A NAVAL CONFLICT 49 mates of his little squadron to supper— January 19, 1615. They assembled in a mood not less resolute than his own. Downton 's plan was first to weaken the enemy by luripg some of them aground, as had hap- pened during Best's fight at the same spot in 1612. Trusting to his superior seamanship, and to the quicker handling of his vessels, he accordingly, on January 20, 1615, sent the Hope ahead of his three other ships toward the southern sand, in the expectation that the great galleons would follow to seize her. But the Por- tuguese admiral, while keeping between her and the sea, avoided the shoals, and Downton, thinking there would be no fighting that day, cast anchor, leaving the Hope some way in advance. The Portuguese swallowed the bait, and beset her with three vessels of light draught and thirty-six " frig- ates." Before Downton could get clear of his anchors and come up, the enemy had rowed boldly round the Hope, fastened themselves to her sides, boarded her thrice, and were thrice beaten back, finding " no quiet here." After the third bloody repulse, unable to un- loose their swarm of grappled vessels under the English shot, they set fire to them and leapt overboard, expect- ing that the Hope would perish in the circle of flames. They themselves trusted to be picked up by the gal- leons, but the fire from the other three English ships which had cut their cables and come to the rescue of the Hope prevented succour to the despairing swim* mers.
