By that time the Spaniards had had enough of it. The galleys slipped
their cables and made sail for a narrow channel across the spit,
covered by the guns of the fort. Three of them were captured by
Sir John Wingfield in the vanguard, but the rest got through the
channel and escaped. The men of war endeavoured to run ashore, but
boarding parties in boats from the Ark Royal and Repulse captured
two of them. The Spaniards set fire to the other two. The argosies
and galleons were also captured. Sir Francis Vere at once took the
command of the land operations. The boats were all lowered, and the
regiments of Essex, Vere, Blount, Gerard, and Clifford told off as
a landing party. They were formed in line. The Earl of Essex and
Sir Francis Vere took their place in a boat in advance of the line,
and were followed by smaller boats crowded with gentlemen volunteers.
They landed between the fort of Puntales and the town. The regiments
of Blount, Gerard, and Clifford were sent to the narrowest part
of the spit to prevent reinforcements being thrown into the place;
while those of Essex and Vere and the gentlemen volunteers turned
towards Cadiz. Each of these parties consisted of about a thousand
men.
The walls of Cadiz were so strong that it had been intended to
land guns from the fleet, raise batteries, and make a breach in the
walls.
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