JOHN DAVIS, THE HERO OF THE ARCTIC
AND PACIFIC
John Davis was born near the Gilberts' home about 1550, on the left
bank of the Dart, not far from Dartmouth. His father was a yeoman
owning a small farm in Sandridge, being part of the parish of Stoke
Gabriel. The little inlet or harbour is called Stoke Creek, at the
head of which stands the old church; in this are kept the records of
the marriage of John Davis. The lordly manor-house of the Pomeroys
seemed to look down from its height upon winding river and grove of
oaks--the playing-ground of so many heroes--the three Gilberts,
Davis, and Walter Raleigh. The boys had only to run down over two
pastures and they were at the Cove, overhung with drooping boughs and
trailing with dog-roses and honeysuckle. The village of Dittisham,
with its plum and apple orchards, its drying nets and rocking-boats,
meets the gaze as you look across the lake-like reach of the river....
Greenaway Court, the Gilberts' home, stood up among the woods to the
south, and no doubt Adrian Gilbert and the Carew boys and Raleigh
must often have raced in their skiffs, or listened to seamen's
stories of the doings of John Hawkins in the West Indies. There was
another house not far from Dittisham, where Davis as a boy may well
have visited, the home of Sir John Fulford, who had two sons of the
same age as the younger Gilberts, and four daughters, of whom Faith
in after years became the wife of John Davis. John was of course not
socially the equal of the others, but his exploits and fame levelled
all distinctions as he grew older; and when he was a boy, no doubt he
was a brave, modest fellow, good enough to play with his superiors.
Whether John Davis went to the new grammar-school at Totnes we do not
know, but it is clear that he was sent to sea at an early age, and
studied deeply the science of his profession; for by the time he was
twenty-eight he was known to merchants as a captain of great skill
and experience.
John returned home in 1579, passing six years at Sandridge, and no
doubt enjoying many a sail up the river with Miss Faith Fulford and
her sisters.
We can see by the Parish Register that John married Faith on
September 29, 1582; they had a pleasant neighbour in Adrian Gilbert,
who had married the widow of Andrew Fulford, and was living in the
Pomeroy manor-house. Adrian was now a doctor of medicine and an able
mathematician, deeply interested in geographical discovery and the
science of minerals.
There was a learned geographer, Dr. Dee, living at Mortlake, to whom
Adrian one day introduced John Davis; after that they often met and
discussed the North-west Passage and other problems of the day. One
day in 1585 Secretary Walsingham called in and heard their arguments:
a route to the Indies which should be clear of all claims on the part
of the Spanish and Portuguese interested the minister.
Having won Walsingham's interest, the two Devon scientists next tried
to persuade the merchants of London to join them; then they rode all
the way to Exeter and Dartmouth to induce wealthy merchants there to
subscribe. Raleigh was at this time high in Court favour; he had
been knighted the year before, and was growing rich upon the Queen's
gifts. He induced her Majesty to grant a charter to himself, Adrian
Gilbert, and John Davis, "for the search and discovery of the
North-west Passage to China." Raleigh was at this time very busy
with his Virginia colony, but he found time to help his old
school-friends.
The expedition, preparing in 1585, consisted of two small ships, the
_Sunshine_ of London of 50 tons, and the _Moonshine_ of Dartmouth of
35 tons. Davis commanded the _Sunshine_, with a crew of eleven
seamen, four musicians, a carpenter and a boy, and four officers;
they sailed out of Dartmouth harbour on the 7th of June 1585. Davis
was now in his thirty-sixth year, and one of the best seamen of his
day. Though only the son of a yeoman farmer, he had made many
valuable friends, such as Dr. Dee, the Gilberts, Raleigh, Walsingham,
the Earl of Warwick, and Mr. Sanderson, a rich city merchant; the
Earl of Cumberland and Lord Lumley had sought his acquaintance. What
is more, Davis was beloved by the men under his command, for he was
ever thoughtful of their welfare both before he sailed and after he
returned home; for his kindness proceeded from the heart.
In these scientific days of Arctic discovery we have learnt what sort
of food and clothing is best for our explorers; in those days all was
in the experimental stage. Their provisions consisted of cod and
salt-meat, bread and grease, butter and cheese and beer.
As they were obliged to anchor for twelve days off the Scilly Isles,
Davis took the opportunity of making a survey of all the islands, the
rocks and havens. When they got out into the Atlantic they had some
sport trying to harpoon porpoises, the flesh of which they thought as
good as mutton. Whales too were seen in much larger numbers than are
found now; for like many other interesting and valuable species,
whales have been recklessly destroyed through the greed of man.
