And, As The English
Ship Sailed Somewhat Heavily, Being Too Much By The Head, They Hung A
Quantity Of Botijas, Or Spanish Earthen Pots Which Had Contained Oil,
And Now Filled With Water, Over The Stern Of Their Ship, To Give Her A
Better Trim And To Improve Her Sailing.
The treasure ship, thinking the
English vessel had been one of those which usually sail upon that coast,
made towards her, and when near, the English captain hailed her to
surrender:
As the Spanish captain refused, the English fired some
cannons, by one of which the Spanish ship's mast was shot over board,
and her master being wounded by an arrow, she presently yielded.
Thereupon the English took possession of her, and sailed with her
directly out to sea all that night, and the next day and night. Being
entirely out of sight of land, they began to search their prize on the
third day, removing her cargo into their own ship, being 1300 bars or
wedges of silver, and fourteen chests of rials of eight, besides some
gold, but how much of that I know not, only that the passengers said
there was great store. They told me also, that 300 of the silver bars
belonged to the king, and all the rest to the merchants. That done, they
allowed the ship to go away with all her men, putting into her the three
pilots they had hitherto carried with them.
From thence they sailed onwards for Nicaragua, and descried land about
the 13th March, being an island named Canno, not very high, about two
leagues from the main land, where they found a small bay, in which they
anchored in five fathoms close to the shore, remaining there till the
20th. On that day a bark passed close to the land, which was captured by
the English pinnace, being laden with sarsaparilla, and botijas or pots
of butter and honey, with other things. Throwing all the sarsaparilla
overboard, the English removed all their cannon into this bark, and then
laid their own ship on shore to new caulk and trim her bottom. This
being done, and taking in a supply of wood and water, they held their
course along shore to the westwards, taking the Spanish bark along with
them. After two days, they removed the men from her, giving them the
pinnace. Among these were four sailors, bound for Panama, meaning to go
thence for China, one of whom had many letters and patents, among which
were letters from the king of Spain to the governor of the Philippines,
as also the charts which are used in that voyage.
Continuing their course, the English descried, on the 6th of April, a
ship about two leagues out to sea, which they took early next morning,
in which was Don Francisco Xarate. Continuing their course, they came to
the haven of Guatalco on Monday the 13th April, where they remained at
anchor till the 26th of that month, on which day they sailed to the
westwards, putting me, Nuno da Silva, on board a ship then in the said
harbour of Guatalco.
SECTION VII.
Second Supplement, being the Voyage of Mr John Winter, after parting
from Sir Francis Drake.[41]
We passed Cape Deseado into the South Sea on the 6th September, 1578,
and run to the N.W. about 70 leagues, when the wind turned directly
against us, with extremely foul weather, as rain, hail, snow, and thick
fogs, and so continued for more than three weeks, during which time we
could bear no sail, and were driven into the latitude of 57 deg. S. On the
15th September, the moon was eclipsed, beginning to be darkened
immediately after sun-set, about six in the evening, being then the
vernal equinox in this southern hemisphere. This eclipse happened in
England on the 16th before one in the morning, which is about six hours
difference, agreeing to one quarter of the circumference of the globe,
from the meridian of England to the west.
[Footnote 41: Hakluyt, IV. 253. - This narrative is said to have been
written by Edward Cliffe, mariner. Only so much of the narrative is
given here as relates to the voyage of Winter, after parting from Sir
Francis Drake. One circumstance only may be mentioned, respecting the
Patagons. - "These men be of no such stature as the Spaniards report,
being but of the height of Englishmen; for I have seen men in England
taller than I could see any of them. Peradventure the Spaniards did not
think that any Englishmen would have come hither so soon, to have
disproved them in this and divers others of their notorious lies;
wherefore they presumed more boldly to abuse the world." - Yet even
recent voyagers have presumed to abuse the world, with reporting that
the Patagons are of gigantic stature. - E.]
The last of September, being a very foul night, we lost the Marigold, a
bark of about thirty tons, the Pelican, which was our general's ship,
and our ship the Elizabeth running to the eastwards, to get to the land.
Of this we got sight on the 7th October, falling into a very dangerous
bay, full of rocks; and that same night we lost company of Mr Drake.
Next day, very difficultly escaping from the dangerous rocks among which
we were embayed, we got again into the Straits of Magellan, where we
anchored in an open bay for two days, making great fires on the shore,
that Mr Drake might find us, if he also came into the straits.
We then went into a sound, where we remained about three weeks, naming
it The Port of Health, as most of our men, having been sick with long
watching, wet, cold, and bad diet, did wonderfully recover their health
here in a short space, for which praised be God. We found here muscles
of very great size, some being twenty inches long, yielding very
pleasant meat, and many of them full of seed pearls.
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