The General Ordered Our Carpenters To Make A New Rudder
Of The Mizen-Mast; But There Was This Great Obstacle, That We Had Lost
All Our Rudder-Irons Along With The Old Rudder:
Yet we proceeded with
all expedition; One of our men dived, to search what might remain of our
rudder-irons on the stern port, who found but two, and another that was
broken.
Yet, with God's help, finding a fair day, we made fast our new
rudder, and were able to make sail homewards. Within three or four
hours, the sea took it off again, and we had great difficulty to save
it, losing another of our irons, so that only two now remained to hang
it by, and our men began to propose quitting the ship and going on board
the Hector to save themselves. "Nay," said the general, "we will abide
God's leisure, and see what mercy he will shew us; for I do not yet
despair to save ourselves, the ship, and the goods, by some means which
God will appoint." With that, he went into his cabin, and wrote a letter
for England, proposing to send it by the Hector, commanding her to
continue her voyage and leave us; but not one of our ship's company knew
of this command. The tenor of the letter was as follows, little more or
less, addressed to the Governor and Company:
RIGHT WORSHIPFUL,
What hath passed in this voyage, and what trades I have settled for the
company, and what other events have befallen us, you shall understand by
the bearers hereof, to whom (as occasion has fallen) I must refer you, I
shall strive with all diligence to save my ship and her goods, as you
may perceive by the course I take in venturing my own life, and those
that are with me. I cannot tell where you should look for me, if you
send any pinnace to seek me; because I live at the devotion of the winds
and seas. And that, fare you well, praying God to send us a merry
meeting in this world, if it be his good will and pleasure.
The passage to the East India lieth in 62 1/2 degrees, by the
north-west on the America side.[118]
Your very loving friend,
JAMES LANCASTER.
[Footnote 117: At the commencement of this article, the burden of the
Dragon is only stated at 600 tons. - E.]
[Footnote 118: This latter paragraph obviously refers to the ignis
fatuus of a northwest passage by sea to India, to be noticed in an
after part of this work. - E.]
When this letter was delivered to the Hector, together with his orders
for her departure, the general expected she would have gone off from us
in the night, according to instructions; but when he espied her in the
morning, he said to me that they regarded no orders. But the Hector kept
some two or three leagues from us, not coming any nearer; for the master
was an honest and good man, who loved our general, and was loth to leave
him in such great distress.
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