Because there was no almiranta to collect the vessels, the flagship, the "San Miguel," and the "San Juan Bautista" were very near the enemy, while the others were more than three leguas to leeward.

The enemy tried to improve the opportunity, and determined to grapple our flagship with all their fleet, which they had carefully collected--thinking that if it surrendered the war would be ended; for they thought that ship alone carried force, and that the others could only be carrying the pretense of it.

The enemy worked to get to windward of our fleet, and our flagship, which was an excellent sailer, did the same; but on tacking, the latter threw a rope to the galley of Don Alonso Enriquez and towed it a short distance.

That allowed the enemy time to get to windward, and they came down upon our fleet to attack it in the following order: their flagship came first and then the other vessels, the bow of one right against the stern of the other.

Although they could have raked the "San Juan Bautista," which was astern of the flagship, or have borne down upon the "San Miguel," which lay to leeward, they cared only to defeat the flagship.