When We Came Thwart Of St. Helena, The Shoals
Appearing Dangerous, And We Having No Pilot To Undertake The Entry, It
Was Thought Meetest To Go Hence Alongst.
For the Admiral had been the
same night in four fathom and a half, three leagues from the shore;
and yet we understood, by the help of a known pilot, there may and do
go in ships of greater burden and draught than any we had in our
fleet.
We passed thus along the coast hard aboard the shore, which is
shallow for a league or two from the shore, and the same is low and
broken land for the most part. The ninth of June upon sight of one
special great fire (which are very ordinary all alongst this coast,
even from the Cape of Florida hither) the General sent his skiff to
the shore, where they found some of our English countrymen that had
been sent thither the year before by Sir Walter Raleigh, and brought
them aboard; by whose direction we proceeded along to the place which
they make their port. But some of our ships being of great draught,
unable to enter, anchored without the harbour in a wild road at sea,
about two miles from shore. From whence the General wrote letters to
Master Ralph Lane, being governor of those English in Virginia, and
then at his fort about six leagues from the road in an island which
they called Roanoac; wherein especially he shewed how ready he was to
supply his necessities and wants, which he understood of by those he
had first talked withal.
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