The boats in like manner should not close in till they see the ships grappled, and then they should come up on the opposite side in the manner stated above, and carry out their special duties as occasion arises either with their bases,[12] of which each shall carry its own, and with their harquebuses, or else by getting close in and wedging up the rudders, or cutting them and their gear away, or by leaping in upon the enemy, if they can climb in without being seen, or from outside by setting fire to them, or scuttling them with augers.[13]

FOOTNOTES: 

[1] Fernandez Duro, De algunas obras desconocidas de Cosmografia y de Namgaaon, &c. Reprinted from the Revista de Navegacion y Comercio.  Madrid, 1894-5.

[2] Armada Espanola desde la union de los Reines de Castilla y de Aragon.

[3] Entrar y salir—­lit. ‘to go in and come out,’ a technical military expression used of light cavalry.  It seems generally to signify short sudden attacks on weak points.

[4] Here follow directions for telling off a fourth of the largest boats in the fleet for certain duties which are sufficiently explained in the section on ‘Battle’ below.

[5] Unos en pos de otros a la hila—­lit. one behind the other in file.

[6] En escuadrones o en ala.  In military diction these words meant ‘deep formation’ and ‘single line.’  Here probably ala means line abreast.  See next note.

[7] Cado uno de los escuadrones debe ir en ala.  Here escuadrone must mean ‘squadron’ in the modern sense of a division, and from the context ala can mean nothing but ‘line abreast,’ ‘line ahead’ being strictly forbidden.

[8] This, of course, refers to fire tactics ashore.  The meaning is that a ship, when she has delivered her fire, cannot retire by countermarch and leave her next in file to deliver its fire in turn.  The whole system, it will be seen, is based on end-on fire, as a preparation for boarding and small-arm fighting.

[9] Viniere toda junta puesta in ala.

[10] This sentence in the original is incomplete, running on into the next chapter.  For clearness the construction has been altered in the translation.

[11] This remarkable evolution is a little obscure.  The Spanish has ’y moviendo asimismo los otros del otro bordo, aquellos que tienen sus carretones que andan per cima de cubierta y toldo.’

[12] Versos, breech-loading pieces of the secondary armament of ships, and for aiming boats.  Bases were of the high penetration or ‘culverin’ type.

[13] Dando barrenos.  This curious duty of the armed boats he has more fully explained in the section on single ship actions, as follows:  ’The ships being grappled, the boat ready equipped should put off to the enemy’s ship under her poop, and get fast hold of her, and first cut away her rudder, or at least jam it with half a dozen wedges in such wise that it cannot steer or move, and if there is a chance for more, without being seen, bore half a dozen auger holes below the water-line, so that the ship founders.’