Twice in the course of the day the enemy were beaten off, and in the evening two Spanish ships were laid upon the Dainty at once; but the English, what with their muskets, what with their fireworks, cleared their decks very soon. If Hawkins had had more sound men, he says, he could have boarded their vice-admiral and taken it. However, the Spaniards had had enough of close quarters, and now set to and, placing themselves within a musket-shot of the Dainty, played upon her with their artillery without intermission. "In all these boardings and skirmishings," says Hawkins, "divers of our men were slaine, and many hurt, and myself amongst them received six wounds—one of them in the neck, very perilous; another through the arm, perishing the bone, the rest not so dangerous. The master of our ship had one of his eyes, his nose, and half his face shott away. Master Henry Courton was slaine. On these two I principally relied for the prosecution of our voyage, if God, by sickness or otherwise, should take me away."
At times the Spaniards parleyed and invited Hawkins to surrender, promising the usages of good war. Once the captain of the Dainty came to stir his leader to accept the terms offered, saying that scarcely any men were left to traverse the guns or oppose any defence, if the enemy should board again. Poor Hawkins was suffering agony, and believed himself to be at the point to die, but he roused himself and begged them not to trust to promises from a Spaniard, for they would assuredly be put to death as pirates or delivered to the cruel mercies of the Inquisition.
The captain and his company agreed to fight on and sell their lives dearly, so with tears and embracings—for they loved their General—they took their leave; so the action was continued through the night, and an hour before daybreak the enemy edged off in order to remedy some defects, for the English shot made larger holes than the Spanish, and a few more men would have turned the scale and given the victory to the Dainty.
This breathing time the English employed in repairing sails and tackling, stopping leaks, mending pumps, and splicing yards; for they had many shot under water, and the pumps were battered to pieces.
When the action was renewed the vice-admiral came upon their quarter, and a shot from one of the Dainty's stern-pieces carried away his mainmast close to the deck. Hawkins lay below, and knew nothing of what had occurred; then was the time to press the Spaniard home, but the Dainty was steered away, and the Spaniards had time to repair their damage.
They soon overtook the Dainty, and the fight went on through the second night, and they ceased firing again before the dawn; but there had been no interval for rest or refreshment, except to snatch a little bread and wine as they could. Indeed, some of the English crew had drunk heavily before the fight began; some ignorant seamen even mixed powder with their wine, thinking it would give them strength and courage. The result of their drinking was, of course, order, and foolish hardihood without reason, or vainglorious exposure to danger. And though Hawkins had prepared light armour for all, not a man would use it; yet it would have saved many from such wounds as splintered wood creates if they would have imitated their foe and worn armour.
By the afternoon of the third day the enemy had the weather-gage of them, and their guns were telling with terrible effect.
The Dainty had now fourteen gaping wounds under water, eight foot of water in her hold, her sails torn to tatters, her masts bowing and bent, and her pumps useless—hardly a man was now unwounded.
Again the master with others approached their commander:
"Sir, the Spaniards still offer good war, life and liberty and an embarkation to England. If we wait any longer, sir, the ship will sink; unless a miracle be wrought in our behalf by God's almighty power, we may expect no deliverance or life."