In which ship he
had news of another ship called the Cacafuego, which was gone towards
Payta, and that the same ship was laden with treasure. Whereupon we
stayed no longer here, but, cutting all the cables of the ships in the
haven, we let them drive wither they would, either to sea or to the
shore; 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.
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