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EliZ, Naval Expeditions , &c a of the Ungliih, Book

well) brought themselves to the Lee-ward of the Spanijh Admiral; Whilethe Bark (called the Content ) bore upwith the Vice-Admiral, and, rangingalong,by her Broadside, a Weather of her,gave her a Volley of their great Guns andsmall Arms, and then coming up, withanother smaller Ship, a Head of theformer, hailed her in such Manner,that she sheered of.

While they were thus engaged withthe little Ship, they saw. a great Smoakcoming from their Admiral, and theHopewell and Swallow (the Vice-Ad-miral) forsaking him with all the Sailthey could make. The Content, uponthis, bore up with the Admiral, butbefore they could come to him, theyhad both the small Ships to the Wind-ward of them, whose Design was, ifthey had not been too hot for them, tohave laid them oh Board. Thus theFight continuing between the Content,and the two small Spanijh Ships, for theSpace of three Hours, the former wereforced, at last, to stand to the Ndrth-Wards, the Hopewell arid the Swallownot coming in, all this while, to theirAssistance, which, however, it is said,they might easily have done.

The Englijh Admiral, in the meanTime, being engaged with the SpanijhVice-Admiral, and another of theirgreat Ships, stood off to Sea, with hisTop-gallant-Sail, and all the Sails hecould make ; And then the Hopewelland the Swallow might have secondedhim ; But they failed him, as they haddone the Content, standing off, close bya Wind, to the Eastward.

The Content , all this while, wasforced to the Northwards, by two ofthe great Spanijh Ships, and one of thesmall ones, they having a Loom Gale,and the Englijh being altogether be-calmed. The latter, having now noother Remedy, supped their Oars, de-signing to row into the Shoar, and an-chor in so shallow Water, that thegreat Ships might not be able to comenear them. The Spaniards, feing theirIntent, doubly manned one of theirsmall Ships; which being toWed be-sides , with a Boat a Head, shippedtheir Oars likewise, and followed her,thinking, with their small Shot, to haveput the Englijh from their Oars, till thegreat Ships might come up with them ;But, by that Time she was within Muf-ket-fhot, they had a fair Gale of Wind,at North-West, off the Shoar, at which

Time, they being to the Leeward, the QpContent stood to the East. The smallSpanijh Ship was then under their Lee,within Falconhhet, and another greatShip lay to the Westward, so that theycould not possibly escape them uponthat Board. Then, thinking to avoidthem, by casting about to the West-ward, the other great Ship got undertheir Lee, and the small Ship on theirWeather-Quarter, purposing to makethem pay Room with the great Ship,by Force of her small and great Shot.

Then, they being Lee-board tack’d,and the Spaniards Starboard, they madeher spring her Lodf, and by a fortu-nate Shot pierced her betwixt Wind andWater, insomuch that she was forcedto lay herself upon the Careen, and tostand with- one of the other Ships forHelp.

The Content-, being thus luckilyfreed, by the Help of the Wind, look-ed out, and espied two Sail more, inthe Offing, which they believed to bethe Hopewell and the Swallow, stand-ing in to their Assistance; But theywere widely deceived; For they prov-ed to be two of the Enemy’s Gallies,and one of them, soon after, got undertheir Lee, hard by them. It being thenEvening, one of the great Ships fired fixCannon-shot at them, to let the Galliesknow, that was- the Ship they lookedfor. The Gaily, soon after, came upontheir Quarter Starboard, and salutedthem with five Brass Pieces, from theirProw. They endeavoured to lay .themon Board; But were so galled by theEnglijh, with their small Arms, thatthey were glad to put off from theirQuarter ; And when they made thefame Attempt on their Stern, they pliedthem so close with their Muskets, thatthey gave them no Time to dischargetheir Ordnance, and by throwing a Fire-ball amongst them obliged them again tosheer off. Soon after, they saw the twoGallies, with a Frigat, bearing uponthem again, upon Which they resolvedto fight it out, to the last Man; anddared them, as they came nearer, tocome on Board them ; But the Spani-ards it seems, did not care'tb trust therfstfind only saluting them, with one Sbdt,fell astern. Thus she Fight Continuedwith the Ships and Gallies, from sevenIn the Mornirig, till Eleven at Night,in all which Time not a Man Was kill-ed, in the Content, and but two Wound-ed, About two -the next Morning,