A true & exact history of the island of BarbadosLigon, Richard
History
A true & exact history of the island of Barbados
Ligon, Richard
Barbados -- Description and travel; Plants -- Barbados; Sugar -- Manufacture and refining -- Barbados
Master to put in at _Fiall_, One of the Ilands of _Azores_, a little
to refresh our selves, which Iland was not much out of our way, but
the Master loath to be at the charge of re-victualling, and losse
of time; refus’d to hearken to us, and being a request much to his
disadvantage, slighted us and went on, till he was past recovery of
those Ilands, and then a violent storme took us, and in that storme
a sad accident, which happened by meanes of a Portugall, who being
a Sea-man, and trusted at the Helme, who though he have a compasse
before him, yet is mainely guided by the quarter Master that Conns
the ship above, upon the quarter deck; whose directions the Portugall
mistooke, being not well verst in the English tongue, and so steer’d
the Ship, so neer the winde, that she came upon her stayes, which
caused such a fluttering of the sayles, against the Masts, (the winde
being extreame violent) as they tore all in peeces, Nor was there
any other sayles in the ship, all being spent in the long voyage
to _Guinny_; nor any thread in the ship, to mend them, so that now
the Master (though too late) began to repent him of not taking our
Counsell to goe to _Fiall_.
But how to redeeme us out of this certaine ruine, neither the Master,
nor his Mates could tell; for though the winds blew never so faire,
we lay still at Hull; and to make use of the Tide, in the Maine, was
altogether vaine and hopelesse. Our victualls too, being at a very
low Ebbe, could not last us many dayes. So that all that were in the
ship, both Sea-men and Passengers, were gazeing one upon another,
what to doe when our small remainder of provision came to an end. But
the Sea-men, who were the greater number, resolv’d, the Passengers
should be drest and eaten, before any of them should goe to the Pot;
And so the next thing to be thought on was, which of the Passengers
should dye first, for they were all design’d to be eaten; So they
resolved upon the fattest and healthfullest first, as likely to be
the best meat, and so the next, and next, as they eate Cherries, the
best first. In this Election I thought my selfe secure, for my body
being nothing but a bagg-full of Hydroptique humours, they knew not
which way to dresse me, but I should dissolve and come to nothing in
the Cooking; At last the Cooper took me into his consideration, and
said that if they would hearken to him, there might be yet some use
made of me; and that was in his opinion the best; that seeing my body
was not of a consistence to satisfie their hunger, it might serve to
quench their thirst. So I saying a short Prayer against drought and
thirst, remain’d in expectation of my doome with the rest; So merry
these kinde of men can make themselves, in the midst of dangers, who
are so accustomed to them; And certainely those men, whose lives are
so frequently exposed to such hazards, do not set that value upon
them as others, who live in a quiet security; yet, when they put
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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