Page:Royalnavyhistory01clow.djvu/498

 chained together. The English fleet entered Le Goulet, the narrow mouth of the harbour, and, manning its boats, made a feint as if to attempt a landing. This brought down the French in great numbers to the shore; and while the admiral held them there, he advanced farther into the harbour, and landed a force on the peninsula of Plougastel, opposite the town. Bodies of men ravaged the country between the rivers Landerneau and Aven; but, owing to the lack of stores and provisions in the fleet, the operations could not then be followed up. Howard, however, continued to hold Le Goulet, and to blockade the port. These events took place in the first and second weeks of April.

The expected stores were meanwhile on their way, under the convoy of Sir Edward Echyngham, who, in a letter preserved in the Cottonian Library, has left an account of his proceedings. He left England on Wednesday, April 13th, and almost immediately sighted a vessel which he recognised as French, and which he chased until she made for the coast of Friesland. On Thursday, the following day, he sighted fifteen sail, which proved to be Spanish, and which appear to have joined company with him. On the morning of the 15th he fell in with three French ships and prepared for action, making arrangements to protect his people with cables and mattresses, encouraging his men, and getting ready his morris pikes and other weapons. Observing his good countenance, the French fled, making for Fécamp, under the walls of which Echyngham chased then. When beyond pursuit they fired at him. On the 16th the wind was S.S.W. Nothing particular happened on the two following days; but on the 19th, at 10 A.M., while chasing a Breton ship and some transports, Echyngham discovered several French galleys among the rocks. The chased transports were two miles from the galleys. The Spaniards are reported to have been extremely terrified on this occasion. Presently Echyngham sighted the masts of other ships, and, approaching them, found, when he had made about ten miles, that they were those of the English fleet in Brest Harbour. He went on board the Admiral, who received him very cordially; for the stores which he brought were sadly needed, the English, for the previous ten days, having been reduced to a single meal a day.

The French galleys which Echyngham had observed must have been those of Prégent de Bidoux from the Mediterranean. Four