Sailing from this place, the fleet came to anchor in Port St Julian on
the 20th June, where they saw the gibbet still standing, on which
Magellan had formerly executed some of his mutinous company.
Here also
Admiral Drake executed one Captain Doughty, the most suspected action of
his life. Mr Doughty had been guilty of certain actions, tending towards
contention or mutiny, and was found guilty partly on his own confession,
and partly by proof, taken in good order and as near as might be
according to the forms of the law of England. Having received the
communion from Mr Fletcher, chaplain of the admiral's ship, in which
Captain Drake participated along with him; and after embracing Drake,
and taking leave of all the company, Mr Doughty prayed fervently for the
welfare of the queen and whole realm, then quietly laid his head on the
block. The general then made a speech to the whole company assembled,
exhorting them to unity and obedience, sacredly protesting that he had
great private affection for Mr Doughty, and had been solely actuated in
condemning him to an ignominious death, by his care for the welfare of
the voyage, the satisfaction of her majesty, and the honour of his
country.
Leaving this place on the 17th August, they fell in with the eastern
entrance of the Straits of Magellan on the 20th of that month. The 21st
they entered the straits, which they found very intricate, with various
crooked turnings; owing to which, having often to shift their course,
the wind was frequently adverse, making their passage troublesome and
dangerous, especially in sudden blasts of wind; for, although there were
several good harbours, the sea was too deep for anchorage, except in
some narrow creeks or inlets, or between rocks. On both sides of the
straits, there are vast mountains covered with snow, their tops reaching
in many places to great heights, having often two or three ranges of
clouds below their summits. The air in the straits was extremely cold,
with almost continual frost and snow; yet the trees and plants retained
a constant verdure, growing and flourishing in spite of the severity of
the climate. At the south and east parts of the straits there are
various islands, through between which the sea breaks in, as at the main
entrance. The breadth of the straits in some places was only a league,
which was the narrowest, but in most places two, and in some three
leagues across. The 24th August, they came to an island in the straits,
where they found vast quantities of penguins, a sort of water fowl, as
large as a goose, but which does not fly, and of which they killed 3000
in less than a day.
SECTION III.
Incidents of the Voyage, from the Straits of Magellan to New Albion.
The 6th September, they reached the western extremity of the straits,
and entered into the great South Sea or Pacific Ocean. On the 7th, the
fleet encountered a storm, by which they were driven one degree to the
southwards of the straits, and more than 200 leagues in longitude back
from that entrance.[25] They were driven even so far as the lat. of 57 deg.
20' S. where they anchored among the islands, finding good fresh water
and excellent herbs.[26] Not far from thence, they entered another bay,
where they found naked people, ranging about the islands in canoes, in
search of provisions, with whom they had some intercourse by way of
barter. Continuing their course towards the north, they discovered
three islands on the 3d October, in one of which there was an incredible
number of birds. On the 8th October, they lost company of the Elizabeth,
the vice admiral, commanded by Captain Winter. At his return home, they
found that Mr Winter had been forced to take refuge from the storm in
the straits, whence he returned to England, though many of us feared he
and his people had perished.
[Footnote 25: This is a gross error, probably a misprint for 20 leagues
of longitude, as the quantity in the text would have driven them far to
the eastwards of the straits, into the Atlantic, which is impossible,
the whole of Tierra del Fuego being interposed. - E.]
[Footnote 26: This too is erroneous, as Cape Horn, not then known, is
only in lat. 55 deg. 58' 30' S.]
Having now got back to the western entrance of the straits, they made
sail for the coast of Chili, which the general maps represented as
trending N.W. but which they found to the east of N. so that these
coasts had not been fully discovered, or very inaccurately represented,
for the space of 12 degrees at least, either for the purpose to deceive,
or through ignorance. Proceeding northwards along the coast of Chili,
they came to the island of Mocha, in 38 deg. 30' S. latitude, on the 29th
November, where they cast anchor. The admiral went here ashore with ten
men, and found the island inhabited by a people who had fled from the
extreme cruelty of the Spaniards, leaving their original habitations on
the continent, to enjoy their lives and liberties in security. These
people at first behaved civilly to the admiral and his men, bringing
them potatoes and two fat sheep, promising also to bring them water, and
they received some presents in return. Next day, however, when two men
went ashore with barrels for water, the natives suddenly assailed and
killed them. The reason of this outrage was, that they mistook the
English for Spaniards, whom they never spare when they fall into their
hands.
Continuing their course along the coast of Chili, they met an Indian in
a canoe, who mistook them for Spaniards, and told them of a great
Spanish ship at St Jago, laden for Peru. Rewarding him for this
intelligence, the Indian conducted them to where the ship lay at anchor,
in the port of Valparaiso, in lat.
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