the Dutch. Holmes returned the fire,
and after suffering some damage withdrew from the attack. On the
following morning he was surprised, he declared, to see that the Dutch
had hung out a white flag and were sending a boat to him offering to
surrender the fort. He called a council which, after considering the
former hazards of the English trade on the Gambia, decided "that the
better to protect our trade for a tyme and sooner to bring in
Hollander's West India Compa to adjust our nation's damages sustained
by them, and to that end we accepted the surrender of that place."[65]

Holmes' explanation of the taking of Cape Verde, although simple and
direct, is probably incomplete. His whole career shows him to have
been a man who was likely to take the initiative, so that it is not
surprising to learn from the depositions of various Dutchmen that,
previous to the battle of Cape Verde, Holmes had seized two Dutch
vessels, and that after receiving an unfavorable reply to his demand
to surrender, Holmes attacked the fort at Cape Verde, which
capitulated together with several Dutch vessels.[66]

From the conflicting statements made by the Dutch and the English it
is difficult to ascertain the truth regarding the events immediately
preceding the attack on Cape Verde, but the fact remains that Holmes
had obtained a number of Dutch vessels and was master of one of their
most important forts on the west coast of Africa. Since he had
discovered the ease with which the Dutch possessions could be seized,
Holmes next set out down the coast toward Elmina. On the way he
despoiled the Dutch factory at Sestos, on the pretext that at that
place the Dutch had stirred up the natives against the English.[67]
Shortly afterwards, he encountered and captured the "Golden Lyon"
which had added to its notorious career by preventing the "Mary," a
ship belonging to the Royal Adventurers, from trading on the Gold
Coast in March, 1663.[68] Finally he seized the Dutch factory at Anta,
on the ground that it was commanded by the former captain of the
"Christiana," one of the Dutch ships designated for seizure in the
king's instructions.[69]

Before leaving the Gambia, Holmes had been apprised of what had taken
place on the Gold Coast since the Dutch had captured Cape Corse in
June, 1663. After the Dutch had taken possession of this fortress
General Valckenburg despatched a very strong protest to the chief
English factory at Kormentine, in which he mainta