SIR JOHN HAWKINS a.d. 



1568. 

 of ordinance from the ships to the Hand where our men 

 warded, passing too and fro of companies of men more 

 then required for their necessary busines, & many other 

 ill likelihoods, which caused us to have a vehement 

 suspition, and therewithall sent to the Viceroy to enquire ^ Viceroy 

 what was ment by it, which sent immediatly straight •^. ^ °^^^^ 

 commandement to unplant all things suspicious, and also 

 sent word that he in the faith of a Viceroy would be our 

 defence from all villanies. Yet we being not satisfied 

 with this answere, because we suspected a great number 

 of men to be hid in a great ship of 900 tunnes, which 

 was mored next unto the Minion, sent againe to the 

 Viceroy the master of the Jesus which had the Spanish 

 tongue, and required to be satisfied if any such thing were 

 or not. The Viceroy now seeing that the treason must T'he treason 

 be discovered, foorthwith stayed our master, blew the ^^'^i^^ fi^^^"- 

 Trumpet, and of all sides set upon us : our men which 

 warded a shore being stricken with sudden feare, gave 

 place, fled, and sought to recover succour of the ships; 

 the Spaniardes being before provided for the purpose 

 landed in all places in multitudes from their ships which 

 they might easily doe without boates, and slewe all our 

 men a shore without mercie, a fewe of them escaped 

 aboord the Jesus. The great ship which had by the 

 estimation three hundred men placed in her secretly, 

 immediatly fell aboord the Minion, but by Gods The Minion 

 appointment, in the time of the suspicion we had, which ^"^^^^f 

 was onely one halfe houre, the Minion was made readie 

 to avoide, and so leesing her hedfasts, and hayling away 

 by the sternefastes she was gotten out : thus with Gods 

 helpe she defended the violence of the first brunt of these 

 three hundred men. The Minion being past out, they 

 came aboord the Jesus, which also with very much a doe 

 and the losse of manie of our men were defended and kept 

 out. Then there were also two other ships that assaulted "^^^ ^^^^^ 

 the Jesus at the same instant, so that she had hard getting ^"^j^'^^f 

 loose, but yet with some time we had cut our head-fastes 

 and gotten out by the sterne-fastes. Nowe when the 



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