The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques, and Discoveries of the English Nation, vol 7 | Page 2

fearing, did presently cast their ordinance
and small shot with many letters, and the draft of the Straights of
Magelan into the Sea, [Sidenote: Pedro Sarmiento the governour of the
Straights of Magellan taken prisoner.] and thereupon immediately we
tooke her, wherein wee also tooke a gentleman of Spaine, named Pedro
Sarmiento, gouernour of the Straights of Magelan, which said Pedro we
brought into England with us, and presented him to our soueraigne
Lady the Queene.
[Sidenote: A ship laden with fish taken and released againe.] After this,
lying off and about the Islands, wee descried another saile, and bearing
after her, we spent the maine maste of our Admirall, but yet in the night
our Viceadmirall tooke her, being laden with fish from Cape Blanke,
the which shippe wee let goe againe for want of men to bring her home.
The next day we descried two other sailes, the one a shippe and the
other a Carauel, to whom we gaue chase, which they seeing, with all
speede made in vnder the Isle of Graciosa, to a certaine Fort there for
their succour, where they came to an anker, and hauing the winde of vs,
we could not hurt them with our ships, but we hauing a small boate
which we called a light horseman, wherein my selfe was, being a
Musqueter, and foure more with Caliuers, and foure that rowed, came
neere vnto the shore against the winde, which when they saw vs come
towards them they carried a great part of their marchandize on land,
whither also the men of both vessels went and landed, [Sidenote: One
of the ships taken and sent away with 2. persons.] and as soon as we
came within Musquet shot, they began to shoote at vs with great
ordinance and small shot, and we likewise at them, and in the ende we
boorded one wherein was no man left, so we cut her cables, hoysed her
sailes, and sent her away with two of our men, [Sidenote: The Caravel
is taken.] and the other 7. of vs passed more neere vnto the shoare, and
boorded the Carauel, which did ride within a stones cast from the
shoare, and so neere the land that the people did cast stones at vs, but

yet in despight of them all we tooke her, and one onely Negro therein:
and cutting her cables in the hawse, we hoysed her sailes and being
becalmed vnder the land we were constrained to rowe her out with our
boate, the Fort still shooting at vs, and the people on land with
Musquets and caliuers, to the number of 150. or thereabout: and we
answered them with the small force wee had; in the time of which our
shooting, the shot of my Musquet being a crossebarre-shot happened to
strike the gunner of the fort to death, euen as he was giuing leuell to
one of his great pieces, and thus we parted from them without any losse
or hurt on our side. [Sidenote: The prises sent home.] And now, hauing
taken these fiue sailes of shippes, we did as before, turne away the
shippe with the fish, without hurting them, and from one of the other
shippes we tooke her maine Maste to serue our Admirals turne, and so
sent her away putting into her all the Spaniards and Portugals (sauing
that gentleman Pedro Sarmiento, with three other of the principal men
and two Negroes) leauing them all within sight of land, with bread and
water sufficient for 10. dayes if neede were.
Thus setting our course for England, being off the Islands in the height
of 41 degrees, or there about, one of our men being in the toppe
discried a saile, then 10. saile, then 15. whereupon it was concluded to
sende home those prizes we had, and so left in both our Pinasses not
aboue 60. men. [Sidenote: Two Carracks, 10. Gallions, 12. small ships.]
Thus wee returned againe to the Fleete we had discried, where wee
found 24. saile of shippes, whereof two of them were Caracks, the one
of 1200. and the other of a 1000. tunnes, and 10. Gallions, the rest were
small shippes and Carauels all laden with Treasure, spices, and sugars
with which 24. shippes we with two small Pinasses did fight, and kept
company the space of 32. houres, continually fighting with them and
they with vs, but the two Caracks kept still betwixt the Fleete and vs,
that wee could not take any one of them, so wanting powder, wee were
forced to giue them ouer against our willes, for that wee were all
wholly bent to the gaining of some of them, but necessitie compelling
vs, and that onely for want of powder, without losse of any of