They Feed Entirely On
Fish, Yet Their Flesh Has Not That Rank Fishy Taste Which Is So Common
In Sea-Fowl, But Is Extraordinarily Well Tasted.
Penguin, the name of
this bird, is not derived from the Latin pinguedo, fatness, as the
Dutch author of this voyage would have it, and therefore spells the word
pinguin.
Neither is the conjecture of the French editor of this voyage
better founded, who supposes they were so called by the English from a
Welsh word signifying white-head; and from which it has been argued
that these savages are descended from a colony of Britons, supposed to
have settled in America, about the year 1170, under Madoc, prince of
North Wales. The truth is, the name of penguin was given to these birds
by the savages.
The ship reached the greater Penguin Island on the 15th January, that
island being a league from the small one; and here they found such
abundance of these birds, that many ships might have been amply supplied
by them instead of one, for they procured above 900 of them in less than
two hours. Next day, while busy in salting the penguins, a heavy storm
came on from the N.W. by which the ship was driven out of sight of the
island, and to so great a distance that de Weert lost hopes of getting
back to it again; on which he reduced the men to an allowance of four
ounces of biscuit daily. They got back however on the 17th; but, when
going to land, a fresh storm came on with such violence, that they
resolved to weigh anchor and get out of the straits: but the sea was so
rough that they durst not attempt this, lest the capstan should fly
round. At last the anchor lost its hold; and to save the ship from being
cast away, they had to cut the cable and make sail, being in great
sorrow for the loss of their anchor, as they now had one only remaining.
Sec. 4. Voyage from the Straits to Holland.
This sad accident constrained de Weert to quit the straits, which he did
on the 21st January, having a S.W. wind, chopping sometimes round to
E.N.E. having now spent nine months in those seas, in a dangerous and
dismal condition. In the afternoon of that day, having got into the main
sea, they allowed their boat to go adrift, being rendered quite
unserviceable by the late storms. The 24th in the morning, they found
three small islands to windward, not marked in any maps, which they
named the Sebaldine Islands. These are in lat. 50 deg. 40' S. sixty
leagues from the continent,[91] and contained abundance of penguins; but
they could not catch any, having no boat. On the 1st February, a seaman
was condemned to be hanged, for having stolen a bottle of wine and a bag
of rice from the hold; and, when just about to be turned off, he was
pardoned at the intercession of the crew, on condition that they should
not again beg the life of any one found guilty of stealing provisions.
In the evening of the 3d the same person was found drunk, and
consequently must have again stolen wine, and was convicted of having
stolen both wine and victuals, for which he was now hanged, and his body
thrown into the sea.
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