These Five Ships Were Well Provided
With All Manner Of Provisions, Cannon, Small Arms, Ammunition, Money,
Merchandise, And Stores Necessary
For a long voyage; and the pilot on
whose knowledge and experience they chiefly depended, was an Englishman
named William
Adams,[84] besides whom there were three other Englishmen
on board the admiral.
[Footnote 84: Of the adventures of this person in Japan, we have
formerly had occasion to give an account in vol. VIII. p. 64, of this
Collection, preceded by a brief abstract of the voyages of Schald de
Weert. - E.]
The fleet sailed from the road of Goeree in the Maese on the 27th June,
1598; but, owing to contrary winds, had to remain at anchor in the Downs
on the coast of England, till the 15th July. The wind being then fair,
they set sail on that day, and on the 19th were on the coast of Barbary.
Towards the end of August, they arrived in the harbour of St Jago, one
of the Cape de Verd islands, where they remained till the 10th
September, although the climate was very unhealthy, and the pilots,
particularly Mr Adams, remonstrated against continuing there; by which
the officers were so much offended, that they resolved never more to
call the pilots to council, which seems to have been the source of all
their subsequent misfortunes, and of that restless spirit of mutiny and
discontent, which possessed the seamen in this fleet.
In the afternoon of the 11th September, they were off the desert island
of Brava, and the bottom being rocky, so that they could not anchor,
they stood off and on all night, and coasting along next morning they
found some fresh water, which was hard to be got, as the ships could not
come to anchor, on account of a bad bottom.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 205 of 825
Words from 55445 to 55749
of 224764
