Day after day, St. Augustine’s residents waited in the fort, fought their hunger pains, and listened for war cries. On the gun deck, the men watched the Spring tide creep up the sides of the inlet, then slowly creep back. They watched the frigates, wondering if the big ships really could get over the sandbar. If they rode the incoming tide at its highest point, they would have to wait twelve hours to ride it out at the next peak. If the next peak wasn’t high enough, the frigate could be stranded in the harbor indefinitely. Then what? Would they stay and fight? If they won the land fight, would they take over St. Augustine and leave the frigate in the harbor till next Spring? What if they didn’t win the fight? Were they sitting ducks? Montiano’s anxiety was higher than ever. While waiting for the chance attack, his provisions were waiting for pirates, storms, and decay. Maybe the English couldn’t bring themselves to take the chance. The six(?) days passed, and no frigate moved over the bar.* The tides returned to their normal height.* Montiano turned his attention back to the supply ships.* He sent the launches, a boat, and a huge canoe down the Matanzas River to Mosquito Inlet.* They reached a certain inlet at four o’clock in the afternoon.* A frigate was sitting in the ocean outside the inlet.* The frigate spotted the transport boats in the river and sent an armed launch in to attack them.* The launch came over the bar and moved in between the Spanish boats.* A fight ensued.* The transport boats fought back bravely for hours.* When it got dark out, the fighting stopped.* At some point, the huge canoe broke apart from having rammed into a launch.* The canoe men climbed into the remaining three boats got away from the attackers.* They continued their journey.* Soon, the three little boats returned happily loaded with flour.* They went back down for another load and were not bothered by any attackers.* The haul was not easy.* They had to work with the river’s reversing tidal currents, and probably the summer afternoon thunderstorms.* Nevertheless, they happily repeated their tedious task, trying not to draw attention from the enemy, until all of a sudden, it didn’t seem necessary.*