to Shamma, and went into the riuer with fiue boates well appointed with men
and ordinance, and with our noises of trumpets and drummes, for we thought
here to haue found some Portugals but there were none: so wee sent our
Negros on shoare, and after them went diuers of vs, and were very well
receiued, and the people were very glad of our Negros, specially one of
their brothers wiues, and one of their aunts, which receiued them with much
ioy, and so did all the rest of the people, as if they had bene their
naturall brethren: we comforted the captaine and told him that hee should
not feare the Portugals, for wee would defend him from them: whereupon we
caused our boats to shoote off their bases and harquebusses, and caused our
men to come on shore with their long bowes, and they shot before the
captaine, which he, with all the rest of the people, wondred much at,
specially to see them shoot so farre as they did, and assaied to draw their
bowes but could not. When it grew to be late, we departed to our ships, for
we looked euery houre for the Portugals. And here the Negros shewed vs that
there was an English ship at the Mina, which had brought one of the Negros
againe, which Robert Gaynsh tooke away.
The 18 day we went into the riuer with no lesse strength then before, and
concluded with the Negros to giue them for euery Fuffe two yardes and three
nailes of Cloth, and to take for it one angel-duckat: so that we tooke in
all 70 Duckats, whereof the Frenchmen had fortie, and wee thirtie.
The nineteenth day wee went a shore euery man for himselfe, and tooke a
good quantitie of gold, and I for my part tooke foure pound and two ounces
and a halfe of gold, and our Hartes boate tooke one and twentie ounces. At
night the Negros shewed vs that the next day the Portugals would be with vs
by land or by Sea: and when we were ready to depart, we heard diuers
harquebusses shoote off in the woods by vs which wee knew to bee Portugals,
which durst come no neerer to vs, but shot off in the woods to see if they
could feare vs and so make vs to leaue our traffique.
The 20 day we manned our fiue boats, and also a great boat of the
Frenchmens with our men and the Admirals, 12 of them in their murrians and
corsets, and the rest all well appoynted, with foure trumpets, a drumme and
a Fife, and the boate all hanged with streamers of Silke and pendants very
faire, and went into the riuer and traffiqued, our man of warre lying off
and on in the riuer to waft vs, but we heard no more of the Portugals. This
day the Negros told vs that there were certain ships come into Hanta, which
towne is about two leagues to the Westward of this place.
This 21 day we manned our boats againe and went to a place a league from
this to the Westwards, and there found many Negros with another Captaine,
and sold at the same rate that wee had done with the others.
The 22 day we went ashore againe and traffiqued in like sort quietly, and I
tooke 4 pound and six ounces of gold.
The 23 day about night the Negros with their captaine came to vs and told
vs that the king of Portugals ships were departed from the Castle, meaning
the next day to plie to the windward to come to vs, giuing vs warning to
take heed to our selues: we told them againe that wee were very glad of
their comming, and would be ready at all times to meet them, and to assure
them that wee were glad of it, wee sounded our trumpets, and shot off
certaine bases whereof the Negros were very glad, and requested vs that if
the Portugals sought to hinder our traffique, to shew them all the
extremitie that we could, promising vs that if they came by land, they
would aduertise vs thereof.
The 24 we went a shore with our trumpets and drummes, and traffiqued, and I
bade the captaine of the towne to dinner.
[Sidenote: Fiue sailes of Portingals descried.] The 25 day we being a
shore, our ships had descried fiue sailes of the king of Portugals, and our
ships shot off ordinance to call vs away, and we threw euery man his caske
ashore for water, and went to our ships, and by that time we had weighed
and giuen order one to another what to do, it was night, so that that night
nothing was done. We set saile and lay close all night to get the wind if
we could: we were neere some of them, and one shot off a piece which wee
iudged to be the Admirall of the Portugals, to cause the rest to come and
speake with him: so all this night we made our selues ready for fight.
The 26 we came in with the shore and had sight of the Portugals where they
rid at anker, and we bare with them, and we gaue all our men white
scarffes, to the ende that the Frenchmen might know one the other if we
came to boording: but the night came vpon vs that we could not fetch them,
but we ankered within demie-Culuering shot of them.
