Some Of The People Were Desirous Of Going Into Bahia, And
Submitting To The Portuguese, Rather Than Die Of Thirst; But Our Captain
Persuaded Them Against This Measure.
In this extremity, it pleased God
to send us such abundant rain, that we were enabled to supply ourselves
with water.
On getting into the hot climate near the line, our dried
penguins began to corrupt, and there bred in them many loathsome worms,
an inch in length. These worms increased with astonishing rapidity,
devouring our victuals so fast that we now seemed doomed to die of
famine, as before of thirst We were even in danger of being eaten up by
these worms, which devoured every thing except iron. They so gnawed the
timbers of our ship, that we feared they would eat holes through her
sides. We used every possible contrivance to destroy these noisome
vermin, but they seemed only to increase so much the more, so that at
last they would eat our flesh, and bite us like mosquitoes when we were
asleep.
In this woeful plight, after we had passed the equator towards the
north, our men began to fall sick of a most terrible disease, such as, I
believe, was never before heard of. It began with a swelling in their
ankles, which in two days rose up as high as their breasts, so that they
could not breathe. It then fell into the scrotum, which, with the penis,
swelled in a most grievous manner, so that they could neither stand,
walk, nor lie; and many of them became frantic with grief and distress.
Our captain, with extreme distress of mind, was in so miserable a
condition, that he wished to die; yet, while scarcely able to speak for
sorrow, he continued to exhort us all to patience and reliance on God,
desiring us to accept our chastisement like dutiful and thankful
children.
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