passing by in his ship, saw the peril to which the prince
was exposed, and, ranging up on the other side of the Spaniard,
strove to board her there. The attention of the Spaniards being thus
distracted, the prince and his companions made another desperate effort,
and succeeded in winning their way on to the deck of the Spanish ship
just as their own vessel sank beneath their feet; after a few minutes'
desperate fighting the Spanish ship was captured.

The English were now everywhere getting the best of their enemies. Many
of the Spanish vessels had been captured or sunk, and after the fight
had raged for some hours, the rest began to disperse and seek safety
in flight. The English vessel commanded by Count Robert of Namur had
towards night engaged a Spanish vessel of more than twice its own
strength. His adversaries, seeing that the day was lost, set all sail,
but looking upon the little vessel beside them as a prey to be taken
possession of at their leisure, they fastened it tightly to their sides
by the grappling irons, and spreading all sail, made away. The Count
and his men were unable to free themselves, and were being dragged away,
when a follower of the count named Hennekin leapt suddenly on board the
Spanish ship. With a bound he reached the mast, and with a single blow
with his sword cut the halyards which supported the main-sail. The sail
fell at once. The Spaniards rushed to the spot to repair the disaster
which threatened to delay their ship. The count and his followers,
seeing the bulwarks of the Spanish vessel for the moment unguarded,
poured in, and after a furious conflict captured the vessel. By this
time twenty-four of the enemy's vessels had been taken, the rest were
either sunk or in full flight, and Edward at once returned to the
English shore.

The fight had taken place within sight of land, and Queen Philippa, from
the windows of the abbey, which stood on rising ground, had seen the
approach of the vast Spanish fleet, and had watched the conflict until
night fell. She remained in suspense as to the result until the king
himself with the Black Prince and Prince John, afterwards known as John
of Gaunt, who, although but ten years of age, had accompanied the Black
Prince in his ship, rode up with the news of the victory.

This great sea-fight was one of the brightest and most honourable in the
annals of English history, for not even in the case of that other great
Spanish Armada which suffered def