Anon the fire grew so strong that I saw it [to be] beyond all help; although she had been already yielded to us. Then we desired to be off from her, but had little hope to [have] obtained our desire. Nevertheless we plied water very much to keep our ship well. Indeed I made little other reckoning for the ship, myself, and divers hurt men; [but] then to have ended there with the Carrack: but most of our people might have saved themselves in boats. And when my care was most, by GOD's Providence only, by the burning asunder of our spritsail-yard with [its] ropes and sail, and the ropes about the spritsail-yard of the Carrack, whereby we were fast entangled, we fell apart; with [the] burning of some of our sails which we had then on board.
The Exchange also, being further from the fire, afterward was more easily cleared; and fell off from abaft.
As soon as GOD had put us out of danger, the fire got into the Fore-castle [of the Carrack]; where, I think, was store of Benjamin [the gum Benzoin] and such other like combustible matter: for it flamed and ran all over the Carrack in an instant, in a manner. The Portugals leapt overboard in great numbers.
Then sent I, Captain Grant with the boat; with leave to use his own discretion in saving of them. So he brought me aboard two Gentlemen:
The one, an old man, called Nuno Velio Pereira which, as appeareth by the Fourth Chapter in the First Book of the worthy History of [Jan] Huyghen van Linschoten, was Governor of Mozambique and Cefala [Sofala] in the year 1582 [See English Garner III, 27, 28.]: and since that time, had been likewise a Governor in a place of importance in the East Indies. And the ship [a Carrack], wherein he was coming home, was cast away a little to the east of the Cape of Buona Speranza [Cape of Good Hope]: and from thence, he travelled overland to Mozambique; and came, as a passenger, in this Carrack.
The other was called Bras Carrero, and [he] was Captain of a Carrack which was cast away near Mozambique; and [he] came likewise in this ship for a passenger.
Also three men of the inferior sort we saved in our boat. Only these two we clothed, and brought into England. The rest, which were taken up by the other ships' boats, we set all on shore in the Isle of Flores: except some two or three Negroes; whereof one was born in the Mozambique, and another in the East Indies.
This fight was open off the Sound between Fayal and Pico; six leagues to the southward.