nearing England they fell in with nine ships from Hamburg, with rich
cargoes, and a convoy of a thirty-four gun frigate. These they
captured, to the great loss of the merchants of London.

The _Henrietta_ had suffered but little in the storm, and speedily
repaired her damages without going into port. With so much haste and
energy did the crews of the injured ships set to work at refitting
them, that in four days after the main body had anchored off
Lowestoft, they were rejoined by all the ships that had made for
Harwich and Yarmouth.

At midnight on June 2nd, a fast-sailing fishing-boat brought in the
news that the Dutch Fleet were but a few miles away, sailing in that
direction, having apparently learnt the position of the English from
some ship or fishing-boat they had captured.

The trumpets on the admiral's ship at once sounded, and Prince Rupert
and the Earl of Sandwich immediately rowed to her. They remained but
a few minutes, and on their return to their respective vessels made
the signals for their captains to come on board. The order, at such
an hour, was sufficient to notify all that news must have been
received of the whereabouts of the Dutch Fleet, and by the time the
captains returned to their ships the crews were all up and ready to
execute any order. At two o'clock day had begun to break, and soon
from the mastheads of several of the vessels the look-out shouted
that they could perceive the Dutch Fleet but four miles away. A
mighty cheer rose throughout the Fleet, and as it subsided a gun from
the _Royal Charles_ gave the order to weigh anchor, and a few
minutes later the three squadrons, in excellent order, sailed out to
meet the enemy.