How the English ships arrived, and our Armada went to encounter them, and of the battle which ensued.

The Captain-Major Ruy Freyre (in not leaving the port in which he was) obeyed the order with which his Majesty had sent him to that Strait. Upon Christmas Day 1620 when the armada was dressed with flags, he saw a terranquim sailing along the coast with its flags flying, and it was recognised as the one which he had sent to Chaul to watch for the Enemy ships, its Captain being Pero Gomes Azevedo, and by the demonstration with which it came it was realised that he was bringing tidings of those ships; having saluted the Capitanea, he came on board and related how there came sailing along the coast five ships of great Strength, whose Admiral-ship carried 66 guns, the vice-admiral-ship 58, the Rear-Admiral 46, a pataxo 36, whilst the other vessel was a pataxo belonging to the Captain of Muscat which they had taken in the Gulf on its way to Chaul; ¹ he was able to state all these details because he had gone in Moorish guise and so got up very close to them, and thus it behoved the armada to put itself in order because they would appear before nightfall.