From Cape Desire, some foure leagues north-west, lye foure ilands, which
are very small, and the middlemost of them is of the fashion of a
sugar-loafe. We were no sooner cleare of Cape Desire, and his ledge of
rockes, which lie a great way off into the sea, but the wind took us
contrary by the north-west; and so we stood off into the sea two dayes
and two nights to the west-wards.
In all the straites it ebbeth and floweth more or lesse, and in many
places it higheth very little water; but in some bayes, where are great
indraughts, it higheth eight or ten foote, and doubtlesse further in,
more. If a man be furnished with wood and water, and the winde good, he
may keepe the mayne sea, and goe round about the straites to the
southwards, and it is the shorter way; for besides the experience which
we made, that all the south part of the straites is but ilands, many
times having the sea open, I remember that Sir Francis Drake told me,
that having shott the straites, a storme first tooke him at north-west,
and after vered about to the south-west, which continued with him
[South part of the Straites ilands.] many dayes, with that
extremitie, that he could not open any sayle, and that at the end of the
storme, he found himselfe in fiftie degrees;[174] which was sufficient
testimony and proofe, that he was beaten round about the straites: for
the least height of the straites is in fifty two degrees and fiftie
minutes; in which stands the two entrances or mouths.
And moreover, he said, that standing about, when the winde changed, he
was not well able to double the southermost iland, and so anchored under
the lee of it; and going a-shore, carried a compasse with him, and
seeking out [Sir Francis Drake imbraceth the southermost point
of the world.] the southermost part of the iland, cast himselfe downe
upon the uttermost poynt, grovelling, and so reached out his bodie over
it. Presently he imbarked, and then recounted unto his people that he
had beene upon the southermost knowne land in the world, and more
farther to the southwards upon it then any of them, yea, or any man as
yet knowne. These testimonies may suffice for this truth unto all, but
such as are incredulous, and will beleeve nothing but what they see: for
my part, I am of opinion, that the straite is navigable all the yeare
long, although the best time be in November, December, and January, and
then the winds more favourable, which other times are variable, as in
all narrow seas.[175]
Being some fiftie leagues a sea-boord the straites, the winde vering to
the west-wards, we cast about to the north-wards, and lying the coast
along, shaped our course [Mocha.] for the iland Mocha. About the
fifteenth of April, we [Baldivia.] were thwart of Baldivia, which was
then in the hands of the Spaniards, but since the Indians, in anno 1599,
dispossessed them of it, and the Conception; which are two of the most
principall places they had in that kingdome, and both ports.
Baldivia had its name of a Spanish captaine so called, whom afterwards
the Indians tooke prisoner, and it is said, they required of him the
reason why he came to molest them and to take their country from them,
having no title nor right thereunto; he answered, to get gold: which the
barbarous understanding, caused gold to be molten, and powred down his
throat, saying, Gold was thy desire, glut thee with it.
It standeth in fortie degrees, hath a pleasant river and navigable, for
a ship of good burden may goe as high up as the cittie; and is a goodly
woody country.
Here our beefe beganne to take end, and was then as good as the day wee
departed from England; it was preserved in pickell, which, though it be
more chargeable, yet the profit payeth the charge, in that it is made
more durable, contrary to the opinion of many, which hold it impossible
that beefe should be kept good passing the equinoctiall lyne. And of our
porke I eate in the house of Don Beltran de Castro, in Lyma, neere foure
yeares old, very good, preserved after the same manner, notwithstanding
it had lost his pickle long before.
Some degrees before a man come to Baldivia to the southwards, as
Spaniards have told me, lyeth the iland Chule,[176] not easily to be
discerned from the mayne; for he that passeth by it, cannot but thinke
it to be the mayne. It is said to be inhabited by the Spaniards, but
badly, yet rich of gold.
The 19th of April, being Easter-even, we anchored under the iland Mocha.
It lyeth in thirty-nine degrees, it may be some foure leagues over, and
is a high mountainous hill, but round about the foote thereof, some
halfe league from the sea-shore, it is champion ground, well inhabited,
and manured.
From the straites to this iland, we found that either the coast is set
out more westerly then it is, or that we had a great current, which put
us to the west-wards: for we had not sight of land in three dayes after.
Our reckoning was to see it, but for that we coasted not the land I
cannot determine, whether it was caused by the current, or lying of the
land. But Spaniards which have sayled alongst it, have told me that it
is a bold and safe coast, and reasonable sounding off it.
In this iland of Mocha we had communication and contratation[177] with
the inhabitants, but with great vigilancie and care; for they and all
the people of Chily are mortall enemies to the Spaniards, and held us to
be of them; and so esteemed Sir Francis Drake when he was in this iland,
which was the first land also that he touched on this coast. They used
him with so fine a trechery, that they possessed themselves of all the
oares in his boate, saving two, and in striving to get them also, they
slew and hurt all his men: himselfe, who had fewest wounds, had three,
and two of them in the head. Two of his company which lived long after,
had, the one seaventeene (his name was John Bruer, who afterward was
pilot with master Candish), and the other above twentie, a
negroe-servant to Sir Francis Drake.
