The warning which this town received of our coming towards them from St.
Domingo, by the space of 20 days before our arrival here, was cause that
they had both fortified and every way prepared for their best defence.
As also that they had carried and conveyed away all their treasure and
principal substance.

The ransom of 110,000 ducats thus concluded on, as is aforesaid, the
same being written, and expressing for nothing more than the town of
Carthagena, upon the payment of the said ransom we left the said town
and drew some part of our soldiers into the priory or abbey, standing a
quarter of an English mile below the town upon the harbour water-side,
the same being walled with a wall of stone; which we told the Spaniards
was yet ours, and not redeemed by their composition. Whereupon they,
finding the defect of their contract, were contented to enter into
another ransom for all places, but specially for the said house, as also
the blockhouse or castle, which is upon the mouth of the inner harbour.
And when we asked as much for the one as for the other, they yielded to
give a thousand crowns for the abbey, leaving us to take our pleasure
upon the blockhouse, which they said they were not able to ransom,
having stretched themselves to the uttermost of their powers; and
therefore the said blockhouse was by us undermined, and so with
gunpowder blown up in pieces. While this latter contract was in making,
our whole fleet of ships fell down towards the harbour-mouth, where
they anchored the third time and employed their men in fetching of fresh
water aboard the ships for our voyage homewards, which water was had in
a great well that is in the island by the harbour-mouth. Which island
is a very pleasant place as hath been seen, having in it many sorts of
goodly and very pleasant fruits, as the orange-trees and others, being
set orderly in walks of great length together. Insomuch as the whole