The kingdom was now involved in war with the Spaniards, the then most

powerful, and consequently the haughtiest and most formidable people in

Europe, who, drawing immense riches from their new acquisitions in

America, not only raised the envy but the enmity of other powers, by

their pride and their perfidy.

Gentlemen of fortune, and gentlemen of no fortune, were about this time

equally encouraged to distress the enemy. The war laid open an immense

field for enterprize; and every one was at liberty to share the harvest,

who was willing to bestow the pains of gathering the produce and

bringing it home.

Among the most active and the most indefatigable was Sir Walter Raleigh,

who not only was the most experienced, but the most successful leader of

his time. With him our adventurer first determined to embark; and, as

Sir Walter had just projected a new voyage to America at his own charge,

he was ready enough to admit associates, who were able and willing to

bear a part of the expence. Unfortunately for our new adventurer, all

the advantage he derived from this project was only in the knowledge he

obtained of sea affairs, and of the temper and genius of the people with

whom he had to deal; for the profits that accrued from the voyage by no

means answered the sums employed in pursuing it. He observed, that, by

means of their great riches, the Spaniards could command intelligence of

all that was in agitation against them on this side the globe; but that,

if they were to be taken off their guard, the southern hemisphere must

be the place of action. He had already an example, in Sir Francis Drake,

of the immense wealth that was to be acquired on the coast of Peru, if

secrecy could be preserved, and he determined to be upon his guard, and

to keep his design solely within his own breast.

With this view he sold a part of the remains of his estate, and set

about building two ships proper for his enterprize at Harwich, at that

time an obscure port, namely, one called the _Desire_, of 120 tons; and

another of 60, called the _Content_; to these he added the _Hugh

Gallant_, a bark of 40 tons. In the equipment of this little squadron,

he purchased many articles of commerce to cover his design, and then

privately laid in guns, ammunition and stores, with a moderate quantity

of provisions, intending to purchase the rest at some other convenient

port, when he was just ready to depart.

He likewise enlisted but half his complement of men; and when he arrived

at Plymouth he supplied the rest. In the whole conduct of what has been

already related, he was his own sole director, and none of those who

sailed with him knew whither he was bound, till after their embarkation

at Plymouth. It is even uncertain whether Lord Hounsdon, who procured

his commission, knew the place of his destination.

An enterprize so well concerted cannot fail to excite curiosity; and as

it was excellently written by Mr. Pretty, brother to Sir William, who

accompanied Cavendish throughout the voyage, it will best appear in its

ancient dress.

“We departed, says Mr. Pretty, out of Plymouth on Thursday the 21st of

July, 1586, with three sails (to wit, the Desire a ship of 120 tons, the

Content of 60 tons, and the Hugh Gallant a bark of 40 tons); in which

small fleet were 123 persons of all sorts, with all kind of furniture,

and victuals sufficient for the space of two years. On Tuesday the 26th

of the same month, we were forty-five leagues from Cape Finis Terræ,

where we met with five sails of Biscayers, coming from the Grand Bay in

Newfoundland, as we supposed, which our Admiral shot at, and fought with

them three hours; but we took none of them, by reason the night grew on.

The 1st of August we came in sight of Fort Ventura, one of the isles of

the Canaries, about ten o’clock in the morning.

On Sunday, being the 7th of August, we were gotten as high as Rio del

Oro, on the coast of Barbary.

On Monday the 19th, we fell in with Cape Blanco, but the wind blew so

much at the North, that we could not get up where the Canters do use to

ride and fish: therefore we lay off six hours west-south-west, because

of the sand which lieth off the Cape south-west and by south.

The 15th day of the same month we were in the height of Cape Verd, by

estimation fifty leagues off the same. The 18th, Sierra Leona did bear

east of us, being forty leagues from us; and the same day the wind

shifted to the north-west; so that, by the 20th day of the said month,

we were in six degrees thirty minutes to the northward of the

Equinoctial Line.

The 23d, we set sail for Sierra Leona, and on the 25th day we fell in

with the point on the south-side of Sierra Leona, which Mr. Brewer knew

very well, and went in before with the Content, which was Vice-admiral:

and we had no less than five fathoms water when we had least, and had,

for fourteen leagues in south-west, all the way running into the harbour

of Sierra Leona, sixteen, fourteen, twelve, ten, and eight fathoms of

water.

The 26th of the said month, we put into the harbour; and, in going in,

we had by the southmost point at least five fathoms water by the rock,

which lieth at the said point: and after we came within two or three

cables length of the said rock, we never had less than ten fathoms water

until we came up to the road, which is about a league from the point,

bordering always on the south-side until you come up to the

watering-place, in which bay is the best road: but you must ride far

into the bay, because there runs prodigious great tides in the offing,

and it commonly floweth into the road at a south-east and by east moon.

It is from England to this place 930 leagues; which we ran from the 21st

of July to the 26th of this month of August. On Saturday, being the 27th

day, there came two negroes from the shore aboard our Admiral, and made

signs unto our General that there was a Portuguese ship within the

harbour; so the Hugh Gallant, being the Rear-admiral, went up three or

four leagues, but, for want of a pilot, they went no farther; for the

harbour runneth up three or four leagues more, and is of a prodigious

breadth, and very dangerous, as we were afterwards informed by a

Portuguese.

On Sunday the 28th, the General sent some of his company on shore, and

there, as they played and danced all the forenoon among the negroes, to

the end that they might hear some good news of the Portuguese ship, and

as they were returning to go on board, they spied a Portuguese, which

lay hid among the bushes, whom we took and brought away with us the same

night: and he told us it was very dangerous going up with our boats in

search of the ship that was at the town. Whereupon we went not to seek

her, because we knew he told us the truth for we bound him and made him

fast, and so examined him. He told us also, that his ship was there cast

away, and that there were two more of his company among the negroes. The

Portuguese’s name was Emmanuel, and was by his occupation a chalker,

belonging to the port of Portugal.

On Monday morning, being the 29th day, our General landed with 70 men,

or thereabouts, and went up to their town, where we burnt two or three

houses, and took what spoil we could, which was but little; but all the

people fled: and, in our retiring on board, in a very little plain, at

their town’s end, they shot their arrows at us out of the woods, and

hurt three or four of our men. Their arrows were poisoned; but yet none

of our men miscarried at that time. Their town is very artificially

built with mud walls; their houses built round, with their yards paled

in, and kept very clean, as are their streets. These negroes used great

obedience to their King, as one of our men said, which was an hostage

for the negroes which came first. There were in their town, by

estimation, about one hundred houses.

The first of September, there went many of our men on shore at the

watering-place, and did wash shirts very quietly all the day. And the

second day they went again, and the negroes were in ambush round about

the place; and the carpenter of the Admiral going into the wood, to do

some special business, espied them by good fortune. But the negroes

rushed out upon our men so suddenly, that, in retiring to our boats,

many of them were hurt; among whom Wm. Pickman, a soldier, was shot in

the thigh; who, plucking the arrow out, broke it, and left the head

behind; and he told the chirurgeons that he plucked out all the arrow,

because he would not have them lance his thigh: whereupon the poison

wrought so that night, that he was prodigiously swolen, and the next

morning he died; the piece of the arrow with the poison being afterwards

plucked out of his thigh.

The 3d day of the said month, divers of our fleet went up four miles

within the harbour with our boat, and caught great store of fish, and

went on shore, and took lemons from the trees; and, coming on board

again, saw two buffaloes.

The 6th day we departed from Sierra Leona, and went out of the harbour,

and staid one tide three leagues from the point of the mouth of the

harbour, in six fathoms, and it flowed south-south-west.

On Wednesday, being the 7th of the same month, we departed for one of

the isles of Cape Verd, which is ten leagues distant from the point of

Sierra Leona and about five o’clock the same night we anchored about two

miles off the island, in six fathoms water, and landed the same night,

and found plantains only upon the island.

The 8th day, one of our boats went out, and sounded about the island,

and they passed through a Sound at the west end of the island, where

they found five fathoms water round about the island, until they came to

the very gut of the Sound, and then for a cast or two they had but two

fathoms water, and presently after six fathoms, and so deeper and

deeper. And, at the east end of the island, there was a town where

negroes resorted at some times, as we perceived by their provision.

There is no fresh water on all the south-side that we could perceive;

but, on the north-side, three or four very good places of fresh water:

and all the whole island is a wood, save certain little places where the

houses stand, which are environed round about with plantain trees,

whereof the fruit is excellent meat. This place is subject very much to

thunder, rain, and lightning, in this month: I think the reason is,

because the sun is near the Line Equinoctial. On Saturday the 10th, we

departed from the said island about three o’clock in the afternoon, the

wind being at the south-west.

The last of October, running west-south-west, about twenty-four leagues

from Cape Frio in Brazil, we fell in with a great mountain, which had an

high round knob on the top of it, standing like a tower.

The first of November, we went in between the island of St. Sebastian

and the main land, carried several things on shore, set up a forge, and

had our casks on shore; our cooper made hoops: and so we remained there

until the 23d day of the same month in which time we fitted our things,

built our pinnace, and filled our fresh water. And while our pinnace was

building, there came a canoe from the river of Janeiro, meaning to go to

St. Vincent, wherein were six naked slaves of the country, which did row

the canoe, and one Portuguese; and the Portuguese knew Christopher Hare,

Master of the Admiral; for that Mr. Hare had been at St. Vincent, in the

Minion of London, in the year 1581: and, thinking to have John Whithal,

the Englishman, which dwelleth at St. Vincent, come unto us, which is

twenty leagues from this harbour, with some others, thereby to have had

some fresh victuals, we suffered the Portuguese to go with a letter unto

him, who promised to return or send some answer within ten days, for

that we told him we were merchants, and would traffic with them; but we

never received any answer from him and seeing that he came not according

to appointment, our business being dispatched, we weighed anchor, and

set sail from St. Sebastian on the 23d of November.

The 16th day of December we fell in with the coast of America, in 47

deg. and 20 min. the land bearing west from us about six leagues off;

from which place we ran along the shore until we came into 48 deg. It is

a steep beach all along.

The 17th of December, in the afternoon, we entered into an harbour,

where our Admiral went in first; wherefore our General named the said

harbour Port Desire; in which harbour is an island or two, where there

is a wonderful great store of seals, and another island of birds, called

grey gulls. These seals are of a wonderful bigness, huge and monstrous

of shape; and, for the fore-part of their bodies, cannot be compared to

any thing better than to a lion: their head, neck, and fore-part of

their bodies, are full of rough hair; their feet are in the manner of a

fin, and in form like unto a man’s hand; they breed and cast every

month, giving their young milk, yet continually get they their living in

the sea, and live altogether upon fish: their young are extraordinary

good meat; and being boiled or roasted, are hardly to be known from lamb

or mutton. The old ones are of such bigness and force, that it is as

much as four men are able to do to kill one of them with great staves;

and he must be beaten down with striking on the head of him; for his

body is of that bigness, that four men could never kill him, but only on

the head; for being shot through the body with an harquebuss, or a

musket, yet he will go his way into the sea, and never care for it at

the present. Also the fowls that were there were very good meat, and

great plenty of them: they have burrows in the ground like conies, for

they cannot fly; they have nothing but down upon their pinions; they

also fish and feed in the sea for their living, and breed on shore.

