Sharpe Imbarkque[d] in one of them him self, to see if could take an
Indian to understand whatt for a place itt was; goeing about 4 leagues
ahead of the shipp, comes upp with an Island lying in the gulph of
Nicoy,[72] which Island wee understood by some Indians was called the
Island of Perroz or in English the Isle of doggs. wee found 3 or 4
families which lived heare of Indians, very poore, haveing all thay
gett once in two years taken from them by the fryars, and thay tell us
that if thay have nott to pay the friars what their demands is when
thay come, that thay carry away their children and makes them Slaves.
Butt our capt. Batt. Sharpe Asked of one Indian that could speak
Spanish, if any Shipp used to come their. he said that their was att
pressent 2 small Barkques that weir come from Pennamau, which weir
lodeing with hides and tallow bound for Pennamau again. The Indian
tolde the capt. he would Shew us wheir they weir; with whome capt.
Sharpe went with his cannoe well man'd, thiss Indian leaveing some
hands on the Isle of Perros or Dogges, to see that none gott away to
discry us, with our Shipp getts on brest the Island and Comes to an
Anchor, and missing the right channel lay their not haveing above 3
foote water more then wee drew. thiss was about 25 of Aprile 1681. the
next morning these two barkes was taken, the one being 2 thirds loden
and the other half loden with talloe; wee tooke out as much as wee
thought might serve to tallow our Shipps bottom twice and to make us
candles, and no more, which is as I Imagin about 60 or 70 Packs. Now
wee wanting carpenters understoode by thiss Indian Pylott that their
was 2 shipps up an Arme of a River, about 4 leagues from thiss Isle of
Dogges. The Indian conveighs us the next night upp to them. the
morning about an hower before day wee comes wheir thay weir building,
about 300 tunns a Peice; one of them haveing beene on the Stocks about
3 years. itt Pleas'd god wee tooke the head carpenter and the Rest of
his gange, which weir about 12 in Number, with their tooles, about 6
Jarrs of wine and Brandy, which was much to our comfort, haveing lived
for some time before on bread and water. takeing these carpenter[s]
with their tooles, wee weare in greate hopes to have Our Shipps upper
deck taken downe and made better for sayleing in little time, with
the help of our owne carpenters; butt to carreene her here is
impossible Because of a greate citty about 18 leagues from thiss
lagoone of Nicoy, itt being the citty Naine,[73] wheir thay can Raise
20000 Men. wee fell lower downe in the River, as lay out of the way of
the tide as much as could, for here the tides runn very Stronge and
keepes itts course of moone. itt flows S.S.W., which when the moone
comes to thiss S.S.W. point itt makes high water. itt flowes about 3
fathom and half right upp and downe. when wee brought these Spanish
carpenters on borde, our capt. and carpenter Shewed the Spannish
carpenter what thay would have done, desiering him to be reall, and
tell them in what time itt might be finished. he promis'd that within
10 day, with the assistance of our peopple, he did nott doubt butt
finnish itt; att which our capt. and company told him that as soone as
he had done he should have one of the barques for his paines, and all
he[r] ladeing of tallow, and that he would sett them all ashore
againe. thiss Spannish carpenter being a very Ingenious worke man, and
saw wee shew him and his company a greate deale of respect, which
begott a love in him to us, for he tolde us wee should make what
dispatch wee could out of the lagoone, for the cuntry was very
populus, and would soone be after us if could procure any Imbarcation.