[Sidenote: The fight with the Portugals.] The 27 day we weighed and so did
the Portugals, and about eleuen of the clocke wee had the wind of them, and
then we went roome with them, which when they pereeiued, they kept about to
the shore againe, and wee after them, and when they were so neere the shore
that they could not well runne any further on that boord, they kept about
againe, and lay to the Seaward, and then we kept about with them, and were
a head of them, and tooke in our topsailes and taried for them: and the
first that came vp was a small barke which sailed so well that she cared
not for any of vs, and caried good ordinance: and as soone as she came vp,
she shot at vs, and ouershot vs, and then she shot at the Admirall of the
Frenchmen, and shot him through in two or three places, and went forth a
head of vs, because we were in our fighting sailes: then came vp another
carauell vnder our Lee in like case which shot at vs and at the Frenchman,
and hurt two of his men and shot him through the maine maste. And after
them came vp the Admirall vnder our Lee also, but he was not able to doe vs
so much harme as the small shippes, because he caried ordinance higher then
they, neither were we able to make a good shot at any of them, because our
shippe was so weake in the side, that she laid all her ordinance in the
Sea: [Sidenote: The French forsake our men.] wherefore we thought to lay
the great ship aboord, and as soone as the French Admirall went roome with
him, be fell a sterne and could not fetch him, and after he fell asterne of
two carauels more and could fetch none of them, but fell to Leeward of them
all: and when he was to Leeward, he kept about to the shoreward, and left
vs, and then we put out our topsailes and gaue them chase, and both the
other Frenchmen kept the wind, and would not come neere vs, and our owne
ship was a sterne so that she could not come to vs: and after we had
folowed them about two houres to the seaward, they kept about againe
towards the shore, thinking to pay vs as they went along by, and to haue
the wind of the French Admirall which before ran in towards the shore, and
we kept about with them, and kept still the wind of them thinking that our
Viceadmiral and the other would haue folowed vs as wee willed them to do:
but after that the Portugall was past by them, and euery one had shot at vs
and our Viceadmirall, both our Viceadmirall and the two Frenchmen, and our
owne pinnasse left vs in the laps, and ran to seaward, and we ran still
along, and kept the wind of them to succour the French Admirall, who was
vnder all of their Lees, and when they met with him, euery one went roome
with him, and gaue him the broad side, and after they cast about againe,
and durst not boord him, because they sawe vs in the weather of them, or
els without doubt they had taken or sunke them, for three of them which
were the smallest went so fast that it was not possible for a ship to boord
them, and caried such ordinance that if they had had the weather of vs,
they would haue troubled 3 of the best ships that we had, and as for their
Admirall and Viceadmirall they were both notablie appointed.
When the Frenchman was cleare of them, hee laie as neere the winde as hee
could, and wee followed them still towardes the shore, and there the
Admirall ranne to Sea after the rest, and left vs all alone: and when the
Portugals perceiued that we were alone, and gaue them chase, they kept
about with vs and we with them, to keepe the wind of them, and we ranne
still within base shot of them, but they shot not at vs, because we had the
weather of them, and sawe that they could do vs no hurt: and thus we
folowed one another vntil night, and in the night we lost them, but as for
all the rest of our ships, they packed on all the sailes that they could
and ranne to sea, and as they themselues confesse, they praied for vs, but
as for helpe at their hands we could haue none.
The 28 day we met with our Viceadmirall, our pinnasse, and two of the
Frenchmen, and the third was fled which was a ship of fourscore tunne, and
belonged to Roan: and when I had the sight of the rest of our ships, I
tooke our skiffe and went to them to know why they lost vs in such a case,
and Iohn Kire made me answere that his ship would neither reare nor steere,
and as for the pinnasse, Iohn Dauis made me answere that she would doe
nothing, and that he could cary her no further, for her rudder was broken,
so that the Hart was glad to towe her. Then I went to the French Admirall,
and found himselfe to be a man of good stomacke, but the one halfe of his
men were sicke and dead: and then I talked with the smaller Frenchman, and
hee made me answere that he could doe nothing, saying, that his ship would
beare no saile, and had 16 of his men dead and sicke, so he made vs plaine
answere that he was able to doe nothing. After this the Frenchman durst not
anker for feare of the Portugales.
The 29 day the master of the pinnasse came to vs and sayd that they were
not able to keepe her any longer, and then wee viewed her and seeing there
was no remedie, her rudder with all the iron worke being broken both aloft
and belowe, wee agreed to breake her vp and to put the men into the Hart.
So wee tooke out of her foure bases, one anker, and certaine fire wood, and
set her on fire, and afterwards ran along the coast.