This harbour is a very good place to trim ships in, and to bring them on

ground and grave them in, for there ebbeth and floweth much water;

therefore we graved and trimmed all our ships there.

The 24th of December, being Christmas-eve, a man and a boy of the

Rear-admiral went some forty scores from our ships, unto a very fair

green valley at the foot of a mountain, where was a little pit or well

which our men had digged and made some two or three days before, to get

fresh water; for there was none in all the harbour; and this was but

brackish; therefore this man and boy went thither to wash their linen:

and being in washing at the said well, there were great numbers of

Indians which were come down, and found the said man and boy in washing.

These Indians being divided on each side of the rocks, shot at them with

their arrows, and hurt them both; but they fled presently, being about

fifty or threescore, though our General followed them but with sixteen

or twenty men. The man was shot quite through the knee, the boy into the

shoulder; either of them having very sore wounds. Their arrows are made

of little canes, and their heads are of a flint stone, set into the cane

very artificially. They are as wild as ever was a buck, or any other

wild beast; for we followed them, and they ran from us as we had been

the wildest things in the world. We took the measure of one of their

feet, and it was eighteen inches long. Their custom is, when any of them

die, to bring him or them to the cliffs by the sea-side, and upon the

top of them they bury them; and in their graves are buried with them

their bows and arrows, and all their jewels which they had in their

life-time, which are fine shells that they find by the sea-side, which

they cut and square after an artificial manner; and all are laid under

their heads. The grave is made with large stones of great length and

bigness, being set all along full of the dead man’s darts, which he used

when he was living. And they colour both their darts and their graves of

a red colour, which they use in colouring themselves.

The 28th of December, we departed out of the port of Desire, and went to

an island which lieth three leagues to the southward of it; where we

trimmed our saved penguins with salt, for victuals, all that and the

next day, and departed along the coast south-west and by-south.

The 31st we fell in with a rock, which lieth about five leagues from the

land, much like unto Edistone, which lieth off the sound of Plymouth;

and we sounded, and had eight fathoms rocky ground, within a mile

thereof; the rock bearing west-south-west. We went coasting along

south-south-west, and found great store of seals. This rock standeth in

48 deg. 30 min. to the southward of the Line.

The 2d day of January, we fell in with a very fair white cape, which

standeth in 51 degrees, and had seven fathoms water a league off the

land.

The 3d, we fell in with another great white cape, which standeth in 52

deg. 45 min. from which cape there runneth a low beach about a league to

the southward; and this beach reacheth to the opening of the dangerous

strait of Magellan, which is in divers places five or six leagues wide,

and in two several places more narrow. Under this cape we anchored, and

lost an anchor; for it was a great storm, and lasted three days very

dangerous.

The 6th day we put in for the straits.

The 7th day, between the mouth of the straits and the narrowest place

thereof, we took a Spaniard, whose name was Hernando, who was there with

23 Spaniards more, which were all that remained of four hundred left

there three years before, all the rest being dead with famine. And the

same day we passed through the narrowest of the straits, where the

aforesaid Spaniard shewed us the hull of a small bark, which we judged

to be a bark called the John Thomas, one of Drake’s fleet. It is from

the mouth of the straits unto the narrowest of the straits fourteen

leagues, and the course lieth west and by-north. The mouth of the

straits lieth in 52 degrees.

From the narrowest of the straits unto Penguin island is ten leagues,

and lieth west-south-west, somewhat to the southward, where we anchored

the 8th day, and killed and salted plenty of penguins for victuals.

The 9th day we departed from Penguin island, and ran south-south-west to

King Philip’s city, which the Spaniards had built; which town or city

had four forts, and every fort had in it one cast piece, which pieces

were buried in the ground; the carriages were standing in their places

unburied: we digged for them and had them all. They had contrived their

city very well, and seated it in the best place of the straits for wood

and water: they had built up their churches by themselves: they had laws

very severe among them, for they had erected a gibbet, whereon they had

done execution on some of their company. It seemed unto us, that their

whole living for a great space was altogether upon muscles and limpets;

for there was not any thing else to be had, except some deer which came

out of the mountains down to the fresh rivers to drink. These Spaniards

came to fortify the straits, to the end that no nation should have

passage through into the South Sea, saving their own only: but, as it

appeared, it was not God’s will so to have it; for during the time that

they were there, which was two years at the least, they could never have

any thing to grow, or in any ways prosper; and, on the other side, the

Indians often preyed upon them, until their victuals grew so short,

(their store being spent which they had brought with them out of Spain,

and having no means to renew the same) that they died like dogs in their

houses, and in their clothes, wherein we found some of them still at our

coming, until that in the end the town being wonderfully tainted with

the smell and savour of the dead people, the rest which remained alive

were driven to bury such things as they had there in their town, and so

to forsake the town, and to go along the sea-side to seek their victuals

to preserve them from starving, taking nothing with them, but every man

his harquebuss, and his furniture, that was able to do it (for some of

them were not able to carry them for weakness), and so lived, for the

space of a year and more, on roots, leaves, and sometimes a fowl which

they might kill with their piece. To conclude, they set forward,

determined to travel towards the river of Plate, there being only

twenty-three persons left alive, whereof two were women, which were the

remainder of four hundred. In this place we watered and wooded well and

quietly. Our General named this town Port Famine: it standeth in 53

degrees by observation to the southward.

The 14th day we departed from this place, and ran south-south-west, and

from thence south-west unto Cape Froward, five leagues west-south-west,

which cape is the southermost part of all the straits, and standeth in

the latitude of 54 degrees. From which cape we ran west and by-north

five leagues, and put into a bay or cove on the south side, which we

called Muscle-cove, because there was great plenty of them: we rode

therein six days, the wind being still westerly.

The 21st day of January we departed from Muscle-cove, and went

north-west and by-west ten leagues, to a very fair sandy bay on the

north-side, which our General called Elizabeth-bay: and, as we rode

there that night, one of our men died which went in the Hugh Gallant,

whose name was Grey, a carpenter by his occupation, and was buried there

in that bay.

The 22d we departed from Elizabeth-bay in the afternoon, and went about

two leagues from that place, where there was a fresh water river, up

which our General went with the ship’s boat about three miles; which

river hath very good and pleasant ground about it. It is low and

champaign soil, and we saw no other ground in all the straits, but what

was craggy rocks, and monstrous high hills and mountains. In this river

are a great many savages, which we saw, and had conference with them.

They were men-eaters, and fed altogether upon raw flesh, and other

filthy food: which people had lately preyed upon some of the Spaniards

before spoken of; for they had gotten knives, and some pieces of rapiers

to make darts of. They used all the means they could possibly to have

enticed us farther up the river, on purpose to have betrayed us; which

being perceived by our General, he caused us to shoot at them with our

harquebusses, whereby we killed many of them. So we sailed from this

river, to the channel of St. Jerome, which is two leagues off.

From the river of St. Jerome, about three or four leagues, we ran west

into a cape which is on the north-side; and from that cape unto the

mouth of the straits the course lieth north-west and by-west, and

north-west; between which place and the mouth of the straits, to the

southward, we lay in harbour until the 23d of February, by reason of

contrary winds, and most vile and foul weather, with such rain and

violent stormy winds which came down from the mountains and high hills,

that they hazarded the best cables and anchors that we had for to hold;

which, if they had failed, we had been in great danger to have been cast

away, or at least to have been famished: for, during this time, which

was a full month, we fed almost altogether on muscles, limpets, and

birds, or such as we could get on shore, seeking every day for them, as

the fowls of the air do where they can find food in continual rainy

weather.

There is, at every one or two miles end, an harbour on both sides of the

land. And there are, between the river of St. Jerome and the mouth of

the straits, going into the South Sea, about 34 leagues, by estimation;

so that the whole length of the straits is about 90 leagues: and the

mouth of the said straits standeth nearly in the same height that the

entrance standeth in when we pass out of the North Sea, which is about

52 deg. and 40 min. to the southward of the Line.

The 24th day of February, we entered into the South Sea; and on the

south side in going out of the straits is a fair high cape, with a low

point adjoining to it; and on the north-side are four or five islands

which lie six leagues off the main, and much broken and sunken ground

about them. By noon, the same day, we had brought these islands east of

us five leagues off; the wind being southerly.

The first of March, a storm took us at north, which night the ships lost

the company of the Hugh Gallant, being in 49 degrees 30 min. and 45

leagues from land. This storm continued three or four days and for that

time we in the Hugh Gallant, being separated from the other two ships,

looked every hour to sink, our bark was so leaky, and ourselves so

fatigued and weakened with freeing it of water, that we slept not during

three days and three nights.

The 15th of March, in the morning, the Hugh Gallant came in between the

island of St. Mary and the main, where she met with the Admiral and the

Content, who had rid at the island of La Mocha two days, which island

standeth in south latitude 38 deg. at which place some of our men went

on shore with the Vice-Admiral’s boat, where the Indians fought with

them with their bows and arrows, and were very wary of their calivers.

These Indians were enemies to the Spaniards, and belonged to a great

place called Arauco, and took us for Spaniards, as we afterwards

learned.

The above-mentioned place, Arauco, is very rich, and full of gold mines;

and yet could it not be subdued at any time by the Spaniards; but they

always returned with the greatest loss of men: for these Indians are

quite desperate, and careless of their lives, living at their own

liberty and freedom.

The 15th day aforesaid, in the afternoon, we weighed anchor, and ran

under the west side of St. Mary’s island, where we rid very well in six

fathoms water, and very fair ground, all that night.

The 16th day, our General went on shore himself, with 70 or 80 men,

every one with his furniture. There came down to us certain Indians,

with two which were the Chiefs of the island, to welcome us on shore,

thinking we had been Spaniards, for it is subdued by them; who brought

us up to a place where the Spaniards had erected a church, with crosses

and altars in it; and there were about this church two or three

store-houses, which were full of wheat and barley ready threshed, and

made up in cades of straw, to the quantity of a bushel of corn in every

cade. The wheat and barley was as fair, as clear, and every way as good

as any we have in England. There were also the like cades full of

potatoe-roots, which were very good to eat, ready made up in the

store-houses, for the Spaniards when they should come for their tribute.

This island also yielded many sorts of fruits, hogs, and hens. These

Indians are held in such slavery by their masters, that they dare not

eat a hen or hog themselves: but the Spaniards have made them all in

that island christians. Thus we filled ourselves here with corn as much

as we would have, and as many hogs as we had salt to salt them with, and

great plenty of hens, with a number of bags of potatoe-roots, and about

500 dried dog-fishes, and Guinea wheat, which is called maiz. And having

taken as much as we would, yet we left a prodigious great store behind

us. Our General had the two Chiefs of the island on board our ship, and

provided great cheer for them, and made them merry with wine: and they,

in the end, perceiving that we were not Spaniards, made signs, as near

as our General could perceive, that, if we would go over unto the main

land to Arauco, there was much gold; making us signs, that we should

have great store of riches. But, because we could not understand them,

our General made haste, and within two or three days we furnished

ourselves, and departed.

The 18th day, in the morning, we departed from this place; and ran all

that day north-north-east about ten leagues, and at night lay with a

short sail off and on the coast.

