The kingdom of the Brigantines extended to Longdendale, where it was bounded by the territory of the Cornavii, another ancient British tribe who were masters of Cheshire and several other counties to the south of the Brigantine line.
For once the tribal jealousies were forgotten, feuds vanished in face of the common danger, and Brigantinesjoined with Cornavii to offer a united front to the common enemy.
These were thebrigantines Cuba and Machias, both of Maine.
Their vessels are a kind of shallow brigantines or barks with flat bottoms, which draw very little water.
It is situated[60] three miles within the land, so that brigantines and foists can have no access to it except when the tide rises higher than ordinary, when it sometimes overflows the land for the space of four miles.
As soon as our brigantines came to anchor in the haven, the customers and searchers came off, demanding what we were, whence we came, what commodities we had on board, and how many men were in each vessel?
About two leagues to the west of where we lay, there was a town behind a point of land, where the Portuguese had several caravels, and two brigantines or row barges like gallies.
After six days sailing from Juddah we came to a city named Gezan, which is well built and has a commodious port, in which we found about 45 foists and brigantines belonging to different countries.
At this time there lay at anchor in the haven of Mecca near an hundred brigantines and foists, with many barks and boats of various kinds, some with oars and some with sails.
The barks and brigantines used at this place are smaller than ours of Italy.
Instantly, and as if by enchantment, the four falconets in the brigantines were discharged, and swept hundreds of the barbarians from the causeway.
These positions being thus assumed, the Captain-General divided the fleet of brigantines among the three captains, to whom they were of vast service, by protecting the flanks of their divisions.
Two or three of his brigantines were also perceived anchored near to the calzada,--at least, their lanterns were seen shining from their prows.
Nearly an hundred Spaniards, and many thousand Indian allies, were killed; the fleets of canoes and piraguas were destroyed, and several brigantines wholly ruined.
His obstinacy was indeed surprising; for the point was surrounded by brigantines and piraguas, prepared to intercept his flight; and escape, unless by death, seemed evidently impossible.
He decoyed two of the largest brigantinesinto a certain bay, where many of his strongest piraguas lay in ambush among the reeds.
They climbed a hill and watched the brigantines disappear in the distance; then set up a cross, which they had brought with them, and prayed before it bareheaded.
Two brigantines had been laden with the provisions and spoils obtained in Careta's territory, in the securing of which the lovely Cacica was largely instrumental.
He declared that his chief intended, as soon as the brigantines were ready for sea, provisioned and equipped, to embark upon the southern ocean.
Balboa was highly elated by the tidings of a golden country not far distant, and, selecting a hundred and thirty of his best men, embarked them in two brigantines for the province of Coyba.
Two of the brigantines were set to watch these boats and intercept them, but the cunning of the Mexicans defeated this.
As they came near, the sails of the brigantines were spread, and they dashed through them, overturning some, and scattering the rest, to the great loss of the Mexicans.
The brigantines glided gently into the water, while Father Olmedo stood by to bless them and give their names.
So far from being taken themselves, they even contrived to tempt the two brigantinesnear the border of the lake, where thirty of their largest boats lay in ambush.
The brigantines commanded the lake, the Tlascalans cut off all communication by land; and thus the horrors of famine were added to those of war.
An attack was instantly made: the brigantines could not well be worked in that position; every Spaniard was wounded, and one of the captains killed.
So, as the wretchedbrigantines floated down the great river, they became the stage of a series of atrocious tragedies.
The nearest to it was the great feat of Balboa in taking two brigantines across the Isthmus.
You are the owner, sir, I think, of two brigantines of eighty tons each?
These brigantines are useless to you at this moment, as you appear, at least until fresh orders, to have given up cruising, while they will be very useful to me.
The first vessel to anchor off the Great Key was the lugger with Montbarts on board, and commanded by Michael le Basque; on the next day the two brigantines arrived, a few hours after one another.
When the first two brigantines were launched on the Lake of Tezcuco by the Spaniards, Cortes took Montezuma with him to sail upon the lake, soon leaving the Aztec canoes far behind.
There is an old Mexican bridge near Tezcuco which seems to be the original Puente de las Bergantinas, the bridge where Cortes had the brigantines launched on the lake of Tezcuco.
The brigantines which the Spaniards made, and transported over the mountains in such a wonderful manner, fully answered their purpose, for without them Mexico could hardly have been taken.
The brigantines were brought over the mountains by hand by thousands of Tlascalans.
That was not the end of their misfortunes, for one of the two brigantines was capsized.
Finally, after labors and disappointments enough to crush the heart of an ordinary man, two of the brigantines were launched in the river.
The brigantines swept the lake and prevented any reënforcements reaching them, which cut off their supply of provisions.
They were greatly chagrined when the imposing armada of Nicuesa, comprising four ships of different sizes, but much larger than any of Ojeda's, and two brigantines carrying seven hundred and fifty men, sailed into the harbor of Santo Domingo.
He caused to be built a number of brigantines by which he could secure the command of the lake, and thereby give access to the city for his troops and allies.
During a storm, Nicuesa put out to sea himself, imagining that the brigantines under the charge of Lope de Olano, second in command would follow him.
They were attacked by the Indians there, and after losing twenty killed, were forced to put to sea in two small brigantines and a caravel, which they had made from the wrecks of their ships.
