This
Allowance Was, Two Ounces And A Half Of Meal For Each Man, Two Days Only
In The Week, Or
Five ounces for a week; three days a week, three
spoonfulls of oil were allowed to each man; two days
A week, a pint of
peas among four men; and every day five dried penguins among four men,
with six quarts of water each day to four men. With this allowance,
praised be God, we lived, though weak and feeble.
The 30th January, 1593, we arrived at the isle of Placencia, or Ilha
Grande, in Brazil, the first place at which we touched when outwards
bound. The ship laying off at sea, the captain went aland in the boat
with twenty-four men, being the whole night before he could reach the
shore. He landed next day at sun-rise, hoping to catch the Portuguese in
their houses, and by that means to procure a supply of casava meal; but
on coming to the houses, we found them all burnt to the ground, so that
we thought no one had remained on the island. The captain then went to
the gardens, whence he brought a quantity of fruits and roots for the
company, and returned on board. He then brought the ship into a fine
creek, where she was moored to the trees on each side, at a place where
we had plenty of fresh water. Our case being very desperate, we
presently set to work to trim and repair our water-casks, the coopers
making new hoops; while others laboured to repair the sails, keeping
always a guard on shore, and every man having always his weapons ready
at hand. The 3d February, thirty men well armed went to the gardens,
three miles from where the ship lay, to dig cassavi-roots, to serve our
company instead of bread. This was again repeated on the 5th. They
laboured in quietness all the morning; and about ten o'clock, the heat
being extreme, they came to a rock near the side of the wood, where they
boiled cassavi-roots for dinner. After dinner, some went to sleep, and
others to bathe in the sea, no one keeping watch, not a match lighted,
nor even a piece charged. While in this unprovided state, and out of
sight from the ship, there came suddenly upon them a multitude of
Portuguese and Indians, who slew them all to the number of thirteen, two
only escaping, one of these very sore hurt, and the other not touched,
from whom we learnt the circumstances of this sad massacre.
We manned the boat with all speed, and went ashore, if happily we might
succour our men; but we found them all slain, and laid naked in a row,
with their faces upwards, and a cross set up beside them. We saw also
two large pinnaces coming from Rio de Janeiro, full of men, who, as we
supposed, were intended to take us. We were now much reduced, as of
seventy-six persons we had on board when we left England, there were now
only twenty-seven of us remaining, thirty-two having died formerly, and
thirteen being slain in this place. Between those formerly slain by the
savages at Port Desire, and those now in the island of Placencia by the
Portuguese, all those who had conspired to murder our captain and master
were now cut off, the gunner only excepted. Our casks were so greatly
decayed, that we could not take in a sufficient supply of water, and
what we had was exceedingly bad. Having lost several muskets on shore,
which had belonged to our slain men, with good store of powder and shot,
we expected to be beaten from our decks by means of our own weapons, by
the Portuguese on the island, joined by those coming from Janeiro: and
as we were moored to the trees, for want of cables and anchors, we were
in dread of having our mooring ropes cut. In this miserable state we
knew not what measures to pursue. To depart with only eight tons of bad
water, and in bad casks, were to run the risk of starving at sea, and to
remain seemed inevitable ruin. These were severe alternatives; but in
our perplexity we preferred trusting to the hand of God than to the
mercy of our enemies, and concluded to depart. Wherefore, on the 6th
February, we unmoored and removed our ship into the channel, putting all
our ordnance and small arms in readiness in case of an assault, and
having a small gale of wind, we put to sea in deep distress.
Thus bemoaning our sad estate, and recounting our past misfortunes, we
came to Cape Frio; being much crossed for three weeks by contrary winds,
and our water running short, we were reduced to the utmost distress and
perplexity. 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.
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