The thirtie day we went in to the shore, and spake with certaine Negros,
who told vs that some French shippes had bene there, but wee could not
bargaine with them they were so vnreasonable.
The 31 day I went to shore but did not traffike.
The 1 day of Februarie we weighed, seeing we could not bring the Negros to
any reason, and came to another place which standeth vpon an hill.
The third day I went to a towne foure leagues from vs, and shot off two
pieces, and the Captaine came to vs, and I sent Thomas Rippen a land who
knew the Captaine, and assoone as he came on shore, the Captaine knew him
and diuers of the Negros who then began to aske for mee, and hauing told
the Captaine that I was in the boate, hee made no longer tarying but by and
by caused two boates to be put to the Sea, and came to me himselfe, and
when he sawe me, he cryed to me before hee came to the boat and seemed to
be the gladdest man aliue, and so did all the companie that knew mee, and I
gaue him a reward as the maner of the Countrey is, and caused the Frenchman
to giue another, promising the next day to giue him wine: and that night
because it was late, he would not talke of any price but left me a pledge,
and tooke another of me and so departed.
The 4 day going on shore, I found that the ships of France which had bin
there, had done much hurt to our markets but yet I tooke fiue ounces and a
halfe of gold.
The fift day I tooke eight ounces and one eight part of gold: but I saw
that the Negros perceiued the difference in Cloth betwixt ours and that
which the Frenchmen had, which was better, and broader then ours: and then
I told captaine Blundel that I would goe to the Leeward, because I
perceiued that being there where his Cloth was sold, I should do no good,
whereof hee was sorie.
The 6 day there came an almade and Negros aboord me, requesting me to come
to their towne for they had much gold and many marchants: and so I went and
found their old Captaine gone, and another in his place: but this night wee
did no good, because the marchants were not come downe: so he required a
pledge which I let him haue, and tooke another of him.
The 7 day George our Negro came to vs, who had followed vs at the least 30
leagues in a small boat, and when he came, the Negros and we soone
concluded of price. I tooke this day fiue pound and one ounce, and 3
quarters of gold. This Negro we had left at Shamma at the time of the
fight, who said that he saw the fight being on shore, and that when we were
gone from the Portugals, the Portugals came into their riuer, and told them
that the Englishmen had slaine two Portugals with a piece, which was in
deed out of our ship, and they required harbour there, but the captaine of
Shamma would not suffer them.
The 8 day we tooke nineteene pound three ounces and a halfe.
The 9 day we tooke two pound six ounces and a halfe.
The 10 day three pound.
[Sidenote: The Frenchmen bridled by the English.] The 11 day came to vs
Ierome Bawdet the Viceadmiral of the Frenchmen and his pinnasse, and he
shewed vs that where we left them there was no good to be done, and sayd he
would goe to the Eastward, but we told him hee should not: and thereupon
commaunded him to goe to his company which he was appointed to bee with,
which hee refused to doe vntill wee had shot three or foure pieces at their
pinnasse, and when the ship sawe that, she kept about, and ranne to
Seaward, and durst come no neerer to vs, so the pinnasse went after her. We
tooke this day one pound fiue ounces.
The 12 day there came one of the Frenchmens pinnasses to vs laden with
cloth, and would haue made sale, but I would not suffer him, and therefore
tooke him and sent him aboord of our ship, and caused him to ride there all
day. We tooke fiue pound six ounces and a halfe.
The 14 day we tooke of some Negros 4 ounces of gold.
The 16 we came to another towne.
The 17 day I went a shore and vnderstood that 3 of the Portugall ships were
at the Castle, and the other two at Shamma. The captaine of this towne was
gone to the principall towne, to speake with their king, and would returne
shortly as they told me, and so he did, and brought me a weight and
measure, and I sent a man to see that principall towne, and their king. The
Portugall ships rid so neere vs, that within 3 houres they might be with
vs, yet were all contented to tary for sales.
The 18 day certaine of the kings seruants came to vs, and we tooke one
pound two ounces, and one eight part of gold.
The 10 day we tooke fiue pound one ounce.
The 20 day one pound and foure ounces.
