As It Grew Dark, And He Feared Losing Sight Of
His Consorts, Mr. Candish Did Not Continue The Chase.
They fell in with the island of Fuertaventura, on the 1st August, whence
they sailed for Rio del Oro and Cape Blanco, and thence along the coast
of Guinea, with which navigation Mr Brewer, who sailed in the Desire,
was well acquainted.
The men now began to complain much of the scurvy,
wherefore it was resolved to put them on shore for their recovery on the
first opportunity. They made Sierra Leona on the 23d of August, and
reached its southern side on the 25th, where they had five fathoms at
the lowest ebb; having had for about fourteen leagues, while running
into this harbour, from eight to sixteen fathoms. At this place they
destroyed a negro town, because the inhabitants had killed one of their
men with a poisoned arrow. Some of the men went four miles up the
harbour in a boat, on the 3d September, where they caught plenty of
fish; and going on shore, procured some lemons. They saw also some
buffaloes, on their return to the ship. The 6th they went out of the
harbour of Sierra Leona, and staid one tide three leagues from the point
at its mouth, the tide there flowing S.W.
The 7th they departed for one of the islands which lie about ten leagues
from the point of Sierra Leona, called the Banana isles,[45] and
anchored that same day off the principal isle, on which they only found
a few plantains. At the east end of this island they found a town, but
no inhabitants, and concluded that the negroes sometimes resort thither,
by seeing the remains of their provisions. There is no fresh water on
the south side of this island that they could find; but there is in
three or four places on its north side. The whole island was one entire
wood, except a few small cleared spots where some huts stood, and these
were encompassed by plantain-trees, the fruit of which is an excellent
food. This place is subject to severe thunder-storms, with much rain, in
September.
[Footnote 45: Harris erroneously names these the islands of Cape Verd,
which are at a vast distance from Sierra Leona. The Banana isles are in
lat. 8 deg. N. and long. 12 deg. 30' W. from Greenwich. In Hakluyt these are
called the isles of Madrabumba, and are said to be ten leagues from the
point of Sierra Leona. - E.]
Leaving these islands and the African coast on the 10th September, and
holding their course W.S.W. obliquely across the Atlantic, they fell in
with a great mountain in Brazil, on the 31st of October, twenty-four
leagues from Cape Frio. This mountain has a high round top, shewing
from afar like a little town. On the 1st November, they stood in between
the island of St Sebastian and the main; where they carried their things
on shore, and erected a forge, and built a pinnace, repairing also every
thing that was out of order, in which work they were detained till the
23d of November. Sailing from this place on the 26th, they fell in with
the coast of South America again in lat. 47 deg. 20' S. whence they
proceeded along shore till they came to lat. 48 deg. S. finding a steep
beach all along. On the 27th of November they came to a harbour, into
which Candish first entered, giving it the name of Port Desire, from
that of his ship.[46] Near this harbour they found an island or two well
stocked with seals, and another in which there were vast numbers of grey
gulls.[47]
[Footnote 46: As laid down in modern maps, the latitude of Port Desire
is only 47 deg. 15' S.]
[Footnote 47: Probably penguins. - E.]
This haven of Port Desire was found very favourable for careening and
graving of ships, as the tide there ebbed and flowed considerably. At
this place the savages wounded two of the Englishmen with their arrows,
which were made of canes or reeds, tipt with sharpened flints. These
savage natives of the country round Port Desire were exceedingly wild
and rude, and as it would seem of a gigantic race, as the measure of one
of their foot marks was eighteen inches long.[48] This agrees well with
the assertion of Magellan, though some pains have been taken to
represent that as fabulous. Magellan called this country Patagonia, and
its inhabitants Patagons, meaning to signify that they were five cubits,
or seven feet and a half high. Hence, as the Portuguese are not
commonly very tall, we need not wonder if they styled them giants. If we
take the usual proportion of the human foot, as between a fifth and a
sixth part of the height of the whole body, the account given by
Magellan agrees very exactly with this fact afforded us by Mr Candish;
and it will be seen in the sequel, that this is not falsified by any of
our subsequent navigators. When any of these savages die, he is buried
in a grave constructed of stones near the sea-side, all his darts being
fastened about his tomb, and his treasure, consisting of shells, laid
under his head.
[Footnote 48: Without meaning to impugn the received opinion, that the
Patagons are beyond the ordinary size of man, it may be permitted to
say, that the evidence, in the text, the only one here adduced, is
altogether inconclusive; and the subsequent reflections are evidently
those of Harris, not of Candish. - E.]
They left Port Desire on the 28th December, and anchored near an island
three leagues to the southward. The 30th they came to a rock, much like
the Eddystone at Plymouth, about five leagues off the land, in lat 48 deg.
30' S. and within a mile of it had soundings in eight fathoms, on rocky
ground.
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