Page:The principal navigations, voyages, traffiques and discoveries of the English nation 15.djvu/227

 rine of the cod becommeth yellow, and is exceeding sweat and pleasant.

In this time of our being there hapened to come a Portugall to the Western fort, with a flag of truce, to whom Captaine Sampson was sent, with Captaine Goring, who comming to the said messenger, he first asked them what nation they were, they answered Englishmen, hee then required to knowe if warres were betweene England and Spaine, to which they answered that they knew not, but if he would goe to their Generall he could best resolue him of such particulars, and for his assurance of passage and repassage, these Captaines made offer to ingage their credits, which he refused for that he was not sent from his Gouernor. Then they told him, if his Gouernor did desire to take a course for the common benefit of the people and countrey, his best way were to come and present himselfe vnto our noble and mercifull Gouernour sir Francis Drake, whereby hee might bee assured to find fauour, both for himselfe and the inhabitantes, Otherwise within three dayes wee should march ouer the land, and consume with fire all inhabited places, and put to the sword all such liuing soules as wee shoulde chance vpon: so thus much he tooke for the conclusion of his answere, and departing, hee promised to returne the next day, but we neuer heard more of him.

Vpon the foure and twentieth of Nouember, the Generall accompanied with the lieutenant generall and sixe hundred men marched foorth to a village twelue miles within the land, called Saint Domingo, where the Gouernour and the Bishoppe with all the better sort were lodged, and by eight of the clocke wee came to it, finding the place abandoned, and the people fled into the mountaines: so we made stand a while to ease our selues, and partly to see if any would come to speake to vs.

After we had well rested our selues, the Generall commaunded the troupes to march away homewards, in which retreat the enemie shewed themselues, both horse and foote, though not such force as durst encounter vs: and so in passing sometime at the gase with them, it waxed late and towards night before we could recouer home to S. Iago.

On Munday the sixe and twentieth of Nouember, the Generall commaunded all the pinnesses with the boates to vse all diligence to imbarke the Armie into such shippes as euery man belonged. The Lieutenant generall in like sort commanded