Captaine Goring and Lieutenant Tucker, with one hundred shot to make a stand in the market place, vntill our forces were wholly imbarked, the viceadmiral making stay with his pinnesse and certaine boats in the harbour, to bring the sayd last companie aboord the ships. Also the Generall willed forthwith the gallie with two pinnesses to take into them the company of Captaine Barton, and the company of Captaine Bigs, vnder the leading of captaine Sampson, to seeke out such munition as was hidden in the ground, at the towne of Praya or Playa, hauing bene promised to be shewed it by a prisoner, which was taken the day before.
The Captaines aforesayd comming to the Playa, landed their men, and hauing placed the troupe in their best strength, Captaine Sampson tooke the prisoner, and willed him to shewe that hee had promised, the which he could not, or at least would not: but they searching all suspected places, found two pieces of ordinance, one of yron, an other of brasse. In the afternoone the Generall ankered with the rest of the Fleet before the Playa, comming himselfe ashore, willing vs to burne the towne and make all haste aboord, the which was done by sixe of the clocke the same day, and our selues imbarked againe the same night, and so we put off to Sea Southwest.
A wise course to be imitated in all great actions. But before our departure from the towne of S. Iago, wee established orders for the better gouernment of the Army, euery man mustered to his captaine, and others were ministered to acknowledge her Maiestie supreme Gouernour, as also euery man to doe his vttermost endeuour to aduance the seruice of the action, and to yeeld due obedience vnto the directions of the Generall and his officers. By this prouident counsell, and laying downe this good foundation before hand, all things went forward in a due course, to the atchieuing of our happy enterprise.
In all the time of our being here, neither the Gouernour for the king of Spaine, (which is a Portugall) neither the Bishop, whose authoritie is great, neither the inhabitants of the towne, or Island euer came at vs (which we expected they should haue done) to intreate vs to leaue them some part of their needfull provisions, or at the least, to spare the ruining of their towne at our going away. The cause of this their vnreasonable distrust (as I doe take it) was the fresh remembrance of the great wrongs they had done to old M. William Hawkins of Plimmouth, in the
