sailing vessels which could be mustered into the
service were kept cruising off the shore to espy the approaching
squadron. They were not sufficiently strong to give battle, but they
could give warning to the city. Also they could bear to Spain or to
Mexico tidings of what occurred. Thus one vessel lay in the estuary of
the Puercos River, ready to flee to Mexico, while another cruised around
Ycacos Point, to hasten to Spain to tell if Havana should fall into the
hands of the foe.

Meanwhile in Havana itself all possible forces were mustered for
defense. The volunteers from the other towns were drilled into an
efficient state of discipline. Such was their zeal that they gladly
served without pay while a considerable number of them in addition
provided their own rations at their own cost. For the necessary expenses
of their maintenance Rojas, the Royal Treasurer, used what royal funds
were in hand regardless of the purpose for which they had been designed,
and when these were insufficient he collected taxes without authority,
on the principle that the safety of the city and Island was the supreme
law. At the beginning of April some welcome aid arrived from Mexico,
which even Quinones was now glad to have. The Viceroy sent four vessels,
bearing about 300 fighting men, with six months' supplies of food and
with pay for eight months in advance. These increased the force under
Quinones to more than 900 well-trained soldiers. During the month of
April Luzan arrived from Bayamo with nearly 100 more men, thus
increasing the garrison of Havana to about 1,000. This was a force which
the Captain-General confidently believed would be able to resist and to
repulse any force which Drake might be able to land.

Luzan had meantime, in February, received from Spain orders to resume
the governorship of the Island with full power, to return to Havana, and
to consider his term of office indefinitely prolonged. He had been
appointed in 1579 for a term of four years and had assumed office in
1580, so that his original term was by this time long since expired.
Reckoning the four years from his actual assumption of office in the
summer of 1580 his term had ended in 1584. If his return to Havana was
not altogether agreeable to Quinones, and it is quite probable that it
was not, at least a semblance of harmony was preserved between them, and
there was certainly efficient if not cordial co-operation. To this
auspicious state of affairs the Royal