Sir Francis Drake's Famous Voyage Round the WorldPretty, Francis
History
Sir Francis Drake's Famous Voyage Round the World
Pretty, Francis
Voyages and travels; Voyages around the world
We continuing our course, fell the 29th of November with an island
called La Mocha, where we cast anchor; and our General, hoisting out our
boat, went with ten of our company to shore. Where we found people whom
the cruel and extreme dealings of the Spaniards have forced, for their
own safety and liberty, to flee from the main, and to fortify themselves
in this island. We being on land, the people came down to us to the
water side with show of great courtesy, bringing to us potatoes, roots,
and two very fat sheep; which our General received, and gave them other
things for them, and had promised to have water there. But the next day
repairing again to the shore, and sending two men a-land with barrels
to fill water, the people taking them for Spaniards (to whom they use to
show no favour if they take them) laid violent hands on them, and, as we
think, slew them. Our General seeing this, stayed there no longer, but
weighed anchor, and set sail towards the coast of Chili. And drawing
towards it, we met near the shore an Indian in a _canoa_, who thinking
us to have been Spaniards, came to us and told us, that at a place
called Santiago, there was a great Spanish ship laden from the kingdom
of Peru; for which good news our General gave him divers trifles.
Whereof he was glad, and went along with us and brought us to the place,
which is called the port of Valparaiso. When we came thither we found,
indeed, the ship riding at anchor, having in her eight Spaniards and
three negroes; who, thinking us to have been Spaniards, and their
friends, welcomed us with a drum, and made ready a _botija_ of wine of
Chili to drink to us. But as soon as we were entered, one of our
company called Thomas Moon began to lay about him, and struck one of the
Spaniards, and said unto him, _Abaxo perro!_ that is in English, 'Go
down, dog!' One of these Spaniards, seeing persons of that quality in
those seas, crossed and blessed himself. But, to be short, we stowed
them under hatches, all save one Spaniard, who suddenly and desperately
leapt overboard into the sea, and swam ashore to the town of Santiago,
to give them warning of our arrival.
They of the town, being not above nine households, presently fled away
and abandoned the town. Our General manned his boat and the Spanish
ship's boat, and went to the town; and, being come to it, we rifled it,
and came to a small chapel, which we entered, and found therein a silver
chalice, two cruets, and one altar-cloth, the spoil whereof our General
gave to Master Fletcher, his minister. We found also in this town a
warehouse stored with wine of Chili and many boards of cedar-wood; all
which wine we brought away with us, and certain of the boards to burn
for firewood. And so, being come aboard, we departed the haven, having
first set all the Spaniards on land, saving one John Griego, a Greek
born, whom our General carried with him as pilot to bring him into the
haven of Lima.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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