They were reduced to the condition of wild animals, when a sail whitened the horizon, and presently the two brigantines dropped anchor near the island.
Moreover the brigantines had not fared much better on this disastrous day than the land forces.
These brigantines were built at Tlascala under the supervision of the sailors of the expedition.
The event justified his decision, for he soon found the brigantines and the other ships.
The actual siege of Mexico began in the month of May, 1521, and continued with alternate success and reverse until the day when the brigantines were launched upon the water of the lake.
These nine brigantines were provided with cannon, and soon dispersed or sunk the enemy's fleet, who thenceforth left them in undisputed possession of the water.
The Indians ceased not to come vnto the brigantines as they were wont, and came in canoes.
Cortes built twelve brigantines at Vera Cruz in order to secure the command of Lake Tescuco and thus attempt the reduction of the Mexican capital.
Using their brigantinesthe Spanish soldiers now began the siege of Mexico--"the most memorable event in the conquest of America.
Still, anchored alongside the Defiance were some of the most heavily armed brigantines in the New World--no bottom here carried fewer than thirty guns.
To each of the brigantines was allotted a falconet, and three hundred of the troops were detailed to man the fleet.
His brigantines were ready for launching; the canal was finished; and strong reinforcements, for which he had sent to Hispaniola six months before, had arrived.
At this place he received word from Tlascala that his brigantines were finished and ready for transportation across the mountains.
Just then, a light air springing up, the brigantines bore directly down on the gathered canoes, which greeted them with a dense, but ineffective, flight of arrows and stones.
Several of the brigantines with which he proposed to conquer the distant island city were already floating bravely on the tiny lake, beside which they were built, to the wonder and delight of all Tlascala.
Those which came with the horses in the canoes, being wearied with rowing night and day, lingered behind; and presently the Indians came upon them, and they of the brigantines tarried for them.
And seeing that they were gone two or three leagues from the shore, the captains of the other brigantines overtook them, and asked the Governor, wherefore he did put off from the shore?
And as soon as the Indians gave them leisure, they fenced the brigantineswith them.
Those of the brigantines environed them to defend them, and took them among them.
The Governor commanded all men to leap into the water, and going between them and the shore, and thrusting the brigantines into the sea as soon as the wave was past, they saved them till the wind ceased.
The Governor took one of the brigantines for himself, which he best liked.
The Indians ceased not to come unto the brigantines as they were wont, and came in canoes.
When they of the brigantines saw the overthrow, though they went about to succor them, yet through the current of the river they could not go back.
That evening the wind came to the south, which on that coast is a cross wind, and drove the brigantines against the shore, because it blew very hard, and the anchors were so weak, that they yielded and began to bend.
There were two, or three American brigantines in the harbor, and a couple of Dutch ships of war.
On the next day, the 4th, I captured the brigantines Cuba and Machias, both of Maine, also.
These vessels are the brigantines Cuba,[1] Machias, Ben.
Lastly, When he commanded the Spanish Galleys he fought those of the Moors and Turks, with the Galiots, and Brigantines of the Levant, and English Ships, and took and sunk several of both Sorts.
It is hard to guess which way the brigantines could get there, as by the maps both of Diaz and Clavigero, the great double causeway of Xoloc or Iztapalapa, ought to have completely prevented his penetrating to that part of the lake.
In some places they deepened the water, digging pits in the shallow places, and placing the canoes in ambush, which they secured against the approach of our brigantines by means of pallisades under water.
In order to prevent this, two of our brigantines were ordered to cruize every night on the lake, to intercept these supplies.
Alvarado now led our division to attack the causeway of Tacuba, placing two brigantines on each flank for our protection.
On perceiving this immense number of boats coming to attack him, Cortes withdrew with his brigantines into an open part of the lake, ordering his captains to wait patiently for a breeze of wind which then began to blow.
The brigantines sailed along the sides of the causeways, and aided by their enfilading fires, the advance of the squadrons on land.
By this time the brigantines were nearly completed, and the canal dug by which they were to be carried to the waters of the lake, for, at that time, the town of Tezcoco was distant from its margin.
As he passed across the lake and under the shadow of the "rock of the Marquis," he descried from his brigantines several hundred canoes of the Mexicans filled with soldiers and advancing rapidly over the calm lake.
It was likewise resolved that Anasco should proceed by sea with two of the brigantines to the Bay of Aute, which he had discovered when detached by Soto to explore the country to the south of Apalache, while Calderon was to go by land.
In this case, the two brigantines had run upon a spit which separates that lake or lagoon from the sea.
Footnote 194: Probably the lake of Tamiagua, a few miles south from the river Tampico, into which, as will be found in the sequel, the other five brigantines had got at the beginning of the storm.
The Indians held on their pursuit of the brigantines all that day making continual rejoicings for their victory.
He had caused to be made in Tlaxcalla thirteen brigantines for crossing the lake.
To himself he reserved the conduct of the brigantinesupon the lake.
Upon the lake the brigantines besides assisting the land attack, mastered and sank the canoes of the enemy in great numbers.
The above list will hopefully give you a few useful examples demonstrating the appropriate usage of "brigantines" in a variety of sentences. We hope that you will now be able to make sentences using this word.
