We Set
Sail However And Tried All Night To Gain The Wind Of The Portuguese,
Some Of Which Were Very Near During The Night.
One of them, which we
judged was their admiral, fired a shot, as we supposed to call the
others to come and speak with him.
The 26th we came in with the shore,
and got sight of the Portuguese at anchor, on which we made sail towards
them, giving all our men white scarfs, that the French and we might know
each other in case of boarding: But night coming on before we could
fetch the Portuguese, we anchored within demi-culverine shot of them.
[Footnote 264: Called Chama in modern maps, near the mouth of St Johns
river, about 6 leagues east from Mina. - E.]
In the morning of the 27th, both we and the Portuguese weighed anchor,
and by 11 o'clock, A.M. we had gained the weather-gage, on which we went
room with them[265]: on this they bore away towards the shore, and we
after them, and when they were near shore they put about again to
seawards. We put about likewise, and gained a head of them, on which we
took in our topsails and waited for them. The first that came up was a
small bark, which sailed so well that she cared not for any of us, and
had good ordnance. As soon as she came up she discharged her guns at us
and shot past with ease, after which she fired at the French admiral and
struck his ship in several places; and as we were in our fighting sails,
she soon got beyond our reach.
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