10' N.
long. 105 deg. 56' W. and the N.W. point of the N. island is in lat. 21 deg. 40'
N. long. 106 deg. 26' W. the distance from each being about two marine
leagues. These islands have abundance of parrots of different sorts,
with pigeons and other land-birds, of which we killed great numbers.
There were also many excellent hares, but much smaller than ours. We saw
likewise abundance of guanas, and some racoons, which barked and snarled
at us like dogs, but were easily beaten off with sticks. The water is
more worthy of remark than any other thing we saw here, as we only found
two good springs, which ran in large streams; the others being bitter
and disagreeable, proceeding, as I suppose, from being impregnated by
shrubs or roots growing in the water, or from some mineral.
The turtle we found here are of a different sort from any I had ever
seen, though very good. Though it is ordinarily believed that there are
only three sorts of sea-turtles, yet we have seen six or seven sorts at
different times, and our people have eaten of them all, except the very
large whooping or loggerhead kind, which are found in great plenty
in Brazil, some of them above 500 pounds weight. We did not eat of
these, because at that time our provisions were plentiful. At the
Gallapagos, both males and females were observed to come on shore only
in the day time, quite different from what I had heard of them at other
places; whereas all we caught here were by turning them over in the
night, when the females come on shore to lay their eggs and bury them in
the dry sand. One of these whom we caught had 800 eggs in her belly, 150
of which were skinned over and ready for being extruded at once. Some
authors alledge that these eggs are six weeks in hatching, which I can
hardly credit, as the sun makes the sand in which they are deposited
excessively hot, and they are only covered by a very thin film or skin,
instead of a shell. In order to ascertain this point, I made some of our
men ashore watch one carefully, and mark the place and time of laying
her eggs. In less than twelve hours they found the eggs addled, and in
about twelve hours more they had young ones completely formed and alive.
Had we remained some time longer, I might have thoroughly satisfied
myself and others, respecting the quick production of tortoises; for I
am apt to credit the report of several of our men, who asserted that
having found eggs in the sand, and looked for them three days afterwards
in the same place, they then found nothing but films; which shews that
the young ones are hatched in that time. They assured me also that they
had seen the young brood run out of the sand every day, making directly
in great numbers for the sea.
There were few fish about the shores of this island, these being of the
ordinary sorts usually met with in these seas; but the abundance of
turtle at this time amply made up for this defect. The chief officers
fed here deliciously, being scarcely ever without hares, turtle-doves,
pigeons, and parrots of various colours and sizes, many of which had
white or red heads, with tufts of feathers on their crowns. We found
good anchorage at this middle island, and gradual soundings from
twenty-four to four fathoms close by the shore; and between this and the
least or southern island the depth was about the same as where we were,
having no shoal between but what was visible, as a rock lay off the S.W.
point and a shoal off the N.E. point of the same, with another at a
great distance from that point of the least island, but neither were
above half a mile from the shore.
Sailing from these islands, we saw land on the 1st November, which
proved to be the point of California, or that headland called Cape St
Ducas. It was now necessary to put in execution the rules we had
formerly laid down for cruizing, as also to settle our regulations about
plunder. Accordingly, my station was to be the outermost in the Duke,
the Duchess in the middle, and the Marquis nearest the shore; the
nearest ship to be at the least six leagues, and nine at the most from
shore, and the bark to ply between ship and ship, carrying advice. By
this means we could spread out fifteen leagues, and might see any thing
that passed in the day within twenty leagues of the shore; and to
prevent any ships passing in the night, we were to ply to windward all
day, and to drive to leeward all night. On the 5th November, the Duchess
went nearest shore, and the Marquis took the middle station. We were
much encouraged by considering that in this very place, and about the
same time of the year, Sir Thomas Candish took the Manilla ship.
On the 16th we sent our bark to look for fresh water on the main, and
next morning she returned to us, reporting that they had seen wild
Indians, who paddled to them on bark-logs. These Indians were fearful of
coming near our people at first, but were soon prevailed upon to accept
a knife or two and some baize, for which they gave in return two
bladders of water, two live foxes, and a deer skin. Till now, we thought
that the Spaniards had missionaries among these people, but finding them
quite naked, with no appearance of any European commodities, nor a
single word of the Spanish language, we concluded that they were quite
savage, and we dispatched the bark and a boat a second time, in hopes of
procuring some refreshments, with some trifles to distribute among the
natives.
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