as 500. times. And the sides, hull, and mastes of the Content were sowed thicke with musket bullets. Moreover, all their sheats, tops and shrowdes were almost cut insunder with their great & small shot. There passed from the galies (each whereof came thrise up to her, & discharged five great pieces at a time, out of every their prowes forthright, within three yards of her poope) through her maine saile 19. great shot, through her maine top-saile foure: through her fore-saile seven: through her fore-top-saile five: and through her maine maste one. The upper part of the Content was hurt in five places. Onely 13 men continued this fight, the rest being in hold. A frigat of the Spaniards (being afterward taken) confessed, that there were in the gallies above 40. Spaniards slaine, and many were hurt in that combate. The names of those 13 persons that continued the fight. 1591. [A true 1591. A true report of a voyage undertaken for the West Indies by M. Christopher Newport Generall of a fleete of three shippes and a pinnesse, viz. The golden Dragon Admirall, whereof was Captaine M. Newport himselfe ; The Prudence Vice-admirall, under the conduct of Captaine Hugh Merrick; The Margaret under Captaine Robert Fred; and The Virgin our pinnesse under Captaine Henry Kidgil: Begun from London the 25. of Januarie 1591. Written by M. John Twitt of Harewich, Corporall in the Dragon. which voyage they tooke and burnt upon the coast of Hispaniola, within the bay of Honduras, and other places, 3. townes, and 19. saile of shippes and frigats. In He 12. daye of Februarie An. 1591. we set saile from Dover roade, and having a prosperous winde, the 27. day of the same moneth wee fell with Cape Cantin on the coast of Barbarie, and on the 28. wee arrived at Santa Cruz roade, where having refreshed our selves some 3. or 4. dayes, we put off to sea againe, and about the 5. of March wee passed by the Ilands of the Canaries: and having a favourable wind, the 4. of April An. 1592. we fell with Dominica in the West Indies: where making stay a day or two, wee bartred with the Salvages for certaine commodities of theirs, viz. Tabacco, hennes, Potato rootes, &c. Passing from thence to a watering place on the other side of the cliffe, wee tooke a Portugall ship of Lisbone of 300. tuns, which came from Guinie, and was bound for Cartagena, wherein were 300. Negros young and olde. Which ship we tooke along with us to S. Juan de Puerto rico, where we landed the marchant and one Spaniard more within a league of the towne, and landing some 20. or 30. musketiers, some 20. horsemen made towards us; but wee retired to our boates without any service done. The 9. we lay hovering all day before the towne, the castle making a shot or two at us. The reason why wee set the Portugall marchant aland there was, for that he hoped to helpe us to some money for his Negros there, but he falsified his worde with us, so that passing along to the Westermost ende of the sayde Iland, about some 9. or 10. leagues from the towne wee landed the Negros, and sunke their ship. 1591. The 11. of Aprill we passed from thence to Mona [III. 568.] some 15. leagues off, where we landed: there were on the Iland about 19. soules, the children of an olde Portugall, and his wife who affourded us such fruits as their Iland yeelded, viz. swines flesh, Potato rootes, &c. From thence along wee passed to Saona, a long Iland and very fruitfull, replenished with store of wilde beastes and swine, where we landed, hunted, and trained our men. Passing from hence Westward along the South coast of Hispaniola, wee descryed a frigat, which wee chased and tooke: wherein were 22. jarres of copper-money, being bound for S. Juan de Puerto rico, to buy wine there. The next day we tooke 2. small frigats more, but nothing of any value in them. The 15. of Aprill at night wee sacked a towne in the sayde Iland of Hispaniola called Ocoa, where was an Ingenio, wherein we found sugar & poultrie great store, but the people had discovered our ships over night, and were fled into the mountaines. This town standeth a league from the seaside, consisting of some fortie or fiftie houses. They brought us much cattell, and two wayne loades of sugar, to ransome the towne. While this action was perfourmed, Robert Freed of Harwich, captaine of the Margaret, tooke two frigats with certaine Spaniards on the other side of the bay, which came to lade sugar there at an Ingenio. 1591. This towne standeth from the waters side a league. After we had here refreshed our selves, wee stode along for Cape Tiburon, where we watered: and making no stay there, about the 23. of Aprill wee left our shippes in a faire road-sted under an Iland not inhabited, and with our frigats which wee had taken before, wherein wee shipped all our strength which possibly wee could affourd, leaving onely so fewe aboord our shippes as could hardly if neede had bene, have wrought them; we passed along by the sayd Iland to the Northwest part of Hispaniola, to a towne called Yaguana; where the 27. in the morning 2. houres before day we landed; but wee were discovered by meanes of a frigat that lay laden with victuals, bound for Carthagena, the men of which frigat recovering on lande before us, gave an alarme to the towne, who were presently up in armes to the number of a hundred & fiftie horses. Wee marched notwithstanding along to the towne, having a Spaniard for our guide, where by that time the day brake, we were before the towne, where upon a faire greene making a stand, we were encountred by the horsemen having no strength of foote, but certaine few loose shot which lay in a low valley at the entrie of the towne. The horsemen charged us very fiercely, but seeing they could not prevaile, brought in a drove before them of two hundred beastes or more: and so forcibly thinking to have broken our array, it pleased God to cause their cattell to returne backe upon themselves: and thus their owne device sorted out to their owne detriment. In this skirmish wee slewe their governour, a man very hardy, and of great valure. In the end, by reason of the Spaniards brags which they gave out, (as by the life of their wives and children, &c. that not one of us should goe aboord againe) a greater doubt of intercepting of us and of our boates was stroken into our captaines hearts then needed: and so for that time we retired to our boates not entring the towne, and so passed with our boates to our ships againe; where the same night our captaine determined to goe up with our shippes, but it fell so calme, that all the next day untill night we could not get up, and they having discovered us, baricadoed up their way, and conveyed all that they had into the mountaines, leaving their houses onely bare and naked, notwithstanding we landed, and with great difficultie wee passed their baricados with the losse of two men at both conflicts, entred their towne and fired it, leaving not an house unburnt, being a towne of three streetes having about 150. housholds. The same night wee passed with our boates to a small village called Aguava, where we found excellent fruites. of the countrey, which by reason of their cowardly brags wee also set on fire. 1591. Being thus frustrated of our pretended voyage, we stoode for the bay of Honduras, and about the ninth of May we discovered in the afternoone a saile thwart of the bay of Truxillo, with whom we stoode, and having a Spanish flagge out, they mistrusted us not, untill we had almost fet them up: and then wee went off with our boate, and tooke them within shot of the castle, and with our boates wee went and fet three or foure frigats which They thought rode afore the towne, the castle playing upon us with some fleete their ordinance. had bene come expected. from Spaine, Our captaine having understanding by the Spaniards, for so they that there were three shippes more at Puerto de Cavallos, stood along that night for that place, but it fell out to bee so calme, that it was the fifteenth day of May or ever wee came there, the shippes having peradventure discovered us, stole alongst the shoare towards Truxillo, so that being voyde of that hope, we landed; the inhabitants forsaking the towne, fled into the mountaines. Wee [III. 569.] remained in the towne all night, and the next day till towards night: where we found 5. or 6. tuns of quick silver, 16. tuns of old sacke, sheepe, young kids, great store of poultrie, some store of money, & good linnen, silkes, cotton-cloth, and such like; we also tooke three belles out of their church, and destroyed their images. The towne is of 200 houses, and wealthy; and that yere there were foure rich ships laden from thence: but we |