On the 19th of July, in a dense mist, they heard "a mighty great
roaring"; Captain Davis had a boat lowered and rowed to find out the
cause thereof. He found that the ships were close to some pack-ice,
the large fragments of which were grinding together. Next day was
clear, and they saw the snow-clad mountains of Greenland, but could
not land for the ice; here they saw many seals and white birds. They
rounded the southern point of Greenland, and were in the channel that
lies between Greenland and Labrador. Finding a fiord some miles up
the coast he named it Gilbert Sound, after his friend and his
first-born child. It was near this spot that they heard the Eskimos
shouting, so Davis took a boat and four musicians, as it was known
the natives loved music. In a short time perfect confidence was
established and they began to barter, kayaks or boats and native
clothing being in some demand. Later they managed to kill a Polar
bear, which came in useful, as the men were clamouring for better
food.
They next sailed west, and explored Cumberland Gulf. On landing they
heard dogs barking, and when they came up very gently, "we thought
they came to prey upon us and therefore we shot two; but about the
neck of one of them we found a leathern collar, whereupon we thought
them to be tame dogs." After this a strong north-west wind blew, and
as it was near the end of August they resolved to return to England,
and arrived at Dartmouth on the 30th of September.
Adrian Gilbert gave his friend Davis a warm welcome home, and of
course wife and child made home more homelike. But not many days
after his arrival the explorer wrote to Walsingham, "The North-west
Passage is a matter nothing doubtful, but at any tyme almost to be
passed, the sea navigable, voyd of yse, the ayre tolerable, and the
waters very depe."
We notice that the spelling of all words of Latin origin is good; it
is the English word that varies most from our spelling. Anyway, he
is far superior in education to the Earl of Cumberland.
Davis also pointed out in his letter how good an opening there was in
the lands he had discovered for trade in oil and furs.
A hasty visit to London resulted in many merchants subscribing for a
second voyage, and the _Mermaid_, the _Sunshine_, _Moonshine_, and
_North Star_, a small pinnace, were chartered for it. They sailed
from Dartmouth on the 7th of May 1586, and coasted along the south
shore of Ireland; then Captain Pope in the _Sunshine_, with the
_North Star_ as a tender, was despatched to search for a passage
northward between Greenland and Iceland, while Davis went as far as
the southern end of Greenland, But the pack-ice made it impossible to
land, so naming the cape "Farewell" he again entered Davis Straits.
On reaching Gilbert Sound he met so violent a gale that he was
obliged to take shelter among the islands which fringe the shore.
Davis writes: "We sent our boats to search for shoal water, where we
might anchor, and as the boat went sounding and searching, the
natives having espied them, came in their canoes towards them with
shouts and cries; but after they had espied in the boat some of our
company that were the year before here with us, they presently rowed
to the boat, took hold on the oar, and hung about the boat with such
comfortable joy as would require a long discourse to be uttered."
Davis, seeing their confidence, went ashore and distributed twenty
knives: "They offered skins to me for reward, but I made signs that
they were not sold, but given them of courtesie." The next day, as
the crew were setting up a new pinnace, more than a hundred canoes
came round, bringing seal-skins and other furs for barter.
Davis and a party went inland, finding a plateau of grass and moss,
and many ravens and small birds. In July, after more exploring, in
which the natives kept him company, Davis organised athletic games,
leaping and wrestling--"In this we found them strong and nimble, for
they cast some of our men that were good wrestlers."
The people were of good stature, with small hands and feet, broad
faces, small deep-set eyes, wide mouths, and beardless; they wore
images and believed in enchantments. But other failings soon
appeared, for they were "marvellous thievish," began to cut the
cables, cut away the _Moonshine's_ boat from her stern, stole oars, a
caliver, a boar-spear and swords. Davis was for forbearance, but his
men were angry, and complained heavily, "said that my lenitie and
friendly using of them gave them stomacke to mischiefe." Still Davis
went on giving presents, but at sundown the Eskimos began throwing
stones into the _Moonshine_, which caused a pursuit and some shots.
At last they captured one of the thieves, and another followed with
lamentation as far as the ship. "At length the fellow aboard us
spake four or five words unto the other and clapped his two hands
upon his face, whereupon the other doing the like, departed as we
supposed with heavy cheer. We judged the covering of the face with
his hands and bowing of his body down, signified his death." But it
was not quite so bad as that, for they gave the captive a new suit of
frieze, of which he was very joyful; he became sociable, trimmed up
his darts and fishing tools, and would set his hand to a rope's end
upon occasion.
They soon came upon a mountain of ice and could not get on; the men
grew sick and feeble and begged Davis to return, so he sailed
south-east and found land free from snow. When they came to lat.
67°, they found numbers of gulls and mews, and caught a hundred cod
in half-an-hour. Landing, they found a black bear, pheasants,
partridges, wild ducks, and geese, and killed some with bow and arrow.
On the 6th of September Davis sent some young sailors ashore to fetch
fish, but they were suddenly assailed in a wood, two being slain by
arrows. Immediately after, a tremendous storm almost drove them on
the rocks among these "cannibals." "But when hope was past, the
mighty mercy of God gave us succour and sent us a fair lee, so as we
recovered our anchor again and now moored our ship, where we saw that
God manifestly delivered us; for the strains of one of our cables
were broken, and we only rode by an old junk."
