That their Gunner shot off one of their pieces, which was charged with
pouder onely, and was stopped; which our men thinking it had bin shot at
them, shot againe, and so beganne the fight: and that the next morning they
would send my Lord a resolute answere to his demaunde, for as yet they
could not knowe their Gouernours minde herein. The next morning there came
vnto vs a boate from the shoare with a flagge of truce, wherein were three
of the chiefe men of the Island, who agreed with my Lorde that hee should
haue of them sixtie buttes of wine, and fresh victuals to refresh himselfe
and his companie withall: but as for fresh water, they could not satisfie
our neede therein, hauing themselues little or none, sauing such as they
saued in vessels or cistrnes when it rayned, and that they had rather giue
vs two tunnes of wine then one of water: but they requested that our
souldiers might not come on shoare, for they themselues would bring all
they had promised to the water-side, which request was graunted, we keeping
one of them aboord with vs, untill their promise was performed, and the
other we sent to shoare with our emptie Caske, and some of our men to helpe
to fill, and bring them away with such other prouision as was promised: so
the Margaret, Captaine Dauis his shippe, and another of Weymouth stayed
ryding at anker before the Towne, to take in our prouision. This shippe of
Weymouth came to vs the day before, and had taken a rich Prize (as it was
reported) worth sixteene thousand pound, which brought vs newes that the
West-Indian Fleete was not yet come, but would come very shortly. But we
with the Victorie put off to sea, and vpon Saturday the fourth of October,
we tooke a French shippe of Saint Malo (a citie of the vnholy league) loden
with fish from Newfoundland: which had beene in so great a tempest, that
she was constrayned to cut her mayne mast ouerboord for her safetie, and
was now comming to Graciosa, to repaire her selfe. But so hardly it befell
her, that she did not onely not repaire her former losses, but lost all
that remayned vnto vs. The chiefe of our men we tooke into our ship, and
sent some of our men, mariners, and souldiers into her to bring her into