Page 33 - Anglo Portuguese Rivalry in The Gulf_Neat

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galleons, drifting on with the fast flowing current, were
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soon lost to sight in the darkness. Fifty or sixty
Portuguese boarders still remained on the poop, and as
these could not be dislodged, a barrel of gunpowder
was placed aft under the deck, and the Portuguese
“ blown to their parent the devill.”1 Meanwhile
Botelho, thinking that the Lion must be either burnt
or sunk, left only five frigates by her to complete the
work of destruction, and passed on with his remaining
vessels in pursuit of the Palsgrave and Dolphin, which he
soon overhauled and hotly engaged for two days, until
finally the two English vessels escaped by altering their
course in the night, and steering due south for the
Comoro islands. The commanders of the frigates left
to watch the Lion lost their heads at this juncture, and
so she was able to resume her voyage, crippled as she
was, and eventually reached Gombrun where she was
repaired as well as the limited facilities of that place
would permit.
Ruy Freyre with his galliots was still engaged in the
blockade of Ormuz, and on hearing of the Lionys
• ! arrival he prepared to attack her. He did not have
!! - long to wait, for the factors on shore in consultation
with the Master considered the roadstead of Gombrun
to be too exposed, and ordered the ship to take refuge
I beneath the walls of Ormuz Castle. On the morning
1
P . of November 18th as the Lion was preparing to weigh
I: anchor, Ruy Freyre came rowing towards her with about
15 sail of frigates. A contemporary English writer
ft had contemptuously stated on one occasion, that such
frigates or galliots, “ were no more to be regarded
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I than butterflies,” but although powerless against
< i capital ships when there was a wind to manoeuvre .
I* with, they could be very dangerous in a calm, when
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u • xThe Carta e Relafam asserts that all these men were picked up out of of Commentaries, p. 312. The English lost 68 men in this action, whilst the
the sea by the frigates.
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commanded by an officer of the courage and experience
of Ruy Freyre. So it proved on this occasion, for
Ruy Freyre so handled his flotilla that the Lion could
only make use of her bow and stern pieces, and his
frigates so pestered her with hand-grenades, powder-
pots and musketry fire, that the English were not able
to open a port in the ship, “ but were forced to shoot
away, ports and all.” Finally, the upper deck collapsed
on the heads of the gun-crews,' “ who seeing death on
each side, some leaped overboard, and put themselves
to the mercy of their enemies, the rest gave fire to the
Powder-roorne, and blew up the ship.” The Portu­
guese gave quarter to the survivors swimming about
in the water, but Ruy Freyre made an indelible stain
on his own honour by executing all of them save one,
the next day. The fortunate survivor was Thomas
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Winterborne, the ship’s cook, who owed his life to the
special kindness with which he had treated Ruy Freyre
during his captivity on board the Lion in 1622 ; and
who was now set on shore with the heads of his twenty-
six comrades wrapped up in silk, and a letter from Ruy
Freyre to the factors at Gombrun, explaining that
this barbarous act was a reprisal for the execution of
the Lascarins handed over by the English to the
Persians after the fall of Kishm, contrary to the
articles of surrender then agreed upon.1
Whilst this tragedy was being enacted off Gombrun,
r Botelho’s galleons, all of which had received a good
deal of damage in their masts and hulls from the fire of :
the fleeing Palsgrave and Dolphin, were busy refitting ■
in Bombay road, whither they had sailed on the 28th :
1See the account as related in Taylor’s pamphlet op. cit.} and the Portuguese i
versions in the Commentaries and Carta e Relacam. For English indignation
over Ruy Freyre’s wanton .barbarity^ compare remarks in the English edition
Portuguese losses were seven killed and twenty wounded, according to their
own account.
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