"These certainly obeyed the command, and began to work again earnestly, but it all was of no avail for the fire increased more and more. After working assiduously but fruitlessly for two hours, the lieutenant and shipmaster, as also the other officers, went to the captain, and informed him that, alas! there was no more help, that it was impossible to save the good ship, and it was now high time to save themselves, if they did not intend to be burned in the ship or blown up with it. For between the fire and the powder there was now only a plank of a finger-breadth remaining. But the captain, who still thought to preserve the ship, and prized his honour more than life and everything in the world, answered that he would not leave the ship, but would live and die therein. His son fell on his knees before him, and besought him for God's sake to think better of it, and seek to preserve his life. To whom he replied: 'Away with you, I know better what is intrusted to me.' "Thereupon he commanded the quartermaster to place this his son, together with his cousin, in another vessel, which was then done. He would not allow the least bit of his own property to be removed, that the men might not be disheartened thereby. "Meanwhile it was suggested by some that it would be best to cut a hole in the ship and let her go to the bottom; to this however the captain would not consent, but said he had still hopes of saving her. Others advised to cut the cable and strand the ship. This was at last agreed to, and the order given to cut the cable. But just as this was about to be done, when the mizen and foremast were on the point of falling, and the people were still sitting on the fore-yard, the powder in the fore-part of the ship caught fire. The force of it however being broken by the pouring in of a large body of water it only blew up with a whizz. The fire burnt through the deck almost to the foremast, and as a stiff east wind blew above, and the vessel lay to the wind, it ran up the mast into the shrouds and sails, and in a moment over the whole ship.