The 21 I tooke foure pound and one ounce, and the Negroes enquired for fine
cloth, and I opened two pieces which were not fine enough, as they sayd,
but seeing that we had no other, they bought of them. At night I prouided a
gift, or present, and sent one marchant and a mariner with it to the king,
to certifie him of our want of victuals, by reason whereof we could not
stay long: for in deed we searched our ship, and the most part of our beere
was leaked out of all our barrels.
The 22 day we tooke three ounces and a halfe.
[Sidenote: The offer of the king to the English to build a Fort.] The 23
our men came from the king Abaan, and told vs, that he had receiued them
very friendly, but he had litle gold, but promised, if we would tary, to
send into all his countrey for gold for vs, and he willed our men at their
comming home to speake to our king to send men and prouision into his
countrey, to build a castle, and to bring Tailors with them, to make them
apparell, and good wares, and they should be sure to sell them: but for
that present the Frenchmen had filled them full of cloth.
This towne standeth about foure leagues vp in the land, and is by the
estimation of our men, as big in circuit as London, but the building is
like to the rest of the countrey. They haue about this Towne great store of
the wheate of the Countrey, and they iudge, that on one side of the towne
there were one thousand rikes of Wheate, and another sorte of Corne which
is called Mill, which is much vsed in Spaine.
[Sidenote: A pretie deuise to descrie the enemie.] About this towne they
keepe good watch euery night, and haue to warne the watchmen certaine
cordes made fast ouer their wayes which lead into the town, and certaine
bels vpon them, so that if any man touch the cordes, the bels ring, and
then the watchmen runne foorth of their watch houses to see what they be:
and if they be enemies, if they passe the cord, they haue prouision with
certaine nets hanged ouer the wayes, where they must passe, to let fall
vpon them, and so take them, and otherwise then by the wayes it is not
possible to enter the towne, by reason of the thickets and bushes which are
about the same, and the towne is also walled round about with long cords,
and bound together with sedge and certaine barkes of tree.
[Sidenote: The kings friendly entertainment of our men.] When our men came
to the towne, it was about fiue of the clock in the morning, for there they
trauell alwayes in the night by reason of the heate of the day: and about
nine of the clocke, the king sent for them, for there may no man come to
him before he be sent for, and then they would haue carried their present
with them: but the Negros told them, that they must bee three times brought
before him, before they might offer their gift: and when they came to him,
he talked with them, and receiued them very friendly and kept them about
half an hour, and then they departed, and after that sent for them againe
three times, and last of all, they brought him their present, which he
receiued thankfully, and then caused a pot of wine of Palme to be brought
foorth, and made them drinke: and before they drinke, both here and in all
the Countrey, they vse certaine ceremonies.
[Sidenote: Their ceremonies in drinking.] First, they bring foorth their
pot of drinke, and then they make a hole in the ground, and put some of the
drinke into it, and they cast the earth vpon it, which they digged forth
before, and then they set the pot vpon the same, then they take a little
thing made of a goord, and with that they take out of the same drinke, and
put it vpon the ground in three places, and in diuers places they haue
certaine bunches of the pils of Palme trees set in the ground before them,
and there they put in some drinke, doing great reuerence in all places to
the same Palme trees.
All these ceremonies first done, the king tooke a cup of gold, and they put
him in wine, and hee dranke of it, and when he dranke, the people cried all
with one voice, Abaan, Abaan, with certaine other words, like as they cry
commonly in Flanders, vpon the Twelfe night, The kinning [sic--KTH] drinks:
and when he had drunke, then they gaue drinke to euery one, and that done,
the king licensed them to depart, and euery one that departeth from him
boweth 3 times towards him, and waueth with both hands together, as they
bow, and then do depart. The king hath commonly sitting by him 8 or 10
ancient men with gray beards.
This day we tooke one pound and 10 ounces of gold.
The 24 day we tooke 3 pound and 7 ounces.
The 25 we tooke 3 ounces and 3 quarters.
The 26 day we tooke 2 pound and 10 ounces.
The 27 two pound and fiue ounces.
The 28 foure pound, and then seeing that there was no more gold to be had,
we weighed and went foorth.
The first day of March we came to a towne called Mowre, but we found no
boats nor people there: but being ready to depart, there came two Almades
to vs from another towne, of whom we tooke two ounces and a halfe of gold:
and they tolde vs that the Negros that dwelled at Mowre were gone to dwell
at Lagoua.
The second day we came thwart of the castle, and about two leagues off, and
there saw all the fiue Portugall ships at anker, and this day by night we
fetched Shamma.