The 19th, we ran in east-north-east with the land, and bore in with a

place called the Conception, where we anchored under an island, and

departed the next morning without going on land.

The 20th, we departed from the Conception, and went into a little bay,

which was sandy, where we saw fresh water and cattle; but we staid not

there.

The 30th day, we came into the bay of Quintero, which standeth in 33

deg. and 50 min.

The said day, presently after we were come to an anchor in the bay,

there was a herdsman, that kept cattle, lying upon the point of the hill

asleep; who, when he awaked, and had espied three ships which were come

into the bay, before we could get on shore, he had mounted a horse which

was feeding by, and rode his way as fast as ever he was able; and our

General, with thirty shot with him, went on shore. He had not been on

land an hour when there came three horsemen with bright swords towards

us, so hard as they could ride, till within a quarter of a mile of us,

and then stopt, and would come no nearer unto us: so our General sent

unto them a couple of our men with their shot, and Hernando, who was the

Spaniard that we had taken up at the mouth of the straits. But the

Spaniards would not suffer our men to come near with their shot, but

made signs that one of our men should come alone unto them: so the said

Hernando, the Spaniard, went unto them, and our two men stood not far

from them. They had some conference; and, in the end, Hernando came back

from them, and told our General that he had parlied with them for some

victuals, and they had promised as much as we would have. Our General

sent him back again with another message, and another shot with him; and

being come near unto them, they would not suffer any more than one to

approach them: whereupon our men let the Spaniard go unto them alone;

who being at some good distance from them, they staid but a small time

together, before the said Hernando leaped up behind one of them, and

rode away with them, notwithstanding the damnable oaths which he had

made continually to our General, never to forsake him, but to die on his

side before he would be false. Our General, seeing how he was dealt

with, filled water all that day with good watch, and carried it on

board: and night being come, he determined next day to send into the

country to find their town, and to have taken the spoil of it, and to

have fired it, if they could have found it.

The last of March, Captain Havers went up into the country, with 50 or

60 men, with their shot and furniture with them, and we travelled seven

or eight miles into the land: and, as we were marching along, we espied

a number of herds of cattle, of kine and bullocks, which were

wonderfully wild: we saw also great plenty of horses, mares, and colts,

which were very wild and unhandled: there is also great store of hares

and conies, and plenty of partridges, and other wild fowls. The country

is very fruitful, with fair fresh rivers all along, full of wild-fowl of

all sorts. Having travelled so far, that we could go no farther for the

monstrous high mountains, we rested ourselves at a very fair fresh

river, running in and along fair low meadows, at the foot of the

mountains, where every man drank of the river, and refreshed himself.

Having so done, we returned to our ships, the likeliest way we thought

their town would be; so we travelled all the day long, not seeing any

man, but we met with many wild dogs; yet there were two hundred horsemen

abroad that same day, by means of the Spaniard which they had taken from

us the day before, who had told them that our force was but small, and

that we were wonderfully weak; and, though they did espy us that day,

yet durst they not give the onset upon us; for we marched along in

array, and observed good order, whereby we seemed a greater number than

we were, until we came unto our ships that night again.

The next day, being the first of April, 1587, our men went on shore to

fill water at a pit which was a quarter of a mile from the water-side;

and, being early hard at their business, were in no readiness: mean

while, there came pouring down from the hills almost two hundred

horsemen, and before our people could return to the rocks from the

watering-place, twelve of them were cut off, part killed, and part taken

prisoners; the rest were rescued by our soldiers who came from the rocks

to meet with them; for though only fifteen of us had any weapons on

shore, yet we made the enemy retire in the end, with the loss of

twenty-four of their men, after we had skirmished with them an hour.

After the loss of these men, we rode at anchor, and watered in despite

of them, with good watch and ward, until the 5th of the said month.

The 5th day, we departed out of this bay of Quintero; and off from the

bay there lieth a little island, about a league distant, whereon there

are great store of penguins, and other fowls, whereof we took to serve

our turns, and sailed away north, and north-by-west; for so lieth the

coast along this place.

The 15th, we came thwart of a place, which is called Morro-Moreno, which

standeth in twenty-three degrees thirty minutes, and is an excellent

good harbour: and there is an island which maketh it an harbour; for a

ship may go in at either end of the island. Here we went with our

General on shore, to the number of thirty men; and as soon as we had

effected our landing, the Indians of the place came down from the rocks

to meet us, with fresh-water and wood on their backs. They are in great

awe of the Spaniards, and very simple people, living most savagely: for

they brought us to their dwellings, about two miles from the harbour,

where we saw their women and bedding, which is nothing but the skin of

some beast laid upon the ground; and over them, instead of houses, is

nothing but five or six sticks laid across, which stand upon forked

sticks stuck in the ground, and a few boughs laid over them. Their diet

is raw fish, which stinketh most vilely: and when any of them die, they

bury their bows and arrows with them, and all that they have; for we

opened one of their graves, and saw the order of them. Their canoes or

boats are very artificially made of two skins resembling bladders, and

are blown full at one end with quills: they have two of these bladders

blown full, which are sewed together, and made fast with a sinew of some

wild beast; which, when they are in the water, swell, so that they are

as tight as may be. They go to sea in these boats, and catch plenty of

fish, but they use it in a beastly manner.

On the 23d, in the morning, we took a small bark, which came out of

Arica road, which we kept and called the George. The men forsook it, and

went hastily away with their boat. Our Admiral’s pinnace followed the

boat, and the Hugh Gallant’s boat took the bark: our Admiral’s pinnace

could not recover the boat before it got on shore, but went along into

the road of Arica, and laid aboard a great ship of one hundred tons,

riding in the road right before the town, but all the men and goods were

gone out of her, only the bare ship was left alone. They made three or

four very fair shots at the pinnace as she was coming in, but missed her

very narrowly with a minion-shot which they had in the fort. Whereupon

we came into the road with the Admiral and the Hugh Gallant: but the

Content, which was the Vice-admiral, was behind out of sight; by means

whereof, and for want of her boat to land men withal, we landed not:

otherwise, if we had been together, our General with the company would

resolutely have landed to take the town, whatsoever should have come of

it. The cause why the Content staid behind, was, that she had found,

about fourteen leagues to the southward of Arica, in a place where the

Spaniards had landed a whole ship’s lading of botigas of wine of

Castile, whereof the said Content took into her as many as she could

conveniently carry, and came after us into the road of Arica the same

day. By this time we perceived that the town had gathered all their

power together, and also conveyed all their treasure away, and buried

it, for they had heard of us. Now, because it was very populous with the

aid of one or two neighbouring places, our General saw there was no

landing without loss of many men; wherefore he gave over that

enterprise. While we rode at anchor they shot at us, and our ships shot

at them again for every shot two. Moreover, our pinnace went in close

almost to the shore, and fetched out another bark which rode there, in

despite of all their forts, though they shot still at the pinnace, which

they could never hit. After these things our General sent a boat on

shore with a flag of truce, to know if they would redeem their great

ship or no: but they would not; for they had received special

commandment from the Viceroy at Lima, not to buy any ship, or ransom any

man, upon pain of death. Our General did this, in hopes to have redeemed

some of our men, which were taken prisoners on shore by the horsemen at

Quintero, otherwise he would have made them no offer of parley.

The 25th, riding still in the road, we spied a sail coming from the

southward, and our General sent out his pinnace to meet her, with all

our boats; but the town made such signs from the hill with fires and

tokens out of the watch-house, that before our pinnace could get to

them, they ran the bark on shore two miles to the southward of the town;

but they had little leisure to carry any thing with them, but all the

men escaped, among whom there were certain friars, for we saw them in

their friar’s weeds as they ran on shore. Many horsemen came from the

town to rescue them and to carry them away, otherwise we had landed and

taken or killed them: so we went on board the bark as she lay sunk, and

fetched out the pillage; but there was nothing in it of any value: and

we came on board our ships again the same night, and the next morning we

set the great ship on fire in the road, and sunk one of the barks,

carrying the other along with us, and so departed from thence and went

away north-west.

The 27th, we took a small bark which came from St. Jago, near unto

Quintero, where we lost our men first. In this bark was one George, a

Greek, an intelligent pilot for all the coast of Chili. They were sent

to the city of Lima with letters of advice of us, and of the loss of our

men: there were also in the said bark one Fleming and three Spaniards,

and they were all sworn, and received the sacrament, before they came to

sea, by three or four friars, that, if we should chance to meet them

they should throw those letters overboard; which as we were giving them

chace with our pinnace, before we could reach them, they had accordingly

thrown away. Yet our General wrought so with them, that they did confess

their errand; but he was fain to cause them to be tormented with their

thumbs in a winch, and to repeat it several times with extreme pain:

also he made the old Fleming believe that he would hang him, and the

rope being about his neck, he was pulled up a little from the hatches;

and yet he would not confess, chusing rather to die than he would be

perjured.

The 3d of May, we came into a bay where are three little towns, which

are called Paracca, Chincha, and Pisca; where some of us landed, and

took certain houses wherein was bread, wine, figs, and hens: but the sea

went so high that we could not land at the best of the towns, without

sinking of our boats, and great hazard of us all. This place standeth in

thirteen degrees and forty minutes to the southward of the Line.

The 5th of May, we departed from this harbour, leaving the Content, our

Vice-admiral, at the island of Seals, by which means at that time we

lost her company.

The 9th, we gave chace to a sail, but we could not reach it.

The 10th day, the Hugh Gallant, in which bark I Francis Pretie was, lost

company of our Admiral.

The 11th, we who were in the Hugh Gallant put into a bay which standeth

in twelve degrees forty minutes, in which bay we found a river of fresh

water about eight o’clock at night; and though we were but of small

force, no more than one bark and eighteen men in it, yet we went on

shore to fill water; where, having filled one boat’s lading, while our

crew were going on board, two or three of our company which were on

shore, as they were going a little from the watering-place with their

furniture about them, spied where there were four or five hundred bags

of meal on an heap covered with a few reeds; so that night we filled

water, and took as much meal as we thought good, which fell out well for

us who were then lost, and stood in need of victuals: and, by break of

day in the morning, we came on board, and there staid and rode until the

afternoon; in which time the town, seeing us ride there still, brought

down much cattle to the sea-side to have enticed us to come on shore;

but we saw their intent, and weighed anchor, and departed the 12th day.

The 13th day at night, we put into a bay which standeth in nine degrees

twenty minutes, where we saw horsemen. And that night we landed, namely,

Mr. Bruer, captain; myself; Arthur Warford; John Way, preacher; John

Newman; Andrew Wight; William Gargefield; and Henry Hilliard; and we

eight only, having every man his harquebuss and his furniture about him,

marched three quarters of a mile along the sea side, where we found a

boat of five or six tons hauled up dry on the shore about a cable’s

length from the water; and with extreme labour we launched the bark.

When it was on float, Captain Bruer and I went in, while the rest were

fetching their things; but suddenly it was ready to sink, and the

Captain and I stood up to the knees, laving out the water with our

targets; but it sunk down faster than we were able to free it, insomuch

that in the end we had much ado to save ourselves from drowning. When we

were out, we stood in great fear that our own boat, wherein we came on

shore, was sunk; for we could no where see it. Howbeit, the Captain

commanded them to keep it off for fear of the great surge that went by

the shore, yet in the end we spied it, and went on board by two and two,

and were forced to wade up to the arm-pits sixty paces into the sea,

before we could get into the boat, by reason of the shoalness; and then

departed the fourteenth day in the morning.

