and with all speed we followed the Cacafuego toward
Payta, thinking there to have found her. But
before we arrived there she was gone from thence towards
Panama; whom our General still pursued, and by the
way met with a bark laden with ropes and tackle for
ships, which he boarded and searched, and found in
her 80 lb. weight of gold, and a crucifix of gold
with goodly great emeralds set in it, which he took,
and some of the cordage also for his own ship.
From hence we departed, still following the Cacafuego;
and our General promised our company that whosoever
should first descry her should have his chain of gold
for his good news. It fortuned that John Drake,
going up into the top, descried her about three of
the clock. And about six of the clock we came
to her and boarded her, and shot at her three pieces
of ordnance, and strake down her mizen; and, being
entered, we found in her great riches, as jewels and
precious stones, thirteen chests full of reals of plate,
fourscore pound weight of gold, and six-and-twenty
ton of silver. The place where we took this prize
was called Cape de San Francisco, about 150 leagues
[south] from Panama. The pilot’s name of
this ship was Francisco; and amongst other plate that
our General found in this ship he found two very fair
gilt bowls of silver, which were the pilot’s.
To whom our General said, Senor Pilot, you have
here two silver cups, but I must needs have one of
them; which the pilot, because he could not otherwise
choose, yielded unto, and gave the other to the steward
of our General’s ship. When this pilot
departed from us, his boy said thus unto our General:
Captain, our ship shall be called no more the Cacafuego,
but the Cacaplata, and your ship shall be called the
Cacafuego. Which pretty speech of the pilot’s
boy ministered matter of laughter to us, both then
and long after. When our General had done what
he would with this Cacafuego, he cast her off, and
we went on our course still towards the west; and
not long after met with a ship laden with linen cloth
and fine China dishes of white earth, and great store
of China silks, of all which things we took as we
listed. The owner himself of this ship was in
her, who was a Spanish gentleman, from whom our General
took a falcon of gold, with a great emerald in the
breast thereof; and the pilot of the ship he took
also with him, and so cast the ship off.
This pilot brought us to the haven of Guatulco, the town whereof, as he told us, had but 17 Spaniards in it. As soon as we were entered this haven, we landed, and went presently to the town and to the town-house; where we found a judge sitting in judgment, being associated with three other officers, upon three negroes that had conspired the burning of the town. Both which judges and prisoners we took, and brought them a-shipboard, and caused the chief judge to write his letter to the town to command all the townsmen to avoid, that we might safely water there. Which being done, and they departed, we ransacked the town;