Being out of hope to fetch up this shippe, wee stood in with the cape,
where the land beginneth to trend about to the east-wards. The cape is
high land, and all covered over with trees, and so is the land over the
cape; and all the coast, from this cape to Panama, is full of wood, from
the Straites of Magelan to this Cape of San Francisco. In all the coast
from head-land to head-land, the courses lye betwixt the north, and
north and by west, and sometimes more westerly, and that but seldome. It
is a bold coast, and subject to little foule weather or alteration of
windes, for the brese, which is the sowtherly wind, bloweth continually
from Balparizo to Cape San Francisco, except it be a great chance.
Trending about the cape, wee haled in east north-east, to fetch the bay
of Atacames, which lyeth some seaven leagues from the cape. In the
mid-way, some three leagues from the shore, lyeth a banke of sand,
whereof a man must have a care; for in some parts of it, there is but
little water.
The tenth of June, wee came to an anchor in the bay of Atacames, which
on the wester part hath a round hammock. It seemeth an iland, and in
high springes I judge that the sea goeth round about it. To the
east-wards it hath a high sandie cliffe, and in the middest of the bay,
a faire birth from the shore, lyeth a bigge black rocke above water:
from this rocke to the sandie cliffe, is a drowned marsh ground, caused
by his lownesse; and a great river, which is broad, but of no depth.
Manning our boate, and running to the shore, we found presently, in the
westerne bight of the bay, a deepe river, whose indraught was so great
that we could not benefit our selves of it, being brackish, except at
low water, which hindred our dispatch; yet in five dayes, wee filled all
our emptie caske, supplied our want of wood, and grounded and put in
order our pinnace.
[They dismisse their Indians.]
Here, for that our Indians served us to no other use but to consume our
victuals, we eased our selves of them; gave them hookes and lines which
they craved, and some bread for a few dayes, and replanted them in a
farre better countrey then their owne, which fell out luckely for the
Spaniards of the shippe which wee chased thwart of Cape San Francisco;
for victuals growing short with her, having many mouthes, shee was
forced to put a shore fiftie of her passengers neere the cape; whereof
more than the one halfe dyed with famine and continual wading through
rivers and waters: the rest, by chance, meeting with the Indians which
wee had put a shore, with their fishing, guide, and industry, were
refreshed, susteyned, and brought to habitation.