the carpenter dispatcht is [his] buisness in 12 days, so that he and
his comepany had the Barkque and all her loding. putting them ashore
with some Prissnors wee had taken before, wee take a perriauger that
come downe to thiss Isle of dogges, with a Spannish March't and a
Mustees woman, which we suppose he kept. the woman lieing on borde one
or two nights, was very familiar with one Copas a dutch a man,[74] who
formerly had saild with the Spaniards, and had the linqua att will,
but was mainly Inamoured with thiss women, makeing her severall
presents of some Vallew. after the carpenters weir gone wee fell downe
lower in the lagoone to fill water. thiss Copas goeing aShore to guard
the Prissnars that fill'd water made an Excuse to goe into the woods
to kill some thing to eate, but went cleare away, that wee never saw
him since, carrying with him about 200 Peices of Eight in golde and
Silver, that putt us in feare least he would give Intelligence which
way wee weir bounden, wee being att this time butt a small partie,
about 64 soules, and nott any greate gunn to help us. in takeing of
these carpenters one of our men, a Scotch man, haveing dranck to much,
by some way or Other gott out of the cannoe and was drounded. the
peopple telling us the Barkque saild primely well and the best saylor
belonged to Pennamau wee kept her to waite on the Shipp. shee was a
small open barkque. wee tooke in her a man that was acquainted with
thiss Gulph of Dolce, who tolde us wee might lay the shipp on shore
their very well and no body see us, nor any Spaniard know we weir
their, so wee concluded to go. about May the first 81, wee arrived in
this Gulph of Dulce. itt lieth from the lagoone of Nicoy about 47
leagues South and from the Island of canes ii leagues S.S.E. wee found
according to what the Spanish fellow tolde us, a very fine place to
hall our Shipp on shore to cleane her. Here we caught some fish and
turtle and fedd well for the time wee lay here. we Built a house
ashore to putt our provissions in, to keepe them from the Raines, and
carried ashore the most part of our Ballast, in the barkque and men of
war cannoes. wee findeing the small barque to Saile very well, the
Capt. putt in 7 Hands to her, to sayle her. as wee lay one night ready
to hall a shore the next high water, the winde blew att South very
hard, that our after mast cable gave way, that the shipp drave ashore
against the rocks, we weir afraid should have bildged her; but the 2
carpenters, being carefull, shord her up to ease her what thay could,
and the next flood heav'd her off againe to a sandy place in the bay,
wheir wee found some butt heads started and abundance of nailes and
spikes wanting, which our carpenters had provided for and drave
aboundance in her bottom. we lay here about 5 weekes, mending our
sailes and fixing our rigging. here cam in to us some Indian men,
women and children, to whome wee gave Victualls and drink; thay staid
with us tell we had done our shipp; some times giveing us plantans,
and some time goeing into the woods, finding bees nests, would give us
the Honney; butt the most good these Indians did us, wee had their
barque loggs[75] all the time we lay hear to make us a Staige. Some of
them goeing away Amounge the Spaniards tolde them that their was a
greate Shipp in the Gulph, and that wee weir a casting of greate
gunns. Butt these Indians that came to us tolde us that the Spaniards
had tolde them if any shipps came in that had any thing of redd in
their collers,[76] that thay should have a caire and not come on borde
of them nor lett us see them, telling them that wee would kill them;
but as itt happen'd we went in with all white collers, which was the
Spanish order that thay should Assist all those, for thay weir their
friends and would doe them no harme. the Spaniard lives here from the
Gulph of Dulcey about 3 dayes Journey. thiss Gulph lieth in lattd. 7 deg.
22' No. lattd. wee fitted our Shipp, clensed our bottom what wee
could; the small barque filld water, cutt wood, and went away to Sea
to looke for Purchase.[77] we went from thiss place about the last of
June 81, haveing a good fresh gaile att S. and B.E. and S.S.E. wee
stands over thiss bay, cald the bay of the Gorgony, which Isle of
Gorgoney wee carreend att the last Year lieth in No. lattd. 3 deg. 35', or
their abouts. the land that we made was 7 leagues farther to windward.
