The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques, and Discoveries of the English Nation — Volume 14: America, Part IIIHakluyt, Richard
History
The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques, and Discoveries of the English Nation — Volume 14: America, Part III
Hakluyt, Richard
Discoveries in geography -- English; Voyages and travels
On S. Iames day we made rackets, wheeles, and other fireworkes, to make
pastime that night, as it is the order of the Spaniards. When we came
neere the land, our master R. Barret conferred with vs, to take the
pinnesse one night, when we came on the Iland called Terçera, to free
our selues from the danger and bondage that we were going into,
whereunto we agreed: none had any pinnesse asterne then but our ship,
which gaue great courage to our enterprize: we prepared a bagge of
bread, and a Botijo of water, which would haue serued vs nine dayes, and
prouided our selues to goe: our Master borrowed a small compasse of the
Master gunner of the ship, who lent it him, but suspected his intent,
and closely made the Generall priuy to it, who for a time dissembled the
matter. In the ende seeing our pretense, he called R. Barret, commanding
his head to bee put in the stocks, and a great payre of yron bolts on
his legs, and the rest of vs, to be set in the stocks by the legs. Then
he willed a peece to be shot off, and he sent the pinnesse for the other
Admirall, and all the captaines, masters, and pilotes of both fleetes to
come aboord of him. He commanded the maine-yard to be strooke downe, and
to put 2. pullies, on euery yard-arme one; the hangman was called, and
we were willed to confesse our selues, for he swore by the king that he
would hang vs.
When the other Admiral, and the rest were come aboord, he called them
into his counsel-chamber, and told them that he would hang the master of
the Englishmen, and all his company. The Admirall, whose name was Diego
Flores de Valdes, asked him wherefore: he sayd, that we had determined
to rise in the night with the pinnesse, and with a ball of fire-worke to
set the ship on fire, and goe our wayes: therefore, sayd he, I will haue
you the Captaines, Masters, and Pilotes, to set your hands vnto that,
for I sweare by the king that I will hang them, Diego Flores de Valdes
answered, I nor the Captaines, Masters, and Pilotes wil not set our
hands to that, for hee said, if he had bin prisoner as we were, he would
haue done the like himselfe. He counselled him to keepe vs fast in
prison, till he came into Spaine, and then send vs to the Contratation
house in Siuil, where, if we had deserued death the law would passe on
vs, for hee would not haue it said that in such a fleet as that was,
sixe men and a boy should take the pinnesse, and goe away, and so he
returned to his ship againe.
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