The 16th, we took with the Hugh Gallant, being but sixteen men of us in

it, a large ship which came from Guaianil, which was called the Lewis,

and was of the burthen of three hundred tons, having twenty-four men in

it, wherein was a pilot, one Gonsalvo de Ribas, whom we carried along

with us, and a negroe called Emmanuel. The ship was laden with nothing

but timber and victuals, wherefore we left her seven or eight leagues

from the land very leaky and ready to sink: we sunk her boat, and took

away her foresail and some provisions.

The 17th of May, we met with our Admiral again, and all the rest of our

fleet: they had taken two ships, the one laden with sugar, melasses,

maize, skins, many packs of pintadoes, some marmalade, and a thousand

hens. The other ship was laden with wheat-meal, and boxes of marmalade.

One of these ships, which had the chief merchandize in it, was worth

twenty thousand pounds, if it had been in England, or in any other part

of Christendom, where we might have sold it. We filled all our ships

with as much as we could of these goods; the rest we burnt and the ships

also, and set the men and women that were not killed on shore.

[Illustration: _Cavendish plunders & burns Paita._]

The 20th day in the morning, we came into the road of Paita; and, being

at an anchor, our General landed with sixty or seventy men, skirmished

with some of the town, and drove them all to flight to the top of the

hill which is over the town; except a few slaves and some others who

were of the meaner sort, who were commanded by the Governor to stay

below in the town at a place which was building for a fort, having with

them a bloody ensign, being in number about an hundred men. Now, as we

were rowing between the ships and the shore, our gunner shot off a great

piece out of one of the barks, and the shot fell among them, and made

them to fly from the fort, as fast as they could run; but, having got up

upon the hill, they in their turn, shot among us with their small-shot.

After we were landed, and had taken the town, we ran upon them and

chaced them so fiercely for the space of an hour, that we drove them in

the end away by force; and, being got up the hills, we found where they

had hid what they had brought out of the town. We also found the

quantity of twenty-five pounds weight of silver in pieces of eight, and

abundance of houshold stuff, and storehouses full of all kinds of wares.

But our General would not suffer the men to carry much cloth or apparel

away, because they should not cloy themselves with burdens; for he knew

not whether our enemies were provided with fire-arms according to the

number of their men, for they were five men to one of us, and we had an

English mile and an half to our ships. Being come down in safety to the

town, which was very well built, and kept very clean in every street,

with a town-house or guildhall in the midst of it, and had to the number

of two or three hundred houses at least in it; we set it on fire, and

burnt it to the ground, and goods to the value of five or six thousand

pounds. There was also a bark riding at anchor in the road, which we set

on fire and departed, directing our course to the island of Puna.

The 25th of May, we arrived at the island of Puna, where is a very good

harbour. There we found a great ship of 250 tons riding at anchor with

all her furniture, which was ready to be hauled on ground, for there is

a special good place for that purpose. We sunk it and went on shore,

where the Lord of the island dwelt, who had a sumptuous dwelling, which

was by the water-side, exceedingly well contrived, with many very

singular good rooms and chambers in it, and out of every chamber was

framed a gallery, with a stately prospect towards the sea on one side,

and into the island on the other side, with a magnificent hall below,

and a very great storehouse at one end of the hall, which was filled

with botigas of pitch and bast to make cables with; for the most part of

the cables in the South Sea are made upon that island. This great

Casique obliged all the Indians on the island to work and trudge for

him: he is an Indian born, but is married to a beautiful woman who is a

Spaniard, by reason of his pleasant habitation and his great wealth.

This Spanish woman, his wife, is honoured as a Queen in the island, and

never walketh upon the ground on foot, but accounteth it too base a

thing for her; but when her pleasure is to take the air, or to go

abroad, she is always carried in a sedan upon four mens shoulders, with

a veil or canopy over her, to shade her from the sun or the wind, having

her gentlewoman still attending about her, with a great troop of the

best men in the island with her. But both she and the lord of the

island, with all the Indians in the town, were nearly fled out of the

island before we get could get to an anchor, by reason we were becalmed

before we could get in, and were gone over unto the main land, having

carried with them 100,000 crowns, which we knew by a Captain of the

island, an Indian, whom we had taken at sea as we were coming into the

road, being in a balsa or a canoe for a spy to see what we were.

The 27th, our General himself, with certain shot and some targetliers,

went over to the main unto the place where this Indian Captain told us

the Casique, who was Lord of all the island, was gone unto, and had

carried all his treasure with him: but, at our coming to the place where

we went to land, we found newly arrived there four or five great balsas

laden with plantains, bags of meal, and many other kinds of victuals.

Our General marvelled what they were, and what they meant, asking the

Indian guide, and commanding him to speak the truth upon his life. Being

then bound fast, he answered, being very much abashed, as well as our

company were, that he neither knew from whence they should come, nor who

they should be, for never a man was in either of the balsas; yet he had

told our General before, that it was an easy matter to take the said

Casique and all his treasure; and that, there were but three or four

houses standing in a desart place, and no resistance; and that if he

found it not so, he might hang him. Again being demanded to speak upon

his life what he thought these balsas should be? he answered, that he

could not say what they were, nor from whence they should come, except

it was to carry sixty soldiers, who he did hear were to go to a place

called Guaiaquil, which was about six leagues from the said island,

where two or three of the King’s ships were on the stocks in building,

and where there were continually an hundred soldiers in garrison, who

had heard of us, and had sent for sixty more, for fear of burning of the

ships and town. Our General, not any whit discouraged, either at the

sight of the balsas unlooked for, or at hearing of the sixty soldiers

not until then spoken of, bravely animating his company to the exploit,

went presently forward, being in the night in a most desart path through

the woods, until he came to the place; where, as it seemed, they had

kept watch either at the water-side, or at the houses, or at both, and

were newly gone out of the houses, having so short warning that they

left the meat both boiling and roasting at the fire, and were fled with

their treasure with them, or else buried it where it could not be found.

Our company took hens, and such things as we thought good, and came

away.

The 29th, our General went in the ship’s boat unto a little island

adjoining, whither the Casique, who was Lord of Rena, had caused all the

hangings of his chambers, which were Cordovan leather, all gilded over,

and painted very fair and rich, with all his houshold stuff, and all the

ships tackling which were riding in the road at our coming in, with

great store of nails, spikes of iron, and very many other things, to be

conveyed; all which we found, and brought away what our General thought

requisite for the ships.

This island is very pleasant for all the delights of life, and fruitful;

but there are no mines of gold or silver in it. There are, at least, 200

houses in the town about the Casique’s palace, and as many in one or two

towns more upon the island, which is almost as big as the Isle of Wight,

in England. There is planted, on the one side of the Casique’s house, a

fair garden with all herbs growing in it, and at the lower end a well of

fresh water, and round about it are trees set, whereon bombazine cotton

groweth after this manner: The tops of the trees grow full of cods, out

of which the cotton groweth, and in the cotton is a seed of the bigness

of a pea, and in every cod there are seven or eight of these seeds; and

if the cotton be not gathered when it is ripe, then these seeds fall

from it and spring again.

There are also in this garden fig-trees, which bear continually; also

pompions, melons, cucumbers, raddishes, rosemary, and thyme, with many

other herbs and roots. At the other end of the house there is also

another orchard, where grow oranges, sweet and sour lemons,

pomegranates, and limes, with divers other fruits. There is very good

pasture-ground in this island and there are many horses, oxen, bullocks,

sheep very fat and fair, a great many goats, which are very tame, and

are used continually to be milked. They have also abundance of pigeons,

turkies, and ducks of prodigious bigness.

There was also a very large and great church near to the Casique’s

house, whither he caused all the Indians in the island to come and hear

mass, for he himself was made a christian when married to the Spanish

woman before spoken of; and upon his conversion he caused the rest of

his subjects to be christened. In this church was an high altar, with a

crucifix, and five bells hanging in one end thereof. We burnt the

church, and brought the bells away.

By this time we had hauled on ground our Admiral, and made her clean,

burnt her keel, pitched and tarred her, and had hauled her on float

again; and, in the mean time, kept watch in the great house both night

and day.

The 2d of June, in the morning, by day-break, every one of the watch

having gone abroad to seek provisions, some one way and some another,

some for hens, some for sheep, some for goats; upon a sudden there came

down upon us an hundred soldiers, with musquets, and an ensign, which

were landed on the other side of the island that night, and all the

Indians of the island along with them, everyone with weapons, and their

baggage after them; which happened by means of a negroe, whose name was

Emmanuel, who fled from us at our first landing there. Thus, being taken

at a disadvantage, we had the worst, for our company did not exceed

sixteen or twenty, whereof they had slain one or two before they were

come to the houses; yet we skirmished with them an hour and a half. At

last, being greatly over-charged with multitudes, we were driven down

from the hill to the water side, and there we kept them in play a while,

until in the end our halberdier, who had kept the way of the hill, and

had slain a couple of them as he breathed himself, had an honourable

death, for a shot struck him to the heart; who, feeling himself mortally

wounded, cried to God for mercy, and fell down dead. But, soon after,

the enemy was driven back from the bank side to the green; and, in the

end, our boat came, and carried as many of our men as could go in her

without hazard of sinking; but one of our men was shot through the head

with his own piece, being a snap-hand, as he was getting into the boat.

Four of us were left behind, which the boat could not carry, of whom

myself was one, who had our shot ready, and retired into a cliff until

the boat came again, which was presently after they had carried the rest

on board. There were forty-six of the enemy slain by us, whereof they

dragged some into bushes, and some into old houses, which we found

afterwards. We lost only 12 of our men.

The same day we went on shore again with 70 men, and had a fresh

skirmish with the enemy, and made them retire. This done, we set fire to

the town, and burnt it to the ground; and, shortly after, made havock of

their fields, orchards, and gardens, and burnt four great ships more,

which were building on the stocks.

The 3d of June, the Content, which was our Vice-Admiral, was hauled on

ground to grave at the same place, in spite of the Spaniards; and also

our pinnace was new trimmed.

The 5th, we departed out of the road of Puna, where we remained eleven

days, and turned up to a place which is called Rio Dolce, where we

watered; at which place also we sunk our Rear-Admiral, called the Hugh

Gallant, for want of men, being a bark of 40 tons.

The 10th, we set the Indians on shore, which we had taken before as we

were coming into the road of Puna.

The 11th, we departed from Rio Dolce.

The 12th, we doubled the Equinoctial Line, and continued our course

northwards all that month.

The 1st of July, we had sight of the coast of Nueva Espanna, being four

leagues distant from land, in the latitude of 10 degrees to the

northward of the Line.

The 9th, we took a new ship of 120 tons burthen, wherein was one Michael

Sancius, whom our General took to serve his turn to water along the

coast; for he was one of the best coasters in the South Sea. This

Michael Sancius was a provincial born in Marseilles, and was the first

man that told us news of the great ship called the Santa Anna, which we

afterwards took coming from the Philippines.

There were six men more in this new ship. We took her sails, ropes, and

fire-wood, to serve our turns, set her on fire, and kept the men.

