The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques and Discoveries of the English Nation — Volume 07: England's Naval Exploits Against SpainHakluyt, Richard
History
The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques and Discoveries of the English Nation — Volume 07: England's Naval Exploits Against Spain
Hakluyt, Richard
Discoveries in geography -- English; Voyages and travels
And the first encounter the Gallies came vpon vs very fiercely, yet God so
strengthened vs, that if they had bene ten times more, we had not feared
them at all. Whereupon the Salomon being a hot shippe, and hauing sundry
cast pieces in her, gaue the first shotte in such a sowre sort, as that it
shared away so many men as sate on the one side of a Gallie, and pierced
her through in such maner, as that she was readie to sinke, which made them
to assault vs the more fiercely. [Sidenote: A fight of sixe houres long.]
Whereupon the rest of our shippes, especially the foure chiefest, namely,
the Margaret and Iohn, the Minion, and the Ascension followed, and gaue a
hot charge vpon them, and they at vs, where began a hot and fierce battaile
with great valiancie the one against the other, and so continued for the
space of sixe houres. [Sidenote: A faint hearted Fleming.] About the
beginning of this our fight there came two Flemings to our Fleet, who
seeing the force of the Gallies to be so great, the one of them presently
yeelded, strooke his sailes, and was taken by the Gallies, whereas if they
would haue offered themselues to haue fought in our behalfe and their owne
defence, they needed not to haue bene taken so cowardly as they were to
their cost. The other Fleming being also ready to performe the like piece
of seruice began to vaile his sailes, and intended to haue yeelded
immediatly. But the Trumpetter in that shippe plucked foorth his faulchion
and stepped to the Pilote at the helme, and vowed that if he did not
speedily put off to the English Fleete, and so take part with them, he
would presently kill him: which the Pilote for feare of death did, and so
by that meanes they were defended from present death, and from the tyrannie
of those Spaniards, which doubtlesse they should haue found at their
handes.
Thus we continued in fight sixe houres and somewhat more, wherein God gaue
vs the vpper hand, and we escaped the hands of so many enemies, who were
constrained to flie into harbour and shroude themselues from vs, and with
speed to seeke for their owne safetie. This was the handie worke of God,
who defended vs all from danger in such sort, as that there was not one man
of vs slaine. And in all this fierce assault made vpon vs by the Spanish
power, wee sustained no hurt or damage at all more then this, that the
shrouds and backe-stay of the Salomon, who gaue the first and last shot,
and galled the enemie shrewdly all the time of the battell, were cleane
stricken off.
The battel being ceased, we were constrained for want of wind to stay and
waft vp and downe, and then went backe againe to Tition in Barbary, which
is sixe leagues off from Gibraltar, and when we came thither we found the
people wonderous fauourable to vs, who being but Moores and heathen people
shewed vs where to haue fresh water and al other necessaries for vs. And
there we had such good intertainment, as if we had bene in any place of
England.
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