THE FIRING OF 'THE FIVE WOUNDS' ad 



I594- 

 the men and had Barricados made, where they might 

 stand without any danger of our shot. They plied us 

 also very much with fire, so that most of our men were 

 burnt in some place or other : & while our men were 

 putting out of the fire, they would ever be plying them 

 with small shot or darts. This unusuall casting of fire 

 did much dismay many of our men and made them draw 

 backe as they did. When we had not men to enter, we 

 plied our great ordinance much at them as high up as 

 they might be mounted, for otherwise we did them litle 

 harme, and by shooting a piece out of our forecastle 

 being close by her, we fired a mat on her beak-head, 

 which more and more kindled, and ran from thence to 

 the mat on the bow-sprit, and from the mat up to the 

 wood of the bow-sprit, and thence to the top-saile yard, 

 which fire made the Portugals abaft in the ship to stagger, 

 and to make shew of parle. But they that had the 

 charge before encouraged them, making shew, that it 

 might easily be put out, and that it was nothing. 

 Whereupon againe they stood stifly to their defence. 

 Anone the fire grew so strong, that I saw it beyond 

 all helpe, although she had bene already yeelded to us. 

 Then we desired to be off from her, but had litle hope 

 to obtaine our desire ; neverthelesse we plied water very 

 much to keep our ship well. In deed I made litle 

 other reckoning for the ship, my selfe, and divers hurt 

 men, then to have ended there with the Carack, but most 

 of our people might have saved themselves in boats. 

 And when my care was most, by Gods providence onely, 

 by the burning asunder of our spritsaile-yard with ropes 

 and saile, and the ropes about the spritsaile-yard of the 

 Carack, whereby we were fast in tangled, we fell apart, 

 with burning of some of our sailes which we had then on 

 boord. The Exchange also being farther from the fire, 

 afterward was more easily cleared, and fell off from abaft. 

 And as soone as God had put us out of danger, the fire 

 got into the fore-castle, where, I thinke, was store of 

 Benjamin, and such other like combustible matter, for 



