LAST VOYAGE OF DRAKE AND HAWKINS a.d. 



1595- 

 the admirall and viceadmlrall, notwithstanding the castles 



and ships gave us a hundreth eighty and five great shot, 



besides small shot abundance. They had also sunke a 



great shippe in the mouth of the chanell and rafted it 



over with her mastes almost to the very fortes and castles, 



so as they thought it impregnable. The frigats had in 



each of them twenty pieces of brasse, and a hundreth 



barrels of powder. Their chiefe lading that they brought 



thither was silke, oyle, and wine. The treasure which 



they went to fetch, which was brought thither in a ship 



called the Vigonia, was conveyed into the strongest and 



surest castell of defence ; being, as one of the prisoners 



confessed, three millions of ducats or five and thirty 



tunnes of silver. Also they had sent all the women, 



children, and unable persons into the woods, and left 



none but souldiers and fighting men in the towne. The 



fight on our side was resolute, bote, and dangerous : 



wherein wee lost some forty or fifty men, and so many [in. 585.] 



were hurt. There was also great death of the Spaniards 



aboord the frigats, with burning, drowning, and killing, 



and besides some taken prisoners. 



The 14 we rode stil, being within shot of the utter- 

 most castell : but they fearing the next night we would 

 come in againe, began to warpe up the other 4 frigats, 

 beginning first with the Admirall : which whether by 

 chance or their owne willes wee saw to sinke ; and as wee 

 suppose so did they with all the rest, or else by stealth 

 got up farther within their chiefest forces. 



The 15 also we rode still, and at afternoone wee 

 espied a caravell comming from the castell point : but 

 before our pinnesses could fetch her up, she ranne on 

 shore, where our boates could not come at her because of 

 the breach, and also many of the Islanders came downe 

 to guard her with shot. The beginning of this night 

 we weyed, and stoode one houre to the East, and 

 then tacked about to the West. 



The 16 being Sunday, and the 17 also we were 



becalmed. 



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