A voyage to the Azores
with two pinases, the one called
the Serpent, and the other the Mary Sparke of
Plimouth, both of them belonging to Sir Walter
Ralegh, written by John Evesham Gentleman, wherein
were taken the governour, of the Isle of Sainct Michael,
and Pedro Sarmiento governour of the Straits of
Magalanes, in the yeere 1586.
THE 10. of June 1586. we departed from Plimouth with
two Pinases, the one named the Serpent, of the burden of
35. Tunnes, and the other the Mary Sparke of Plimouth
of the burthen of 50. Tuns, both of them belonging to
sir Walter Ralegh knight; and directing our course
towards the coast of Spaine, & from thence towards the
Isles of the Azores, we tooke a small barke laden with
Sumacke and other commodities, wherein was the governour of
S. Michaels Island, being a Portugal
, having other
Portugals and Spaniards with him. And from thence we
sailed to the
Island of Graciosa, to the Westward of the
Island of Tercera, where we discried a saile, and bearing
with her wee found her to be a Spaniard: But at the
first not greatly respecting whom we tooke, so that we
might have enriched our selves, which was the cause of
this our travaile, and for that we would not bee knowen
of what nation we were, wee displayed a white silke
ensigne in our maine toppe, which they seeing, made
accompt that we had bene some of the king of Spaines
Armadas, lying in wait for English men of war: but
when we came within shot of her, we tooke downe our
white flagge, and spread abroad the Crosse of S. George,
which when they saw, it made them to flie as fast as they
might, but all their haste was in vaine, for our shippes
were swifter of saile then they, which they fearing, did
presently cast their ordinance and small shot with many
letters, and the draft of the Straights of Magelan into the
Sea, and thereupon immediatly we tooke her, wherein
wee also tooke a gentleman of Spaine, named Pedro
Sarmiento, governour of the Straights of Magelan, which
saide Pedro we brought into England with us, and presented him to our soveraigne Lady the Queene.
After this, lying off and about the Islands, wee descried
another saile, and bearing after her, we spent the maine
maste of our Admirall, but yet in the night our Viceadmirall, tooke her, being laden with fish from
Cape
Blanke, the which shippe wee let goe againe for want
of men to bring her home. The next day we discried
two other sailes, the one a shippe and the other a Caravel,
to whom we gave chase, which they seeing, with all
speede made in under the
Isle of Graciosa, to a certaine
Fort there for their succour, where they came to an anker,
and having the winde of us we could not hurt them with
our ships, but we having a small boate, which we called a
light horseman, wherein my selfe was, being a Musqueter,
and foure more with Calivers, and foure that rowed, came
neere unto the shore against the winde, which when they
saw us come towards them they caried a great part of
their marchandise on land, whither also the men of both
vessels went and landed, and as soone as we came
within Musquet shot, they began to shoote at us with
great ordinance and small shot, and we likewise at them,
and in the ende we boorded one shippe wherein was no
man left, so we cut her cables, hoysed her sailes, and
sent her away with two of our men, and the other 7. of
us passed more neere unto the shoare, and boorded the
Caravel, which did ride within a stones cast from the
shoare, and so neere the land that the people did cast
stones at us, but yet in despight of them all we tooke
her, and one onely Negro
therein; and cutting her cables
in the hawse we hoysed her sailes and being becalmed
under the land, we were constrained to rowe her out
with our boate, the Fort still shooting at us, and the
people on land with Musquets and calivers, to the number
of 150. or thereabout: and we answered them with the
small force wee had; In the time of which our shooting,
the shot of my Musquet being a crossebarre-shot happened
to strike the gunner of the fort to death, even as he was
giving levell to one of his great pieces, and thus we
parted from them without any losse or hurt on our side.
And now, having taken these five sailes of shippes, we
did as before, turne away the shippe with the fish, without
hurting them, and from one of the other shippes wee
tooke her maine Maste to serve our Admirals turne, and
sent her away putting into her all the Spaniards and
Portugals, (saving that gentleman Pedro Sarmiento, with
three other of the principal men and two Negroes) leaving
them all within sight of land, with bread and water
sufficient for 10. dayes if neede were.
Thus setting our course for England, being off the
Islands in the height of 41. degrees, or there about, one
of our men being in the toppe discried a saile, then
10. saile, then 15. whereupon it was concluded to sende
home those prizes we had, and so left in both our
Pinasses not above 60. men. Thus wee returned againe
to the Fleete wee had discried, where wee found 24.
saile of shippes, whereof two of them were Caracks, the
one of 1200. and the other of a 1000. tunnes, and 10.
Galions, the rest were small shippes and Caravels all
laden with Treasure, spices, and sugars, with which 24.
shippes we with two small Pinasses did fight, and kept
company the space of 32. houres, continually fighting
with them and they with us, but the two Caracks kept
still betwixt the Fleete and us, that wee could not take
any one of them, so wanting powder, wee were forced
to give them over against our willes, for that wee were
all wholly bent to the gaining of some of them, but
necessitie compelling us, and that onely for want of
powder, without losse of any of our men, (which was a
thing to be wondered at considering the inequalitie of
number) at length we gave them over. Thus we againe
set our course for England, and so come to Plimouth
within 6. houres after our prizes, which we sent away
40. houres before us, where wee were received with
triumphant joy, not onely with great Ordinance then
shot off, but with the willing hearts of all the people
of the Towne, and of the Countrey thereabout; and we
not sparing our Ordinance (with the powder wee had
left) to requite and answere them againe. And from
thence wee brought our prizes to Southampton
, where
sir Walter Ralegh being our owner, rewarded us with
our shares.
Our prizes were laden with sugars, Elephants teeth,
waxe, hides, rice, brasill, and Cuser, as by the testimonie
of John Evesham himselfe, Captaine Whiddon, Thomas
Rainford, Benjamin Wood, William Cooper Master,
William Cornish Master, Thomas Drake Corporall, John
Ladd gunner, William Warefield gunner, Richard
Moone, John Drew, Richard Cooper of Harwich,
William Beares of Ratcliffe, John Row of Saltash, and
many others, may appeare.
