nhboy
Ubi bene ibi patria
Found on reddit.com; Link.
"The Pirates skirmish with the Spanish on land, and plunder a Spanish town (and then the Spanish take revenge):
Friday, December the 3rd, 1680… Being but thirty-five men in all, who were all those that were landed out of the canoes, they were suddenly encountered and engaged by a whole troop of a hundred Spanish horse. We that were behind, hearing the noise of the dispute, followed them at their heels; but before we could reach the place of the battle, they had already routed the Spaniards.
Notwithstanding this rout, they rallied again at the distance of about a mile, and seemed as if they would engage us anew. As soon as all our forces were come together, we marched towards them and offered them battle. As we came near we found plainly they designed no such thing, for they instantly retired, keeping out of the reach of our guns. In this engagement with the horse, our company had killed three of their chiefest men, and wounded four more, killing also four of their horses.
When we found we had been led by this stratagem of the enemy away from the town, we left the bay and came to several houses, but found them al empty, and swept clean, both of inhabitants and provisions. This place of La Serena our pilot had reported to be but a small town, but being arrived there we found in it no fewer than seven great churches and one chapel. In the gardens we found strawberries as big as walnuts and those very delicious to the table. The inhabitants of La serena upon our approach fled, with them the best of their goods and jewels, and what they could not carry away that was of value they buried. Notwithstanding, we took one friar, and two Chilenos, natives of the kingdom of Chili, which adjoins to that of Peru. These prisoners told us that the Spaniards had killed most of their Chilian slaves, fearing they should revolt from them to us. We were about this time troubled with the scurvy; it proceeded, as we judged, from the great hardship and want of provisions we had endured for several months. We killed a mule and got there as plunder a small, quantity of good chocolate, which the Spaniards have in great esteem. In the gardens we found strawberries as big as walnuts.
Next morning, being Saturday, came into the town a flag of truce from the enemy. Their message was to proffer a ransom for the town to preserve it from burning, for now they began to fear we would set fire to it. The chief commanders on both sides met about this point and agreed betwixt them the sum of 95,000 pieces of eight for the whole ransom. This day also there died one of our negroes slaves on board the ship.
Next morning, we set fire to the town. We fired as nigh as we could every house in the whole town to the end that it might be totally reduced to ashes. Thus we left La Serena, carrying with us what plunder we could find. We received advice that the Spaniards had endeavoured by an unusual stratagem to burn our ship and thereby destroy us all. They blew up a horse’s hide like a bladder and upon this float a man ventured to swim from show, and come under the stern of our ship; being arrived there ,he crammed okeham and brimstone and other combustible matter between the rudder and the sternpost: having done this he fired it with a match, so that in a small time all the ship was in a smoke. Our men, both alarmed and amazed with this smoke, ran up and down the ship, suspecting the prisoners to have fired the vessel, thereby to get their liberty. At last they found out where the fire was, and had the good fortune to quench it. "
"The Pirates skirmish with the Spanish on land, and plunder a Spanish town (and then the Spanish take revenge):
Friday, December the 3rd, 1680… Being but thirty-five men in all, who were all those that were landed out of the canoes, they were suddenly encountered and engaged by a whole troop of a hundred Spanish horse. We that were behind, hearing the noise of the dispute, followed them at their heels; but before we could reach the place of the battle, they had already routed the Spaniards.
Notwithstanding this rout, they rallied again at the distance of about a mile, and seemed as if they would engage us anew. As soon as all our forces were come together, we marched towards them and offered them battle. As we came near we found plainly they designed no such thing, for they instantly retired, keeping out of the reach of our guns. In this engagement with the horse, our company had killed three of their chiefest men, and wounded four more, killing also four of their horses.
When we found we had been led by this stratagem of the enemy away from the town, we left the bay and came to several houses, but found them al empty, and swept clean, both of inhabitants and provisions. This place of La Serena our pilot had reported to be but a small town, but being arrived there we found in it no fewer than seven great churches and one chapel. In the gardens we found strawberries as big as walnuts and those very delicious to the table. The inhabitants of La serena upon our approach fled, with them the best of their goods and jewels, and what they could not carry away that was of value they buried. Notwithstanding, we took one friar, and two Chilenos, natives of the kingdom of Chili, which adjoins to that of Peru. These prisoners told us that the Spaniards had killed most of their Chilian slaves, fearing they should revolt from them to us. We were about this time troubled with the scurvy; it proceeded, as we judged, from the great hardship and want of provisions we had endured for several months. We killed a mule and got there as plunder a small, quantity of good chocolate, which the Spaniards have in great esteem. In the gardens we found strawberries as big as walnuts.
Next morning, being Saturday, came into the town a flag of truce from the enemy. Their message was to proffer a ransom for the town to preserve it from burning, for now they began to fear we would set fire to it. The chief commanders on both sides met about this point and agreed betwixt them the sum of 95,000 pieces of eight for the whole ransom. This day also there died one of our negroes slaves on board the ship.
Next morning, we set fire to the town. We fired as nigh as we could every house in the whole town to the end that it might be totally reduced to ashes. Thus we left La Serena, carrying with us what plunder we could find. We received advice that the Spaniards had endeavoured by an unusual stratagem to burn our ship and thereby destroy us all. They blew up a horse’s hide like a bladder and upon this float a man ventured to swim from show, and come under the stern of our ship; being arrived there ,he crammed okeham and brimstone and other combustible matter between the rudder and the sternpost: having done this he fired it with a match, so that in a small time all the ship was in a smoke. Our men, both alarmed and amazed with this smoke, ran up and down the ship, suspecting the prisoners to have fired the vessel, thereby to get their liberty. At last they found out where the fire was, and had the good fortune to quench it. "
