among his blood. After he was
slain, our master continued the fight for about half an hour, when,
considering that another person was to succeed in the supreme command,
and the night approaching, he thought proper to desist, and having
fallen astern, he hung out a flag as a signal of council, to call the
captain of the vice-admiral on board, Captain Henry Pepwell, who was to
succeed, together with the other masters, that they might consult about
the prosecution of this enterprize. As the night was now come, it was
resolved not to proceed any farther for the present. So the carack
proceeded on her course, putting up a light on her poop, as if in
defiance of us to follow, and about midnight came to anchor under the
island of Moelia; and when we perceived this island, we too let fall our
anchors.

Early in the morning of the 7th, before day began to dawn, we prepared
for a new assault, first recommending ourselves to God in prayer. When
morning came, we found the carack so close to the shore, and the nearest
of our other ships at least a league from us, that we held our hands for
that day, waiting till the carack might weigh and stand out to sea, as
fitter there to deal with her. In the afternoon, we chested our slain
commander, and committed him to the deep, over against the isle of
Moelia, omitting any ceremony of firing funeral-guns usual on such
occasions, that the enemy might not know our loss.

A little before night the carack put to sea, when we also weighed and
made sail after her. The day now left us, and our proud enemy,
unwilling, as it seems, to have the appearance of escaping by flight,
put forth a light on his poop as before, as if for us to follow him,
which we did to some purpose. The night being well spent, we again
commended ourselves and our cause to God in prayer. Soon afterwards, the
day began to dawn, and appeared as if covered by a red mantle, which
proved a bloody one to many who now beheld the light for the last time.
It was now resolved that our four ships were to take their turns in
succession, to endeavour to force this proud Portuguese either to bend
or break. Our ship, the Charles, played her part first;[225] and ere she
had been half an hour engaged with her adversary, a shot from the carack
hitting one of our iron guns on the half-deck, flew all in pieces,
dangerously wounding our new general, and three other mariners who stood
beside him. Captain Pepwell's left eye was beaten out, and he r