es. With that they were so crippled that they did not dare return
the fire, and so gained nothing. That night the enemy held a council
of war, as some prisoners reported. All advised flight, as they had
been surprised by our flagship. But their commander assured them
that there was nothing to fear, and that the flagship had all the
force, and he dared to defeat it. Don Juan Ronquillo collected his
fleet that night and sent an order by the galley of Don Diego de
Quinones for each vessel to grapple with the one that fell to its
lot, and for the "San Lorenco" to act as a reserve in order to help
the most needy. Next morning, Saturday, April 15, our fleet bore
down upon the enemy and succeeded in getting to windward of it. Don
Diego de Quinones went with his galley to tell the commander that he
was waiting to attack the enemy. The commander gave the same order,
and also to leave the enemy's flagship for him. Invoking our Lady of
the most pure Conception, whom they had taken as patroness of that
undertaking on their departure, they attacked the enemy. The Dutch
were confident, when they were aware of the dash of the Spaniards,
that our men would board their ships when they grappled. Accordingly
they prepared for it by so many stratagems that all who boarded would
be killed; but Don Juan Ronquillo, taking precautions against that,
issued an order for no one to board until the galleon with which he
was fighting had surrendered. That order was obeyed; and our flagship
grappled its adversary, and although almost all the latter's crew
were killed it refused to surrender. Finally it was reduced to such
a condition that it began to roll violently, a sign that it was
sinking, whereupon our flagship drew apart from it, and it went to
the bottom. The commander and several who were left alive got into
their small boat and escaped. It was said that the ship contained
great wealth that had been pillaged along the coast of India, and the
best that they had pillaged from the Chinese. That galleon was called
"Sol Nuevo de Olanda" [_i.e._, "New Sun of Holland"], and it set very
wretchedly for them that day. Captain Juan Bautista de Molina was
the first to grapple another galleon, and the galley of Don Diego
went to his aid. It had already surrendered, and the Dutch had been
made prisoners, when another galleon, all on fire, bore down upon two
galleons with which Rodrigo de Guillastegui had fought. It set fire to
one of them, and it bore down