They reached home in October, bringing five hundred sealskins and
other furs. The _Sunshine_ and _North Star_ made the east coast of
Greenland by July 7th, but found pack-ice, so they sailed round and
north to Gilbert Sound, where the crews played football with the
Eskimos. The _North Star_ was lost in a gale, and the _Sunshine_
came home alone on the 6th of October.
So they had explored a vast extent of unknown coast, and entered many
fiords. They had not found the Northwest Passage, but had found
Hudson Strait, and concluded correctly that the "north parts of
America are all islands."
Had they taken plenty of salt and fishing-tackle they might have
brought home a large cargo of fish, but they brought home the
knowledge that a great trade was possible in the far North. Though
Davis, on going west to his own county, tried to persuade the
merchants that another voyage might be more successful, he did not
succeed in rousing their sympathies so far as to give more
subscriptions.
But on going home he found another little son, Arthur, and with his
wife and old friend, Adrian Gilbert, enjoyed a pleasant autumn.
In the winter the restless adventurer rode up to London with Gilbert,
and they visited the merchant-prince, William Sanderson, who gained
for Davis enough help to fit out a third voyage to the Arctic. In
our days rich men have so much scientific spirit that they--some of
them--will consent to subscribe for Arctic and Antarctic voyages for
purely scientific purposes. In the great Queen's days they looked
for some return in hard cash, or furs, or stones and metal of value.
But Davis's old shipmates loved him and were eager to volunteer
again, and some were natives of the villages round Stoke Gabriel.
On the 19th of May 1587, the _Sunshine_, _Elizabeth_, and _Ellen_
started from Dartmouth, the former to fish and make profit. But when
they reached Gilbert Sound Davis resolved to send the two other ships
to the fishery, while he in the _Ellen_, a pinnace of 20 tons, went
north. In estimating the exploits of these men, we must remember how
ill they were fitted out compared with modern explorers. At the very
first the pilot of the _Ellen_ came to report a leak, and it was
debated whether they should risk their lives in exploring.
But when Davis addressed his little crew and said, "My boys, it will
be far better that we should end our lives with credit than return in
disgrace," they one and all agreed to go on with their captain.
They went along the west coast of Greenland, calling it the London
Coast, and by the 30th of June had reached lat. 72'12°, the most
northerly point Davis ever reached. Here an island with a cliff 850
feet high was named "Sanderson his hope"; along the narrow, dark
ledges of this giant rock nestled myriads of white guillemots,
screaming and circling as busily they fed their young.
The sea was clear of ice, save that the Dreadnoughts of the North,
towering icebergs, reflected the sunshine in strange fantastic ways,
and floated proudly down to warmer waters. Beyond them lay "a great
sea, free, large, very salt and blue, and of an unsearchable depth."
But on the 2nd of July they met "the Middle Pack," a hundred miles
long or more, and eight feet thick. The _Ellen_ tried to find a
passage through in vain, so they drifted west till they sighted the
western coast of Davis Strait. Davis took many observations which
were useful to succeeding explorers; he says in his log: "We fell
into a mighty race, where an island of ice was carried by the force
of the current as fast as our bark could sail. We saw the sea
falling down into the gulf with a mighty overfall, roaring, with
divers circular motions like whirlpools."
They were to meet the fishing-vessels off the Labrador coast; but
these had gone home without waiting for Davis; and as they were being
sought, the _Ellen_ ran upon a rock and sprung a leak. This was
mended with difficulty in a gale; then, with little fuel and less
water, Davis headed for home. "Being forsaken and left in this
distress," he says, "referring myself to the merciful providence of
God, I shaped my course for England, and unhoped for of any, God
alone relieving me, I arrived at Dartmouth."
The log of his third voyage is the only one that has been left, but
we have no means of knowing if the fishing was successful.
When Davis came home all England was talking of a Spanish invasion,
and the Queen had no time to think of him and his discoveries. On
reaching home he found a third little son awaiting him, named John,
after his father.
Though London and Greenwich and Exeter neglected Davis for a time,
yet he had done good work in discovering, or mapping afresh many
coasts and seas; he examined rocks and fiords, made notes on the
vegetation and fauna and on the habits and thoughts of the Eskimo
tribes; he also explored the coast of Labrador and called attention
to the lucrative trade in whales, seal, and fish which might be
established.
When the Armada came, John Davis was appointed to the command of a
vessel of 20 tons, the _Black Dog_, to act as a tender to the Lord
Admiral, with a crew of ten men and an armament of three guns. Here
Davis was of use to the flagship as a pilot, for no one had taken
more intelligent interest in surveying the coast and marking shoals
than he. We need not go again through the events of the long fight,
but it was in the fight off the Isle of Wight that Davis saw the
fiercest action, when Admiral Oquendo in his flagship, of 900 tons,
rammed the stern of the English flagship, the _Ark Royal_, and
unshipped her rudder.
After ten days of severe work Davis returned to Plymouth, and was at
home when his fourth child was born, named Philip! Another memorial
of the Armada times was a work on navigation, written by Davis and
dedicated to Lord Howard of Effingham.
