Insomuch As After We Had Reviewed Our People, Resolved To See An
End Of Our Voyage, We Grew Scant Of Men To Furnish All Our Shipping;
It Seemed Good Thereof Unto The General To Leave The /Swallow/ With
Such Provision As Might Be Spared For Transporting Home The Sick
People.
The captain of the /Delight/ or Admiral, returned into England, in
whose stead was appointed captain Maurice Browne, before
The captain
of the /Swallow/; who also brought with him into the /Delight/ all his
men of the /Swallow/, which before have been noted of outrage
perpetrated and committed upon fishermen there met at sea.
The General made choice to go in his frigate the /Squirrel/, whereof
the captain also was amongst them that returned into England; the same
frigate being most convenient to discover upon the coast, and to
search into every harbour or creek, which a great ship could not do.
Therefore the frigate was prepared with her nettings and fights, and
overcharged with bases and such small ordnance, more to give a show,
than with judgment to foresee unto the safety of her and the men,
which afterward was an occasion also of their overthrow.
Now having made ready our shipping, that is to say, the /Delight/, the
/Golden Hind/, and the /Squirrel/, we put aboard our provision, which
was wines, bread or rusk, fish wet and dry, sweet oils, besides many
other, as marmalades, figs, limons barrelled, and such like. Also we
had other necessary provision for trimming our ships, nets and lines
to fish withal, boats or pinnaces fit for discovery. In brief, we were
supplied of our wants commodiously, as if we had been in a country or
some city populous and plentiful of all things.
We departed from this harbour of St. John's upon Tuesday, the 20 of
August, which we found by exact observation to be in 47 degrees 40
minutes; and the next day by night we were at Cape Race, 25 leagues
from the same harborough. This cape lieth south-south-west from St.
John's; it is a low land, being off from the cape about half a league;
within the sea riseth up a rock against the point of the cape, which
thereby is easily known. It is in latitude 46 degrees 25 minutes.
Under this cape we were becalmed a small time, during which we laid
out hooks and lines to take cod, and drew in less than two hours fish
so large and in such abundance, that many days after we fed upon no
other provision. From hence we shaped our course unto the island of
Sablon, if conveniently it would so fall out, also directly to Cape
Breton.
Sablon lieth to the seaward of Cape Breton about 25 leagues, whither
we were determined to go upon intelligence we had of a Portugal,
during our abode in St. John's, who was himself present when the
Portugals, above thirty years past, did put into the same island both
neat and swine to breed, which were since exceedingly multiplied.
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