The 10th, we took another bark, which was going with advice of us and

our ships all along the coast, as Michael Sancius told us; but all

company that were in the bark were fled on shore. Neither of these ships

had any goods in them; for they came both from Sonsonate, in the

province of Guatimala; the new ship, for fear we should have taken her

in the road; and the bark, to carry news along the coast, which bark we

also set on fire.

The 26th, we came to anchor in ten fathoms, in the river of Copalita,

where we intended to water; and that same night we departed with

thirty-two men in the pinnace, and rowed to Aguatulco, which is but two

leagues from the aforesaid river, and standeth in 15 deg. 40 min. to the

northward of the Equinoctial Line.

The 27th day, in the morning, by break of day, we came into the road of

Aguatulco, where we found a bark of 50 tons, which was come from

Sonsonate, laden with cocoas and anil, which they had there landed; and

the men were all fled on shore. We landed there, and burnt the town,

with the church and custom-house, which was very fair and large, in

which house were 600 bags of anil to dye cloth, every bag whereof was

worth 40 crowns; and 400 bags of cocoas, every bag whereof is worth 10

crowns. These cocoas go among them for meat and money; for 150 of them

are in value one rial of plate in ready payment. They are very like an

almond, but are not so pleasant in taste. They eat them, and make drink

of them: this the owner of the ship told us. I found in this town,

before we burnt it, a flasket full of boxes of balm. After we had

spoiled and burned the town, wherein there were some hundred houses, the

owner of the ship came down out of the hills with a flag of truce unto

us, who before with all the rest of the townsmen run away, and at length

came on board our pinnace upon Captain Havers’ word of safe return. We

carried him to the river of Copalita, where our ships rode. When we came

to our General, he caused him to be set on shore in safety the same

night, because he came upon the Captain’s word.

The 28th, we set sail from Copalita, because the sea was so great that

we could not fill water, and ran the same night into the road of

Aguatulco.

The 29th, our General landed, and took with him thirty men two miles

into the woods, were we took a Mestizo, whose name was Michael de

Truxillo, who was customer of that town, and we found with him two

chambers full of his stuff; we brought him and his stuff on board: and

whereas I say he was a Mestizo, it is to be understood, that a Mestizo

is one who hath a Spaniard to his father, and an Indian to his mother.

The 2d day of August, having watered, and examined the said Mestizo and

set him on shore again, we departed from the port of Aguatulco the same

night; which standeth, as I said before, in 15 deg. and 40 min. to the

northward of the Line. Here we overslipped the haven of Acapulco, from

whence the ships are fitted out for the Philippines.

The 24th, our General with thirty of us went with the pinnace to an

haven called Puerto de Natividad, where we had intelligence by Michael

Sancius that there should be a pinnace; but, before we could get

thither, the said pinnace was gone to fish for pearls twelve leagues

farther, as we were informed by certain Indians whom we found there. We

took a mullatto in this place in his bed, who was sent with letters of

advice concerning us along the coast of Nueva Galicia, whose horse we

killed. We took his letters, left him behind, set fire to the houses,

and burnt two new ships of 200 tons each which were building there on

the stocks, and came on board of our ships again.

The 26th, we came into the bay of St. Jago, where we watered at a fresh

river, along which river many plantains were growing. Here is abundance

of fresh fish; here also some of our company dragged for pearls, and

caught some quantity.

The 2d of September, we departed from St. Jago, at four o’clock in the

evening. The bay of St. Jago standeth in nineteen degrees and eighteen

minutes to the northward of the Line.

The 3d, we arrived in a little bay a league to the westward of Port de

Natividad, called Malacca, which is a very good place to ride in; and

this day, about twelve o’clock, our General landed with thirty men, and

went up to a town of Indians which was two leagues from the road, which

town is called Acatlan: there were in it about 20 or 30 houses, and a

church which we defaced, and came on board the same night. All the

people fled out of the town at the sight of us.

The 4th, we departed from the road of Malacca, and sailed along the

coast. The 8th we came to the road of Chacalla, in which bay there are

two little houses by the water-side. This bay is 18 leagues from the

Cape de los Corientes.

The 9th, in the morning, our General sent up Captain Havers with forty

men of us before day, and, Michael Sancius being our guide, we went unto

a place about two leagues up into the country, in a most obscure desart

path, through the woods and wilderness, and in the end we came to a

place where we took three housholders with their wives and children, and

some Indians, one carpenter (who was a Spaniard), and a Portuguese. We

bound them all, and made them come to the sea-side with us: our General

made their wives fetch us plantains, lemons, oranges, pine-apples, and

other fruits, whereof they had abundance, and so let their husbands

depart, except Sembrano, the Spanish carpenter, and Diego, the

Portuguese, and the tenth day we departed from the road.

The 12th, we arrived at a little island called the isle of St. Andrew,

on which there is great store of fowl and wood; where we dried and

salted as many of the fowls as we thought good. We also killed there

abundance of seals and oguanos, which are a kind of serpents with four

feet, and a long sharp tail, strange to them who have not seen them, but

they are very good meat. We rode here until the 17th, at which time we

departed.

The 24th, we arrived in the road of Massatlan, in twenty-three degrees

thirty minutes, just under the Tropic of Cancer. It is a very great

river within, but is barred at the mouth; and upon the north side of the

bar without is good fresh water, but there is much difficulty in filling

it, because at low water it is shoal half a mile off the shore. There is

great store of fresh fish in this bay, and good fruits up in the

country, whereof we had some, though not without danger.

The 27th, we departed from the road of Massatlan, and ran to an island

which is a league to the northward of the said Massatlan, where we

trimmed our ships, and new built our pinnace. There is a little island a

quarter of a league from it, on which are seals; where a Spanish

prisoner, whose name was Domingo, being sent to wash shirts, with one of

our men to keep him, made his escape and swam to the main, which was an

English mile distant; at which place we had seen thirty or forty

Spaniards and Indians, who were horsemen and kept watch there, and came

from a town called Chiametla, which was eleven leagues up into the

country, as Michael Sancius told us. We found upon the island where we

trimmed our pinnace, fresh water, by digging two or three feet deep into

the sand, where no water nor sign of water was before to be perceived;

otherwise we must have gone back 20 or 30 leagues to water, which might

have occasioned our missing the prey we had long waited for: but one

Flores, a Spaniard, who was also a prisoner with us, made a motion to

dig in the sands. Now, our General, having had experience before of the

like, commanded to put his motion in practice, and, digging three feet

deep, we found very good and fresh water: so we watered our ships, and

might have filled a thousand tons more if we had pleased.

We staid in this island until the ninth day of October, and then

departed at night for the Cape of St. Lucar, which is on the west side

of the point of California.

The 14th, we fell in with the Cape of St. Lucar, which cape is very like

the Needles at the isle of Wight, and within the said cape is a great

bay, called by the Spaniards Aguada Segura, into which bay falleth a

fair fresh river, about which many Indians use to keep. We watered in

the river, and lay off and on with the said cape of St. Lucar, until the

4th of November, and had the winds hanging still westerly.

The 4th of November, beating up and down upon the head-land of

California, in 23 degrees 40 minutes to the northward, between seven and

eight o’clock in the morning, one of the company of our Admiral, who was

the trumpeter of the ship, going up unto the top, espied a sail bearing

in from the sea with the cape; whereupon he cried, with no small joy to

himself and all the company, A sail! a sail! With which chearful word,

the Master of the ship, and divers others of the company, went also up

to the main-top, who, perceiving his speech to be very true, gave

information unto our General of this happy news, who was no less glad

than the cause required: whereupon he gave in charge presently unto the

whole company, to put all things in readiness; which being performed, he

gave them chace for three or four hours, standing with our best

advantage, and working for the wind. In the afternoon we got up to them,

giving them a broadside with our great ordnance, and a volley of small

shot, and presently laid the ship aboard, whereof the King of Spain was

owner, which was Admiral of the South Sea, called St. Anna, and thought

to be seven hundred tons in burthen. Now, as we were ready on the ship’s

side to enter her, there not being above fifty or sixty men at most in

our ship, we perceived that the Captain of the Santa Anna had made

sights fore and aft, and hid their sails close on their poop, their

midship, with their forecastle, and not one man to be seen, they

standing so close under their sights, with lances, javelins, rapiers,

targets, and an innumerable quantity of large stones, which they threw

overboard upon our heads, and into our ships so fast, and being so many

of them, that they put us off the ship again, with the loss of two of

our men, who were slain, and four or five wounded. But for all this, we

new trimmed our sails, and fitted every man his furniture, and gave them

a fresh encounter with our great ordnance, and also with our small shot,

raking them through and through, to the killing and wounding of many of

their men. Their Captain, still like a valiant man, with his company,

stood very stoutly unto his close sights, not yielding as yet. Our

General encouraging his men afresh, with the whole noise of trumpets,

gave them the other encounter with our great ordnance, and all our small

shot, to the great discouragement of our enemies, raking them through in

divers places, killing and wounding many of their men. They being thus

discouraged and spoiled, and their ship being in hazard of sinking, by

reason of the great shot which were made, whereof some were under water,

after five or six hours fight, set out a flag of truce, and parlied for

mercy, desiring our General to save their lives, and to take their

goods, and that they would presently yield. Our General promised them

mercy, and willed them to strike their sails, and to hoist out their

boat, and to come on board: which news they were full glad to hear, and

presently struck their sails, hoisted out their boat, and one of their

chief merchants came on board unto our General, and, falling down upon

his knees, offered to have kissed our General’s feet, and craved mercy.

Our General pardoned both him and the rest, upon promise of their true

dealing with him and his company, concerning such riches as were in the

ship; and sent for their Captain and pilot, who, at their coming, used

the like duty and reverence as the former did. Our General promised

their lives, and good usage. The said Captain and pilot presently

certified the General what goods they had on board, viz. 122,000 pezoes

of gold; and the rest of the riches that the ship was laden with, were

silks, sattins, damasks, with musk, and divers other merchandize, and

great plenty of all manner of provisions, with the choice of many

conserves, and several sorts of very good wines. These things being made

known to the General by the aforesaid Captain and pilot, they were

commanded to stay on board the Desire; and on the 6th day of November

following we went into an harbour, which is called by the Spaniards

Aguada Segura, or Puerto Seguro.

Here the whole company of Spaniards, both men and women, to the number

of 190 persons, were set on shore; where they had a fair river of fresh

water, with great plenty of fresh fish, fowl, and wood, and also many

hares and conies upon the main land. Our General also gave them plenty

of provisions, garvances, peason, and some wine. Also they had all the

sails of their ship to make them tents on shore, with licence to take

such store of planks as should be sufficient to make them a bark. Then

we fell to heaving in of our goods, sharing of the treasure, and

allotting to every man his portion; in division whereof, the 8th of this

month, many of the company fell into a mutiny against our General,

especially those who were in the Content, which were nevertheless

pacified for the time.

On the 17th day of November, which is the day of the happy coronation of

her Majesty, our General commanded all his ordnance to be shot off, with

the small shot, both in his own ship, and in the Content, which was our

Vice-Admiral. This being done, the same night we had many fire-works,

and more ordnance discharged, to the great admiration of all the

Spaniards who were there, for the most of them had never seen the like

before.

