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836 DE CHASTE’S VOYAGE TO TERCERA.
On his return he fent another floop to fea to reconnoitre, which difcovered the whole
fleet under fail, directing its courfe towards Tercera; of which being informed, the
count came to the commander at La Praya, and affured him that the Spanifh fleet
confifted of forty large veflels, twelve galleys, two galleafles, and the remainder of
{mall veffels or floops, making together a hundred fail. The commander immediately
went to reconnoitre the forts, which were along the fhore of La Praya, and fee if they
were provided as he had ordered; when he heard the fentinels, on the mountains,
give fignals of their feeing the fieet, by the founding of bells. Being returned to Pra-
ya, he learnt that the count had retired to Angres, which was his ftation upon
hearing the alarm.
The next morning, the twenty-third of July, the whole fleet was in fight before Praya, at
a league’s diftance, which continually nearing, coafted along the ifland. The commander
followed them as far as St. Marguerite, when they caft anchor, keeping a quarter of a
league from fhore; before the galleys anchored, like their admiral, they came very
near to a landing-place, where there were only a few Portuguefe, who fired a few fhot
at them. The commander du Mayet, being at hand with a {mall number of French
foldiers, advanced, and upon his getting up, the galleys retired, and captain Pomyet
was placed at the fhore, with his company of 30 men.
The Sunday following, at day break, the galleys approached La Praya very near’
to fhore ; and fired a number of guns and arquebufes, at our trenches, fending for-
ward a boat to examine the landing-place; which came very near, as there was no-
moon up; on fun-rife, they returned to the fleet, and in the afternoon, they coafted
all along the Ifland again, to reconnoitre every place of landing; firing guns wherever
they faw any people. ‘The Maitre de Camp advanced, to ftation himfelf with his com-
pany at the landing-places between Gillez Fernandez, and Port Pefcart. At two
o’clock in the afternoon, a boat, with a white flag, was difpatched from the fleet, to-
wards the quarter where the commander du Mayet was pofted, who fired three or
four guns at it, to prevent the recognizing of that landing place, which caufedit to re-
tire. The commander du Chafte who had not yet obferved the count make his ap-
pearance, fent to tell him, that he looked upon it as extraordinary he did not join the
army, and that both the Portuguefe and the French thought very ill of fuch demea-
nor; that he begged him to join them, and to fend the cavalry which was ordered to
La Praya, anda different captain to that who commanded the Portuguefe, on account
of their having no confidence in him, looking upon him either as a coward or a traitor,
from his manner of behaviour; at the fame time, to provide the foldiers with bread ;
for from the time of their arrival, they had had {fo little that they were half famifhed.
The next day, which was Monday, all the galleys came before Praya by day-break,
firing a number of cannon, and arquetufes, and retired an hour after fun-rile, keep-
ing clofe to fhore all day long to reconnoitre nearer; the commander followed them
up to the fleet, meeting in the way John de Caftres, a Portuguefe, whom the count
fent to command at Ia Praya, who delivered him a letter from the count, which he
had received from the marquis de Santa Cruz, admiral of the fleet, by two Portuguefe
of Tercera which he had made prifoners ; this letter was faltened to the neck of one of
them, who fwam on fhore; a plan to which the marquis {tated he had recourfe, as the
governor would notallowa cartel t6 approach. ‘The marquis, in this letter, endeavoured
to perfuade the count to furrender the ifland to the king of Spain, to whom, he ftated,
it belonged, affuring him, upon his honour, of a free pardon on the part of his majefty
for his paft difobedience; in {pite of which, his wife and children, who were prifoners
at
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