The Owners Of The Prize Being Thus
Disposed Of, The Next Thing Was To Share The Booty; Which Ungracious
Work Of Distribution Soon Involved Candish In All The Troubles Of A
Mutiny, Every One Being Eager For Gold, Yet No One Satisfied With His
Share.
This disturbance was most violent in the Content; but all was
soon appeased and compromised by the candid and generous behaviour of
Candish.
The 17th of November, being the coronation day of queen
Elizabeth, was celebrated by discharges of ordnance, and vollies of
small shot, and at night by fireworks. Of the prisoners taken in the
Spanish ship, Candish reserved two Japanese boys, three natives of the
island of Luzon or Manilla, a Portuguese who had been in China and
Japan, and a Spanish pilot, who was thoroughly versant in the navigation
between New Spain and the Philippine islands. Accapulco is the haven
whence they fit out for the Philippines, and the Ladrones are their
stated places of refreshment on this voyage.
Having dismissed the Spanish captain with a noble present, and
sufficient provision for his defence against the Indians, and removed
everything from the prize which his ships could contain, Candish set the
Santa Anna on fire on the 19th November, having still 500 tons of her
goods remaining, and saw her burnt to the water's edge.
SECTION III.
Voyage Home to England.
This great business, for which they had so long waited, being now
accomplished, they set sail cheerfully on their return for England. The
Content staid some short time behind the Desire, which went on before,
expecting she would soon follow, but she never rejoined company.
Pursuing the voyage, therefore, in the Desire, Candish directed his
course for the Ladrones across the Pacific Ocean, these islands being
nearly 1800 leagues distant from this harbour of Aguada Segura in
California. This passage took forty-five days, from the 19th November,
1587, to the 3d January, 1588. On this day, early in the morning, they
had sight of Guam, one of the Ladrones, in lat. 13 deg. 40' N. and long.
143 deg. 30' E. Sailing with a gentle gale before the wind, they came within
two leagues of the island, where they saw sixty or seventy canoes full
of savages, who brought cocoas, plantains, potatoes, and fresh fish, to
exchange for some of their commodities. They gave them in return some
pieces of old iron, which they hung upon small cords and fishing lines,
and so lowered down to the canoes, getting back, in the same manner,
what the savages offered in exchange. In the course of this traffic the
savages crowded so much about the ship, that two of their canoes were
broken; yet none of the savages were drowned, as they were almost as
familiar with the water as if they had been fishes. The savages
continued following the ship, and would not quit her company till
several shots were fired at them; though 'tis ten to one if any of them
were killed, as they are so very nimble, throwing themselves immediately
into the water, and diving beyond the reach of danger on the slightest
warning.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 66 of 431
Words from 33986 to 34511
of 224764