This ended, our General discharged the Captain, and gave him a royal

reward, with provision for his own and company’s defence against the

Indians, both of swords, targets, pieces, shot, and powder, to his great

contentment. But before his departure, he took out of this great ship

two young lads born in Japan, who could both read and write their own

language; the eldest, being about twenty years old, was named

Christopher; the other was called Cosmus, about seventeen years of age;

both of very good capacity. He took also with him, out of their ship,

three boys born in the isles of Manilla; the one about fifteen, the

other about thirteen, the youngest about nine years of age: the name of

the eldest was Alphonso, the second Anthony de Dasi, the third remaineth

with the Right Honourable the Countess of Essex. He also took from them

one Nicholas Roderigo, a Portuguese, who had not only been in Canton,

and other parts of China, but had also been in the islands of Japan,

being a country most rich in silver mines, and had also been in the

Philippines. He took also from them a Spaniard, whose name was Thomas de

Ersola, who was a very good pilot from Acapulco, and the coast of Nueva

Espanna, unto the islands of Ladrones, where the Spaniards put in to

water, sailing between Acapulco and the Philippines; in which isles of

Ladrones they found fresh-water plantains, and potatoe-roots: howbeit,

the people are very rude, and heathens.

The 19th day of November aforesaid, about three o’clock in the

afternoon, our General caused the King’s ship to be set on fire, which,

having to the quantity of 500 tons of goods in her, we saw burnt unto

the water, and then gave them a piece of ordnance, and set sail joyfully

homewards towards England, with a fair wind, which by this time was come

about to east-north-east; and, night growing near, we left the Content

a-stern of us, which was not as yet come out of the road: and here,

thinking she would have overtaken us, we lost her company, and never saw

her after.

We were sailing from this haven of Aguada Segura, in California, unto

the isles of Ladrones, the rest of November, and all December, and so

forth until the 3d of January, 1588, with a fair wind, for the space of

forty-five days; and we esteemed it to be between seventeen and eighteen

hundred leagues.

The 3d of January, by six o’clock in the morning, we had sight of one of

the islands of Ladrones, called the island of Guarsa, standing in 13

deg. 40 min. towards the north; and, sailing with a gentle gale before

the wind, by one or two o’clock in the afternoon we were come within two

leagues of the island, where we met with sixty or seventy sail of

canoes, full of savages, who came off to sea unto us, and brought with

them in their canoes, plantains, cocoas, potatoe-roots, and fresh fish,

which they had caught at sea, and held them up unto us for to truck, or

exchange with us; which, when we perceived, we made fast little pieces

of old iron upon small cords and fishing lines, and so veered the iron

into their canoes; and they caught hold of them, and took off the iron,

and in exchange of it they would make fast unto the line, either a

potatoe-root, or a bundle of plantains, which we hauled in: and thus our

company exchanged with them, until they had satisfied themselves with as

much as did content them; yet we could not be rid of them; for,

afterwards, they were so thick about the ship, that it stemmed and broke

one or two of their canoes; but the men saved themselves, being in every

canoe four, six, or eight persons, all naked, and excellent swimmers and

divers. They are of a tawny colour, marvellously fat, and ordinarily

bigger of stature than the most of our men in England, wearing their

hair very long, yet some of them have it made up and tied with a knot on

the crown, and some with two knots, much like unto their images, which

we saw them have carved in wood, and standing in the head of their

boats, like unto the images of the devil. Their canoes were as

artificially made as any that ever we had seen, considering they were

made and contrived without any edged tool: they are not above half a

fathom in breadth, and in length some seven or eight fathoms, and their

heads and sterns are both alike: they are made out with rafts of canes

and reeds on the starboard-side, with mast and sail: their sail is made

of mats of sedges square or triangle ways; and they sail as well right

against the wind as before it. These savages followed us so long that we

could not be rid of them until in the end our General commanded our

harquebusses to be made ready, and he himself fired one of them, and the

rest shot at them; but they were so nimble, that we could not discern

whether they were killed or not, because they could fall backward into

the sea and prevent us by diving.

The 14th, by break of day, we fell in with an head-land of the

Philippines, which is called Cabo del Spirito Santo, which is of very

great bigness and length; high land in the midst of it, and very low

land, as the cape lieth east and west, trending far into the sea to the

westward. This cape or island is distant from the isle of Guana 310

leagues. We were in sailing of this course eleven days, with scant winds

and foul weather, bearing no sail two or three nights. This island

standeth in thirteen degrees, and is inhabited for the most part by

heathens, and very woody through the whole island. It is short of the

chiefest island of the Philippines, called Manilla, about sixty leagues.

Manilla is well planted, and inhabited by Spaniards to the number of six

or seven hundred persons, who dwell in a town unwalled, which hath three

or four small block-houses, part made of wood and part of stone, being

indeed of no great strength. They have one or two small gallies

belonging to the town. It is a very rich place in gold and many other

commodities; and they have yearly traffic from Acapulco, in Nueva

Espanna, and also twenty or thirty ships from China, and from the

Sanguelos, which bringeth them many sorts of merchandize. The merchants

of China and the Sanguelos are part Moors and part heathens; they bring

great quantities of gold with them, which they traffic and exchange for

silver, and give weight for weight. These Sanguelos are men of great

genius for inventing and making all manner of things, especially in all

handicrafts and sciences; and every one is so expert, perfect, and

skilful in his faculty, that few or no Christians are able to go beyond

them in that which they take in hand. For drawing and embroidering upon

sattin, silk, or lawn, either beast, fowl, fish, or worm, for liveliness

and perfectness both in silk, silver, gold, and pearl, they excel.

The 14th, at night, we entered the straits between the island of Lucon

and the island of Camlaia.

The 15th day, we fell in with an island called Capul, and had, betwixt

that and another island, a very narrow passage, occasioned by a ledge of

rocks, lying off the point of the island of Capul, and no danger, but

water enough a good way off. Within the point there is a fine bay, and a

very good harbour in four fathoms water, within a cable’s length of the

shore. Our ship was no sooner come to an anchor, than presently there

came a canoe rowing on board us, in which was one of the chief Casiques

of the island, whereof there are seven, who, supposing that we were

Spaniards, brought us potatoe roots, which they call camotas, and green

cocoas, in exchange for which we gave his company linnen to the quantity

of a yard for four cocoas, and as much linnen for a basket of potatoe

roots, of a quart in quantity, which roots are very good eating, and

very sweet either roasted or boiled.

This Casique’s skin was carved and cut with various coloured strakes and

devices all over his body; we kept him still on board, and caused him to

send those men who brought him on board back to the island, to invite

the rest of the principal men to come on board: who were no sooner gone

on shore, than presently the people of the island came down with their

cocoas and potatoe roots, and the rest of the Casiques likewise came on

board, and brought with them hens and hogs. They used the same order

with us which they do with the Spaniards; for they took for every hog,

which they call balboye, eight rials of plate, and for every hen or cock

one rial of plate. Thus we rode at anchor all that day, doing nothing

but buying roots, cocoas, hens, hogs, and such things as they brought,

refreshing ourselves very much.

The same day, at night, Nicholas Roderigo, the Portuguese whom we had

taken out of the great Santa Anna, at the Cape of California, desired to

speak with our General in secret; which, when our General understood, he

sent for him, and asked him what he had to say to him. The Portuguese

made him answer, That, although he had offended his worship heretofore,

yet now he had vowed his faith and true service to him; and, in respect

whereof, he neither could nor would conceal such treason as was plotting

against him and his company; which was this, that the Spaniard who was

taken out of the great Santa Anna for a pilot, whose name was Thomas de

Ersola, had written a letter secretly, sealed it, and locked it up in

his chest, meaning to convey it, by the inhabitants of this island, to

Manilla; the contents whereof were, that there had been two English

ships along the coast of Chili, Peru, Nueva Espanna, and Nueva Galicia,

and that they had taken many ships and merchandize in them, and burnt

divers towns, and spoiled all that ever they could come unto; and that

they had taken the king’s ship which came from Manilla, and all his

treasure, and all the merchandize that was therein, and had set all the

people on shore, taking himself away by force; therefore he willed them

that they should make strong their bulwarks, with their two galleys, and

all such provision as they could possibly make. He further signified,

that we were riding at an island called Capul, which was at the end of

the island of Manilla; being but one ship with small force in it; and

that the other ship, as he supposed, was gone for the north-west

passage, standing in fifty-five degrees; and that, if they could use any

means to surprize us, being there at anchor, they should dispatch it,

for our force was but small, and our men but weak; and that the place

where we rode was but fifty leagues from them: otherwise, if they let us

escape, within a few years they must make account to have their town

besieged and sacked by an army of English. This information being given,

our General called for him, and charged him with these things, which, at

the first, he utterly denied; but, in the end, the matter being made

manifest and known of certainty by special trial and proofs, the next

morning, our General gave orders that he should be hanged, which was

accordingly performed the 16th of January.

We rode for the space of nine days about this island of Capul, where we

had divers kinds of fresh victuals, with excellent fresh water in every

bay, and great plenty of wood. The people of this island go almost

naked, and are of a tawny colour. The men wear only a girdle about their

waists, of a kind of linnen of their own weaving, which is made of

plantain leaves, and an apron, which, coming from their back and

covering their nakedness, is made fast to their girdles at their navels.

These people use a strange kind of order among them, which is this:

every man and man-child among them hath a little peg-nail thrust through

the head of his privy parts, being split in the lower end, and rivetted,

and on the head of the nail is as it were a crown; which they take out

and in as they have occasion: and for the truth thereof we ourselves

have taken one of these nails from a son of one of their kings, who was

of the age of ten years.

On the 23d of January, our General, Mr. Thomas Cavendish, caused all the

chiefs of this island and of an hundred islands more, whom he had made

to pay tribute to him, which tribute was in hogs, hens, potatoes and

cocoas, to appear before him, and made himself and his company known

unto them, that they were Englishmen, and enemies to the Spaniards; and

thereupon spread his ensign, sounded his trumpets, and beat his drums;

which they much wondered at. To conclude, they promised both themselves

and all the islands thereabout, to aid him whensoever he should come

again to overcome the Spaniards. Also our General gave them, in token

that we were enemies to the Spaniards, money back again for all their

tribute which they had paid, which they took very friendly, and rowed

about our ship to give us pleasure. At last our General ordered a sacre

to be shot off, whereat they wondered, and, with great contentment, took

their leave of us.

The next day, being the 26th of January, we set sail, about six o’clock

in the morning, and ran along the coast of the island of Manilla,

shaping our course north-west, between Manilla and the isle of Masbat.

