AD. THE ENGLISH VOYAGES 



1570. 



provided our selves to goe : our Master borrowed a small 

 compasse of the Master gunner of the ship, who lent it 

 him, but suspected his intent, and closely made the 

 Generall privy to it, who for a time dissembled the 

 matter. In the ende seeing our pretense, he called R. 

 Barret, commanding his head to bee put in the stocks, 

 and a great payre of yron bolts on his legs, & the rest of 

 us to be set in the stocks by the legs. Then he willed a 

 peece to be shot off, and hee sent the pinnesse for the 

 other Admirall, and all the captaines, masters and pilots of 

 both fleetes to come aboord of him. He commanded the 

 mayne-yard to be strooke downe, and to put 2. puUies, on 

 every yard-arme one ; the hangman was called, and we 

 were willed to confesse our selves, for he swore by the 

 king that he would hang us. 



When the other Admiral, and the rest were come 

 aboord, he called them into his counsel-chamber, and told 

 them that he would hang the master of the Englishmen, 

 and all his company. The Admirall, whose name was 

 Diego Flores de Valdes, asked him wherefore : he sayd, 

 that we had determined to rise in the night with the 

 pinnesse, and with a ball of fireworke to set the ship on 

 fire, and goe our wayes : therefore, sayd he, I will have 

 you the Captaines, Masters, and Pilotes, to set your hands 

 unto that, for I sweare by the king that I will hang them, 

 [III. 494.] Diego Flores de Valdes answered, I nor the Captaines, 

 Masters, and Pilotes wil not set our hands to that, for 

 hee said, if he had bin prisoner as we were, he would 

 have done the like himselfe. He counselled him to 

 keepe us fast in prison, till he came into Spaine, & then 

 send us to the Contratation house in Sivil, where, if we 

 had deserved death the law would passe on us, for hee 

 would not have it said that in such a fleet as that was, 

 sixe men and a boy should take the pinnesse, and goe 

 away, and so he returned to his ship againe. 



When he was gone, the Generall came to the maine 

 mast to us, and swore by the king, that we should not 

 come out of the stocks til we came into Spaine : within 



462 



