uctions: 1. As soon as it is night, every ship shall keep in
regular order a-stern of the admiral; and no vessel to carry any light
except in the binnacle and in the cabin. 2. The masters and pilots to
keep regular watch, taking special care not to run foul of each other. 3.
All to answer the signals of the admiral. 4. As soon as day appears,
every ship shall come to salute the admiral, and all are carefully to
avoid getting before him during the night. The penalty for breach of any
of these articles was a fine of ten crowns, besides which the offender
was to be put under arrest without being entitled to wages, and so to
remain to the end of the voyage. As some of the masters and pilots had
been very negligent, allowing some of the ships to fall aboard of others,
he removed these to other ships. By this attention to discipline, the
fleet was kept afterwards in good sailing order.

In the month of June, at which time they reckoned themselves off the Cape
of Good Hope, the fleet was surprised by a heavy storm, and had to drive
for two days and nights under bare poles in imminent danger of being cast
away, the weather during all this time being wonderfully dark, so that
the ships were in great hazard of running aboard of each other. To guard
against this danger, the admiral caused guns to be fired at intervals
from all the ships, to give notice of their situations, and the better to
keep company. On the subsidence of the storm, the ship commanded by Lope
Mendez was missing, and the admiral caused the fleet to lie to for some
days in hopes of her reappearance. While in this situation, two of the
ships ran foul of each other, by which a large hole was broken in the bow
of one of the ships, through which she took in so much water as to be in
great danger of sulking. The admiral immediately bore up to her
assistance, and encouraged the crew to stop the leak, and even sent his
boats on board to give every aid. By great exertions they got the leak
effectually stopped, by nailing hides over the hole, and covering the
whole with pitch. On St Jameses day, 25th July, the fleet arrived at
Mozambique, where they were well received by the governor, who supplied
them abundantly with fresh provisions, and sent off the letter which
Pedro de Tayde had written respecting the state of affairs in India a
short time before his death, as formerly mentioned. The admiral expedited
the refitting of the ships which had been so much injured, as quickl