Chap. LVII. during the Reign os Queen Elizabeth.

CHAP. LVII.

Parker’j Cruising Voyage to the West-Indies.

■15-96. r~|p HIS Year, likewise, Mr. IVil-Hackiayt, _ 1 Ham Parker , of Plymouth, fitted

CoF 1, ^ **■" out a Ship of one Hundred and

Parkers twenty Tuns, called the Pru-

cruising dence, commanded by himself and aVomge. J 3 a r )c, of five and twenty, called theAdventure, commanded by Richardjfsenj at his own Expence, with which jand a Company of a Hundred chosenMen, he set Sail, on a cruising Voyage,in the Month of November.

The first Place they touched at, inthe Weft-Indies, was the Isle of Marga-rita, on the Coast of the Continent ,where.they took a Spanish Gentleman,Six English- an j some others, Prisoners, and ex-ed. ar£ eS 'changed them for Mr. James IVillisjand five other Englishmen , who werePrisoners at Cumana. From thence theysailed to Jamaica , where, on the secondof March, 1597, they met with Sir: An-thony Sherley, who had taken the chiefTown of the Island, and made Compa-ny with him, as the Reader has seen inthe foregoing Chapter. The sixth, theyset Sail together, designing for the CapeTmxufo Cn of Honduras, and there to surprize thefrustrated, strong Town of Truxillo. The one andthirtieth, they came with theirShips un-der the Fort, but finding they were dis-covered, and their Design thereby be-come impracticable, they departed, onthe second of April, farther up theP rto de Oulph, and, on the seventh, took Pu-Cavallos ta- orto de Cavallos ; But made no Bootyken. there, which answered their Expecta-tions.

4 so n to They afterwards formed a Design ofSouth- going over Land to the South-Sea, and^abortive, had a Pinnace formed, in six Pieces, tobe set together with Screws; But thisProject proving likewise abortive, theyreturned to ‘Truxillo, where they sepa-rated.

Parker set Sail for Cape de Catoche,to the East of Jucatan, and ranged theNorth Part of that Promontory, toCapeBefconoscido. Here he put six and fifty

of his Men into a Peri ago, or long In- *^96.dian Canoe, and leaving his Ship, onEasier-Eve, 1597. at six Leagues Di-stance, went up, at three in the Morn-ing, to the Town of Campeche, which Campechehe surprized and took, with the Captain ta ^ n -and the Alcade ; Tho’ there were fiveHundred Spaniards in it, and eightThousand Indians , in two Towns closeadjoining. The Spaniards , who sled atthe first Assault, being somewhat reco-vered from their Fright, poured downin Numbers, and with great Fury, up- ^he Englishon the small Company of the Engiijh, overpower-about ten o’Clock, and, at the first On-^»set, killed six, and wounded the Cap-tain with a Musket-ball in the Breast.Notwithstanding this, th et English car-ried off their Dead, and with Coloursflying made good their Retreat by aStratagem. .Having taken some of the Get 0 fi y aTownsmen Prisoners, they tied them Stratagem .-Arm and Arm together, and placedthem as a Barrier, between them andthe Spaniards, to receive their Shot, ifthey had thought fit to continue firing.

Itf this Manner, they retired in Safety And take ato the Haven, where they found a Fri- Prize of fivegat, having the King’sTribute on Board, Thousandto be transported to St. Juan de Ullua, ^ oun ^ sVaIue -to the Value of Five Thousand Pounds,in Silver, and other good Commodities.

This they took and carried, with their

Periago, to their Ship. Opposite to

their Ship, on the other Side,; they

burnt an Indian'Town called Sebo, and Sebo Burnt.

took as much Campeche-W ood as they

could carry off, together with some

Wax and Hony. In turning up again

to Cape de Cotoche, the Spaniards, hav- by "the

ing fitted out two FrigatS at Campeche, Spaniards.

took his Bark, and hanged the Captain

with thirteen Men, who were in her :

But Parker returned in Safety, with his

Ship, to Plymouth, where he arrived the Parker re ~

Beginning of July. mn5 '

4

CHAP.