leeward for the purpose of preventing her from putting before the wind
and getting away.

Now the engagement commenced in earnest. For the first half-hour the
_Centurion_ overreached the galleon, and lay on her bow. By the greater
wideness of the ports of the former, she could traverse almost all her
guns, while the galleon could only bring a part of hers to bear.
Scarcely had the action begun, when the mats with which the galleon had
stuffed her netting took fire and burned violently, blazing up half as
high as the mizen-top. This accident threw the enemy into great
confusion, and the commodore feared lest the galleon should be burned,
and his ship suffer by driving on board her. The Spaniards at last,
however, freed themselves from the fire by cutting away the netting and
tumbling the whole mass into the sea.

Still the _Centurion_ kept her advantageous position, firing her guns
with great regularity; whilst, at the same time, the topmen, who having
at their first volley driven the Spaniards from their tops, made great
havoc with their small arms, killing or wounding every officer but one
that appeared on the quarter-deck, and wounding in particular the
general of the galleon himself. After the engagement had lasted half an
hour, the _Centurion_ fell alongside the galleon, the decks of which her
grape-shot swept so effectually,--killing and wounding a great number,--
that the Spaniards were thrown into the greatest disorder, as could be
seen from on board the _Centurion_. The Spanish officers were observed
running about to prevent desertion by the men from their quarters; but
all their endeavours were in vain; and at last, having fired five or six
guns, the galleon's colours being already burnt, the standard at her
main-top-gallant-masthead was struck. The seaman who did this would
have run great risk of being shot down, had not the commodore given
orders to the men not to molest him. The action lasted altogether about
an hour and a half, during which the Spaniards lost sixty-seven killed
and eighty-four wounded.

The prize was called _Nuestra Senora de Cabadonga_, and was commanded by
Don Jeronimo de Montero, a Portuguese by birth, and a skilful and brave
officer. The galleon was much larger than the _Centurion_, had a crew
of five hundred and fifty men, and thirty-six guns, besides twenty-eight
pidreroes or petards, each of which carried a four-pound ball. She was
besides well furnished with small arms,