here generally setts a greate currant out of the Sea into thiss bay
E.N.E. wee fell in first with Barraco Island and cock Island. wee now
bethinks our selves that twas time in the year to gett up to windward
to goe through the streights of Magelene. wee recruted here with
water, filling all we could. about 30 leagues W.S.W. from thiss Island
Barricoes we turnes up to windwards, and of[f] Cape passagoe, which
lieth in 45' No. lattd.,[78] wee cruises a good way of shore, about
16 or 18 leagues, sees a saile, we gave chase, and comes up with her
about 9 aclock of night. we found her to come out of Yakell, bound for
Pennamau. the same shipp wee took loden with cloth and other goods the
Laste year, which was then bound upp to Lymmo. she had in her now good
Store of cloth, silk, stockings, mony and Plate, about forty thousand
peices of Eight, and severall good things, butt the chiefest of her
lading was coco. wee tooke out her what we thought convenient and
carried her under the shore and came to an Anchor, and when we had
done rummageing her putt them all aborde, cutt downe their maine mast,
gave them Victualls and Drinck enough, and putt them to sea to goe
right afore the wind for Pennamau. the master was very glad we gave
him his shipp againe, and the most part of his lodeing; that he swore
wee wear the Honnestest ladrones that ever he saw in his daies. we
went of to sea cruiseing for more. we understood by thiss last prise
that the Spaniards could not tell if [we] wear to windward or
leewards. 3 dayes after in the morning we spies a small barque close
by shore. wee gave chaces to her, came up hand over hand with her. She
makes what she could for the Shore, their being one Spaniard in her
that knew us, who we had taken the last year. She comes to an Anchor
with in a quarter of a mile of the Shore, and a fryar and 4 Negro's
getts ashore uppon a Planck and takes to the woods, but some staied on
borde the barque. capt. Batt. Sharpe in a man of war cannoe follows
them and come upp with some of them ashore. we found nothing butt a
little Plunder. their letters of advice thay had hove over borde, butt
they confest their was advice bound up to Yakell to give notice that
wee weir in the gulph of Dulcey acleaning our shipp and acasting of
greate gunns, as they heard. these Prisnars give us advice of a new
Vice Roys comeing out of olde Spaine to Puerta Vella, and was come
over land to Pennamau, and a greate Shipp lay their of 14 gunns to
take him in.[79] thay told us thay had aboundance of riches with him;
wee tolde them when wee had cutt their mane mast by the borde and sent
them to Pennamau, that we lay waiteing for him and bid them tell the
Vice Roy soe when they came to Pennamau. we cruises for more purchase
and about 12 leagues from the cape, in a drisly misty morning, a man
goeing to toppmast head saw a saile under our Lee, which wee made
saile to and come upp with her; we fired severall small Armes before
they called for quarter, butt calling, was presently granted and not a
gunn fier'd. her capt. was short downe in takeing of her. we found She
was a shipp bound for Pennamaw, came downe from Lymmo loden with wine
and brandies, but very little plate, 700 piggs of Peuter, which we
thought was silver, found to the contrary.[80] we now Resolveing to
goe about this year if Pleasd God, we tooke out of her 700 Jarrs of
wine, about 100 Jarrs of brandy, to serve us homewards, and had itt
nott beene for thiss wine and brandy was Impossible to have subsisted.
we cutt thiss shipps maine mast by the bord and sent her afore the
wind to Pennama. wee kept about 18 Negroes and Indians to wash and
pump our shipp. thiss last priz gave us full information of the
Armado, which was to sayle from Lymmo, about 17 sayle of Shipps. the
15 day of September 81, wee turnd alonge shore as high as cape
Blanco,[81] and then haveing a trew traid winde att S.S.E. and S.E.
and b.S., sometimes South East, we all concluded to make the best of
our way out of these seas; we haveing gotten ii hundred Peices of
Eight a man in mony and Plate uppon Equall shairs, tho' itt was some
of our fortune to loose our Voyage by Play afterwards; which those
that were the winners to have the more. wee had the winds most att
S.E. and b.S. and S.S.E. and S.E. wee stood of to sea, steming S.W.
