Page:The principal navigations, voyages, traffiques and discoveries of the English nation 15.djvu/369

 twenty tunnes, wherein himselfe went captaine, and the barke called the Aduenture of fiue and twentie tunnes, whereof was captain one Richard Hen, departed from the foresayd hauen of Plimmouth in the moneth of Nouember, hauing one hundreth men in his company.

The first place where wee touched in the West Indies was the Isle of Margarita on the coast of Tierra firma, where wee tooke a Spanish gentlemen and others, who for his ransome set at libertie Master Iames Willis, and fiue other Englishmen which were prisoners in Cumanà, who otherwise were neuer like to haue come from thence. Thus passing from thence, wee sayled ouer to the Isle of Iamaica, where the second of March we met with sir Anthony Sherley, who before our comming had taken the chiefe towne in the Island, and was now almost in a readines to depart.

And here consorting our selues with him, we departed from Iamaica the sixt of March, and resolued to set vpon the strong towne of Truxillo neere the mouth of the bay of the Honduras. And hauing sayled to Cape de Corrientes vpon Cuba, to seeke a barke of mine for our better strength; but not finding her, we went for the cape of Honduras, where wee purposed to intrap the watch, and so to haue sacked the towne of Truxillo. But the watch discouering vs, made great fires, and the towne presently shot off a great piece, and answered with fires. Notwithstanding, the next day being the one and thirtieth of March, wee brought our ships vnder the fort, and landed our men: but it was a vaine purpose, for the towne is inuincible by nature, and standeth vpon the top of a very steepe hill close to the sea, enuironed with woods of such exceeding thicknes, that there is no passage through the trees: there is also but one very narrow and steep lane to goe into the towne, at the end whereof is a gate very strongly fortified: so that it is not to be approached vnto, vnless it be vpon the sudden, and with surprize of the watch: wherefore with the losse of some few men wee retired from this enterprize.

From hence we passed vp farther into the gulfe the second of April, with intention to inuade the towne of Puerto de Cauallos, where wee arriued the seuenth of April, and tooke the same, finding it well fortified, but nothing answering our expectation for wealth. Whereupon Sir Anthony Sherley and I being hitherto frustrate of our hopes