The 28th in the morning, about seven o’clock, riding at an anchor

between two islands, we spied a frigate under her courses, coming out

between two other islands, which, as we imagined, came from Manilla,

sailing close by the shore along the main island of Panama. We chaced

this frigate along the shore, and gained fast upon her, until in the end

we came so near that she stood in for the shore, close by a wind, and

being becalmed, banked up with her oars; whereupon we came to an anchor

with our ship a league and a half from the place where the frigate rowed

in, and manned our boat with half a dozen shot, and as many men with

swords, who did row the boat. Thus we made after the frigate, which had

run into a river where we could not reach her; but as we rowed along the

shore, our boat came into very shallow water, where many marks were set

up in divers places in the sea, from whence two or three canoes came

forth, whereof one made somewhat near unto us with three or four Indians

in it. We called unto them, but they would not come nearer unto us, but

rowed from us, whom we durst not follow too far, for fear of bringing

ourselves too much to the leeward of our ship. Here, as we looked about

us, we spied another balsa or canoe of a great bigness, which they who

were in her did set along, as we usually set a barge, with long staves

or poles, which was builded up with great canes, and below near the

water made to row with oars, wherein were about five or six Indians and

one Spaniard. Now, as we were come almost at the balsa, we ran aground

with our boat, but one or two of our men leapt overboard and freed it

again presently, and keeping thwart her head, we laid her aboard, and

took into us the Spaniard, but the Indians leaped into the sea, and

dived and rose again far off from us. Presently, upon the taking of this

canoe, there appeared upon the sands a band of soldiers, marching with

an ensign having a red cross like the flag of England, who were about

fifty or sixty Spaniards, lately come from Manilla to that town, which

is called Reguan, in a bark to fetch a new ship of the king’s, which was

building in a river within the bay, and staid there only for certain

irons to serve for the rudder of the said ship, which they looked for

every day.

This band of men shot at us from the shore with their musquets, but hit

none of us, and we shot at them again. They also manned a frigate, and

sent it out after our boat to have taken us, but we with our oars went

from them; and whether they perceived they could not overtake us, but

that they must come within danger of the ordnance of our ship, they

stood in with the shore again, and landed their men; and presently sent

their frigate about the point, but whither we knew not: so we came on

board with this one Spaniard, who was neither soldier nor sailor, but

one who was come among the rest from Manilla, and had been in the

hospital there a long time before, and was a very simple fellow, and

such a one as could answer to very little that was enquired of him

concerning the state of the country. Here we rode at anchor all that

night, and perceived that the Spaniards had dispersed their band into

two or three parties, and kept great watch in several places with fires

and shooting-off of their pieces.

This island hath much plain ground in it in many places, and many fair

and straight trees grow upon it, fit to make excellent masts for all

sorts of ships. There are also mines of very fine gold in it, which are

in the custody of the Indians. And, to the southward of this place,

there is another very great island, which is not subdued by the

Spaniards, nor any other nation. The people who inhabit it are all

negroes; and the island is called the Island of Negroes. It is almost as

big as England, standing in nine degrees. The most part of it seemeth to

be very low land, and, by all likelihood, is very fruitful.

The 29th day of January, about six o’clock in the morning, we set sail,

sending our boat before, until it was two o’clock in the afternoon,

passing all this time as it were through a strait, betwixt the said two

islands of Panama and the island of Negroes; and, about 16 leagues off,

we espied a fair opening, trending south-west and by-south; at which

time our boat came on board, and our General sent commendations to the

Spanish Captain, whom we came from the evening before, by the Spaniard

we had taken, and desired him to provide good store of gold, for he

intended to see him with his company at Manilla within a few years, and

that he did but want a bigger boat to have landed his men, or else he

would have seen him then; and so caused him to be set on shore.

The 8th day of February, by eight o’clock in the morning, we espied an

island near Gilolo, called Batochina, which standeth in one degree from

the Equinoctial Line, northward.

The 14th day of February, we fell in with eleven or twelve very small

islands, lying very low and flat, full of trees; and passed by some

islands which are sunk, and have the dry sands lying in the main sea.

These islands, near the Moluccas, stand in three degrees ten minutes to

the southward of the Line.

On the 17th day, one John Gameford, a cooper, died, who had been sick of

an old disease a long time.

The 20th day, we fell in with certain other islands, which had many

small islands among them, standing four degrees to the southward of the

Line.

On the 21st day of February, being Ash-Wednesday, Captain Havers died,

of a most violent and pestilent ague, which held him furiously for seven

or eight days, to the no small grief of our General, and of all the rest

of the company, who caused two falcons and one sacre to be shot off,

with all the small shot in the ship; who, after he was shrouded in a

sheet, was thrown over-board, with great lamentation of us all.

Moreover, presently after his death, myself, with divers others in the

ship, fell very sick, and so continued in very great pain for the space

of three weeks, or a month, by reason of the extreme heat and

intemperateness of the climate.

The 1st day of March, having passed through the straits of Java Minor

and Java Major, we came to an anchor, under the south-west parts of Java

Major; where we espied certain of the inhabitants, who were fishing by

the sea side in a bay which was under the island. Then our General

taking into the ship-boat certain of his company, and a negroe who could

speak the Morisco tongue, whom he had taken out of the Santa Anna, made

towards those fishers; who, having espied our boat, ran on shore into

the woods, for fear of our men. But our General caused his negroe to

call unto them; who had no sooner heard him call, than presently one of

them came to the shore side, and made answer. Our General, by the

negroe, enquired of him for fresh water; which they found; and caused

the fisher to go to the King, and to acquaint him of a ship that was

come to have traffic for victuals, and for diamonds, pearls, or any

other rich jewels that he had for which, he should have either gold, or

other merchandize in exchange. The fisher answered, that we should have

all manner of victuals that we would request. Thus our boat came on

board again. Within a while after, we went about to furnish our ship

thoroughly with wood and water.

About the 8th of March, two or three canoes came from the town unto us,

with eggs, hens, fresh fish, oranges, and limes, and brought word we

should have had victuals more plentifully, but that they were so far to

be brought to us where we rode. Which when our General heard, he weighed

anchor, and stood in nearer for the town; and, as we were under sail, we

met with one of the King’s canoes coming towards us: whereupon we dropt

some of our sails, and staid for the canoe until it came aboard us, then

stood into the bay, which was hard by, and came to an anchor. In this

canoe was the King’s Secretary, who had on his head a piece of died

linnen, folded up like unto a Turkish turban. He was all naked, except

about his waist; his breast was carved with the broad arrow upon it; he

went bare-footed. He had an interpreter with him, who was a Mestizo,

that is, half an Indian and half a Portuguese, who could speak very good

Portuguese. This Secretary signified unto our General, that he had

brought him an hog, hens, eggs, fresh fish, sugar canes, and wine, which

wine was as strong as aqua-vitæ, and as clear as any rock-water. He told

him farther, that he would bring victuals so sufficiently for him as he

and his company would request, and that within the space of four days.

Our General used him singularly well, banquetted him most royally with

the choice of many and sundry conserves, wines both sweet and otherwise;

and caused his musicians to make him music. This done, our General told

him, that he and his company were Englishmen; that we had been at China,

and had trafficked in that country; that we were come thither to make

enquiries, and purposed to go to Molucca. The people told our General,

that there were certain Portuguese in the island, who staid there as

factors continually, to traffic with them, to buy negroes, cloves,

pepper, sugar, and many other commodities. This Secretary of the King,

with his interpreter, lay one night on board our ship. The same night,

because they lay on board, in the evening at the setting of the watch,

our General commanded every man in the ship to provide his harquebuss,

and his shot; and so with shooting off forty or fifty small shot, and a

sacre, himself set the watch. This was no small wonder to these heathen

people, who had not commonly seen any ship so furnished with men and

ordnance. The next morning we dismissed the Secretary and his

interpreter, with all humanity.

The fourth day after, which was the 12th of March, according to their

appointment, came the King’s canoes: but the wind being somewhat scant,

they could not get on board that night, but put into a bay under the

island until the next day; and, presently after the break of day, there

came to the number of nine or ten of the King’s canoes, so deeply laden

with provisions as they could swim, with two live oxen, half a score of

large fat hogs, a number of live hens, ducks, and geese, with eggs,

plantains, sugar-canes, sugar in plates, cocoas, sweet oranges, and

bitter limes, great store of wine and aqua-vitæ, salt to season meat

with, and almost all manner of provisions besides, accompanied with

divers of the King’s Officers who were there. Among all the rest of the

people, in one of these canoes, came two Portuguese, who were men of

middle stature, and very proper personage: they were each of them in a

loose jerkin and hose, which came down from the waist to the ancle,

according to the fashion of the country, and partly because it was Lent,

and a time for doing of their penance. They account it as a thing of

great dishonour among these heathens, to wear either hose or shoes on

their feet. The Portuguese had on each of them a very fair and a white

lawn shirt, with falling bands on the same, very decent, their bare legs

excepted. These Portuguese were no small joy unto our General, and all

the rest of our company; for we had not seen any christian that was our

friend for a year and an half before. Our General used and treated them

singularly well with banquets and music. They told us, that they were no

less glad to see us than we were to see them, and enquired into the

estate of their country, and what was become of Don Antonio, their King,

and whether he were living or not; for that they had not been in

Portugal for a long time, and that the Spaniards had always brought them

word that he was dead? Then our General satisfied them in every demand,

assuring them that their King was alive and in England, and had

honourable allowance from our Queen; and that there was war betwixt

Spain and England, and that we were come under the King of Portugal into

the South Sea, and had warred upon the Spaniards there, and had fired,

spoiled, and sunk all the ships along the coast that we could meet with,

to the number of eighteen or twenty sail. With this report they were

abundantly satisfied.

On the other side, they declared unto us the state of the island of

Java: First, the plentifulness, great choice, and store of provisions of

all sorts, and of all manner of fruits, as before set down; then the

great and rich merchandizes which are there to be had. Then they

described the nature and properties of the people, as followeth: The

name of the King of that part of the island was Raya Bolamboam, who was

a man had in great majesty and fear among them. The common people may

not bargain, sell, or exchange any thing with any other nation, without

special licence from their King; and, if any so do, it is present death

for him. The King himself is a man of great years, and hath an hundred

wives; his son hath fifty. The custom of the country is, that,

whensoever the King doth die, they take the dead body and burn it, and

preserve the ashes of him; and, within five days next after, the wives

of the said King so dead, according to the custom and use of their

country, every one of them go together to a place appointed; and, the

chief of the women, who was nearest to him in account, hath a ball in

her hand, and throweth it from her; and to the place where the ball

resteth, thither they go all, and turn their faces to the eastward, and

every one, with a dagger in her hand (which dagger they call a crise,

and is as sharp as a razor), stab themselves to the heart, and, with

their own hands, bathe themselves in their blood, and falling flat on

their faces, so end their days. This thing is as true as it may seem to

any hearer to be strange.

[Illustration: _The_ KING _of_ JAVA’_s Wives destroying themselves at

his Death_.]

The men of themselves are very politic and subtle, and singularly

valiant (being naked men) in any action they undertake, and very

submissive and obedient to their king: for example, if their king

command them to undertake any exploit, be it ever so dangerous or

desperate, they dare not nor will not refuse, though they should die

every man of them in executing the same; for he will cut off the heads

of every one of them who return alive, without bringing their purpose to

pass; which is such a thing amongst them as maketh them the most valiant

people in all the south-east parts of the world; for they never fear any

death; for being in fight with any nation, if any of them feeleth

himself hurt with lance or sword, he will willingly run himself upon the

weapon quite through the body to procure his death the more speedily,

and in this desperate manner end his days, or overcome his enemy.

Moreover, although the men be tawny of colour, and go continually naked,

yet their women are fair of complexion, and go more apparelled.