The next employment Davis found was to join the Earl of Cumberland's
squadron in the _Drake_ off the Azores, where he probably met Edward
Wright, an eminent mathematician and cosmographer, who had gone to
sea to observe the practical working of problems in nautical
astronomy. Davis himself had invented an instrument for observing
the stars, so these two had much to discuss in common.
It was on this voyage that the English crews suffered so much from
want of water, which was very scarce on the islands. The natives on
Graciosa, on being asked for water, replied that they would rather
give two tons of wine than one of water. They came home with
thirteen prizes, and the money Davis received as his share enabled
him to go on an expedition more to his taste; for he loved peaceful
knowledge better than fighting. His scheme was to go through
Magellan's Straits, to navigate the South Sea, and discover the
North-west Passage from the western side.
Magellan, a Portuguese navigator, had only discovered the strait
called by his name seventy years before; it was in 1520 that Magellan
first sailed in and found very deep water. As he passed along,
winding to and fro, he saw so many fires at night lighting up the
woods and rocks on the southern side of the strait, that he named the
land "Tierra del Fuego." A snowy peak far to the south he named
"Campana de Roldan," "Roldan's bell"; they were short of provisions,
and the crew murmured and wished to return, but Magellan, a stern
disciplinarian and feared by his men, swore they should eat the
chafing-mats on the rigging rather than return. After thirty-seven
days of sailing through winding reaches that seemed to lead nowhere,
and that stretched a hundred leagues and more, they came out into the
South Pacific; then boldly striking across the ocean to the islands
of the far East, Magellan met his fate at the hands of ruthless
savages.
In 1522 Sebastian del Cano, a Basque born on the shores of the Bay of
Biscay, returned to Seville after having been the first to sail round
the world. In 1525 he sailed again from Corunna and passed through
the Straits of Magellan, but died at sea shortly after.
The Spanish Governor of Chili, de Mendoza, fitted out two vessels in
1557 and sent Ladrilleros to explore the straits; this he did under
most appalling hardships; most of his crew died of hunger and cold,
and he brought his ship back to Chili with only two survivors to help
him. There were Spanish heroes in those days as now. Then came
Drake, sailing from Plymouth in November 1577 in the _Golden Hind_,
and finding Magellan's account of the straits true as to the good
harbours, many islands, and plenty of fresh water, but meeting many
violent gales and storms. He was only sixteen days in the straits,
and then sailed far up the western coast of America up to the 48th
degree, where the hills were covered with snow in June--he was the
second to sail round the globe. From Drake's voyage it was, perhaps,
that Davis believed in the possibility of going northwards till he
found an opening on the north-west coast.
In 1586 Cavendish started with three vessels and passed through the
Straits of Magellan and completed the third navigation of the globe.
Chudleigh, another Devon man, was fired by these exploits to do
likewise, and sailed in 1589 with three ships through the Magellan
Straits, where he died. Prince says: "He did not live long enough to
accomplish his generous designs, dying young; although he lived long
enough to exhaust a vast estate."
All these voyages Davis must have carefully studied with his friends,
Sir Walter Raleigh and Adrian Gilbert; the latter of whom joined with
him in the ownership of a ship, the _Dainty_, and the former helped
by ideas, plans, and subscriptions.
John Davis did not go on this quest to get riches, but solely to get
knowledge; many men thought him a fool, and jeered when he came back
disappointed, but the best men knew his high ambition to be the
worthiest. Perhaps his wife grudged the large stake which he was
risking in this adventure; she and her boys seemed to come only
second in his thoughts.
Cavendish went as general on board the _Leicester_, and owned the
_Desire_, the ship in which he had sailed round the world; but
Cavendish cared mostly for rich prizes.
John Jones, an old and beloved shipmate, accompanied Davis in the
_Desire_, 120 tons, and proved a friend in need. The _Dainty_ was
commanded by Captain Cotton, a friend of the Devon group.
The few weeks that Davis spent at home in the summer of 1591 were his
last happy days at Sandridge; but he cheered up his wife with
thoughts of great discoveries and fame and royal favour.
In February a severe storm separated the fleet off the river Plate
and Buenos Ayres, and as Cavendish had not appointed any spot for
meeting, they were some time before they discovered one another in
Port Desire. When they did meet, Davis found the _Roebuck_ seriously
damaged, and heard that the _Dainty_, his own ship, had deserted and
gone home. This was the first bitter disappointment, for it was in
the _Dainty_ that Davis had intended to go on with his explorations
northward.
There were some who suggested that Cavendish wished to knock on the
head Davis's nonsense about Arctic exploring, and they asserted that
Cavendish had told the crew of the _Dainty_ that he wanted them to go
into the river Plate, but that afterwards they might return home with
all his heart.
Cavendish abandoned his ship, the _Leicester_, because he complained
that "he was matched with the most abject-minded and mutinous company
that ever was carried out of England by man living, for they never
ceased to mutiny against him." So he remained on board the _Desire_
as the guest of Captain Davis.
