, whom they treated courteously, and then
loosed them and gave them liberty.

On December 7 of the same year of 1615, the Dutch reached the bay of
Malaca with seven ships and one patache, coming to join the king of
Achen. They found our three galleons, which, for greater security,
had been anchored between a sandbank made by the sea and a small
island near Malaca. There they said that they were invincible, for
entrance could be had only by a channel near the rampart, which,
by means of its pieces of artillery, would refuse entrance. On the
sea side they were defended by the sandbank and shoals. But the enemy
sounded the port that night with its lanchas and found a new channel,
where they entered without being hindered by the rampart. This was
attributed to the fault and negligence of those who could and ought
to have prevented the lanchas from making soundings, because of the
many galliots in the port.

The enemy having entered and coming within cannon range, opened
a fierce bombardment, which lasted two and one-half days. At this
time our vessels defended themselves with three pieces that could
be fired, and no more, because they were anchored, and the current
threw them in a line toward the Dutch; although had the people on
shore been diligent, they could have brought the vessels about with
cables. The enemy tacked at will and played the majority of their
pieces. We discovered that our galleons were stronger than their
ships, for their balls did not pass through the sides of the galleons,
especially of the almiranta and flagship. The damage inflicted by them
was through the open ports; while we saw that our balls passed through
the Dutch ships from side to side, and then went bounding through
the water. Nevertheless, distrusting the Dutch and their battery,
the men of the galleons began to edge away and to leave them at the
approach of night, especially when they saw Captain Juan Pinto and
Admiral Alfonso Vaez fall; they were killed with four others, by a
ball that entered through a port.

First they abandoned the galleon called "Plata," without taking the
precaution to set it afire when they left, so that the enemy could
not approach with their artillery. This the enemy did, entering and
capturing it, as was well seen; and afterward they set it afire.

When the enemy saw that the soldiers were deserting the almiranta,
they lowered their lanchas and entered it. One Dutchman, climbing up to
the maintopsail, lowere