And They, Going Up Into The Country For The Space Of Six
Miles, Were Encountered With A Great Number Of
The negroes, who with
their envenomed arrows did hurt a great number of our men, so that they
were enforced
To retire to the ships, in which conflict they recovered
but a few negroes; and of these our men which were hurt with their
envenomed arrows, there died to the number of seven or eight in very
strange manner, with their mouths shut, so that we were forced to put
sticks and other things into their mouths to keep them open; and so
afterwards passing the time upon the coast of Guinea, until the 12th of
January, we obtained by that time the number of one hundred and fifty
negroes. And being ready to depart from the sea coast, there was a
negro sent as an ambassador to our General, from a king of the negroes,
which was oppressed with other kings, his bordering kings, desiring our
General to grant him succour and aid against those his enemies, which
our General granted unto, and went himself in person on land with the
number of 200 of our men, or thereabouts, and the said king which had
requested our aid, did join his force with ours, so that thereby our
General assaulted and set fire upon a town of the said king his
enemies, in which there was at the least the number of eight or ten
thousand negroes, and they, perceiving that they were not able to make
any resistance, sought by flight to save themselves, in which their
flight there were taken prisoners to the number of eight or nine
hundred, which our General ought to have had for his share; howbeit the
negro king, which requested our aid, falsifying his word and promise,
secretly in the night conveyed himself away with as many prisoners as
he had in his custody; but our General, notwithstanding finding himself
to have now very near the number of 500 negroes, thought it best
without longer abode to depart with them and such merchandise as he had
from the coast of Africa towards the West Indies, and therefore
commanded with all diligence to take in fresh water and fuel, and so
with speed to prepare to depart. Howbeit, before we departed from
thence, in a storm that we had, we lost one of our ships, namely, the
William and John, of which ship and her people we heard no tidings
during the time of our voyage.
THE SECOND CHAPTER.
WHEREIN IS SHOWED THE DAY AND TIME OF OUR DEPARTURE FROM THE COAST OF
AFRICA, WITH THE DAY AND TIME OF OUR ARRIVAL IN THE WEST INDIES, ALSO
OF OUR TRADE AND TRAFFIC THERE, AND ALSO OF THE GREAT CRUELTY THAT THE
SPANIARDS USED TOWARDS US, BY THE VICEROY HIS DIRECTION AND
APPOINTMENT, FALSIFYING HIS FAITH AND PROMISE GIVEN, AND SEEKING TO
HAVE ENTRAPPED US.
All things being made in a readiness at our General his appointment,
upon the 3rd day of February, 1568, we departed from the coast of
Africa, having the weather somewhat tempestuous; which made our passage
the more hard, and sailing so for the space of twenty-five days, upon
the 27th March, 1568, we came in sight of an island called Dominique,
upon the coast of America, in the West Indies, situated in fourteen
degrees of latitude, and two hundred and twenty-two of longitude. From
thence our General coasted from place to place, ever making traffic
with the Spaniards and Indians, as he might, which was somewhat hardly
obtained, for that the king had straitly charged all his governors in
those parts not to trade with any. Yet notwithstanding, during the
months of April and May, our General had reasonable trade and traffic,
and courteous entertainment in sundry places, as at Marguerite,
Corassoa, and elsewhere, until we came to Cape de la Vela, and Rio de
la Hacha (a place from whence all the pearls do come). The governor
there would not by any means permit us to have any trade or traffic,
nor yet suffer us to take in fresh water; by means whereof our General,
for the avoiding of famine and thirst, about the beginning of June was
enforced to land 200 of our men, and so by main force and strength to
obtain that which by no fair means he could procure; and so recovering
the town with the loss of two of our men, there was a secret and
peaceable trade admitted, and the Spaniards came in by night, and
bought of our negroes to the number of 200 and upwards, and of our
other merchandise also. From thence we departed for Cartagena, where
the governor was so strait that we could not obtain any traffic there,
and so for that our trade was near finished, our General thought it
best to depart from thence the rather for the avoiding of certain
dangerous storms called the huricanoes, which accustomed to begin there
about that time of the year, and so the 24th of July, 1568, we departed
from thence, directing our course north, leaving the islands of Cuba
upon our right hand, to the eastward of us, and so sailing towards
Florida, upon the 12th of August an extreme tempest arose, which dured
for the space of eight days, in which our ships were most dangerously
tossed, and beaten hither and thither, so that we were in continual
fear to be drowned, by reason of the shallowness of the coast, and in
the end we were constrained to flee for succour to the port of St. John
de Ullua, or Vera Cruz, situated in nineteen degrees of latitude, and
in two hundred and seventy-nine degrees of longitude, which is the port
that serveth for the city of Mexico. In our seeking to recover this
port our General met by the way three small ships that carried
passengers, which he took with him, and so the 16th of September, 1568,
we entered the said port of St. John de Ullua.
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