[Cape Blanco.]
The next day about tenne of the clocke, wee were thwart of Cape
Blanco,[117] which is low sandie land, and perilous; for foure leagues
into the sea (thwart it), lye banks of sand, which have little water on
them; on a sudden we found our selves amongst them, in lesse then three
fathome water; but with our boat and shalope we went sounding, and so
got cleare of them.
[Saint James ilands, alias Saint Annes.]
The next day following, we discovered the ilands where wee purposed to
refresh ourselves. They are two, and some call them Saint James, his
ilands, and others, Saint Annes.[118] They lie in two and twenty degrees
and a halfe to the south-wards of the lyne; and towards the evening
(being the fifth of November) we anchored betwixt them and the mayne, in
six fathome water, where wee found our other shippes.
All which being well moored, we presently began to set up tents and
booths for our sicke men, to carry them a shore, and to use our best
diligence to cure them. For which intent our three surgeans, with their
servants and adherents, had two boates to wayte continually upon them,
to fetch whatsoever was needfull from the shippes, to procure
refreshing, and to fish, either with netts, or hookes and lynes. Of
these implements wee had in aboundance, and it yeelded us some
refreshing. For the first dayes, the most of those which had health,
occupied themselves in romeging our ship; in bringing ashore of emptie
caske; in filling of them, and in felling and cutting of wood: which
being many workes, and few hands, went slowly forwards.
Neere these ilands, are two great rockes, or small ilands adjoyning. In
them we found great store of young gannetts [Gannets.] in
their nests, which we reserved for the sicke, and being boyled with
pickled porke well watered,[119] and mingled with oatmeale, made
reasonable pottage, and was good refreshing and sustenance for them.
This provision fayled us not, till our departure from them.
Upon one of these rocks also, we found great store of [Sidenote:
Purslane.] the hearbe purslane,[120] which boyled and made into sallets,
with oyle and vineger, refreshed the sicke stomaches, and gave appetite.
With the ayre of the shore, and good cherishing, many recovered
speedily. Some died away quickly, and others continued at a stand. We
found here some store of fruits; [Cherries.] a kind of cherry
that groweth upon a tree like a plum-tree, red of colour, with a stone
in it, but different in making to ours, for it is not altogether round,
and dented about: they have a pleasing taste.
[Palmitos.]
In one of the ilands, we found palmito trees, great and high, and in the
toppe a certaine fruit like cocos, but no bigger then a wall-nut. We
found also a fruit growing upon trees in codds, like beanes, both in the
codd and the fruit. Some of my company proved of them,[121] and they
[Purgatives.] caused vomits and purging, as any medicine taken
out of the apothecaries shop, according to the quantitie received. They
have hudds, as our beanes, which shaled off; the kernell parteth itselfe
in two, and in the middle is a thin skinne, like that of an onion, said
to be hurtfull, and to cause exceeding vomits, and therefore to be cast
away.
Monardus writing of the nature and propertie of this fruit, as of others
of the Indies, for that it is found in other [The use of
_kavas purgativas_.] parts, also calleth them _kavas purgativas_, and
sayth, that they are to be prepared by peeling them first, and then
taking away the skinne in the middle, and after beaten into powder, to
take the quantitie of five or six, either with wine or sugar. Thus they
are good against fevers, and to purge grosse humors; against the
collicke, and payne of the joynts; in taking them a man may not sleepe,
but is to use the dyet usuall, as in a day of purging.
[Artechoques or prick-peares.]
One other fruit we found, very pleasant in taste, in fashion of an
artechoque, but lesse; on the outside of colour redd, within white, and
compassed about with prickles; our people called them pricke-pears;[122]
no conserve is better. They grow upon the leaves of a certaine roote,
that is like unto that which we call _semper viva_[122] and many are
wont to hang them up in their houses; but their leaves are longer and
narrower, and full of prickes on either side. The fruit groweth upon the
side of the leafe, and is one of the best fruites that I have eaten in
the Indies. In ripening, presently the birds or vermine are feeding on
them; [A good note to take or refuse unknowne fruits.] a
generall rule to know what fruit is wholesome and good in the Indies,
and other parts. Finding them to be eaten of the beastes or fowles, a
man may boldly eate of them.
The water of these ilands is not good: the one, for being a standing
water, and full of venemous wormes and serpents, which is neare a
butt-shot from the sea shore; where we found a great tree fallen, and in
the roote of it the names of sundry Portingalls, Frenchmen, and others,
and amongst them, Abraham Cockes; with the time of their being in this
island.
[Contagious water.]
The other, though a running water, yet passing by the rootes of certaine
trees, which have a smell as that of garlique, taketh a certaine
contagious sent of them. Here two of our men dyed with swelling of their
bellies. The accident we could not attribute to any other cause, then to
this suspitious water. It is little, and falleth into the sand, and
soketh through it into the sea; and therefore we made a well of a pipe,
and placeth it under the rocke from which it falleth, and out of it
filled our caske: but we could not fill above two tunnes in a night and
day.