pure Conception, whom they had taken as patroness of
that undertaking on their departure, they attacked
the enemy. The Dutch were confident, when they
were aware of the dash of the Spaniards, that our
men would board their ships when they grappled.
Accordingly they prepared for it by so many stratagems
that all who boarded would be killed; but Don Juan
Ronquillo, taking precautions against that, issued
an order for no one to board until the galleon with
which he was fighting had surrendered. That order
was obeyed; and our flagship grappled its adversary,
and although almost all the latter’s crew were
killed it refused to surrender. Finally it was
reduced to such a condition that it began to roll
violently, a sign that it was sinking, whereupon our
flagship drew apart from it, and it went to the bottom.
The commander and several who were left alive got into
their small boat and escaped. It was said that
the ship contained great wealth that had been pillaged
along the coast of India, and the best that they had
pillaged from the Chinese. That galleon was called
“Sol Nuevo de Olanda” [i.e., “New
Sun of Holland"], and it set very wretchedly for them
that day. Captain Juan Bautista de Molina was
the first to grapple another galleon, and the galley
of Don Diego went to his aid. It had already
surrendered, and the Dutch had been made prisoners,
when another galleon, all on fire, bore down upon two
galleons with which Rodrigo de Guillastegui had fought.
It set fire to one of them, and it bore down ablaze
upon the one defeated by Captain Molina, so that he
was forced to ungrapple. Those two burning vessels
bore down upon that of the Dutch admiral, with whom
Pedro de Heredia had grappled, and whom he had already
defeated and most of whose crew he had killed.
When he saw the two burning galleons bearing down
upon them, they threw off the grapples and separated.
Consequently the admiral had opportunity to escape,
but in so bad a condition that his vessel sank next
day, according to the report of some Indians and Chinese
who saw it. Captain Sebastian de Madrid, on going
to grapple with another galleon, was killed by a musket-ball;
and when his vessel was about to grapple, Don Juan
de la Vega, with the galleon “San Marcos,”
came between. Those aboard the “San Felipe”
thought that he would grapple, but he made for the
open sea, whereupon they on seeing it went after him.
Captain Azevedo grappled the other galleon, and after
fighting gallantly, the grapples were thrown off, whereupon
both Dutch galleons took the opportunity to escape.
That battle was the most bloody ever seen, for all
had come with the determination to die rather than
surrender, and they did so. “San Felipe,”
“San Juan Bautista,” and “San Marcos”
went in pursuit of the three galleons of the enemy;
but since flight has so many advantages to the one
escaping, the enemy threw overboard all their cargo
into that sea, and, their sails being wet, the sea
became narrow for them, notwithstanding it was so
wide; and when dark night came, they changed their
route and our ships lost sight of them. Thereupon
the “San Juan Bautista,” the “San
Felipe,” and the “San Marcos” changed
their course, and returned two days later for the
evil result that disturbed that victory.