After they had thus described the state of the island and the order and

fashion of the people, they told us further, that, if their king, Don

Antonio, would come unto them, they would warrant him to have all the

Moluccas at command, besides China-Sanglos and the isles of the

Philippines; and that he might be assured to have all the Indians on his

side that were in the country. After we had fully contented these

Portuguese, and the people of Java who had brought us provisions in

their canoes, they took their leave of us with promise of all good

entertainment at our return; and our General gave them three great

pieces of ordnance at their departing.

Thus, the next day, being the 16th of March, we set sail towards the

Cape of Good Hope, called by the Portuguese Cabo de Buena Esperanca, on

the most southern coast of Africa.

The rest of March, and all the month of April, we spent in traversing

that mighty and vast sea, between the island of Java and the main of

Africa, observing the heavens, the Crosiers, or the South-pole, the

other stars, the fowls which are marks unto seamen of fair weather and

foul weather, approaching of lands or islands, the winds, the tempests,

the rains and thunder, with the alterations of tides and currents.

The 10th day of May, we had a storm from the west, and it blew so hard

that it was as much as the ship could steer close by under the wind; and

the storm continued all that day and all that night.

The next day, being the 11th of May, in the morning, one of the company

went up to the top, and espied land bearing north and north-by-west of

us; and about noon we espied land to bear west of us, which we imagined

to be the Cape of Buena Esperanca, whereof indeed we were short about

forty or fifty leagues; and, by reason of the scantness of the wind, we

stood along to the south-east until midnight, at which time the wind

came fair, and we hauled along westward.

The 12th and 13th days we were becalmed, and the sky was very hazy and

thick until the 14th day at three o’clock in the afternoon, at which

time the sky cleared, and we spied land again, which was that called

Cabo Falso, which is short of Cabo de Buena Esperanca forty or fifty

leagues.

This cape is very easy to be known, for there are right over it three

very high hills, standing but a small way one off another, and the

highest standeth in the midst, and the ground is much lower by the

sea-side. The Cape of Good Hope beareth west and by-south from the said

Cabo Falso.

The 16th day of May, about four o’clock in the afternoon, the wind came

up at east a very brisk gale, which continued till Saturday with as much

wind as ever the ship could go before. At which time, by six o’clock in

the morning, we espied the promontory or head-land called the Cabo de

Buena Esperanca, which is a pretty high-land; and at the westernmost

point, a little off the main, appear two hummocks, the one upon the

other, and three other hummocks lying further off into the sea, yet low

land between and adjoining unto the sea.

This Cape of Buena Esperanca is set down and accounted 2000 leagues from

the island of Java in the Portuguese sea charts, but it is not so much

by almost 150 leagues, as we found by the running of our ship. We were

in running of these 1850 leagues just nine weeks.

The 8th day of June, by break of day, we fell in sight of the island of

St. Helena, seven or eight leagues short of it, having but a small gale

of wind, or almost none at all, insomuch as we could not get into it

that day, but stood off and on all that night.

The next day, being the ninth of June, having a pretty easy gale of

wind, we stood in with the shore, our boat being sent away before to

make the harbour; and, about one o’clock in the afternoon, we came to an

anchor in twelve fathoms water, two or three cables length from the

shore, in a very fair and smooth bay under the north-west side of the

island.

This island is very high land, and lieth in the main sea; standing, as

it were, in the midst of the sea, between the main land of Africa, the

main of Brazilia, and the coast of Guinea; and is in fifteen degrees

forty-eight minutes to the southward of the Equinoctial Line, and is

distant from the Cape of Buena Esperanca between five and six hundred

leagues.

The same day, about two or three o’clock in the afternoon, we went on

shore, where we found an exceeding fair and pleasant valley, wherein

divers handsome buildings and houses were set up; and one particularly,

which was a church, was tiled and whitened on the outside very fair, and

made with a porch; and within the church, at the upper end, was set an

altar, whereon stood a very large table, set in a frame, having in it

the picture of our Saviour Christ upon the cross, and the image of our

Lady praying, with divers other histories curiously painted in the same.

The sides of the church were hung round with stained cloths, having many

devices drawn on them.

There are two houses adjoining to the church, on each side one, which

serve for kitchens to dress meat in, with necessary rooms and houses of

office. The coverings of the said houses are made flat, where is planted

a very fair vine, and through both the said houses runneth a very good

and wholesome stream of fresh water.

There is also over against the church a very fair causeway, made up with

stones reaching unto a valley by the sea side, in which valley is

planted a garden, wherein grow great store of pompions and melons; and

upon the said causeway is a frame erected, whereon hang two bells,

wherewith they ring to mass; and near to it a cross is set up, which is

squared, framed, and made very artificially of free-stone, whereon is

carved in cyphers what time it was built, which was in the year of our

Lord 1571.

This valley is the fairest and largest low plot in all the island, and

is exceeding sweet and pleasant, and planted in every place, either with

fruit or with herbs.

There are fig-trees which bear fruit continually and very plentifully;

for on every tree you may see blossoms, green figs, and ripe figs all at

once, and it is so all the year long. The reason is, that the island

standeth so near the sun. There is also great store of lemon-trees,

orange-trees, pomegranate-trees, pomecitron-trees, and date-trees, which

bear fruit as the fig-trees do, and are planted carefully and very

artificially, with pleasant walks under and between them; and the said

walks are overshadowed with the leaves of the trees; and in every void

place is planted parsley, sorrel, basil, fennel, anniseed, mustard-seed,

radishes, and many very good herbs. The fresh-water brook runneth

through divers places in this orchard, and may, with very small pains,

be made to water any one tree in the valley.

This fresh-water stream cometh from the tops of the mountains, and

falleth from the cliff into the valley the height of a cable; and hath

many arms issuing out of it, that refresh the whole island, and almost

every tree in it. The island is altogether high mountains and steep

vallies, except it be on the tops of some hills, and down below in some

of the vallies, where great plenty of all those fruits before spoken of

do grow. There are much more growing on the tops of the mountains than

below in the vallies; but it is very toilsome and dangerous travelling

up unto them and down again, by reason of the height and steepness of

the hills.

There are also upon this island great store of partridges, which are

very tame, not making any great haste to fly away, though one come very

near them, but only to run away and get up into the steep cliffs; we

killed some of them with a fowling-piece; they differ very much from our

partridges which are in England both in bigness and also in colour, for

they are almost as big as hens, and are of an ash colour, and live in

covies, twelve, sixteen, and twenty together; you cannot go ten or

twelve score paces but you shall see or spring one or two covies at the

least.

There are likewise no less plenty of pheasants in the island, which are

also very big and fat, surpassing those which are in our country in

bigness and in numbers in a company; they differ not very much in colour

from the partridges before spoken of. We found, moreover, on this

island, plenty of Guinea-cocks, which we call turkies, of colour black

and white, with red heads; they are much the same in bigness with ours

in England; their eggs are white, and as big as a turkey’s egg.

There are in this island thousands of goats, which the Spaniards call

cabritos, which are very wild; you shall see one or two hundred of them

together, and sometimes you may see them go in a flock almost a mile

long; some of them (whether it be the nature of the breed of them or of

the country I know not) are as big as an ass, with a mane like a horse,

and a beard hanging down to the very ground; they will climb up the

cliffs, which are so steep that a man would think it a thing impossible

that any living creature could go there. We took and killed many of them

for all their swiftness, for there are thousands of them upon the

mountains.

Here are in like manner great store of swine, which are very wild and

fat, and of great bigness; they keep altogether upon the mountains, and

will very seldom abide any man to come near them, except it be by mere

chance, when they are found asleep, or otherwise, according to their

kind, are taken lying in the mire.

We found in the houses, at our coming, three slaves who were negroes,

and one who was born in the island of Java, who told us, that the

East-Indian fleet, which were in number five sail, the least whereof was

in burden eight or nine hundred tons, all laden with spices and Calicut

cloth, with store of treasure, and very rich stones and pearls, were

gone from the said island, St. Helena, but twenty days before we came

thither.

This island hath been found long ago by the Portuguese, and hath been

altogether planted by them for their refreshment, as they come from the

East-Indies; and, when they come, they have all things in plenty for

their relief, by reason that they suffer none to inhabit there, that

might eat up the produce of the island, except some very few sick

persons of their company, whom they suspect will not live until they

come home; these they leave there to refresh themselves, and take them

away the year following, with the other fleet, if they live so long.

They touch here rather in their coming home from the East Indies, than

at their going thither, because they are thoroughly furnished with corn

when they set out of Portugal; but are meanly victualled at their coming

from the Indies, where there groweth but little corn.

The 20th day of June, having taken in wood and water, and refreshed

ourselves with such things as we found there, and made clean our ship,

we set sail about eight o’clock at night towards England. At our setting

sail we had the wind at south-east, and we hauled north-west and

by-west. The wind is commonly off the shore at this island of St.

Helena.

On Wednesday the 3d day of July, we went away north-west, the wind being

still at south-east; at which time we were in one degree and forty-eight

minutes to the southward of the Equinoctial Line.

The 12th day of the said month of July there was very little wind; and,

towards night, it was calm, and blew no wind at all, and so continued

till Monday, being the 15th day of July.

On Wednesday the 17th day of the said month, we had a small gale at

west-north-west. We found the wind continually to blow at east and

north-east, and east-north-east, after we were in three or four degrees

to the northward; and it altered not until we came between thirty and

forty degrees to the northward of the Equinoctial Line.

On Wednesday the 21st day of August, the wind came up at south-west a

fair gale; by which day at noon we were in thirty-eight degrees of north

latitude.

On Friday in the morning, being the 23d of August, at four o’clock we

hauled east and east-by-south, for the most northern islands of the

Azores.

On Saturday the 24th day of the said month, by five o’clock in the

morning, we fell in sight of the two islands of Flores and Corvo,

standing thirty-nine degrees thirty minutes; and sailed away north-east.

The 3d of September, we met with a Flemish hulk that came from Lisbon,

and declared unto us the overthrowing of the Spanish fleet, to the

singular rejoicing and comfort of us all.

The 9th of September, after a terrible tempest, which carried away most

part of our sails, by the merciful favour of the Almighty, we recovered

our long-wished-for port of Plymouth, in England, from whence we set

forth at the beginning of our voyage.”

[The wealth acquired in this voyage, though very considerable, was soon

dissipated; and, in less than three years, Cavendish again found himself

under the necessity of preparing for a second, in which, however, he was

very unfortunate. He had, indeed, increased his preparations; and, it is

not to be doubted, but that the certainty he had conceived of acquiring

a more ample fortune by a second enterprize, made him the more careless

in the management of the treasure he had acquired by the first.

The ships fitted out on this occasion were the Leicester, commanded by

himself as Admiral; the Roebuck, Captain Cocke, Vice-Admiral; the

Desire, Captain Davis, Rear-Admiral; the _Dainty_, Captain Coffen; and

the _Black Pinnace_, whose Commander’s name is not mentioned. The

Commanders in this expedition were some of the ablest navigators the

nation produced, and the highest expectations were formed from their

fortitude and approved experience.

Of the accounts that have been given of this expedition, that published

by John Jane, a gentleman who accompanied Captain Davis in the Desire,

is the most complete; for which reason, we shall give it in the writer’s

own words, as it is but in few hands, and full of interesting events:

“The 26th of Aug. 1591, we departed from Plymouth, says Mr. Jane, with

three large ships and two barks.