133 



Chap. VII. *A M E%_I C A. 



ter a ftrange manner . he had ninety Mufquetteers for his Guard, whofe Matches 

 were all put out, and their Arms all wet by a great fliower of Rain, which they 

 perceiving from their Ambufcadcs, immediately got crofs the River, and kill'd 

 thirty of the Netherlander s y the reft running away, left Ita to defend himfelf, which 

 he did for fome time with his Sword, but had abfolutely been (lain, had he not re- 

 ceiv'd Aid from Olinda. 



Becaufe the fortuguefe made feveral Attempts xx^oti tht Netherlander s y not with, 

 out damage on both fides, the Wcft-IniU Company often fent Ships to their affi- 

 ftance . and likewife many Srafdians deferting the Tortuguefe, joyn'd with the 2Sfr. 

 tberlanders, who built a five-corner'd Fort with Bulwarks about the Cloyfter on An* 

 tonio Vaes y which to prevent, the Tort uguefe ventured many a Sally, though not with- 

 out confiderable lofs on their part. They alfo reported, that Frederick de Toledo was 

 making thither with a great Fleet, to drive the Netberlanders out of Srafele . at which 

 they taking the Alarm, put themfelves all into a pofture of Defence, rais'd new 

 Works about the Caftle on %tcijja, vvhileft the Ships which Cruis'd on that Coaft 

 brought in feveral Prizes. 



John Walbeek being chofen General by the Wcft.India Company over Srafile, had a 

 Defign on the Promontory St. Augujline . but it came to no cfTcft, becaufe the Sea 

 beat fo vehemently againft the Shore. 



The Report of the great preparation of a Fleet which was making ready in Greats^- 

 Spain, mov'd the Weft-lndia Company to raife more Men, and to fend out Admiral SS^tSj 

 Waters with feventeen Ships, which all arriv'd fafc, except the Slack Lyon Frigat,"^' 

 which carrying the Lieutenant-Colonel Bt% and Captain Uitgeeji, was never C ° mpany ' 

 heard of. 



Joojl Ba?ikart was alfo lent out in March with eight Ships to St. Helena, to Cruife 

 there for the rich Carraks which us'd to Water there 5 but though he ftay'd till Au- 

 gujl before this fruitful Ifland, yet faw not one Ship at Sea, nor a Man on the Ifland, 

 but great numbers of Sea-pies, which arc fo tame, that they fuffer themfelves to be 

 taken up with the Hand,orknock'd on the Head with Sticks. 



Near this Ifle Ita took a Ketch Prize,and rallying his whole Fleet together,Steer'd 

 for the Caimans . the moft Eaftern Ifle whereof being about three Leagues long, is 

 full of Rocks, with a high Point on the Eaft . the other part thereof is plain. Then 

 dividing his Fleet into feven Squadrons, he made them all ready for an Engage- 

 ment, when he was inform'd by an Englijh-mzn before Corientes, that Frederick de To* 

 ledo had fct Sail with eighty Ships from Havana to Spain, of which he had fent back 

 eight Gallions to Cartbagena: Hereupon bending his Courfe near Havana, he put the 

 whole Countrey to an Alarm, burnt a rich laden Veflel, and another that carry'd a 

 Flag on the Fore-top, and a third laden with Ballad. 



Joachim Guyfen being made Commander of the 'Dolphin Frigat, and fent tojoyn 

 with Admiral Waters Squadron,was driven below Jamaica, and at lad ftrook againft 

 the great Caiman, where his Veflel was all fliatter'd to pieces . but all his Men and 

 Goods being fav'd, he fpent fixteen Weeks in making a Ketch of the pieces of the 

 T>olphin, and brought a hundred and twenty Men, four Brafs,and two Iron Guns to 

 the Fleet, having buried the reft on Qximan. 



Five Leagues beyond Havana, a Spanijh Ship laden with Qampeche Wood and Sar- 

 faparilla, being chafed againft the Shore, was fet on fire by her own Men, which the 

 Hollanders attempted twice in vain to put out. 



After this Ita's Fleet lay long upon the Coaft of Cuba, but finding no Spani/hVcf* 

 fels, and their Provifions growing fcarce, return'd back to the Texel, where they 

 arriv'd without doing any farther Exploits. 



In 