Port Desire, a good many miles north of the Straits of Magellan, was
a very dreary spot to rest in; steep white cliffs stained by running
water stretched for two miles across the bay; the soil inland was
poor, and water was scarce. The only thing the sailors could find
was a sweet-smelling herb which protected them from scurvy. Nine
miles to the south was Penguin Island, the home of many seals.
On the 20th of March they started again, and reached the straits on
the 8th of April. At first the view is desolate and bare, but as you
pass the two narrows and enter the long reach, which runs north and
south for a hundred miles, the hills become thickly wooded with
winter's bark and an evergreen beech, most of them draped in moss and
set deep in arbutus and berberis. High mountains capped with snow
stand up to the south, while humming-birds skimmed the trailing
fuchsias.
As they reached the dark frowning rock called Cape Froward, a wintry
gale met them, snowstorms burst upon them, and their only food was
mussels and limpets; they had to anchor for shelter in a little bay
for more than a month.
Anthony Knivet, one of the crew of the _Leicester_, thus described
the intense cold: "When I came on board with wet feet and began
pulling off my stockings, the toes came off with them: 'tis true! and
a shipmate of mine, Harris by name, lost his nose entirely; for, as
he was going to blow it with his fingers, he cast it incontinently
into the fire."
Cavendish now wanted to go back, but Davis assured him the snowstorms
would end, and all would be well, if only they would persevere.
"Then we will go back to the Brazilian coast," said Cavendish, "and
obtain supplies."
So they sailed back through the straits, Cavendish having returned to
his own ship. At Cape Famine Cavendish landed all the sick from the
_Leicester_, and left them to starve from damp, cold, and hunger.
For the second time Cavendish disappeared in the night without making
any signal; this time he landed his sick on a hot beach under a
tropical sun, and there abandoned them.
Cavendish sailed for England, but died on the way.
In his will he accused Davis of deserting him; but the facts seem to
put the blame for desertion on his own shoulders; or it is possible
that each of these men was waiting for the other, each believing that
the other had deserted him. And our verdict on Cavendish should be
modified by the state of his health, which was evidently broken by
anxiety and fear of mutiny, as well as by the terrible sufferings
caused by rough seasons.
In a letter to his executor, which Cavendish wrote before his death,
he says: "Consider whether a heart made of flesh be able to endure so
many misfortunes, all falling upon me without intermission. I thank
my God that, in ending of me, He hath pleased to rid me of all
further trouble and mishaps."
Davis waited for nine weeks in Port Desire for Cavendish; his own
plight was sorry, for his sails were worn-out, his cables chafed and
untrustworthy, and he had lost a boat and oars. However, he resolved
to send the pinnace in search of Cavendish, but two men on board the
_Desire_, named Charles Parker and Edward Smith, persuaded the crew
that Davis intended to maroon them; they even formed a plot to murder
their captain. This plot was revealed by the boatswain, and Davis,
instead of hanging the two men, as most captains would have done,
called his crew together, took them into his confidence, and
explained his purpose; he forgave the mutineers, and gave up the idea
of sending the pinnace away.
Then he employed his men on shore very busily in making nails and
bolts, rigging and sails; some he sent to collect limpets from the
rocks, while others salted down hogsheads of seal-flesh at Penguin
Island, with salt collected from sea-water left in shallow pans and
evaporated in the sun.
On the 6th of August they sailed for the straits again, but a storm
drove him away among certain islands never before discovered. These
must have been the Falkland Islands, barren hills and rocky shores
covered with seaweed and wild birds.
On the 18th they again passed the Cape of Virgins at the entrance to
the straits, and sailed easily through till they came to the "sea
reach." Here they stayed fourteen days, suffering from the cold and
want of food; for the seal-flesh had become uneatable. Then they
sailed into the Pacific on the 13th of September, but were driven
back by a furious storm and lost one of their cables, so that Davis
now had only one anchor left. It was so deep close to shore that
sometimes he could moor his ship to the trees. When for the third
time he was about to enter the Pacific, some of his men showed signs
of mutiny, so Davis wrote out a speech and requested the master to
repeat it to the crew. In this speech these words occur: "Because I
see in reason that the limits of our time are now drawing to an end,
I do in Christian charity exhort you, first, to forgive me in
whatsoever I have been grievous to you; secondly, that you will
rather pray for our General (Cavendish) than use hard speeches of him
... lastly, let us forgive one another, and be reconciled as children
in love and charity. So shall we, in leaving this life, live with
our glorious Redeemer, or, abiding in this life, find favour with
God." The men were pacified for a time, and agreed to continue the
voyage; but, as before, a gale sprang up and seas broke over the
_Desire_ and the black pinnace, till the latter got under the lee of
the larger ship.
"Captain Davis, sir, we have taken many grievous seas aboard; I can't
hardly tell what shift to make next," shouted the captain of the
pinnace.
Davis shouted back, "Trust in God--keep under our lee, friend."
Next day the black pinnace suddenly broached to and went down with
all hands.
