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CUMBERLAND’S VOYAGE TO THE AZORES, 805
The feventeenth day the forefaid fhips were difmiffed, but feven of their men that
were willing to go along with us for failors, we took to help us, and fo held on our
courfe for the Azores.
The firft of Auguft, being Friday, in the morning, we had fight of the ifland of St.
Michael, being one of the eaftermoft of the Azores, towards which we failed all that
day, and at night having put forth a Spanith flag in our main-top, that fo they might the
lefs fufpect us, we approached near to the chief town and road of that ifland, where we
efpied three fhips riding at anchor and fome other veffels: all which we determined to
take in the dark of the night, and accordingly attempted about ten or eleven of the
clock, fending our boats well manned to cut their cables and hawfers, and let them drive
into the fea. Our men coming to them found that one of thofe greateft fhips was the
Falcon of London, being there under a Scottifh pilot, who bore the name of her as his.
own. But three other {mall fhips that lay near under the caftle there, our men let loofe,
and towed them away unto us, moft of the Spaniards that were in them leaping over-
board, and fwimming to fhore with loud and lamentable outcries; which they of the
town hearing were in an uproar, and anfwered with the like crying. The cattle dif-
charged fome great fhot at our boats, but fhooting without mark by reafon of the dark-
nefs, they did us no hurt. The Scots likewife difcharged three great pieces into the
air to make the Spaniards think they were their friends and our enemies, and fhortly
after the Scottifh mafter, and fome other with him, came aboard to my Lord, doing:
their duty, and offering their fervice, &c. Thefe three fhips were fraught with wine
and fallad-oil from: Sivil.
The fame day our caravel chafed a Spanifh caravel. to fhore at St. Michael, which
carried letters thither, by which we learned, that the caraks were departed from Tercera
eight days before.
The feventh of Auguft we had fight of a little fhip, which.we chafed towards Tercera
with our pinnace (the weather being calm), and towards evening we overtook her a
there were in her thirty tons of good Madeira wine, certain woollen cloth, filk, taffeta,
&c. The fourteenth of Auguft we came to the ifland of Flores, where we determined.
to take in fome frefh water and frefh. victuals, fuch as the ifland did afford.» So we
manned our boats with fome a hundred and twenty men, and rowed towards the fhore :
whereto when we approached, the inhabitants that were afflembled at the landing-place
put forth a flag of truce, whereupon we alfo did the like.
When we came to them, my Lord gave them to underftand by his Portugal inter-
preter, that he wasa friend to their king Don Antonio,.and came not any way to injure
them, but that he meant only to have fome frefh water and frefh. vituals of them, by
way of exchange for fome provifion that he had, as oil, wine, or pepper, to which they
prefently agreed willingly, and fent fome of. their company. for-beeves and fheep, and
we in the mean feafon marched fouthward about a mile to, Villa de Santa Cruz, from:
whence all the inhabitants young and old were departed, and not any thing of value:
left. We demanding of them what was the caufe hereof, they anfwered, fear ; as their
ufual manner was when any fhips came near their coaft.
We found that part of the ifland. to be full of great rocky barren hills and moun-
tains, little inhabited, by,reafon that it is molefted with thips of war, which might partly
appear by this town of Santa Cruz, (being one of their chief towns,) which was all’
ruinous, and (as it were) but the relicks of the ancient town, which had. been burned
about two years before by certain Englith fhips of war, as the inhabitants there reported.
At evening as we were rowing towards the Victory, a huge fifth purfued us for the
fpace well nigh of two miles together, diftant for the moft part from the boat’s ftern
2. not
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