and b.W. and S.W., commonly makeing a West 35 deg. southerly way, sayling
after the rate of 5 or 6 leagues a watch. fine moderate windes and
fair weather. we found a currant sett here to the S.W. quarter. we
stands up to Payta, which is about 13 leagues to the Southwards of
cape Blanco, and in so. lattd. 5 deg.. wee wear minded to take itt, butt
the fryar and fower Negro's, which made their Escape out of the little
Barque we tooke under the Shore, had gott before us, and sent to every
sea porte towne to give them notice that we wear a comeing to windward
as fast as we could, so on a Sunday Morning our capt. Sharpe, with
about 36 hands, went to land att Payta, butt found itt so well lyned
with men that thay durst not adventure On itt, but come back againe,
resolveing to live on bread and water till such time as could be
better supplied, concludeing that our wine and brandy would keepe us
alive. wee now makes no more tacks alonge shore, but stands close
hal'd on a boleing to sea,[82] about 670 leagues due West from Payta,
till we come up to 33 So. lattd. ther we had variable winds. wee hal's
in for the shore, getting our Larbord tacks on borde, the wind comeing
out at N.W. in that quarter that wee could not fetch the Keys of Juan
Fernandus, wheir wee Expected to Recruit with fresh goates and water,
and to have faught[83] off our Musketa-Indian we left their the time
before, but we getting to the Southwards of these keys, and the winds
comeing out for Northerly, was forced to ply to the Southward, and
then wee had Some raines, which from 7 deg. So. lattd. till you come to
28 deg. So. lattd., is never no raine by the Spaniards report nor since
thay have inhabited the cuntry, which hath been about 180 years; yett
very good Corne growes, and all sorts of Herbs and graine, but thay
[have] Extreeme dues. wee stands still to the Southward, and haveing
now great variation, 13 or 14 degrees, we wear very Exact in takeing
Amplitudes,[84] to be the more Sattisfied in thick weather of our true
course made. wee stood to the S.E. and S.E. and B.S. 700 leagues, and
about 3 aclock in the Morning the watch saw breakers very near us
under our Lea. it blew hard, that 2 nights before we had handed[85]
our topp sailes, and went under a pair of Coarses and our mizon. wee
wear gott now up to 50 deg. 8' So. lattd. itt being a little light, before
day wee saw the land plaine. wee heaved out our topp sailes reeved and
made shift to weather all the breakers, and when twas day we discried
a place between 2 keys which we concludes to beare up to see if wee
could finde any good Anchoring and saife rideing till twas a little
later in the year. twas very colde heare, much raine, The Hills coverd
with Snow. wee went in along the key side about 4 leagues and saw a
very convenient cove. wee came to an Anchor the 3d of November,
thinking to stay hear till the weather was a little warmer. the first
night we lost one Anchor, the Cable being Very bad. we warped and
towed into another Cove, lieing a little more to the Southwards, the
wind blowing N.N.W. wee gott the ends of all our cable and Hassers and
made fast ashore to the trees; yett all would Hardly doe, for when it
blew hard, our cable would give way and our shipp in dainger of
driveing ashore, which if had we should lived like Heathens amounge
the Savage Indians, and never have come to rights, but we spliced and
Strengthend our cables what we could and with much difficulty made
them hold out. the 21 day of november 81 wee putt out of thiss place
to sea. wee lay here about 22 dayes, feadeing most on lempotts[86] and
Mussles, which wee gatherd of the rocks and makes very good foode. our
wine and brandie was a greate Help to us thiss cold weather. clothing
wee had good Store. some times we gott a Penguine, which are plenty in
these streights, which are as greate as a goose, but cant fly, haveing
on their winges onely stubbs of feathers. hear we saw a fier and made
to itt, wheir we saw an Antient Indian, and a younge fellow and a
