eals of plate,
fourscore pound weight of gold, and six-and-twenty ton of silver. The
place where we took this prize was called Cape de San Francisco, about
150 leagues [south] from Panama. The pilot's name of this ship was
Francisco; and amongst other plate that our General found in this ship
he found two very fair gilt bowls of silver, which were the pilot's. To
whom our General said, _Senor Pilot, you have here two silver cups, but
I must needs have one of them_; which the pilot, because he could not
otherwise choose, yielded unto, and gave the other to the steward of our
General's ship. When this pilot departed from us, his boy said thus unto
our General: _Captain, our ship shall be called no more the Cacafuego,
but the Cacaplata, and your ship shall be called the Cacafuego_. Which
pretty speech of the pilot's boy ministered matter of laughter to us,
both then and long after. When our General had done what he would with
this Cacafuego, he cast her off, and we went on our course still towards
the west; and not long after met with a ship laden with linen cloth and
fine China dishes of white earth, and great store of China silks, of all
which things we took as we listed. The owner himself of this ship was in
her, who was a Spanish gentleman, from whom our General took a falcon of
gold, with a great emerald in the breast thereof; and the pilot of the
ship he took also with him, and so cast the ship off.
This pilot brought us to the haven of Guatulco, the town whereof, as
he told us, had but 17 Spaniards in it. As soon as we were entered this
haven, we landed, and went presently to the town and to the town-house;
where we found a judge sitting in judgment, being associated with three
other officers, upon three negroes that had conspired the burning of
the town. Both which judges and prisoners we took, and brought them
a-shipboard, and caused the chief judge to write his letter to the town
to command all the townsmen to avoid, that we might safely water there.
Which being done, and they departed, we ransacked the town; and in one
house we found a pot, of the quantity of a bushel, full of reals of
plate, which we brought to our ship. And here one Thomas Moon, one of
our company, took a Spanish gentleman as he was flying out of the
town; and, searching him, he found a chain of gold about him, and other
jewels, which he took, and so let him go. At this place our General,
among other Spaniards, set ashore his Portugal pilot wh
|