nd down to get their livings, by
labouring like slaves, being considered in as safe custody in the island
at large as if in a prison. But at length, upon a Sunday, they all went
behind the hills called _Bresil_, where they found a fishing boat, in
which they rowed out to sea to the ships of the Earl of Cumberland, who
chanced for their good fortune to come to the island, and anchored with
his ships about half a mile from the road of Angra, close to two small
islands about a bare shot from the shore of Tercera, which are full of
goats, deer, and sheep, belonging to the inhabitants of Tercera. These
sailors knew this well, wherefore they rowed to these islands in their
boats, whence they took as many goats and sheep as they needed, which
was well seen by those of the town and main island, but they durst not
go forth to hinder them. By this exploit, there only remained behind the
master and merchant of the detained English ship. This master had a
brother-in-law in England, who, on hearing of his brothers imprisonment,
got a licence from the queen to fit out a ship, with which to endeavour
to recover his losses by cruizing against the Spaniards, by which to
redeem his brother from imprisonment in Tercera, and it was he who took
the two Spanish ships before the town: The before-mentioned merchant,
who was my intimate acquaintance, was standing on the shore along with
me, looking at them at the time. When these ships were taken, which were
worth 300,000 ducats, the brother sent all the men on shore, except only
two of the principal gentlemen, whom he kept to give in exchange for his
brother; and by the pilot of one of the captured ships he sent a letter
to the governor of Tercera, offering to send the two gentlemen on shore
if his brother were delivered up, otherwise he would carry them
prisoners into England, which indeed he did, as the governor would not
deliver up his brother, saying the gentlemen might make that suit to the
king of Spain. We invited that Spanish pilot to supper with us, and the
Englishmen likewise, when he related to us the particulars of the fight,
much commending the order and manner in which the English fought, as
also their courteous behaviour to him: But, in the end, the English
merchant stole away in a French ship, without paying any ransom.

In January 1590, there arrived one ship alone at Tercera from the
Spanish West Indies, bringing news that a fleet of an hundred sail,
which had set out from the