The 16th
We Saw The Island Of Ascension, Seven Or Eight Leagues To The W.S.W. In
The Morning Of The 28th, The Wind Westerly And Reasonably Fair Weather,
We Spoke The Dutch Ship, Which Made A Waft For Us At His Mizen-Top-Mast
Head.
He told us that he had only eight or nine men able for duty, all
the rest being sick, and forty-six of his crew dead.
This was a grievous
chastisement for them, who had formerly offered to spare me twenty men
or more upon occasion, and a never-sufficiently-to-be-acknowledged mercy
to us, that they should be in so pitiable a case, while we had not lost
one man, and were even all in good health. Towards night, considering
our leak, with many other just causes on our part, besides our want of
means to aid them, and at my company's earnest desire, we made sail and
left them, not without sensible Christian grief that we could give them
no assistance. Indeed, without asking us to remain by them, they desired
us to acquaint any Dutch ship we might meet of their extreme distress,
that the best means might be pursued for their relief. We were then in
lat. 45 deg. 6' N.
The 1st May, having fine weather and the wind at S.W. we were in lat.
49 deg. 13' N. Early in the morning of the 2d, the wind came S. and blew a
storm, putting us under our fore course.
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