AD. THE ENGLISH VOYAGES 



1591. 



nie us, for other refuge we had none. Then i. of their 

 smal ships being manned from i. of their great, & 

 having a boat to rowe themselves in, shipped her oars 

 likewise & rowed after us, thinking w' their small shot 

 to have put us from our oars, until ye great ships 

 might come up with us : but by ye time she was within 

 [III. 566.] musket shot, the Lord of his mercie did send us a faire 

 gale of wind at the Northwest off the shore. What 

 time (they being all to leeward of us) wee stood to 

 the East. The small ship was under our lee within 

 Falcon shot, and another great shippe lay to the West- 

 ward, so that wee could no way possibly escape them 

 upon that boord : then (we thinking to avoyd them by 

 casting about to the Westwards) the other great shippe 

 gate under our lee, and the small ship on our weather 

 quarter, purposing to make us pay roome with the great 

 ship, by force of her small & great shot. Then (we 

 being lerboord tacked, and they sterboord) we made 

 her spring her loofFe, and by a fortunate shot which 

 our gunner made, pierced her betwixt winde and 

 water. Hereupon shee was forced to lay herselfe 

 upon the carena, and to stand with one of the 

 other ships for ayde. Afterward (commending our 

 selves to almightie God in prayer, and giving him thankes 

 for the winde which he had sent us for our deliverance) 

 we looked forth and descryed two saile more to the offen : 

 these we thought to have bene the Hopewell, and the 

 Swallow that had stoode in to ayde us : but it prooved 

 farre otherwise, for they were two of the kings gallies. 

 Nowe having a loome gale of winde, wee shipped our 

 oars, and rowed off the shore : and our watch was no 

 sooner set, but wee espied one gallie under our lee hard 

 by us, boging up with us. Then (because it was evening) 

 one of the great ships discharged sixe great shot at us, 

 to the ende the gallies should knowe that wee were the 

 shippe they looked for. Then the gallie came up, and 

 (hayling us of whence our shippe was) a Portugall which 

 wee had with us, made them answere, that we were of 



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