About Noon, The Globe, Which Was Our Smallest Ship, And
Sailed Better Than The Rest Of The Fleet, Came Up With Her On The
Broadside To Windward, And Hailed Her According To The Custom Of The
Sea, Asking Whence She Came?
She answered, indirectly, that she came
from the sea, and her people insulted ours most outrageously, calling
them thieves,
Rogues, heretics, and devils; and, in conclusion of their
rude compliments, spoke in the loud language of the cannon's roar,
discharging seven pieces of large artillery at our Globe, six of the
balls piercing her hull, and maiming some of her men, but killing none.
Our Globe replied in the same voice, and afterwards fell astern and
stood in for our general and the rest of our fleet, now four sail in
all, shewing us the discourtesy of the Portuguese.
About three in the afternoon, the Charles, our admiral, came up with the
Portuguese ship, which was the admiral of the caracks that sailed this
year from Lisbon, but had parted from all the rest of their fleet. When
within pistol-shot, Captain Benjamin Joseph, our commander, proceeded
deliberately to work, offering treaty before he attempted revenge. So we
saluted her with our trumpets, to which she replied with her
wind-instruments. Captain Joseph then called out, that their commander
might come on board, to make satisfaction for the wrong they had done to
our consort. They made answer, that they had no boat; on which our
general said he would send them one, and immediately caused his barge to
be manned and sent to the carack, which brought back one of their
officers and two mean men, with this answer from their commander, that
he had resolved never to leave his ship, to which he might be forced,
but would not be commanded to leave her.
On receiving this message, Captain Joseph used them civilly who had
brought it, and commanded them to be shewn our ship, and how she was
prepared to vindicate our honour. This made the poor Portuguese much
afraid, and they desired Captain Joseph to write a few words to their
commander, which, added to their persuasions, might perchance induce him
to come to terms. Willing to preserve his honour, and to prevent the
effusion of blood, Captain Joseph caused a few words to be written to
the Portuguese commander, to the following effect: - "Whereas the
commander of the carack has offered violence to our ship the Globe,
while sailing peaceably beside him, he is desired to come aboard
immediately, and give satisfaction for that wrong, or else at his
peril," &c. He then sent back the Portuguese, accompanied by one of our
master's mates, carrying the writing, together with this verbal message,
"That if he refused to come, he would force him, or sink by his side."
The words of dying men are said to be prophetic, so these his words came
to pass, for he was slain not long after by a great shot from the
carack.
Notwithstanding this message, the Portuguese commander remained firmly
to his resolute answer. Wherefore, on the return of our men, Captain
Joseph himself fired the three first shots, which surely did them much
mischief; as we conjectured, by the loud outcry we heard among them
after these shots were fired. The shot now flew thick from both sides;
and our captain, chearing his men to behave gallantly, ascended the
half-deck, where he had not been above ten minutes when a great shot
from the quarter of the carack deprived him of life in the twinkling of
an eye. It hit him fair in the breast, beating his heart and other parts
out of his body, which lay round him among his blood. After he was
slain, our master continued the fight for about half an hour, when,
considering that another person was to succeed in the supreme command,
and the night approaching, he thought proper to desist, and having
fallen astern, he hung out a flag as a signal of council, to call the
captain of the vice-admiral on board, Captain Henry Pepwell, who was to
succeed, together with the other masters, that they might consult about
the prosecution of this enterprize. As the night was now come, it was
resolved not to proceed any farther for the present. So the carack
proceeded on her course, putting up a light on her poop, as if in
defiance of us to follow, and about midnight came to anchor under the
island of Moelia; and when we perceived this island, we too let fall our
anchors.
Early in the morning of the 7th, before day began to dawn, we prepared
for a new assault, first recommending ourselves to God in prayer. When
morning came, we found the carack so close to the shore, and the nearest
of our other ships at least a league from us, that we held our hands for
that day, waiting till the carack might weigh and stand out to sea, as
fitter there to deal with her. In the afternoon, we chested our slain
commander, and committed him to the deep, over against the isle of
Moelia, omitting any ceremony of firing funeral-guns usual on such
occasions, that the enemy might not know our loss.
A little before night the carack put to sea, when we also weighed and
made sail after her. The day now left us, and our proud enemy,
unwilling, as it seems, to have the appearance of escaping by flight,
put forth a light on his poop as before, as if for us to follow him,
which we did to some purpose. The night being well spent, we again
commended ourselves and our cause to God in prayer. Soon afterwards, the
day began to dawn, and appeared as if covered by a red mantle, which
proved a bloody one to many who now beheld the light for the last time.
It was now resolved that our four ships were to take their turns in
succession, to endeavour to force this proud Portuguese either to bend
or break.
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