The Portuguese On This Island Are A Parcel Of Banditti, Who Have Taken
Refuge Here From The More Strictly Governed Parts Of Brazil.
Emanuel
Mansa, who was captain of the island in the time of Frezier, was still
their chief.
They enjoy the blessings of a fertile country and wholesome
air, and stand in need of nothing from other countries except clothing.
They have fire-arms sufficient for their use, and have often need of
them, being greatly infected with tigers; for which reason every house
has many dogs to destroy these ravenous animals, which yet often make
great havock. I have been told that a tiger has killed eight or ten dogs
in a night: But when any make their appearance in the day, they seldom
escape, as the inhabitants are fond of the diversion of hunting them.
These animals are so numerous, that it is quite common to see the prints
of their paws on the sandy beach. We could not see any of the fine
dwelling-houses mentioned by Frezier; neither have they any place that
can be called a town, nor any kind of fortification, except the woods,
which are a secure retreat from any enemy that may attack them. I cannot
say much about the Indians of those parts, as I never saw above two or
three of them.
On the 2d July we saw a large ship at anchor, under Parrots Island,
about five miles from where we lay. After securing the watering-place,
and what we had there ashore, I sent the launch, well manned and armed,
under a lieutenant, to see what she was. The launch returned about noon,
reporting that she was the Ruby, formerly an English man-of-war, but
now one of the squadron under Martinet, and commanded by Mons. La
Jonqniere. She was in, the Spanish service, but most of her officers and
crew were French, to the number of about 420. Yet they had no intention
to molest us, having quitted the South Sea on report of a rupture
between France and Spain. M. La Jonquiere was a man of strict honour,
and sent me intimation of his good intentions, with an invitation to
dinner, which I accepted, and was well entertained. About this time I
heard that Hately had plundered the Portuguese ship, formerly mentioned,
of 100 moidores, and had distributed part of the money among the boat's
crew, to engage them to secrecy. I examined into this as strictly as
possible, intending, if found guilty, to have delivered him up to the
captain of St Catharine's, but I could not get sufficient proof. This
man also committed so many vile actions in the island of St Catharine,
that oar people were often in the utmost danger, from the resentment of
the Portuguese; which bad conduct I could neither prevent nor punish, as
he had become a great favourite with my mutinous crew.
M. La Jonquiere, with several of his officers and passengers, came on
board the Speedwell to dine with me, on the 6th July. While they were on
board, Hudson my boatswain raised a mutiny, which was easily quelled by
the assistance of the French gentlemen: But the boatswain was sent home
in the French ship. On the 15th July, we saw a large ship bearing in
for the harbour; but on discovering us, she turned out again. This
circumstance alarmed M. La Jonquiere, suspecting she might be our
consort, so that he put to sea next morning. The large ship appeared
again on the 25th under French colours, being the Solomon of St Malo of
forty guns and 160 men, commanded by M. Dumain Girard, bound for Peru
and Chili.
At this time great heart-burnings arose in my crew: for, having heard
that the people on board the Duke and Duchess had been indifferently
treated in regard to their prize-money when they got home, they resolved
to secure themselves in time. With this view, and by the advice of
Matthew Stewart, chief-mate, they drew up a paper of articles respecting
plunder, and sent me a letter insisting on these articles being made the
rule of our voyage; to which at last I was obliged to agree, rather than
suffer them to proceed in a piratical manner.
On the 3d August the St Francisco Zavier came into the harbour, a
Portuguese man of war of forty guns and 300 men, bound from Lisbon for
Macao in China, commanded by Mons. Riviere, a Frenchman. We departed
from the island of St Catharine on the 9th August. Its northern point
being in lat. 27 deg. 20' S. and long. 50 deg. W. from the Lizard.[255] I kept
the lead constantly sounding all along the coast of Patagonia, and had
regular soundings. From the lat. of 40 deg. to 30 deg. 38' both S. we frequently
saw great shoals of seals and penguins, which were always attended by
flocks of pintadoes, birds about the size of pigeons. The French call
these birds damiers, as their black and white feathers on their back
and wings are disposed like the squares of a draught-board. These were
also attended by albatrosses, the largest of all sea-fowl, some of them
extending their wings twelve or thirteen feet from tip to tip. While
passing the mouth of the Rio. Plata, the sea was covered with prodigious
quantities of large seaweed, which often greatly incommoded us and
deadened our way. On getting farther south we were freed from this
inconvenience; after which we saw abundance of things floating on the
surface of the sea, like white snakes. We took some of these up, but
could not perceive them to have any appearance of life, neither had they
the shape of any kind of animal, being only a long cylinder of a white
jelly-like substance, perhaps the spawn of some large fish.
[Footnote 255: Only 27 deg. S. and 48 deg. 30' W. from Greenwich. - E.]
As we advanced to the southward, the appetites of our people increased
with the cold, which occasioned disputes in the ship.
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