the 2d, which had exchanged shots with the Portuguese the night before about midnight, and we agreed to seek the Portuguese, keeping however to windward of the place where we meant to trade.  We accordingly ran all day on the 3d to the S.W. in search of the Portuguese ships, but could not see them, and stood towards the shore at night.  When we made the shore on the 4th, we found ourselves off Lagua, 30 leagues to the eastwards of our reckoning, owing to the currents setting east.  Going on shore with our negro interpreter, we learned that there were four French ships on the coast:  One at Perinnen, 6 leagues west of Lagua; one at Weamba[277], 4 leagues east of Lagua; a third at Perecow[9], 4 leagues east of Weamba; and the fourth at Egrand[10], 4 leagues east of Perecow.  We accordingly proceeded toward Weamba, where we saw one of the French ships under sail to which we gave chase; and lest we should over-shoot her in the night, the Minion was brought to anchor, and the Tiger and Christopher followed the chase all night.

[Footnote 276:  The Mina is here to be considered as the gold coast of Guinea, called Mina or the mines on account of its great produce in gold dust.  The castle of St George del Mina, is usually called in these early voyages the castle.—­E.]

[Footnote 277:  Or Wiamba, where the English had afterwards a fort.—­Astl.  I. 172. d.]

[278][Footnote 278:  9 This seems to have been little Barakhow, or Berow.—­Astl.  I. 172. c.]

[279][Footnote 279:  10 Probably Akkara, where the English, Dutch, and Danes had afterwards separate forts—­Astl. 1.172. d.]

The 5th we found three French ships at anchor:  One called La Foi of Harfleur of 200 tons, the second the Venturuse of Harfleur of 100, and third the Mulet de Batville of Rouen of 120 tons.  On nearing them, we in the Minion were determined to lay the admiral on board, while the Christopher boarded the vice-admiral, and the Tiger the smallest.  But they weighed and got under sail, on which the Christopher, being our headmost ship, bore down on La Foi, and we in the Minion on the Mulet, which we took; but the Venturuse sailed so swift that we could not take her.  The one we took was the richest except the admiral, which had taken 80 libs, of gold, the Venturuse having only 22 libs.; while our prise had 50.  They had been above two months on the coast; but three others had been there before them, and had departed a month before our arrival, having swept the coast of 700 pounds of gold.  Having continued the chase all that day and night, and the next day till 3 P.M. and being unable to get up with them, we were afraid of falling too far to leewards, and made sail back to the shore.  On the 7th, I convened the captains masters and merchants of all our three ships, when we weighed the gold taken in the prize, being 50 libs. 5 oz., after which we put men out of all our ships into the prize to keep her.  On the 12th, on coming to Egrand, having taken all the goods out of the prize, we offered to sell the ship to the Frenchmen; but she was so leaky that they would not have her, and begged us to save their lives by taking them into our ships.  So we agreed to take out all the victuals and sink the ship, dividing the men among us.