woman Indian, which had about their bodies a Seale Skinn to keepe them
warme. thay saw us and rann away, but we over tooke the younge fellow,
which tooke to throwing of Stones. the olde man tooke the water and
was so cunning in diveing that our Peopple could not gett him, so they
shott him in the water. the woman gott away from us the next day. one
of our cannoes went downe to this place againe, and carried the Indian
that was taken alonge with him, which Indian carried our peopple to
thre or 4 wigwams, wheir was fier, but could see no peopple. the
fellow cald in their Speech but none appeard, he makeings signes that
thay weare greate tall men with longe beards.[87] when our peopple saw
none came, thay returned to the cannoe, carying this Indian fellow
which was very unwilling to goe but Strugled to gett away, twas as
much as 3 or 4 of our men could do to binde him, and force him downe
to the cannoe, His strength was so greate. wee doe Imagin that here
may be some Spaniards which formerly have been cast away; for to the
Southwards about 4 legs when wee came out with our Shipp we saw to
very greate fiers but wear la'ft [_sic_] to see what thay weir, but
went to sea, stearing away S.W. and B.S. and S.W. the winds weir very
hard att N.W. we went under a pair of courses, haveing no observation
in 3 days after wee came out of these Lempot keys, wee stearing as far
to the westwards for fear of the Island called the 12 Appostle and 4
Evangelist[88] takeing of us upp, which lieth att the entring of the
Streight mouth. the currant setting to the westward out of the
Streights, satt us by Judgement 25 leagues off shore and when we
observed we weir in the lattd. of 55 deg. 30', the wind being no[r]therly,
and wee so to the Southwards of the Streights could not gett to the
Northwards againe, but the capt. and Master, with advice of some
others, concluded to goe about terra fuega,[89] and so to goe through
the New Streights, the Streights of Maria, which wee had a Journall of
2 Brothers called by name Noddles, which was about 65 years agon sent
out to discover these parts of the world,[90] which thay gave
description that thay went about terra Fogoe through thiss Streight of
Maria and weatherd Terra Fogoe, and went downe the west side, and ran
downe to the Northwards, and entred the Streight of Magelena, and came
thro' into the North Sea, wheir he speakes of aboundance of those
birds called Penguins, whear thay laded, bold with them.[91] wee had
very colde weather and about the 3 of december wee passed a cape,
called cape Frea, lieing to the South of Terra Fogoe, in the lattd.
59 deg. 30' South.[92] wee finde here about 4 degrees variation, but downe
in 35 and 40 wee had 11 and 12 and 13 degrees variation. wee weir
something fearfull of Halling to close into shore, being not
acquainted did not know what danger might be, yett would very
willingly have save [seen?] the Land, that wee might have beene the
better satisfied where we weir. twas very thick weather, that wee
could seldom take an observation. we Indeavord to make the Cape Horne
but we weir gott so far to the Southwards.[93] Yett we beleive we weir
not very farr off shore, for we had thousands of birds about us. the 9
day of December we had a good observation and found our selves to be
in South lattd. 58 deg. 5'. we had the winds att N.E. and N.E. and b.N.,
fine handsome topp saile gailes, sometimes a shower of Snow and
Sleete, but miserable colde. now our wines and brandy stand us in
greate Steade and is the thing under god that keepes us alive. we
stands to the Southward, haling S.E. and S.E. and B.E. After wee had
our last observation, which was 58 deg. 5', when we thought by our Dead
reconning that we weir in the lattd. of 60 or better, wee Steerd away
due East.[94] we had but little Night, the Daylight was hardly shett
in att all. we standing to the Eastwards saw 3 or 4 greate Islands of
Ice and Snow, as we thought, of a good high and very colde about them.
