of Friers, then prisoners, to be caried to the same place where the boy was stroken, accompanied with sufficient gard of our soldiers, and there presently to be hanged, dispatching at the same instant another poore prisoner, vvith this reason wherefore this execution vvas done, and vvith this message further, that vntill the partie vvho had thus murthered the Generals messenger, vvere deliuered into our handes, to receaue condigne punishment, there should no day passe, vvherein there should not two prisoners be hanged, vntill they were all consumed vvich vvere in our handes.
Whereupon the day following, he that had bene Captaine of the kinges galley, brought the offendor to the townes ende, offring to deliuer him into our hands, but it was thought a more honourable reuenge, to make them there in our sight, to performe the execution themselues, vvhich vvas done accordingly.
During our being in this towne, as formerly also at S. IAGO there had passed iustice vpon the life of one