In this letter, he
states himself to be then scarcely able to hold a pen; and we learn that
he soon afterwards died of grief. The Leicester, in which Candish
sailed, came home, as did the Desire. The Black pinnace was lost; but
the fates of the Roebuck and the Dainty are no where mentioned.
The miscarriage of this voyage was certainly prejudicial to the rising
trade and spirit of naval adventure in England. The ruin of Sir Thomas
Candish threw a damp on such undertakings among the English gentlemen;
and, on the return of these ships, several able and experienced seamen
were turned adrift, to gain their livings as they best might. These
thorough-bred seamen went to other countries; and, as knowledge is a
portable commodity, they made the best market they could of their
nautical experience in Holland and elsewhere. Among these was one Mr
Mellish, who had been a favourite of Sir Thomas Candish, and the
companion of all his voyages. This person offered his services to the
East India Company of Holland, then in its infancy; and, his proposals
being accepted, he was employed as pilot in the circumnavigation of
Oliver van Noort, which falls next in order to be related.
Sec. 3. Continuation of the Voyage of the Desire, Captain Davis, after
parting from Sir Thomas Candish.
Not finding our general at Port Desire, as we had expected, and being
very slenderly provided, without sails, boat, oars, nails, cordage, and
other necessary stores, and very short of victuals, we were reduced to a
very unpleasant situation, not knowing how to proceed. Leaving
ourselves, however, to the providence of the Almighty, we entered the
harbour, and, by the good favour of God, we found a quiet and safe road,
which we knew not of before. Having moored our ship, by the help of the
boat belonging to the Black pinnace, we landed on the southern shore of
the bay, where we found a standing pool, which might contain some ten
tons of fresh water, by which we were greatly relieved and comforted.
From this pool we took more than forty tons of water, yet left it as
full as at first. At our former visit to this harbour, we were at this
very place and found no water, wherefore we persuaded ourselves that the
Almighty had sent this pool for our relief. We found here such
remarkably low ebbs as we had never before seen, by means of which we
procured muscles in great plenty. Providence also sent such great
abundance of smelts about our ship, that all the people were able to
take as many as they could eat, with hooks made of crooked pins. By
these means we husbanded the ship's provisions, and did not spend any of
them during our abode at this place.
Considering what was best to be done in our present circumstances, that
we might find our general, and as it was obvious we could not refit our
ship for sea in less than a month, our captain and master concluded to
take the pinnace and go in search of the general, leaving the ship and a
considerable part of the men till the return of the general, who had
vowed he would return again to the straits. Hearing of this
determination, two pestilent fellows, named Charles Parker and Edward
Smith, secretly represented to the men, that the captain and master
meant to leave them to be devoured by cannibals, and had no intention to
come back; on which the whole company secretly agreed to murder the
captain, master, and all those who were thought their friends, among
whom I was included. This conspiracy was fortunately known to our
boatswain, who revealed it to the master, and he to the captain. To
appease this mutiny the captain found it necessary to desist from his
intentions, and it was concluded not to depart, but to wait at Port
Desire for the return of the general. After this the whole company, with
one consent, made a written testimonial of the circumstances by which we
had lost company of the general, and the indispensable necessity of
returning home.
In this testimony or protest, dated Port Desire, 2d June, 1592, it is
represented, that the shrouds of the ship are all rotten, the ropes all
so decayed that they could not be trusted; the sails reduced to one
shift all worn, of which the topsails were utterly unable to abide any
stress of weather; the ship unprovided with pitch, tar, or nails for
repairs of any kind, and no means of supplying these wants; the
provisions reduced to five hogsheads of salt pork, and such quantity of
meal as admitted only an allowance of three ounces for a man each day,
and no drink remaining except water. This instrument is signed by John
Davis and Randolph Cotton, the captains of the Desire and Black pinnace,
and thirty-eight more, but the name John Jane, or Lane, does not appear
among them.
After this, they proceeded to refit the ship with all expedition, for
which purpose they built a smith's forge, making charcoal for its
supply, and made nails, bolts, and spikes. Others of the crew were
employed in making ropes from a piece of cable; and others again in all
the necessary repairs of the ship, sails, and rigging; while those not
fit for such offices, gathered muscles and caught smelts for the whole
company. Three leagues from Port Desire there is an island, having four
small isles about it, on which there are great abundance of seals, and
where likewise penguins resort in vast numbers at the breeding season.
To this island it was resolved to dispatch the Black pinnace
occasionally, to fetch seals for us to eat, when smelts and muscles
failed, for we could get no muscles at neap-tides, and only when the ebb
was very low.
In this miserable and forlorn condition we remained till the 6th of
August, 1592, still keeping watch on the hills to look out for our
general, suffering extreme anguish and vexation.
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