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. Our hope of the
general's return becoming very cold, our captain and master were
persuaded that he might have gone directly for the straits; wherefore it
was concluded to go there and wait his coming, as there we could not
possibly miss seeing him if he came. This being agreed to by the whole
company, we set sail from Port Desire on the 6th August, and went to
Penguin island, where we salted twenty hogsheads of seals, which was as
much as our salt could do. We departed from Penguin island towards night
of the 7th August, intending for the straits.
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