rowd on sail,
their purpose would be just as well effected. The idea of escaping with
their lives seemed very attractive to all, and accordingly this plan
was immediately put into execution. They began to cut the cables and
to cast loose from the enemy. In a few moments our ship started off
in such a way that they saw the dead bodies of drowned men floating
about between decks. The general, upon seeing this, began to strip
off his clothing, at the persuasion of a private servant of his named
Josepe Denaveda, who gave him a mattress of [_MS. worn_] on which the
two naked men threw themselves into the sea. Many others did likewise,
though only a few reached shore. Our ship gave a lurch and foundered,
carrying down with it all those whom fear of their inability to swim
prevented from taking to the water--some of whom were armed--so that
the majority of the men were carried down with the ship. Many who were
very good swimmers were dragged to the bottom by the force of the
suction. All our men who were still on the surface tried by all the
means in their power to save their lives. It was the unhappy fate of
some of them to reach the enemy's ship itself where those heretics
hastened to receive them with pikes, and speared them with great
cruelty. Among those they wounded Captain Gomez de Molina with a lance;
however he continued to swim thus wounded, until he reached the shore,
where he died from loss of blood, at the water's edge. In this way
many died, and those who escaped took shelter on the island of Fortuna,
eighteen leguas from the city, until some vessels might pass by.

At this moment the small Portuguese ship, seeing the outcome, laid
its course to Malaca, because it had arrived only at that moment. Our
ship had grappled with the enemy for six hours, from eight in the
morning until two in the afternoon, when the former foundered.

Admiral Joan de Alcaga, who was chasing the enemy's almiranta, overtook
it, and after he had fired two or three volleys of his artillery,
musketry, and arquebuses, he grappled it on its stern-quarter on the
starboard side. Our men immediately boarded the enemy, the said admiral
being among the first. The enemy defended themselves well, serving
their artillery and thrice setting a fire purposely with some powder
cartridges, but our men hastened to put out the fire with buckets
of water. The enemy seeing the strength of their assailants and how
unfortunately the action was turning out, beca