Page:The principal navigations, voyages, traffiques and discoveries of the English nation 16.djvu/262

 towne sent out foure horsemen, which brought them to the towne behinde them, and the sayd captaine clothed them, and prouided lodging for them, and Iohn Drake sate at the captaines owne table, and hee intreated them all very well, thinking to send them for Spaine. But the Viceroy of Peru hearing this newes sent for them, and they sent him Iohn Drake; but the other two they kept, because they were maried in the countrey. Thus much concerning their affaires. Vpon these newes also there were prepared fifty horsemen to goe ouer the riuer, both to seeke the rest of the Englishmen, and certaine Spaniardes which were amongst those Saluage people; but I am not assured whether they went forward or no.

Nowe let vs returne to Diego Flores: who passing from the Island of Santa Catelina towards the streights of Magellan in the middle of February, and comming to the height of the riuer of Plate, sent the gouernour of Chili with three ships vp the riuer to Buenos Ayres, that hee might from thence passe ouerland to Chili. Of these three ships two were lost, but the men and prouisions were saued; and the third returned for Spaine. Then Diego Flores with the other seuen ships proceeded on to the latitude of 52. degrees, whereas the mouth of the Streights beginneth: but because it was the ende of March, which there is the latter ende of summer, the countrey was so full of snow, and withall there arose such a sudden storme, that he could not set Sarmiento and his men on shore, but was constrained the second time to returne vnto the riuer of Ienero vpon the coast of Brasil; where he heard newes of the English ships by the two Spanish ships that escaped from them. Vpon which newes he left his lieutenant Diego de Ribera, and Pedro Sarmiento, that they might the next yeere returne for the streights.

And so Diego Flores himselfe with foure ships which were yet remaining vnto him, and other foure which the king sent to succour him, set forth to seeke the Englishmen; but hauing runne along all the coast of Brasil hee could not finde them, because they were directly gone for England.

Whereupon shaping his course vnto a port called Paraiua, and finding there fiue French ships, he burnt three and tooke two, and the fort also which the Frenchmen had built, and put Spaniardes therein, but the Frenchmen fledde into the mountaines to the Saluages. This done hee returned for Spaine.