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.
