onnoitre the English ships,
which had not shown their national colours but those of Spain, in order
to baffle those who might overhaul them, and prevent their recognising
them as war cruisers. The Turks mistook them for trading vessels from
India, and made sure of capturing them with ease. Richard took care to
let them approach till they were well within range of his guns, which he
let fly at them so opportunely, that with a single broadside he disabled
one of the galleys, sending five balls through her middle and nearly
cutting her in two. She immediately heeled over and began to founder;
the other galley made haste to take her in tow, in order to get her
under the lee of the large ship; but Richard, whose ships manoeuvred as
rapidly as if they were impelled by oars, having reloaded his guns,
pursued the retreating galleys, pouring upon them an incessant shower of
balls. The crew of the crippled galley having clambered on board the
large ship, Richard poured such a cross fire from his two ships on her
consort, that she could neither use sails nor oars, and the Turks on
board her, following the example of their comrades, took refuge in the
large ship, not with the intention of defending her, but for the
momentary safety of their lives. The Christian galley-slaves broke their
chains, and mingling with the Turks also boarded the large ship, but as
they were in danger from the musquetry of Richard's two ships as they
were swarming up the side, he gave orders to cease firing on Turks and
Christians alike. The former, however, had already lost the great part
of their numbers, and the rest were cut to pieces with their own weapons
by the revolted slaves, who, thinking the two English ships were
Spanish, did marvels for the recovery of their freedom.

At last, when nearly all the Turks were killed, some Spaniards shouted
from the deck to their supposed countrymen to come on board and enjoy
the fruits of their victory. Richard asked them in Spanish what ship was
that? They replied that she was a Portuguese ship from the West Indies,
freighted with spices, and with such a quantity of diamonds and pearls
that she was worth a million. She had been driven into those latitudes
by a storm, much damaged, with all her guns thrown overboard, and her
crew almost perishing of hunger and thirst. In that condition, being
unable to make any resistance, she had been captured the day before by
these two galleys, which belonged to the corsair Ar