Here Also Charles Pickering, Captain Of The
Cinque-Ports, Departed This Life, And Was Succeeded In The Command By
His First-Lieutenant, Mr Thomas Stradling.
At this island there are good
fish of various sorts, one of which, called the Silver-fish, is about
Twenty inches long, and eight deep, from back to belly, having five
small fins immediately behind the head, and one large fin from the last
of these to the tail; one middle-sized fin on each side near the gills,
and a large fin from the middle of the belly to the tail, which last is
half-moon shaped. The eyes are large, the nostrils wide, and the mouth
small. It is a thin fish, and full of bones, of a fine transparent
white, like silver.
[Footnote 206: Isla Grande is only in lat 30 deg. N. and St Paul's, stated
in the text, as 300 miles distant, is hardly 200, and is at within
twenty-five miles of the coast farther south. - E.]
Leaving the isle of Le Grand on the 8th December, we passed the islands
of Sebalt de Weert[207] [Falklands] on the 29th. In lat. 57 deg. 50' S. we
had a terrible storm, in which we lost company of our consort, the
Cinque-ports, on the 4th January, 1704. When in lat 60 deg. 51' S. on the
20th, believing we had sufficiently passed Cape Horn, we tacked to the
N. and got sight of the island of Mocha on the 4th February. This
island is in lat. 38 deg. 20' S. twenty miles from the coast of Chili, and
is well inhabited by Indians, who are always at war with the Spaniards,
and indeed with all white men, because they consider them all as
Spaniards. It is a high island, four leagues long, having many shoals
on its west side, which extend a league or more out to sea. It is about
112 miles to the northward of Baldivia.
[Footnote 207: Called Sibbil de Ward Islands in the narrative of
Funnell. - E.]
We saw the island of Juan Fernandez on the 7th February, and on the
10th, while passing the great bay, we saw the Cinque-ports, which had
arrived three days before. We accordingly anchored in the great bay, in
thirty-five fathoms. At this island we wooded, watered, and refitted our
ships, giving them a heel to clean their sides as low as we could, which
took up much time, and occasioned both companies to be much on shore. In
this island there are abundance of cabbage-trees, which are excellent,
though small. The cabbage-tree, which is a species of palm, has a small
straight stem, often ninety to one hundred feet long, with many knots or
joints, about four inches asunder, like a bamboo-cane. It has no leaves
except at the top, in the midst of which the substance called cabbage is
contained, which, when boiled, is as good as any garden cabbage. The
branches of this tree we commonly twelve or thirteen feet in length, and
at about a foot and a half from the tree the leaves begin, which are
about four feet long and an inch and a half broad, the leaves growing so
regularly that the whole branch seems one entire leaf. The cabbage, when
cut out from among the roots of the branches, is usually a foot long and
six inches diameter, and as white as milk. From the bottom of the
cabbage there spring out several large bunches of berries, like grapes,
each bunch being five or six pounds weight. The berries are red, and
about the size of cherries, each having a large stone in the middle, and
the pulp tastes like that of haws.
The sea-lion is so called, as I suppose, because he roars somewhat like
a lion, and his head also has some resemblance to that animal, having
four large teeth in front, all the rest being short, thick, and stubbed.
Instead of feet and legs, he has four fins; the two foremost serving
him, when he goes ashore, to raise the fore part of the body, and he
then draws the hind part after him. The two hinder fins are of no use on
land, but only when in the water. This animal is very fat, for which
reason we killed several of them, from which we made a ton of oil for
our lamps; and, while at this island, made use of it also for frying our
fish. They have short light-coloured hair while young, becoming sandy
when old. Their food is fish, and they prey altogether in the water, but
come on land to sleep, when five, six, or more of them huddle together
like swine, and will often lie still three or four days, if not
molested. They are much afraid of men, and make off as fast as they can
into the water. If hard pressed, they will turn about, raising their
bodies on their fore fins, and face you with their mouths wide open, so
that we used to clap a pistol to their mouth, and fire down their
throat. Sometimes five or six of us would surround one of these
monsters, each having a half pike, and so prick him till he died, which
commonly was the sport of two or three hours.
While we were at this island, a difference took place between Captain
Stradling and his men, which was at last compromised by Captain Dampier.
On the 29th February we descried a sail, on which all hands hurried on
board, and we slipped our cables and stood out to sea. The Frenchman,
for so he afterwards proved, immediately tacked and stood from us, while
we followed the chase with all sail, and got up with him about eleven at
night, but did not deem it convenient to engage till day. During the
chase our pinnace towed under water, and was cut adrift. Captain
Stradling's boat also got loose, in which were a man and a dog.
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