The captain struck the master gunner with a stick;
the latter, a German, rushed below in a rage, thrust a burning fuse
into a powder barrel, and sprang through a porthole into the sea.
The whole of the deck was blown up, with two hundred sailors and
soldiers; but the ship was so strongly built that she survived the
shock, and her mast still stood.
The duke sent boats to learn what had happened. These carried
off the few who remained unhurt, but there was no means of taking
off the wounded. These, however, were treated kindly and sent on
shore when the ship was picked up at daylight by the English, who,
on rifling her, found to their delight that there were still many
powder barrels on board that had escaped the explosion.
The morning broke calm, and the wind, when it came, was from the
east, which gave the Spaniards the advantage of position. The two
fleets lay idle all day three or four miles apart, and the next
morning, as the wind was still from the east, the Spaniards bore
down upon Howard to offer battle.
The English, however, headed out to sea. Encouraged by seeing
their assailants avoid a pitched battle the Spaniards gave chase.
The San Marcos, the fastest sailer in the fleet, left the rest
behind, and when the breeze headed round at noon she was several
miles to windward of her consorts, and the English at once set upon
her.
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