Immediately On Coming To
This Isle, Our Boat Was Sent Ashore, And Returned Laden With Birds And
Eggs, The Men
Reporting that the penguins were so thick on the isle,
that even ships might be laden with them, as they
Could not step without
treading on these birds; at which news we greatly rejoiced.
Then the captain appointed Charles Parker and Edmund Smith, with twenty
others, to go on shore, and remain on the island, on purpose to kill and
dry these penguins: promising to send others when the ship was safe in
harbour, not only for expedition, but to save the small store of
victuals that remained in the ship. But Parker and Smith, with the rest
of their faction, remembering that this was the place where they
intended formerly to have slain the captain and master, thought it was
meant here to leave them on shore out of revenge, and refused to land.
After some altercation, these men were allowed to proceed in the ship,
and ten others were left in the island. The last day of October we
entered the harbour of Port Desire. The master, having at our being
there before taken notice of every creek in the river, ran our ship
aground in a very convenient place on the sandy ooze, laying our anchor
out to seawards, and mooring her with the running ropes to stakes on
shore, in which situation the ship remained till our departure.
The 3d November our boat was sent off for Penguin Island, with wood and
water, and as many men as she could carry; but, being deep laden, she
durst not proceed, and returned again the same night. Then Parker,
Smith, Townsend, Purpet, and five others, desired that they might go by
land, and that the boat might fetch them from the shore opposite the
isle, being scarcely a mile across. The captain bid them do as they
thought best, only advised them to carry weapons, as they might meet
with savages; so they accordingly carried calivers, swords, and targets,
departing by land on the 6th November, while the boat went by sea. But
these nine men were never more heard of. On the 11th, when most of our
men were at the island, only the captain, master, and five more
remaining in the ship, there came a great multitude of savages to the
shore beside the ship, throwing dust into the air, leaping and running
about like so many beasts, having vizards on their faces like dogs, or
else their faces actually resembled dogs. We greatly feared they would
have set the ship on fire, for they would suddenly make fire, at which
we were greatly astonished. They came to windward of the ship, and set
the bushes on fire, so that we were enveloped in a very stinking smoke;
but coming within shot of us, we fired at them, and hitting one on the
thigh, they all fled instantly away, and we never heard or saw them
more.
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