"The 10th of October," writes Janes in his diary, "being very near
the shore, the weather dark, the storm furious, and most of our men
having given over to travail, we yielded ourselves to death without
further hope of succour. Our captain sitting in the gallery, very
pensive, I came and brought him some rosa solis (hot grog) to comfort
him; for he was so cold, he was scarce able to move a joint. After
he had drunk and was comforted in heart, he began, for the ease of
his conscience, to make a large repetition of his fore-passed time,
and with many grievous sighs he ended in these words: 'Oh most
gracious God, with whose power the mightiest things among men are
matters of no moment, I most humbly beseech Thee that the intolerable
burden of my sins may, through the blood of Jesus Christ, be taken
from me: end our days with speed, or show us some merciful sign of
Thy love and our preservation.'" Hardly had the captain's prayer
been uttered, than the sun shone out from a rift in the clouds, as if
a very token of help. Davis jumped up, took a meridian altitude, and
shaped a course for the straits. Every man felt relieved and even
cheery at the sudden change in the weather. Next day they sighted
the tall headland at the west end of the straits.
"I doubt, captain, whether we can weather Cape Pillar after all,"
said the master.
"There is no remedy, man," replied Davis; "either we must double it,
or before noon we must die; therefore loose your sails and let us put
it to God's mercy."
So the _Desire_ was close-hauled and steered for the entrance; but
when she was half a mile from the point, the vessel was so near the
shore that the backwash, or counter-surf, jumped up against the
ship's side. The wind and sea were raging beyond measure, and the
black rock frowned above them.
As a last resource, seeing that the ship was rapidly drifting to
leeward, on to the jagged teeth of the rocks, the master eased off
the mainsheet; the _Desire_ gathered way, leapt forward as she felt
the wind coming aft (some flaw had struck back off the cliff), and in
a few strokes of the pulse she had weathered the Cape.
Now they turned down the strait, and had the wind behind them;
without a rag of sail they sped before the storm, and in six hours
had been driven twenty-five leagues as if by magic. Then the ship
being brought to inside a wooded cove, and moored securely to some
trees, the exhausted crew flung themselves down and enjoyed a long,
deep sleep.
How had Davis managed to pilot his ship in these unknown waters?
Why, he tells us he had made a map in his mind's eye when he had
passed through before in fair weather; and his men trusted him home,
and swore Captain Davis could pilot his ship "even in the hell-dark
night." When they arrived at Penguin Island, nine miles south of
Port Desire, they sent boats ashore; the men found the penguins so
closely packed on the little island that they could not move without
treading on them.
It so happened that the two mutineers, Parker and Smith, were ordered
to stay on Penguin Island and collect birds, but they refused to
obey; for they believed that their captain was going to maroon them
there out of revenge for their ill conduct. Davis called the crew
together and made them a speech, thus addressing the ringleaders:
"Parker and Smith, I understand that you are doubtful of your
security, through the perverseness of your own guilty consciences.
It is an extreme grief to me that you should judge me bloodthirsty,
in whom you have seen nothing but kind conversation.... All the
company knoweth that in this place you practised to the utmost of
your powers to murder me and the master, without cause, as God
knoweth; which evil we did remit you.... Now be void of these
suspicions; for I call God to witness that revenge is no part of my
thought."
Very few captains would have shown such leniency and patience as
Davis did; and when a few days after Parker and Smith fell victims to
an attack of savages, all the crew looked upon it as a judgment from
heaven.
The fresh food of penguins and young seals, together with the herb
which the sailors called "scurvy-grass," soon effected an improvement
in health.
On the 22nd of December the _Desire_ sailed for home, carrying, as
they believed, provisions for six months. It was in a melancholy and
desponding spirit that Davis looked forward to returning. There
would be no enthusiastic welcome for a seaman who came with no prizes
and no discovery of gold. Who cared for his log-book and surveys of
strait and island? only the initiated few, the scientific sailors.
He was coming home a ruined man, having lost more than a thousand
pounds in this venture. But as yet he did not know one half of his
misfortunes and disgrace.
His great faith in the goodness of God was to be still more sorely
tried.
In January they landed at Placentia, an island off the Brazilian
coast, and worked hard for many days, making new casks for water and
gathering roots and herbs.
On the night of February 5th Davis and several of the crew dreamed of
murder; they were all talking of it excitedly on deck when their
captain said, "Boys, when you land this morning, see ye go armed."
About noon, as the working party were resting in the shade, or
bathing in the quiet pools, there was a sudden whoop--an Indian
yell--and a body of Portuguese and Indians rushed upon them and
killed all but two, who escaped to the ship.
Davis rowed to the spot with an armed crew, but found only the dead
bodies of his men, and saw in the distance two pinnaces making for
Rio de Janeiro.
Now there were only twenty-seven men left out of seventy-six who
started from England; but more trouble was yet in store for the
survivors.
