Don Beltran affirmed that he received the commander and his people à buena guerra, to the laws of fair war and quarter. He swore by his habit of Alcantara, and the green cross of the order which he wore upon his breast, that he would give them their lives with good treatment, and send them as speedily as he could to their own country.
"The Spanish admiral wants a pledge? Here is my glove; take it to him."
Don Beltran also sent one of his captains to help to bring the English commander aboard the "admiral," which he did with great humanity and courtesy.
"The General received me," says Hawkins, "with courtesy and compassion, even with tears in his eyes and words of kind consolation, and commanded me to be accommodated in his own cabin, where he sought to cure and comfort me the best he could: the like he did with all our hurt men."
There were only forty Englishmen left, all wounded; but all recovered, in spite of the fact that no instruments, doctors, or salves were to be had. We remember that in the other case where an English ship had to surrender to the Spaniards, the Revenge disdained to swim in dishonour, and sank sullenly in a terrible storm.
The Dainty lived to fight for Spain under the name of La Visitation, being so named because she was captured on the day of that festival.
As soon as Hawkins was removed the Spaniards began to ransack their prize; but the water increased so fast in the hold that she nearly sank, and it needed a strong body of workers to save her.
She was finally navigated to the port of Panama, and anchored there some two leagues from the town, about three weeks after the fight.
When the good folk on shore saw the prize and heard the glad news, they lit bonfires on the hills and candles in every window; the churches and halls were illuminated, as on a holy day. As the city faced the sea, it appeared to those in the ships as though the whole place was in flames.
Don Beltran reassured Hawkins that his officers and men should be well treated, and gave him his word that if the King left him to his disposal, his ransom should be only a couple of greyhounds for himself and a couple for his brother. It sounded almost too good to be true.