[Sidenote: Ships of Portugall.] The third day we had sight of one tall
ship, of about two hundred tunnes in the weather of vs, and within lesse
then two leagues of our ships, and then we saw two more a sterne of her,
the one a ship of fiue hundred or more, and the other a pinnesse: and these
were a new fleet at that present arriued out of Portugall. Whereupon we
wayed, and made shift to double out of the land, and then the winde comming
to the South-southwest, the Hart going roome with them fell three leagues
to the leewards of vs. These Portugals gaue vs the chase from nine of the
clocke in the morning, till fiue at night, but did no good against vs. At
last, we perceiuing the Admirall to be farre a sterne of his company,
because his maine topmast was spent, determined to cast about againe with
them, because we were sure to weather them, and the winde being as it was,
it was our best course: but the Hart was so farre to the leeward, that we
could not doe it, except we would lose her company, so that we tooke in
some of our sailes, and went roome with him: which when he perceiued, he
looffed to, and was able to lie as neere as he did before. At night, when
we came to him, he would not speake to vs: then we asked of his company why
he went so roome; and they made excuse that they were able to beare no
saile by, for feare of bearing their foretopmast ouer boord: but this was a
simple excuse.
The fourth day, being put from our watring place we began to seethe our
meat in salt water, and to rebate our allowance of drinke, to make it
indure the longer: and so concluded to set our course thence, for our owne
countrey.
The 12 of March I found my selfe thwart of Cape das Palmas.
The 16 day we fell with the land, which we iudged to be the Cape Mensurado,
about which place is very much high land.
The 18 day we lost sight of the Hart, and I thinke the willfull Master ran
in with the shore of purpose to lose vs, being offended that I tolde him of
his owne folly.
[Sidenote: Two small Ilands by Sierra Leona. Note.] The 27 day we fell in
sight of two small Islands, which lie by our reckoning sixe leagues off the
headland of Sierra Leona: and before we came in sight of the same Ilands,
we made our reckoning to be forty or thirty leagues at the least off them.
Therefore all they that saile this way are to regard the currents which set
Northnorthwest, or els they may be much deceiued.
The 14 of April we met with two great ships of Portugall, which although
they were in the weather of vs, yet came not roome with vs, whereby we
iudged that they were bound for Calicut.
The 18 day we were in the heigth of Cape verde.
The 24 we were directly vnder the tropike of Cancer.
The first day of May Henry Wilson our Steward died: and the next day died
Iohn Vnderwood.
[Sidenote: A French brauado.] The 23 we had sight of a shippe in the
weather of vs, which was a Frenchman of 90 tunne, who came with vs as
stoutly and as desperately as might be, and comming neere vs perceiued that
we had bene vpon a long voyage, and iudging vs to be weake, as in deed we
were, came neerer vs, and thought to haue layed vs aboord, and there stept
vp some of his men in armour, and commanded vs to strike saile: whereupon
we sent them some of our stuffe, crossebarres, and chaineshot, and arrowes,
so thicke, that it made the vpper worke of their shippe flit about their
eares, and then we spoiled him with all his men, and toare his shippe
miserably with our great ordinance, and then he began to fall a sterne of
vs, and to packe on his sailes, and get away: and we seeing that, gaue him
foure or fiue good pieces more for his farewell; and thus we were rid of
this French man, who did vs no harme at all. We had aboord vs a French man
a Trumpeter, who being sicke, and lying in his bed, tooke his trumpet
notwithstanding, and sounded till he could sound no more, and so died.
The 28 we conferred together, and agreed to go into Seuerne, and so to
Bristoll, but the same night we had sight of the Lizard, and by reason of
the winde, we were not able to double the lands end to go into Seuerne, but
were forced to beare in with the Lizard.
The 29 day, about nine of the clocke in the morning, we arriued safely in
Plimmouth, and praised God for our good arriuall.
* * * * *
The third and last voyage of M. William Towrson to the coast of Guinie, and
the Castle de Mina, in the yeere 1577.
The thirtieth day of Ianuary, the yeere abouesayd, we departed out of the
sound of Plimmouth, with three ships, and a pinnesse, whereof the names are
these:
1 The Minion Admirall of the fleet.
2 The Christopher Viceadmirall.
3 The Tyger.
4 A pinnesse called the Vnicorne: being all bound for the Canaries, and
from thence, by the grace of God, to the coast of Guinie.