As they sailed over the hot ocean the penguin-flesh, which had been
badly cured with insufficient salt, made them ill; loathsome worms an
inch long were found in the meat. "This worm," says Janes, "did so
mightily increase and devour our victuals that there was no hope how
we should avoid famine. There was nothing the worms did not
devour--iron only excepted--our clothes, hats, boots, shirts, and
stockings; as for the ship, they did eat the timbers, so that we
greatly feared they would undo us by eating through the ship's side.
The more we laboured to kill them, the more they increased upon us,
so that at last we could not sleep for them, for they would eat our
flesh like mosquitoes."
Then the scurvy broke out again, bodies began to swell and minds to
give way. Davis went from one to another, bidding them bear God's
chastisement in patience; but it must have wounded his kind heart to
see how many of the crew suffered and died. At last there were only
sixteen left alive, and of these eleven were unable to move, but lay
moaning on the deck.
Captain Cotton and Mr. Janes, Davis, and a boy and one sailor--these
alone had health to work the ship, and took turns at the helm; as for
the sails, they were mostly blown away, and needed little managing.
It must have been a weary time, and they wondered if they would ever
see land before their food and water gave out.
But they sighted Ireland at last, and ran the old ship on shore near
Berehaven on the 11th of June 1593. From Berehaven Captain Davis
sailed in a fishing-boat to Padstow in Cornwall--thinking, no doubt,
of wife and children, and the silver Dart, and the comforts of a
happy home, ruined man though he was.
As he drew near the familiar groves and fields, was it fancy? or did
his neighbours shrink from his approach? Could they have heard the
news of his ill success, and were they ashamed of him already?
"Ah! there is Adrian, old friend and true! he will welcome me home!"
"John--John Davis! how thou art changed, lad! Hast heard the heavy
news?"
"No--surely my dear wife be not taken by the pestilence?"
"Better an she were, John. A scoundrel named Milburne has been here
while you were on the seas, and has run away with her--robbed you of
your beloved Faith."
The shock was so great, the explorer could not speak for some
minutes. Then, in a faltering voice: "The children, Adrian? be they
in the old home?"
"Yea, lad, under the care of a good soul. God help you, John!"
The two friends grasped hands, and Davis said low to himself:
"Robbed me of my Faith! Dear Lord in heaven, I have yet faith--faith
in Thee; and that shall be my last anchor, blow what gales there may
in a naughty night!"
So the brave, God-fearing seaman tried to take comfort in his heavy
hour, tried to laugh and be merry with his boys, and tried to make
excuses for the woman who had deserted him for a handsome coiner of
false money.
But the neighbours shook their heads as they saw him pace along the
river in the gloaming, with downcast eyes and slow stride. "I doubt
Master John will never command another ship!"--that was the general
opinion.
Captain Davis was recovering health and good spirits at Sandridge
when, one afternoon in March 1594, the postman came, blowing his
horn, and delivered him a letter from his good friend, Sir Walter
Raleigh, from Sherborne Castle. A letter in those days asked some
careful reading, handwriting was so varied and spelling so abnormal.
So John sat in an arbour from which he could look over the shining
reaches of the Dart, and straightened out the paper.
What was this strange news? "A warrant is out against thee, John,
for some illegal practices which a man named Milburne has accused
thee of. I would thou shouldst hasten up to London, calling here on
thy way."
Illegal practices! John Davis knew nought of any such; but he packed
his travelling satchel, and ordered his man to bring round the bay
gelding.
In vain! he had hardly ridden a hundred yards when a pursuivant
intercepted him and carried him in custody to Dartmouth.
The charge was investigated by the best gentlemen in Devon: it did
not take long to prove the accusation false. The chairman shook
hands with Captain Davis, and made a complimentary speech: "He was
sure they all recognised the diligence, fidelity, and intelligence of
their distinguished neighbour in the Queen's service. They had heard
from others of his loyalty to his leader in the late voyage, of his
great kindness to his men, and of a moral courage shown in the last
few months under circumstances which might have overwhelmed a weaker
man. This it was to be a hero indeed, and the men of Devon were
passing proud of so excellent a friend and neighbour."
We can imagine how the tortured seaman went home with gratitude in
his heart, first to God, and then to his kind acquaintance. Once
more he could meet Judith Havard, the lady who was in charge of his
children, without a sense of shame. And if he had lost all the money
he had saved up, yet he still had the little home and farm at
Sandridge, and leisure to read and write.
Yes, he would write a treatise on the art of navigation! So two
years sped swiftly and happily by, while he wrote "The Seaman's
Secrets," dedicated to Lord Howard of Effingham. His charts were
valued by British pilots for many years. He possessed deep
scientific knowledge, with unrivalled experience as a seaman, and in
these quiet hours of study he was saving many a life in the future.
But he had not yet given up the dream of his youth, the discovery of
the North-west Passage, and he addressed an appeal to the Privy
Council on the subject. In this he reminds the lords of the
achievements of his countrymen. "John Hawkins was the first to
attempt a voyage to the West Indies, for before he made the attempt
it was a matter doubtful, and reported the extremest limit of danger,
to sail upon those coasts; ... such is the slowness of our nation,
for the most part of us rather joy at home like epicures, to sit and
carp at other men's hazard, ourselves not daring to give any attempt."
