The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques, and Discoveries of The English Nation — Volume 12: America, Part IHakluyt, Richard
History
The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques, and Discoveries of The English Nation — Volume 12: America, Part I
Hakluyt, Richard
Discoveries in geography -- English; Voyages and travels
The fourth of September at fiue a clocke in the afternoone we ankered in a
very good road among great store of Isles, the countrey low land, pleasant
and very full of fayre woods. [Sidenote: A perfect hope of the passage
about 54. degrees and an halfe.] To the North of this place eight leagues,
we had a perfect hope of the passage, finding a mightie great sea passing
betweene two lands West. The Southland to our iudgement being nothing but
Isles: we greatly desired to goe into the sea, but the winde was directly
against vs. We ankered in foure fathome fine sand. In this place is foule
and fish mightie store.
The sixt of September having a faire Northnorthwest winde hauing trimmed
our Barke we proposed to depart, and sent fiue of our sailers yong men a
shore to an Island, to fetch certaine fish which we purposed to weather,
and therefore left it al night couered vpon the Isle: the brutish people of
this countrey lay secretly lurking in the wood, and vpon the sudden
assaulted our men; which when we perceiued, we presently let slip our
cables vpon the halse, and vnder our foresaile bare into the shoare, and
with all expedition discharged a double musket vpon them twise, at the
noyse whereof they fled: [Sidenote: Two of our men slaine by the Sauages.]
notwithstanding to our very great griefe, two of our men were slaine with
their arrowes, and two grieuously wounded, of whom at this present we stand
in very great doubt, onely one escaped by swimming, with an arow shot
thorow his arme. These wicked miscreants neuer offered parly or speech, but
presently executed their cursed fury.
This present euening it pleased God further to increase our sorrowes with a
mighty tempestuous storme, the winde being Northnortheast, which lasted
vnto the tenth of this moneth very extreme. We vnrigged our ship, and
purposed to cut downe our masts, the cable of our shutanker brake, so that
we onely expected to be driuen on shoare among these Canibals for their
pray. Yet in this deepe distresse the mightie mercie of God, when hope was
past, gaue vs succour, and sent vs a faire lee, so as we recouered our
anker againe, and newe mored our ship: where we saw that God manifestly
deliuered vs: for the straines of one of our cables were broken, and we
only roade by an olde iunke. Thus being freshly mored a new storme arose,
the winde being Westnorthwest, very forcible, which lasted vnto the tenth
day at night.
The eleuenth day with a faire Westnorthwest winde we departed with trust in
Gods mercie, shaping our course for England, and arriued in the West
countrey in the beginning of October.
* * * * *
Master Dauis being arriued, wrote his letter to M. William Sanderson of
London, concerning his voyage, as followeth.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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