from this Cape their are lying 3 or 4 Islands called the Berlingos,
which I am to think are those wee tooke to be the Islands of Ice, for
thay are all kiver'd with Snow, and the Burlingos lyeth by the globe
in the lattd. of 59 deg. 00'.[95] One Night as wee weare getting about the
land, some men gott merry, Especially the capt. and his Mess, which
caused some words to arise between the capt. and Some of the company,
in so much that thay fell to blowes, but the capt. runns into his
cabbon and fetches out a Pistoll laden, and comeing to one of Our
Peopple, by name Richard Hendricks, fier'd itt off as he thought att
his Head, but itt pleased god itt mist his head and grased on his
neck. the next morning wee found the shott placed in one of the Dead
Eyes of the maine shroudes, which was but Jus[t] behinde him. the
capt. thought he had kil'd the man, cryed out, "Armes, their was one
dead," and he would have kill more, which cabbon mess ran and fetched
their Armes forthwith, and those that weir awake, was fetching theirs
likewise, which had not been soberer then others and more discretion
in them Sharpe had certainly been kill'd. it had likt to have been a
bad buisness, but when the[se] things came to an understandings All
was husht upp, Especially findeing the man was not so much hurt as wee
did suppos and was cured in a weeks time. Well, we stears away East,
till we thought we Had Easting enough to enter the Streights of Maria.
Now we begins to Hall to the Norwards E.N.E., and by observation taken
we found our selves to be gott to the norwards into 57 deg. 8'. then we
halls away N.E. and about 4 days after had another very good
observation. then we found our Selves to be in 50 deg. So. lattd. Shott to
the Norwards of these new Streights, doubled about all the Lands;
aboundance of birds attends us Still. Wee are now gotten to the
Streights Mouth of Magelen, the North side. wee had good Fresh gales
att N.W. and S.W., the winds very variable. we runing into hot weather
to the Norwards and halling about Terra Fogoe to the Eastward wee
found a greate Currant to the E.N.E. wee weare farther off Shore then
wee Expected, yett wee hal'd away N.E., hopeing that off of Brazill we
should meete with English, Dutch or Portugeez, to hear how our
buisness was discourst of att home and to buy a little Provision of
them. we hal'd away N.E. till we came downe into 14 deg. No. lattd,[96]
that we would be sure to carry itt about a shoale which lieth a little
to the Norwards of Cape Toms,[97] lying in South lattd. 22 deg. 50'. we
wear more to the eastward then we Expected. by our Runn afterward we
found wee weir 170 leagues to the eastward then we Judged our selves
to be. in this lattd. we had very Easy topp saile gailes of wind, and
mostly att E. and E.N.E. and sometimes att E.S.E., but very seldom
comes to the southward of the S.E. att this time of year, Except itt
be in a Turnado. we carried what saile we could, being willing to be
on land. after we gott into 13 deg. So. lattd, we steard more westerly, N.
and N. and b.W., till we comes into the lattd. of 8 deg. 20', the length
of cape Augusteene,[98] then hald away N.N.W. and N.W.b.N. till we
come into the lattd. of Barbados, and run down into 13 deg. and 5',[99]
keepeing a good lattd. for to see the barbados. wee ran about 12 or 13
days in the latt. our Reconing was out 5 or 6 dayes before we made the
Land,[100] and about 3 a clock in the morning about the 12 of
feb.[101] the Master cal'd out Land. wee saw twas Barbados, and which
was comfortable to us all to have so good a land fall. we went downe
the N.E. side, luffing upp for spikes rode,[102] wheir we saw shipping
ride. The _Richmans_ Pinnas [_omission_] and haled us. we lay by and
disputed with them, desiering them to come on borde, but thay would
not. thay askt us if we would not goe into an Anchor. we told them as
farr as wee knew wee would, but thay being soe cautious how thay came
on borde Putt us into many thoughts what to doe. wee consciderd, that
here was one of his Majts. Shipps, and wee could not hear how itt was
with other Nations, wheather itt was Warrs or Peace, so that we threw
the Helme a weather, throwing out topp gallant Sailes, studing sayles
and all the sayles we could make, and Steard for the Disiada[103]