The writer hoped that his eloquent appeal might stir the blood of
courtiers; but no reply came, and he bowed his head to another
disappointment.
However, his three sons were growing up, and money must be found
somehow; for his wife was dead, and all depended on him alone. So in
1595 John Davis went again to sea, captain of a ship trading to
Rochelle; and then he served under Essex before Cadiz, and in a
voyage to the Azores.
In the winter of 1598 Davis offered himself as pilot to the Dutch
expedition to the East Indies, and was gladly accepted. At Table Bay
in South Africa he noted the Kaffirs as a strong and active race--"In
speaking they cluck with the tongue like a brood-hen." Wherever he
went, he made notes of the exports and imports of each port, as well
as writing on the tides, shoals, and rocks. On his return to England
the new East India Company was fitting out its first fleet under
James Lancaster, and Davis was asked to go as chief pilot. He was to
receive £500 if the voyage yielded two for one, £1000 if three for
one, and £2000 if five for one. His experience with the Dutch
enabled him to give valuable advice in selecting the cargo for
Eastern markets.
On the 2nd of April 1601 the fleet sailed from Tor Bay--this was one
of the most momentous events in British history, the birth of an
Indian Empire.
The crews suffered terribly from scurvy before they reached the Cape:
the _Red Dragon_ alone, on which Davis was embarked, escaped this
disease, as Captain Lancaster, at Davis's suggestion, had given three
spoonfuls of lime-juice to each man every morning. A five months'
voyage without green food was always fatal to many, and in this case
had carried off 105 men before the fleet came into Table Bay.
Seven weeks in tents made the sick all sound again. Davis advised
Captain Lancaster how to avoid giving offence to the Kaffirs, and a
brisk trade took place without any quarrels. It was the same at
Madagascar; and when they reached the Coral Islands, and the
intricate navigation made sailing dangerous, the services of the
chief pilot were invaluable. For Davis was always now ahead in the
pinnace, sounding and directing the ships, and so they all got safely
through without mishap.
At Acken the king received Lancaster, and gave leave for the building
of a factory and for permanent trading. Pepper and spices were taken
on board, and after some adventures they brought home a cargo which
more than satisfied the Company, and Lancaster was knighted for a
success which was greatly due to the experience, energy, and care of
the chief pilot.
There are some men who do great work quietly and without fuss, who,
either from accident, or want of push, fail to receive public
recognition.
However, Davis probably did not care for Court life and ambition; he
preferred to be with his boys, sailing down to Dartmouth, or up to
Totnes. His friend Adrian Gilbert was dead now, and Sir Walter
Raleigh was beginning to fall under a cloud, seeing that James of
Scotland had succeeded to Elizabeth.
For a year and three months Davis remained at home, then the sea
began to call him again; but before he went he prepared a second
edition of his "Seaman's Secrets," and he gave his troth to Judith
Havard.
"When I come home from my next voyage, God helping, we will wed."
It was a wistful look that Judith gave her lover as he went forth to
join Sir Edward Michelborne at Cowes for a third voyage to the East
Indies. Davis had made his will, giving Judith, "my espoused love,"
a fourth part of his worldly goods. They never saw him again, for in
December 1603 Sir Edward rescued some Japanese pirates off the Malay
peninsula, who formed a plot to kill the English and seize their
ships.
Davis had been directed by Michelborne to disarm the Japanese, but
deceived by their apparent gentleness and humility, he neglected to
do so; they repaid his generosity by giving him seven mortal wounds,
and were with difficulty subdued after four hours' desperate fighting.
It was an unworthy end to the most scientific and the most
God-fearing of all Elizabethan heroes! Davis had been devoted to his
profession, and no love of gain entered into his thoughts. His
charts of the English Channel, the Scilly Isles, the Arctic coasts,
and the Straits of Magellan were of great use and value for many
years. As he wrote, "it was not in respect of his pains, but of his
love," that he wished to be judged. He cared tenderly for those
under his charge, and he was beloved by his men. He laboured more to
save men's lives than to destroy them: such a virtue did not in those
times seem to merit any official distinction, but we hope we are
wiser now.
Davis, of course, had his weakness. He could face storm and frozen
seas, perils of the ocean and the forest; but he was too kind and
easy, too good-natured and forgiving when he had to deal with rogues
and ruffians.
He was too long away from home and wife and children, and so he lost
his wife's faith and devotion. But this disappointment and sorrow he
met in a manly way, and forced himself to forget his troubles in his
literary work for the welfare of others.
His friend and biographer, John Janes, had served under Davis in two
Arctic expeditions and in the Magellan Straits voyage, and ever found
him a true and loyal captain as well as a learned and genial
companion.
Davis did not obtain the glory won by Drake, or the fame won by
Humphrey Gilbert, or the honours heaped upon Sir Walter Raleigh; but
the light that shines upon good deeds bravely done will assuredly
grow clearer and brighter over the life of John Davis, as time sifts
the trivial from the eternal good.