[Trechery of the Indians.]
And with me they used a pollicie, which amongst barbarous people was not
to be imagined, although I wrought sure; for I suffered none to treate
with me nor with my people with armes. We were armed, and met upon a
rock compassed with water, whether they came to parley and negotiate.
Being in communication with the casiques and others, many of the Indians
came to the heads of our boates, and some went into them. Certaine of my
people standing to defend the boates with their oares, for that there
went a bad sege, were forced to lay downe their musketts; which the
Indians perceiving, endevoured to fill the barrells with water, taking
it out of the sea in the hollow of their hands. By chance casting mine
eye aside, I discovered their slynesse, and with a truncheon, which I
had in mine hand, gave the Indians three or foure good lamskinnes:[178]
the casiques seeing it, began to give me satisfaction, by using rigor
towardes those which had beene in the boates; but I having gotten the
refreshing I desired, and all I could hope from them, would have no
further conversation with them. At our first comming, two of their
casiques, who are their lords or kings, came aboord our shippe (we
leaving one of our company ashore as a pledge), whom we feasted in good
manner; they eat well of all that was set before them, and dranke better
of our wine: one of them became a little giddie headed, and marvayled
much at our artillery: I caused a peece to be primed, and after to be
shott off, whereat the one started, but the other made no shew of
alteration. After putting them ashore, loaden with toyes and trifles,
which to them seemed great riches; from all parts of the iland the
people came unto us, bringing all such things as they had, to wit,
sheepe, cockes, etc. (from hennes they would not part), and [Sidenote:
Exchanges of trifles.] divers sorts of fruits and rootes, which they
exchanged with us for knives, glasses, combes, belles, beades,
counters, pinnes, and other trifles. We saw little demonstration of gold
or silver amongst them, though some they had; and for that we saw they
made estimation of it, we would not make reckoning of it: but they gave
us to understand that they had it from the mayne.
[Of sheepe.]
The sheepe of this iland are great, good, and fatt; I have not tasted
better mutton any where. They were as ours, and doubtlesse of the breed
of those which the Spaniards brought into the country. Of the sheepe of
the country we could by no meanes procure any one, although we saw of
them, and used meanes to have had of them; for they esteem them much, as
reason willeth, serving them for many uses; as in another place, God
willing, I shall declare more at large. They have small store of fish.
This iland is scituate in the province of Arawca,[179] and is held to be
peopled with the most valiant nation in all Chily, though generally the
inhabitants of that kingdome are very couragious.
[Their apparell,]
They are clothed after the manner of antiquitie, all of woollen; their
cassockes made like a sacke, square, with two holes for the two armes,
and one for the head, all open below, without lining or other art: but
of them some are most curiously wooven, and in colours, and on both
sides alike.
[and housing.]
Their houses are made round, in fashion like unto our pigeon houses,
with a laver[180] in the toppe, to evacuate the smoake when they make
fire.
They brought us a strange kinde of tobacco, made into little cakes, like
pitch, of a bad smell, with holes through the middle, and so laced many
upon a string. They presented us also with two Spanish letters, thinking
us to be Spaniards, which were written by a captaine of a frigate, that
some dayes before had received courtesie at their hands, and signified
the same to the governour; wishing that the people of the iland would
become good subjects to the king, and that therefore he would receive
them into his favour and protection, and send them some person as
governour; but none of them spake Spanish, and so we [People
of Chily]. dealt with them by signes. The people of this iland, as of
all Chily,[181] are of good stature, and well made, and of better
countenance then those Indians which I have seene in many parts. They
are of good understanding, and agilitie, and [Their weapons.]
of great strength. Their weapons are bowes and arrowes, and macanas:
their bowes short and strong, and their arrowes of a small reede or
cane, three quarters of a yard long, with two feathers, and headed with
a flint stone, which is loose, and hurting, the head remaining in the
wound; some are headed with bone, and some with hard wood, halfe burnt
in the fire. Wee came betwixt the iland and the mayne. On the south-west
part of the iland lyeth a great ledge of rockes, which are dangerous;
and it is good to bee carefull how to come too neere the iland on all
parts.
[Their hate to the Spaniards.]
Immediately when they discovered us, both upon the iland and the maine,
wee might see them make sundry great fires, which were to give advise to
the rest of the people to be in a readinesse: for they have continuall
and mortall warre with the Spaniards, and the shippes they see they
beleeve to be their enemies. The citie imperiall lyeth over against this
iland, but eight or tenne leagues into the countrey: for all the sea
coast from Baldivia till thirty-six degrees, the Indians have now, in a
manner, in their hands free from any Spaniards.